First of all, I have to give a HUGE shout out to Nathan Akers who I met only once in NY w/a friend of his, at an IAM (int'l arts something) conference, and showed about a bit. When my friend Olga (known only via internet/my friend Jason) turned out to have someone already staying on her couch for the whole month of June, I was forced to reach out to find some other ladeez to stay with. Thankfully, I'd misdialed Nathan a few months prior to the trip, tho' I hadn't seen him for years since the conference, and we'd had a quick catch up via text. So, when Facebook came up with him as the only other person I knew in SF, it wasn't TOO too weird to write & ask if he had any lady friends who liked company. He actually had to be in Ohio for a wedding during my visit, but knew some girls, who turned out to be lovely hostesses! Thank you Liz, Lindsey, Christa & Jessie - you were great and I am SO thankful you were open to a total stranger crashing on your couch. :)
Overnight on the train, Tommy & I had discovered an excellent fact via our texts. My train ticket took me into Emeryville and then provided a thruway bus into San Fran. Coincidentally, HIS HOTEL was also in Emeryville. We decided I just wouldn't get on the bus and I'd spend the day before the show w/him in Emeryville. When I came in in the morning, I discovered two additional awesome facts:
1) Amtrak would let me use the bus ticket at ANY time, not just at the 8:25 am printed on it.
2) Tommy's hotel was 1 or 2 blocks away!
Life is good. He met me for coffee/breakfast next to the train station, and then when most of the band had left for wineries (Justin still around working in the hotel), we headed over. I took a quick shower and we went out shopping for some stuff Tommy needed: a hoodie, a swimsuit, etc. A pet shop was visited as well - I think Tommy had wanted to see hamsters? Here's a lazy hamster & a few cute mice:
Then we had lunch & came back for a quick visit to the pool/hot tub at the hotel before everyone re-arrived and had to leave for the venue. It was splendid. So nice to have some low key time together.
The band left then and I hopped on the bus into SF. A friendly girl named Michelle helped me find the right stop to get where I was going. It was still going to be a walk. I walked a ways up to Sutter, the street where I was staying, and stepped into a Starbucks for some internet/planning & a snack. I figured out a taxi would be ideal for getting to my destination and set out for one. One by one, every taxi passed me by, even empty ones. I have since found from locals that it is impossible to hail a taxi and it is better to call one. In any case, I was walking uphill w/fairly heavy luggage and was not particularly pleased with the situation as it wasn't doing my arms any favors. In a moment of desperation, I prayed: "God, would you please do something cool?"...hoping for some random stranger to offer a free ride or something, I don't know. Just a minute or two later, I was walking up past a hotel where a valet and limo driver were standing. I looked less than happy with my burden but was soldiering on. The limo driver said, "do you want a ride?" I laughed and said, "yes, but no thank you, I can't afford you". He asked where I was going and then offered to take me there for $10. Sold. He said, "let's take a picture!" - how nice is that? He totally took this picture for me, and was such a perfectionist he said (when I said it was fine) that we could take a better one later. That makes me laugh.
Ok. So yes, I like you at this moment, San Francisco. It's a decent welcome. :)
Met my roomies for the 3 days all right away. They were all around for a bit and then scattered out to their night destinations. I called to confirm the later start for the show and gratefully took a nap before leaving. Travel sometimes takes it out of you, and I was starting to hit 'the wall'.
The commute to bottom of the hill, the venue they were playing, included a long long long wait for a bus. But I met a journalist at the bus stop, Ryder W. Miller, who told me much about SF while I waited. He kind of adopted me and made it his business to make sure I made it to my destination, when the buses were not running as advertised. This was comforting, as was his height - he was very tall - as I figured w/such an imposing guide I would be quite safe. We chatted re: poetry & etc...and he told me about the Haight-Ashbury Street Fair which I ended up visiting on Sunday, so our meeting was quite fruitful. :)
Finally, however, I arrived at 'bottom of the hill', which everyone I spoke to on the bus journey seemed to think highly of. It was a larger and much more energetic crowd than the first two nights. Gold Motel, the band who was opening for FC at all their shows, played - in my opinion - their best show of the tour at this venue.
Farewell Continental played a less precise/more messy show this night, but it was full of personality and I think they had a lot of fun with the energy of the crowd. :)
I left soon after the show because of the long commute back, but it was uneventful and thankfully quick in comparison with commute out. I was out in moments after hitting home.
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