Check out the waters receding along the black sands around Mendocino. This isn't the kind of beach you'd want to lay beside and get a tan, or even to surf, unless you were fixin' to get lifted up and hurled against the rocks by the wild, cold Pacific.

These pictures come from here.

A few more words about California

Before my recent trip recedes too far into the past, a few more words:

• Great vegetarian food: Ananda Fuara on Market Street in San Francisco. Run by members of an Indian religious group. The burrito, the dahl and the hummus were all yummy.
• Great Italian food: Sodini's on Green Street in North Beach. Nothing fancy here, just yummy and filling.

Is vacation travel all about eating at restaurants? Sometimes it seems so, especially if you're not into tourist traps like Fisherman's Wharf (avoid!!!) And yet I managed to lose a few pounds on this trip, maybe because of the incredible amounts of energy expended walking up and down hills.

Oh, and I can't say too many good things about the "hidden meanings" exhibit at the Asian Arts Museum in SF. You too can finally learn where the band Peaches of Immortality got its name.

And one more thing, of course vacation travel is also all about walking around taking snapshots. Such as these from San Francisco:





Yes I like bar signs, and SF has many of them... the following is a view down one of the many dizzying hills near our hotel:



Of course you know what this is:



And here are a couple from when we rented a car and drove north:





If you wish to see more, just go to my Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexdc

Air travel

Here's an easy way to improve air travel in Cattle Class: fix the seats so there's a limit on how far they can recline. Any discomfort from no longer being able to lean all the way back would be greatly outweighed by no longer having to look at the dandruffy, bald head of someone two inches from your face.

North

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Originally uploaded by alex.DC.

Headed up the coast of Cali a couple of days ago, spending the first night in Healdsburg after taking a winding route through Sonoma and stopping at several wineries. (Kaz, picked solely because we liked the name, was the smallest and the best among them). Great dinner in Healdsburg at a place called La Charcuterie.

Next day took a very windy road back towards the coast, to Mendocino, and took a little side trip up to Fort Bragg.

Following that we drove up even further, up past Miranda, into the
"Avenue of the Giants," through Humbolt Redwood Forest. Sadly, it was raining which limited our ability and desire to do much hiking.

Back into San Fran last night (dinner at Brandy Ho's Chinese -- excellent; dessert at Cafe Trieste). Got up early this morning to return the rental car. SFPD stopped us for going too fast through a tunnel, minutes away from the rental place. Thank goodness I wasn't driving -- still haven't found or replaced my license -- and things didn't end up too badly. Popped by the Asian Arts Museum downtown today to see an excellent exhibit on hidden meanings in Chinese art.

Lots and lots of photos which I will upload upon return....

Kristoffer Ragnstam at Mojito, SF

Krisfoffer Ragnstam at Mojito, SF
Originally uploaded by alex.DC.

After a great Chinese dinner at Brandy Ho's on Columbus, we decided it would be a good idea to go out for a late-night drink in North Beach, which is where the SRO hotel we're staying in is located. Decided to wander a bit off the beaten path that is Columbus and Broadway, and walk up Grant Avenue instead. There were two inviting bars directly across the street from each other. A little gang of fratboys was out in the street too, deciding which bar to go in -- so we waited for them to pick one, and went in the other one.

This was fortunate, because the bar we chose was Mojito which turned out to be a good find. One of the chairs at the bar's tables was occupied by a cat that looked just like Alley. And the cat was looking at a rubber rat that belonged to a woman at the bar. You've got to like a bar that draws cats and people with rubber rats.

And then we also got to see the doods playing in the picture here. Never heard of them before (they're from Sweden), but they're really good -- good enough for me to spontaneously purchase their CD, which doesn't happen too often. If you're interested in knowing more, Google them -- they've got a Myspace. They'll be playing at the Knitting Factory in NYC in a couple of days, and, according to their agent, "in DC -- at the Fire House on Diagonal Avenue." Huh? Never heard of it, but it turns out it's in Gaithersburg, technically not DC. MIght be worth a trip up 270 to see them, though.

Rumsfeld Resigns!

Rumsfeld Resigns!
Originally uploaded by alex.DC.

Hello from San Francisco, where I spotted this joyous poster on the day that bit of news came in, in North Beach. Staying in an SRO right near a host of cafes where old Italian men chatter the morning away.