Such Great Heights

I don't really have much to say about my time in Carmel or Monterey. Both places are so beautiful, but I feel like such touristy towns are almost harder when you're by yourself. Besides, I had bigger and better things to do. 

Let me tell you, the drive from Monterey to San Francisco up Route 1 is hands down one of the most breathtaking things I've ever experienced. I stopped a couple of times to just stand on a cliff and stare out into the vast blue of the ocean. With the waves crashing against the craggy rocks in a relentless, punishing rhythm, I was overcome by a sense of peace that has been missing in New York, where occasional glimpses of contrived nature clash noisily with the concrete jungle. It's a consistent cacophony of sounds and sights that assaults the senses and makes it near impossible to think straight. I have been looking for a place where I can breathe, and the dizzying cliffs at the edge of route 1 are damn near perfect. 

I arrived in San Francisco, finally turning on my GPS to take me to a Holiday Inn near Fisherman's Wharf. I had a little bit of sticker shock at the price of a night, but my desire to begin my exploration of the city won out, so I checked in. Quick change, then I was off to the Wharf, where I had a lunch of oysters and linguine with clams at one of a thousand seafood restaurants. It was actually really good, though it didn't hold a candle to Maialino's spaghettiini alle vongole, but then few others do. After walking around for a little bit, I went back to my room to relax because I was meeting Ian (former coworker) for dinner. 

In New York, if something is less than a mile away, you walk. I learned the hard way that you don't do that here. I was meeting Ian just about a mile away, so I set off...and upwards. THIS IS NOT A WALKING CITY. Those breathtaking vistas from atop San Francisco's hills are best reached via cab or cable car. However, at this point my stubbornness kicked in, and I pushed on, arriving at Ian's SoulCycle studio panting and sweaty, with a vague sense of accomplishment, not quite as great as climbing Everest, but maybe one of its foothills. Had a nice dinner and some drinks catching up with Ian, who relocated here from New York about a year ago, and has nothing but great things to say about living here. 

Day one in San Francisco was amazing. I love this city so much! The photo below is a view of one of the vertical streets I climbed.

Suuuuper-Smalltown, USA

Image of 'the steel rodeo'

I've been absent from posting for a couple of days because I spent those days in the middle of nowhere, with no internet access besides what 4G service I could get on my phone. After the hustle and bustle of LA (and a great night staying at Susan's house), Springville was a welcome retreat. Located 3.5 hours Northeast of LA, Springville is a tiny town in the Sierra Nevada foothills where my friend Kendra lives. Friday night it was raining, so we ended up going bowling, which she said is a common night-out activity in neighboring Porterville, which is the 'big' town. That was fun times, and gave me a chance to meet some of Kendra's friends, as well as get a feel for the nightlife. I did get into a heated debate with a guy at the bar over politics, but I need to learn to pick my battles in Republicanville...the next day was the main event: the Springville Rodeo. This thing is a big freaking deal. What seemed like the entire population of Springville (around 1,000) was there, as well as most of the neighboring towns. It was a pretty awesome rodeo, though rodeo will never be my favorite form of entertainment (poor animals). Kendra said that calf-tying doesn't hurt the calves, but I just don't see how that's possible when you're being jerked around the neck at top speeds. 

Some highlights from the rodeo:

- Denim on denim on denim, as far as the eyes could see. 

- A young boyscout half-heartedly selling sunflower seeds in the stands as his father followed him around.

- Churros and $4.00 beers 

-The Steel Rodeo, a high-flying BMX show that happened after the horses were put to bed

All in all, it was a great experience, and I'm glad I went out to Springville. The weather was a bit colder than I guess it usually is, but I'll just have to go back. It reminded me of all the things I loved about going to college in a small town. Kendra actually has a river going through her back yard, so I'll have to go back so we can go tubing. However, after eating like smalltown America for 2 days, I was pretty psyched to hit the road in search of some crisp, clean seafood. After a disappointing lunch in Carmel, I'm still looking.........Better luck in SAN FRANCISCO!!!

That's so L.A.

I had written this long post when I arrived the other day at Rick and Mich's house about our beautiful drive down to LA, and our (and then my) nights at Allison's, but I accidentally deleted it. I was so angry about it that I couldn't bear to try and write it again. Here are the main points, then I'll talk about the last couple of days:

-After the wedding brunch on Sunday, me, Oliver, Kinnon, Tee and Jess all drove down from Ojai to LA, along the Pacific Coast Highway whenever possible. 

-I can never get enough of the ocean, just staring at it. Sitting on the shores, whether East or West, I can stare into the ocean and see everything and nothing all at once. The horizon presents the promise of something on the other side, we just have to trust/know it's there (there's a metaphor there but I won't insult anyone's intelligence by belaboring the point).

-Oliver and Tee are crazy, and we stopped so they could jump in the freezing ocean. 

-After lunch in Venice, we went to an indoor-outdoor bar in Santa Monica, which was PACKED. We wondered if anyone actually had jobs, as this was a Sunday afternoon.

-We took a $25 Uber cab that lasted 4 minutes to go meet Allison's friends at a bar. We walked back, upon our insistence. Apparently everyone takes cabs here.

-Had a lovely dinner at Eveleigh. Our server had just moved out here a year ago from NYC, where he had worked at my favorite late-night joint, Blue Ribbon. 

-The next morning, we drove up to the Hollywood sign, so we could take some touristy photos. This accomplished, the others piled in the car, it wouldn't start, then finally got a jump and drove to the airport. 

-Monday night, Allison and I went to the Hot Tub, a comedy showcase at the Virgil in East Hollywood hosted by Kristen Schaal (she played the really weird page in 30 Rock who dated Kenneth). It was surprisingly funny, given that it was mostly experimental comedy, as well as a forum where comedians could try out new material. 

 Tuesday, Rick picked me up and brought me to his house. He and Mich live in this beautiful residential neighborhood that is perfectly serene, especially given how close it is to Hollywood Boulevard (more on that in a minute). He had a meeting, so I went shopping unsuccessfully, then after his meeting we went to Buffalo Exchange, where we both had a lot more success. After that, he had to go out for a bit, so I sat down and wrote the aforementioned doomed blog post, then when he came back we went out and got sushi. Yesterday morning, I got up and after looking at a map, realized how close they live to Hollywood Boulevard, like less than a mile! I spent the morning doing the touristy thing, walking up and down the Boulevard, looking for stars, then I went to the Hollywood Museum. It's in the old Max Factor building, where supposedly stars like Marilyn Monroe and Lucille Ball got their makeup done (in the same rooms that were preserved for people to gawk at now). A few highlights: the pill bottle found with Marilyn when she died, Elvis's tattered, peanut-butter-stained bathrobe, and a replica of Hannibal Lecter's cell. It really is the little things for me. Last night, we had a little dinner party with their friends from Australia and their roommate Dan, which was really fun. Today we are puttering around a bit, then I'm off to Susan's for my last night in LA!!! More later, miss everyone!  PS the picture above is of Pam Anderson and David Hasselhoff's swimsuits from Baywatch. I texted Oliver a picture. 

Here I Go Again On My Own...

Well, four years later, here I am again. One chapter closed, doing my best to figure out the next one. Having spent the last three years getting my Masters degree in Food Studies and working full-time at Maialino restaurant in NYC, I'm exhausted. I'm proud to have gotten my degree while working in an industry that is, arguably, one of the more challenging, both physically and emotionally. I come away from my time there with a stronger sense of how to manage people, as well as a continued love and passion for food, especially Italian. One of the greatest things that Maialino gave me, however, was a group of people who were both a joy to work with and to get to know individually. Leaving them was the hardest part of leaving the restaurant, but we had a baller going-away party and I look forward to crossing paths with them in the future. 

 What am I doing now? Having come out to California for my friend Tim and Erkia's wedding, I decided to stay on and explore this state that I don't know very well at all. Right now I'm in Los Angeles, staying with Allison. Oliver, Kinnon, Tee and Jess just left for the airport to go back to Boston, and I feel like my trip is really starting now. I look forward to seeing hopefully all the people I know and love in California, but I'm also excited to spend some time alone as I drive. 

 Los Angeles is like a foreign country to me. I speak the language, fortunately, but that's about as far as I can go. Shiny, happy people doesn't even begin to describe it. The one thing all of us were asking yesterday was, "don't these people ever work??" The East Coast is so career-driven, and people are almost defined first and foremost by what they do, where they went to school, etc. Not here. Allison confirmed my suspicion that a lot of friendships are forged by gauging what another person can do for the other, who do you know who can help me get ahead/get famous, and the like. This is certainly not to say that real, true friendships aren't forged here, but it seems to me that you have to work just a little bit harder to find the genuine ones. Also, coming from New York, the need to drive everywhere is insane to me. 

 I'm writing this from Allison's living room, sunshine pouring in from the sliding doors that overlook her pool, having just returned from a drive to go see the Hollywood sign, and even though I"m nervous about my time here, and I don't know what the future holds, I am convinced that I made the right choice. How could all this sunshine be wrong??