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this was my view...
for hours and hours on the way up there. A friend of mine went to school at Berkeley. That's in northern California for all you non-locals. There was this big rivalry game coming up and my cousin was selling tickets to it. So I told my friend Josie that I could get her and Rudy (her husband) some tickets. She jumped at the chance.
About a week later I was dropping them off at her house the day they would be driving up there. We chatted for a bit and then they asked if I wanted to go... (this was friday) I quickly went over my schedule in my head and not having to work till Sunday night, I accepted. The big football game USC vs. Cal AT Berkeley. Who wouldn't? See, you never know when the road is going to call.
A swift pit-stop at my house for a change of clothes and my toothbrush and our little trio was off. Good thing my backpack is always at the ready. Wouldn't need my passport for this one though. Rudy (Josie's hubby) drove the whole way in the car they hired. We talked most of the way up as we drove into the night. After several hours, the
Hold up!
Check his ID! Make sure he's 3. darkness broke into the lighted wonderland of the bay area. Rolling black hills with winding roads was traded for stacks of houses up hillside neighborhoods sitting around a crowded downtown, gridded with one-way streets that teemed with friday night foot-traffic. My kind of night.
Josie was able to cell-locate her friend in town, who were out for the night in 'The City' (San Francisco). They informed us that we would be going out with them for the evening. Not quite the agenda for wearing comfortable roadtrip clothes. So, while we waited for Sammy and friends to show up, we parked on the street and proceeded to do a quick change. Josie got the inside of the car while Rudy and myself stepped onto the curbside to change. Its harder to change IN the car anyway. But wasn't too keen on getting a ticket my first night in San Fran either. Wait up.
Can you get a ticket for having ashy legs? hmmm. Oh well, better safe than sorry.
Ended up at one place that had a photo booth staring us in the face all night. Eventually we could stand it no more and decided to have a go.
Self Portrait
You ever get that feeling; like some one is following you? It was about as big as an arcade game. Two would be tight in there. So you can beleave me when I say modestly, that it was NOT easy fitting 5 people in that thing. Not to mention that Rudy is, like, 6'3". But like most ridiculous things in my life. We did it.
Hit some classic spots and got to stay at a friends place. Woke the next morning and made ready for the days festivities. Headed to campus early as to enjoy all the hoopla. Not to mention I didn't have a ticket to the game yet. No worries though, we took care of that in short order. Actually, I think it was the first guy we came across that I got it from. Not a bad price.
Got into the Beer Garden and it proceeded to rain. Had some ponchos but that would not save us from the steady wetness that the game fell under. So there we sat behind the enzone, each of us had some part soaked through, no BEER (as per NCAA regulations), a bit tired, chivering cold, and loving every minute of it. Oh ya did I mention NO BEER? I
On Campus
How many C's DOES it take to spell Berkeley? digress.
Josie finally called "uncle" and said, "Lets go" just past half-time. We didn't argue much and from there she took us on what seemed like the LONGEST WALK of my life. I think we crossed the Golden Gate bridge into Oakland at one point.
It was far.
But we were troopers because Josie said there were cold beers at the end of this trail. And my good friend did not let me down.
Cold they were; and they came in pitchers. We were easily the wettest ones in the bar. But we wore our soaked draping clothes like badges of courage. Everyone there had wanted to go to the game and we had just come from the stadium. I think they were all a bit jealous. Toasted a couple of times as the rainwater ran down my face. Stayed out the rest of the night too. Hey, rain goes away, clothes dry, cold can subside, but good times are forever. I think Gahndi said that.
Oh, almost forgot. You have to get a hotdog in Berkeley. And Top Dog is the place. There are different locations so make sure you get the right one. There is
Tradegy in California
Doctors here at ground zero are working feverishly to unravvel the mystery of the dreaded Tuba Virus. The deaths are piling up. a guy there who is like Seinfeild's 'soup nazi'. He takes orders with lightning speed and doesn't write anything down. If you are not ready he just passes you up and will point at someone else for their order. It was packed too. We could barely get in there. Good dogs too. Hard to beat a hotdog in the rain.
Stayed till Sunday and then I was forced to fly home, as to not miss any work. Made it all in time, but it would have been nice to finish the roadtrip. Another day I suppose.
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