West Coast update, get me the editorial desk

My view from the back of the van-cab on the way into San Francisco.
Brian has the phone to his ear, as usual.

The flight into San Francisco was on time and flawless, for me at least. Brian was a real sweetie and let me take the upgrade while he rode with the brown back toting massses in steerage. I sipped orange juice while he scrounged for pretzels. I owe him one . . . or was this one of the ones he owed me?

The cab ride in was fast and scenic. The hotel is small, clean, hip and non-smoking. The entire city is non-smoking, except the sidewalks. This smoking sidewalk effect is heightened by the fires to the north and south of the city. It smells smoky, the air is hazy, it's like camping.

And, oh say can you see? Through the dawn's early light? The flags are flying around the city, the rainbow flag, that is. Even here in hetero-friendly business-people land, Macy's huge white building is festooned with the campy prideful colors.

I took this photo on our 6 AM walk around the neighborhood. One of the joys of flying in from the Eastern Time Zone, we're up before 5.

Luckily one of the neighborhood's Starbuck's opens just then. So it was us, the panhandlers, the trash trucks and the other EDT's out on the smoky pavement this morning.

Brian is in meetings from 7:15 until late afternoon.
So I, primed with tips and with a nose for news, am going exploring. I already did a little shopping in a quick hour spurt last evening, while Brian was, believe it or not, making phone calls. So check that off the list.

Let's see if I can figure out how to jump on a cable car. Do I wait until they stop? Do they stop? Is it a moving target challenge?

My mom used to be able to do trolley jumping in Detroit, back in the day.
Maybe the skill is genetic.


- - - David