California - San Francisco: Part 1

Apart from an embarrassing moment of panic where I thought the airport security man was going to confiscate the delicious sandwich my mom made me fore the trip, and having to sit next to a large man who wreaked of armpits and rancid coffee breath, the trip from Ottawa to San Francisco was uneventful.

TJ met me at the airport and we took the BART and then a street car (trolly? what are they called here) to our couch surfing host Jon's house where we quickly dropped my stuff off and went in search of food. We ended up getting some delicious breakfast-for-dinner at a place called "The Crepevine"...they served crepes. I know, this is an astounding turn of events.

After food, we met up with Jon and found ourselves at a really neat little dive bar called "The Silver Spur". 

The interior of this bar and the patrons who littered it provided me with such a sense that I had arrived in America that it was all a bit much to take in. The drunkest man alive was absolutely murdering Ted Nugent from the end of the bar, as a pack of his compatriots cheered him on. Behind the bar was an illuminated dog named “Spuds Mackenzie”, a stuffed bear atop a strangely placed microwave (why is there a microwave in a bar??) and plastered over every surface was a collection of notes, pictures, various signs advertising vaguely witty intoxication jokes and Budweiser paraphernalia.

The drunkards that had been serenading us started loudly playing dice between songs and yelling profanities at the bartender for threatening to cut them off. Spuds Mackenzie looked on with dismay…

My cross-country flight was at this point starting to wear on my ability to stay awake and we made our way back to Jon's house and to the couches we'd be sleeping on. While I fantasized of feather beds and down comforters, the reality of the cold leather couch and a heatless apartment made sleeping an unattainable dream.

This was exacerbated by a car alarm going off at around 3AM. I was told this morning it was actually an earthquake.

Welcome to California!