Forgive me for taking so long to make this first post, but I hope you’ll take some time to read and enjoy my story. In case you give up and don’t make it to the end, check out the links and the bottom and please leave some comments if the mood strikes you. :)

Day 1

I emerged from the plane and became immediately aware of my surroundings- acres of tarmac beneath me, bluish gray sky above and the faint sight of mountains in the distance. I was surprised by the absence of the familiar jet way but pleased that I was able to take my first breath of fresh California air so much sooner that I had expected, as I made my way down the narrow steps onto the ground below. I had arrived!

The San Jose restrooms were spacious and welcoming, which I found convenient considering the large number of bags I had so eagerly decided to bring onto the plane with me- a dozen dress shirts on one shoulder, all my socks and underwear on the other. The muscles in my upper arms were beginning to complain. I was just about to take a much needed leak when my phone rang. It was the Chinese gentleman who had brought my car many miles across the country on his auto transport truck to meet me here. I had expected to wait a few days for his arrival, but to my surprise he had been waiting all day for mine. In English so broken I could barely understand, he described his location, which I would discover later was very nearby. In the stall of the very echoey restroom, I conversed with him for a few more moments and then hung up. After relieving myself, I grabbed my carry-on luggage and headed to the baggage claim to retrieve the rest of my possessions.

I stood casually on the sidewalk when he pulled up in his charming Toyota - dark red and of an early 90s vintage. Dan stepped out and strolled over to meet me at the trunk of his car. He hugged me and then popped it open. He tossed in one duffel bag and then the other, struggling with the latter in a way I found cute. I tossed the rest of my luggage in his backseat and then we were off to find my car, which was waiting for us at a nearby freeway exit. Dan is a boy I met several weeks prior at a conference for LGBT Jews at Columbia University in Manhattan. I found him to be wonderfully interesting and we got to know each other well over the period of a day or two in New York City. At some point during our conversations that weekend, I became aware that he hailed from Stanford in California, a school only miles away from my future co-op destination of Sunnyvale. Realizing that we would be so near, we vowed to hang out once I arrived on the west coast. We spoke a number of times after that, which led to his offer to pick me up at the airport when I landed.

Had English been his first language, it might not have taken Dan and I the whole 15 minutes to finally track down the nice Chinese man, who was waiting somewhat patiently with my car only 5 minutes away from the airport on the shoulder of a freeway onramp, the only place the police would apparently let him park his vehicle for the day while he waited for me to arrive. When I stepped out of the car, the man flashed me a familiar smile and thrust some papers at me to sign. I suppose I was agreeing that he hadn't damaged my car in any way during the transport process, but the beautiful blue metallic paint lay under several months of persistent Rochester road salt and was therefore barely identifiable, much less available for close inspection for any possible scratches or knicks. I signed his form and he was off at a rate I found surprising, considering the full load of cars he had on his trailer.

Happy to see my beautiful car safe in one undented piece, I hopped in and started her right up. Dan knew where my new residence was (he had toured the house several weeks prior on my behalf) so I prepared to follow him. However, in a moment of debatable bad luck, his car decided to take a break from being a source of useful transportation and not start. I must admit that I was surprised at first, but considering the laid back state of mind I was in at the time, I wasn't too concerned. I couldn't have been more delighted to have finally arrived in the beautiful San Francisco Bay area, and by the side of a freeway onramp at sunset was as good a place as any to sit and spend some time.

Now, forgive me if I speed things up a little here. I am thoroughly enjoying this writing opportunity but I know this is a blog and not a chapter book so I should probably pick up the pace!

Of course, after attempting a jump start from my car and then calling AAA, Dan's car decided to work again and we were off. We traversed several freeways and eventually found ourselves in the neighborhood I would soon be calling home. I will skip the details at this moment and just say that it is a nice place that deserves a blog posting of its own. I stepped inside and met my roommates- a wonderful old lady named Marilyn, along with her two cats, Valentine and Gamma. They are two, barely distinguishable from one another, black cats with unusually large green eyes for their size. I was immediately excited. I can't say that I have ever been a huge fan of pets, but a few people in my life have recently got my reconsidering that stance- at least in the feline department. I exchanged pleasantries with Marilyn and she showed me where to park my car, after which Dan and I commenced the unpacking process. I am no light packer so this took a while. When it was done, we headed off for dinner of some sort in Downtown Mountain View.

I must admit I was excited to be in the birthplace of Google, although I didn't see the complex. Per Dan's instructions (I had no clue where I was), I parked my very dirty Mazda on the street and we strolled until we found a bustling Tapas restaurant Dan had been to before. We sat and ate various dishes featuring seafood and beef, all with a Mexican flair, while sipping Cava and a delicious red blend from Argentina. The varietals escape me at this moment but I have a sneaking suspicion they were Malbec and Cabernet, though let me not stray from that which is relevant!

After dinner we drove to Stanford, taking Palm Drive, the main route into campus which is adorned with dozens- perhaps hundreds- of beautiful palms of the most delightful (and reportedly expensive) variety. Being a sucker for palm trees in general, I was in awe at the sight. We took the campus loop to the east and headed to Dan's dorm. Perhaps I will spend a whole blog post on this amazing school, but let me just say at this moment that it puts many other campuses I have visited to shame. I love my school because it is mine, but I am pretty sure I love this one a little more. Dan showed me to his room where we sat and chatted for a while, at which point I decided that his futon was far too comfortable to leave and my jet lag had me far too tired to stay awake, so I passed out.

Day 2

Forgive me for letting Day 1 turn into a multipage ordeal, but all those AP English classes turned me into the most verbose of essayists.

My first morning in Silicon Valley began at the strikingly early hour of 7am, a time rare to me in my home time zone. I, however, looked forward to the opportunity to get a start on unpacking so I headed back to my digs in Sunnyvale. I spent the bulk of the morning putting things in their appropriate places, while occasionally stopping to chat with Marilyn and her cats. At some point I ventured out into the world to find a Wal-Mart and a Trader Joes, which turned out to be nearby. After grabbing a few random items, I returned home for a shower and some lunch and then headed back to Stanford to pick up Dan. We had decided that there was no reason to wait- I would be seeing my first glimpse of San Francisco today!

We made our way up the 280, one of the more scenic freeways I've had the pleasure of traveling on, to 19th street and into the city. Traveling in on the west side, I was not immediately confronted with beautiful and famous vistas, although the sight of streetcars and plentiful bay windows surrounded me. Eventually the 19th street traffic abated and we made our way northward through Golden Gate Park, along Route 1 into the Presidio and finally met up briefly with the 101 before heading off just before the Golden Gate Bridge to find a parking space. Although Dan and I certainly weren't the only people interested in viewing the bridge that day, I got lucky with a good spot close to the front and we got out.

I am happy to announce that they indeed were! After climbing a couple steep ones, we were at the top of the notoriously curvaceous section of Lombard Street, where people seemed to flock as if it were a free amusement ride (ourselves included!). There is nothing terribly exciting about the one block trip down the windiest stretch of asphalt known to man, taken at about a mile an hour, but for me and the other drivers who had chosen that particular street for our eastbound travel, it was the high point of the afternoon.

We went up into the Hoover Tower, which is a tower on campus where one can ride an elevator to the top and be presented with generous views of the entire Silicon Valley area and beyond. The whole Stanford campus is in full view, along with the San Francisco Bay and San Francisco itself. It was a great experience and on such a nice day as well. I should go back and mention that since I had arrived, I had experienced virtually unblemished blue skies and highs in the mid 70s. Dan and I came down out of the tower and walked back to his house. He headed off to the airport to do some final flight testing and I drove to one of my favorite places in the world. No, not Chipotle, but close!