Greetings from Highway 1!

I can see the surfers on the Pacific Ocean waves (“half-naked”, Orvokki points out behind her camera). Miss H, behind the wheel, has taken the tour leadership and we can relax. At least this was obvious already when we left our guest house in SF. The discussion went like this:

Miss H: “So I should make sure the right address for the car pickup. And we really need to check the right route to get out of the city, right?”
Me: “Hmmm… Are we taking the food bag inside the car?”
Miss H: “Hey, I’m worried about how to find the right highway. If the gps gives the fastest route, it might not be the Highhway One. Or what?”
Me: “Well, I think you can choose the scenic route from gps. I must say I’m hungry already!”
Orvokki: “Surprise! I’m a bit scared for the whole driving part… Laura, what did you pack in the food bag??”
Me: “Chips, carrots, popcorn… and there’s the wine! How do we keep the white wine cool? A cooler?”
Orvokki: ”Good point.”
Miss H: “Hey… Christ…”

 

So, Miss H, that’s what it’s like to be tour leader in this group! 🙂

 

At Avis in San Francisco I got some carrots to eat and the permission to be the second driver. The service lady behind the counter was very friendly and stated: “You are such a lucky girls to experience something like this together”. We know! The only setback was that Avis had run out of gps machines, so now I have the responsibility of reading the map. Which is fun, actually, because it made this trip more old-fashioned. “Thelma and Louise did not have a gps either”, I told the girls. “And what was the end result?”, they laughed.

 

Pah- we’ll see about that! 😀

 

 

 

 

Lazy times in Castro on Saturday morning.

 

 

 

As we drove down the Grand Highway to south, we listed why San Francisco seems so different from NYC.

 

    • Many residents have roots or connection to the Nordic countries. And how do I know this? People talk! The sales clerks, the waiters, people sitting next to you on a bus… “Not such dumb idiots as in Finland”, was our bold statement.

 

    • Talking about the buses, the public transportation is much slower. And where are all the taxis?

 

    • The hills, hills, hills… Not visible on the map but indeed when going up and down downtown. The houses look a bit like British Edwardian town houses. Very charming.

 

    • The weather also resembles Britain at times! It’s amazing how a sunny day can convert into a cold, foggy and rainy afternoon in just an hour.

 

  • And finally, what do you have in the top drawer of your hotel room night table? Bible usually, but not in San Francisco. Instead, there were condoms. Hilarious! This reflects well the relaxed atmosphere. Especially in Castro, where we lived, there were so many gay people that we felt like we belong to the minority. This was of course not a surprise, but a nice opportunity to experience a different lifestyle.

 

NYC & SF, molempi parempi. 🙂

 

 

 

Some photo memories from yesterday.

 


”Mäkin haluun Körssit!” I did not fall for these Michael Kors wedges (only $59.99), although it was close… (The shoes I’m wearing are two-day old Steve Maddens! 🙂


Cheers on the rooftop of Macy’s!

Cheesecakes at Cheesecake Factory. The original, caramel and key lime. Yummy!


What a grey Monday. The weather was perfect for capturing the sad and creepy feeling of Alcatraz. (The seagull was as tired of the weather as my photographing efforts!)


The comforts of a regular cell.


Alcatraz, block B.


When it got dark at 8.30 pm, it seemed like a good idea to get away from the island. The air humidity was high and the seagulls were screaming. Like a horror movie…

After Alcatraz we strolled back to our hoods, hungry. Anchor Oyster Bar on Castro Street was a hidden gem. Entering a crowded and warm restaurant with chansons on the backround and a delicious smell of food… I tasted Boston Clam Chowder – and now I put a note for myself that I need to do a separate blog post about all the tasty stuff we’re eating over here! 😛

-laura

P.S. Now , when posting this, we’ve arrived to a true roadside motel in Monterey, 200 km south of San Francisco. Miss H and Orvokki are watching sitcoms and I’m writing. ”I hope my blogging doesn’t disturb you”, I said. ”No, quite the opposite. You are so relaxed and without any of the usual adhd symptoms and ’lets gos’, so we can also take it easy”, they smiled while sipping their Blue Moon beers.

Nice. So this probably wasn’t my last word. 🙂