Well, at long last, this trip is most certainly under way, and what better first stop could there be other than San Francisco, California? (This is a rhetorical question. It is not intended to be answered. So don't answer it please as your views don't count here. Unless you want to tell us how wonderful we are. Then, and only then, will your opinions be valid and taken into account.)
After quite a lengthy flight - made all the more lengthy after a delay leaving Sydney - we finally landed and a US immigration official let us into his country. Silly man.
Once we'd made the trek through the city centre looking for our fine hostel establishment (fancy blocked up toilets and a red light district experience anyone?), we took ourselves a-wandering to see what the city had to offer... and so we saw all the main sights that everyone has seen (that is, what we've all seen from the opening credits of Full House, and from the movie Mrs Doubtfire...). We beheld the splendour that is:
The city skyline at dusk (after walking up a million stairs and getting to the verge of cardiac arrest).
The Golden Gate Bridge.
And yet, whilst they were all wonderful in their own right, we were waiting... just waiting... for that moment to come along. That particular moment when everything clicks into place and really makes this city stand out as a memorable place to visit.
And then we saw him.
Well at first, we didn't see him actually. All we saw was this:
And then after seeing what that did, we avoided it and walked around the side and then saw this:
And then we stood on the other side of the street with the rest of the small crowd that had gathered and then laughed hysterically as we saw him do this:
(or you can click here to see the video on YouTube if you're having trouble viewing it)
And we stayed and stayed and continued to laugh at every new victim! Wonderful times! He's apparently been here for years doing this. We would do it too - it's friggin funny!! Right. We think we've found a new career...
What - or who - else tickled our fancy whilst wandering the streets here? At Union Square in the heart of downtown San Francisco on Saturday afternoon, a fashion parade was in full swing when we stumbled past. Let's just take a quick peek first at the host of the parade who was all manner of hotness:
The host, who had such amazing skills, was in fine form:
Host: And so, now ladies and gentlemen, next up in Fashions in the Square 2008 is a designer who has travelled for 38 hours just to be here with you in Union Square, San Francisco! She's taking African deeeee-zign to new heights! She comes all the way here from Zam-bye-ahhh. Oh honey have I said that right?
Zambian Designer: Uh, no, it's Zambia.
Host: Oh! Riiiight! OK, Zam-beeeeeeeee-yaaaaah. OK, so in your deeee-zigns we see lots of strong African colours and animal prints. Are you taking inspiration from your homeland in Africa? Talk us through that honey.
Zambian Designer: Uh, yes.
Host: Well, that's just great! Let's have a look at some of your deeeee-zigns!
And then out trundled this Zoolander-type:
Take particular note of the handy cape to keep off that winter chill as you do your grocery shopping!
Note the triangular flap with bright red border strategically placed to ward off oncoming traffic when walking at night!
Note the woman in the background who was actually laughing out loud when the rest of us were definitely wanting to...
On a more serious side, San Francisco seems to be a very unique town indeed. It draws on so many diverse inspirations: an amazing Chinatown, a lively and beautiful Little Italy quarter, the Latino-fuelled Mission district, the out-and-proud flamboyant Castro, the brilliant antique operational street cars that come from all over the US and the world (we have taken charming rides in 1950s and 1960s streetcars from Philadelphia, Boston, Milan, Turin and Zurich), Art Deco and Victorian architecture and restorations next door to temples of modern concrete genius...
And so as we finished up pulling a root in Chinatown,
Note the triangular flap with bright red border strategically placed to ward off oncoming traffic when walking at night!
Note the woman in the background who was actually laughing out loud when the rest of us were definitely wanting to...
On a more serious side, San Francisco seems to be a very unique town indeed. It draws on so many diverse inspirations: an amazing Chinatown, a lively and beautiful Little Italy quarter, the Latino-fuelled Mission district, the out-and-proud flamboyant Castro, the brilliant antique operational street cars that come from all over the US and the world (we have taken charming rides in 1950s and 1960s streetcars from Philadelphia, Boston, Milan, Turin and Zurich), Art Deco and Victorian architecture and restorations next door to temples of modern concrete genius...
And so as we finished up pulling a root in Chinatown,
(Sorry, we just had to.)
we decided that San Francisco was just such a wonderful place because of the ability to have all of this sitting side by side and somehow, it all comes together as one incredibly vibrant, energetic and engaging whole.
Oh, and it's also the place of cheap fab shoes!
And so, as this first chapter of the Do-Re-Mi World Tour ends, another is set to begin!!
For as this post is being drafted, we are indeed "24 hours from Tulsa" as Burt Bacharach once knowingly foretold. Tomorrow, we wing our way via the dusty deserts of Arizona and end up in Tulsa, Oklahoma where we pick up a car (an SUV - how American!), and drive off into the sunset and over the border to northwest Arkansas where Eurotrash will be meeting up with relatives who live there.
We think that this next leg of the trip is the one we've been most looking forward to...
Not only because we are reunited with our cousin once more; but rather, imagine the COMEDIC GOLD we are certain to encounter in the peoples who inhabit this far and distant land (or trailer park)!!
And so dear reader, we bid you a fond farewell for now. And as the French say, deux billets pour le metro s'il vous plaît.
Yours in French-like classiness,
-Eurotrash
