Emeryville Amy

This blog will be a combination of my favorite places in the Bay Area and abroad, memoirs, recipes, restaurant reviews and travel experiences.

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Location: Emeryville, San Francisco Bay Area, CA, United States

Friday, November 11, 2005

Home Sweet Home







HOME SWEET HOME

Home Sweet Home, Home at Last, Home is Where the Heart Is, There's No Place Like Home. All of the cliches ring true. I was giddy with excitement as I approached the Bay Area on the train. I was so excited yesterday to be coming back home after being on the road for 7 weeks. It felt much longer than that in some ways. The sun was setting over Mt. Tamalpais as the train made its way to Emeryville from Martinez. It went past the refineries and factories and Carquinez Bridge. As it made its way past El Cerrito I waved to all of my friends who live there now. I noticed that as we approached Berkeley the graffiti on the back sides of the buildings lining the tracks increased. In fact there was more graffiti there than any other place I saw on my trip around the country. I had never seen it before because I am never down by the tracks that close except for at 4th St. I was wondering what the people from Oklahoma who were coming to the Bay Area to visit were thinking as we went past some pretty junky areas and of course all of that graffiti. I wanted to tell them that most of it looks much better than what their first impressions of it must be.

As I was walking in on the train platform I saw the Amtrak employee who sold me all of my tickets before I left on my journey. It felt a little like coming full circle seeing him at the very end of my trip. Tim picked me up and we swung by Trader Joes so I could grab some food for my empty refrigerator at home. When we got off the elevator on my floor I turned the wrong way and Tim had to say, "Isn't it this way?" I was headed in the direction that I would have gone if I were going to my old condo. I moved at the end of January to this condo after living in the same complex but in a different building for 10 years. I guess part of me remembered my old place more than my new one.

I was delighted to see again where I live. It felt familiar but also surprisingly new to me as if I had forgotten what my condo was like. I wasn't expecting to feel so disoriented upon arriving home. It did feel great to cook in my own kitchen and sleep in my own bed and have different clothes to wear. I slept great for a full 10 hours. When I went to my front door this morning the Chronicle was there waiting for me. I made coffee and sat in my glider chair on my balcony and looked out at the yacht harbor and the Golden Gate Bridge and felt very thankful.

I went for a walk around the marina like I have done most days for the past 11 years. It felt more familiar to me than my condo but even there things were different. The bathrooms had been torn down and new ones were under construction. After taking pictures of everything for 7 weeks I think that I look for photo opportunities, for beautiful places and things, all of the time. I have become more attuned to trying to really see everything and take it in. It is as if my senses are all tuned to "high". I didn't bring my camera with me but I wish that I had. I delighted in seeing the beauty of the bay and of all of the wildlife in the marina here. There were several snowy egrets standing motionless on the rocks by the water waiting for the perfect fish to come swimming by. Sea gulls and sandpipers and shorebirds were busy along the shore. Hundreds and hundreds of salt water ducks and cormorants were bobbing in the water as they visit here on their migration route. But my favorite birds to see are the pelicans as they sail along and then dive bomb for fish. A group of children that were on holiday from school were delighted by them as well. We stood near the breaker rocks and watched as they circled around and then crashed into the water. Every time they hit the water with a splash the kids clapped and laughed. Such simple joy.

It has been an amazing experience to see our country the way that I did. I feel that my heart and imagination have been stirred for the cities and places that I visited. I will think and feel differently than I did before I went. I am sure it will take me awhile to process everything. Just sorting through the 4500 or so photos will take some time. I am sure that I will need time to "recover" from traveling too. It takes a lot of energy to constantly adjust to new places and public transit systems and staying with different people. I had my guard up to a certain extent to make sure that I was safe in all of these unfamiliar places and to not have anything stolen or left behind. I did forget one of my two pairs of shoes in Savannah but that was the only thing that I lost. My passport, computer, wallet, cell phone and other belongings made it home safely. So now I can breathe a sigh of relief.

I am glad that I took the Amtrak when I did because Bush is seriously talking about cutting off the federal funding for Amtrak and if that happens there won't be anymore passenger rail as it stands now. I think that would be a huge shame and that they should pour more money into it and work at increasing the rider-ship instead of cutting it off. Taking the train is 4 times more efficient in terms of fuel per rider than airplanes. It does take a LOT longer to get places but that might be a good thing for some people in our fast paced society. I am grateful to have had this experience and I hope to be able to share much of my experiences with many of you. Now that I am getting techie, I can even put together slideshows to music with my pictures... so more to come in the future. It's good to be home.

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

CHICAGO, CHICAGO












Hello eveyone! This is my last email from the road. I hope you have enjoyed following along on my journy with me. I plan to continue writing from Emeryville.

CHICAGO, CHICAGO

I have had a wonderful time in Chicago. The only other time I was here was years ago when I popped over while I was attending a Willow Creek conference. That was in the middle of summer and I felt as if I was trying to swim through the air because it was so hot and humid. Now that I have had 4 days to explore the area in the cool autumn weather I see what an amazing city it is.

I went on a architectural boat tour that was incredibly interesting and informative. Since the city was completely destroyed in the fire in the early 1800's Chicago was virtually a blank slate for architects to redesign an entire city of breathtaking skyscrapers. It really feels as if the buildings were created with both beauty and function in mind. I was fascinated hearing the stories of how they were designed. The tops of many are captivating works of art. My camera got a good work out as I took picture after picture of the skyline and the individual buildings. Many are so tall that you have to either photograph them from a distance or get a wacky angle as you shoot straight up.

Fall was at its peak here about 2 weeks ago and so the trees were either golden or partially bare with yellow blanket of leaves beneath them. The fountains have all been drained for the winter and the boats taken in for storage. There was a bit of desolation in the air as the city was metamorphosing into the next season. Crews were out stringing up Christmas lights and setting up holiday displays in exchange for the Autumn/Halloween decorations. I caught the city in an in-between stage rather than at its best, but I too am in a transition time and it resonated well with me.

I loved walking through the trees in Grant Park at sunset and seeing the Chicago skyline reflected in the mirrored "jelly bean", a huge jelly bean shaped reflective sphere in Millennium Park. The city sparkled as it grew dark outside and the lights in the buildings glowed in the fading daylight. I had a few warm days and evenings before the stormy weather hit. Jo Ann, a college friend and roommate who lives and works in Chicago and with whom I am staying, met me downtown for dinner and then a show. We saw the 4 person musical, "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change!" in a small cabaret theater. It was really funny and good and not overly cynical.

I also walked the Magnificent Mile, Navy Pier (which had all but shut down during the weekdays for the season), and up and down State Street and all around Chicago. I went to the top of the Sears Tower and saw for miles in every direction (unlike my zero visibility experience at the Empire State Building in New York). Jo Ann and I went to the Planetarium after church on Sunday and came out to a deep red sunset. The day before we spent in Evanston near Northwestern University which is located right on the edge of Lake Michigan. We strolled along the lake shore until big fat raindrops drove us back to the car and eventually to a cafe where she caught up on some work and I on email and reading. The thunder and lightening convinced us that catching a movie was the way to go so we saw Steve Martin's movie "Shop Girl." For dinner we went to the Hot Plate Grill, a restaurant where you put ingredients together at a salad bar type buffet and then the chefs stir fry it on a big flattop grill. It was a very popular restaurant especially with the college crowd.

I spent a good portion of my last day sightseeing at the Art Institute of Chicago. It has amazing collections, rivaling those in Paris. Now that I have figured out how to not have my camera automatically flash when the light is low, I was able to take pictures in the museum. It was a Monday and relatively empty and I enjoyed taking my time looking at the art. I am glad that i finished up my Amtrak 2005 experience in this city. I feel invigorated and renewed and ready for the next chapter in my life.

Saturday, November 05, 2005

FALL AT LAST!






FALL AT LAST!

It has been a spectacular train ride from Raleigh, NC to Washington DC and then across to Chicago. The Autumn colors that I had been longing to see in their full glory suddenly were present. The trees singly or in broad swatches of forests or lining the rivers have been transfixing with their fiery oranges and reds and glowing yellows against their dark branches. And then there are the trees caught in the in-between stages looking as if a painter had changed his mind part way through and couldn't decide which color was the most magnificent. Little towns or farms with red barns dot the countryside and usually a tree or two grace the houses like treasures left out in the open. If the tree has begun losing its leaves the ground is blanketed in color as well and one realizes how fleeting the showy beauty is.

I feebly attempt to catch the glory on my camera but on the train it is especially difficult. As soon as I see a breathtaking scene it is gone. If the trees are too close the image is just a blur and if it is too far away it doesn't show up much at all. Once in awhile we slow down or stop to let a freight train go by and that provides a better opportunity if we stop in a good place. More often then not it seems like they end up stopping by a junkyard or processing plant or something not quite as picturesque as I was hoping for.

I was supposed to have a 3 1/2 hour layover between trains in DC so I left my luggage in the train station and headed out to the fresh air. Union Station is only about 5 blocks from the Capitol Building so I went that direction and ended up at the Smithsonian Botanical Gardens. I didn't want to go too far away, so I chose to visit the National Postal Museum next, which is next door to Union Station. It turned out that our train was delayed for 3 more hours, but they didn't tell us that until it was the original time to board and then they didn't know how long the wait would be. It was comfortable enough in the First Class lounge (I had a sleeper car for that leg so I was in 1st class) but I could have visited more places in DC if I had known. Oh well. Union Station is an amazing train station with nice shops, a good food court and other restaurants and even a movie theater, not to mention the building itself which is made of gorgeous white stone and designed beautifully.

It has been interesting noting the differences between the trains. So far the Coast Starlight going from Emeryville to Portland has had the nicest observation car and parlor car and service. The parlor car had very comfortable swivel arm chairs and a nice bar where you could get free coffee, sodas and snacks. The Canadian VIA Rail had the most beautiful dining car. This train I am on now has the same sleeper car as the Coast Starlight but not as nice of lounge/parlor car or observation car. The service has been pretty sloppy and my room wasn't cleaned well, there was gross stuff on my tray table... I know that the train came into the station late, but the still should have done better with the housekeeping.

We are now running about 4 hours behind and some passengers are beginning to worry about their connecting trains out West. It is much easier fro me to type while the train is stopped so I am taking advantage of the time when we are just waiting on the tracks for the freight train to go by. Apparently some of the tracks are out up ahead so only a single track is available and the freight train has the right of way. The trains are not the way to travel if you are in a hurry or want to be in control of your timetable. I'm not in a rush and I have no real schedule to keep, so I'm able to just relax and enjoy the ride. I haven't been bored at all on this trip, even on the 4 day train ride across Canada.