Epilogue and Acknowledgements

Another trip had come to a conclusion, they always seem to come to an end of sorts and I am left with lots of memories and photos. Actually, I am also left with lessons, aspirations, inspirations and if lucky another trip to plan. I guess the first part of this trip had been about “the run”, New York New York it has taken me just on 5 hours to run across its five districts and I am sure it would take a few life times to discover its 9 million stories. It’s true we all have a story each is as complex as those of Kings or heads of state, as intricate as a simple blue-collar worker and as intense as young love. Just as I have fallen in love with every other city I visited, I have fallen for NYC but unlike any other city I have not fallen for its beauty or wonders but for its intensity. The city that “never sleeps” actually does because if you want to see a quiet NYC wake up early, there is hardly anyone there to greet you. The city is vibrant, its electric its bright and at intervals overwhelming. NYC taught me about goals, I had plenty of goals that included: 1) Getting there – it was something I really wanted to do…Lets just say it’s a bucket list item 2) Raising the set target for the Kids HelpLine (that may seem trivial but it really wasn’t) Thank you to all the friends and family that had assisted and I am yet to draw that raffle (some probably forgot but someone out there perhaps not even a person reading this will win an IPad2 pre Xmas. 3) I wanted to finish the Marathon in a BP which was under 4:30 but actually targeting 3:30 (which hasn’t happen yet ☹) its ok it will 4) Find a bit more about myself. Washington DC had reminded me of a city that is guarded like a fortress, all its buildings were these magnificent modern day “castles”. It seemed to me that it didn’t matter what building you entered it just came across as something that was built to guard & protect whatever is inside it. The flags which fly everywhere do portray more than patriotism, it reflected majesty or pride. Starting with the White House to every museum to Capitol Hill & even memorials, it all collectively portrayed something that needed protecting. The amount of police presence in both DC & NYC is overwhelming and it does come across as a paranoid state but after attending Ground Zero, I am wondering what would any of us do if we had come home and found that our house had been plundered? San Francisco was by far more chilled than either of the other two cities. It was warm (and I don’t mean just the climate). It was a typical artists haven. The buildings had ancient warmth in them, its hills as wavy as a ride in the surf, it’s people were friendly yet unimposing. San Fran definitely had Melbourne’s vibe and soul. Its theatres and streets and warmth and funk are to behold, I really could live (and long to) in a place like that. I can assure you I have attempted and perhaps succeeded at achieving some of my goals. Lessons of NYC some tall buildings held the record of the tallest building for years, months, weeks, days and some just for hours. Everyone had aspired to be grandeur and set their sight on the next target and some were only beating their target by a few metres or less. The fact is the top 10 tallest buildings in the world do not feature a single building from NYC (REFERENCE: ) Pretty poor effort you would say… I disagree I was eavesdropping on some “bankers” (not sure if that was their occupation but they looked like they should have had a Big W tattooed) in a bar/restaurant. These distinguished gents were my inspiration to discuss goals and their target was Barrack Obama and the comment that caught my attention was “What has he achieved, big whoop so he made president but is still a failure”. I was dumb founded and personally wanted to leap over the counter and smack them in the mouth but decided to think that again. Barrack Obama according to the Times Magazine Top 100 most influential people in the world for 2011 is at Number 86… Michelle Obama is at 22 (Times Top 100) Yet, according to Forbes Barrack Obama ranks as the most Powerful Person in the world. Forbes Top 100 Interesting isn’t it, I am wondering if I was given the choice of being the most powerful Vs the most influential. If you used the link you had have learned that according to Times the most influential person in the world is a 30 year old “Wael Ghonim”a 30 year old Egyptian who as a successful google executive was one of the youth that instrumented the revolutions in Egypt earlier this year. So who would you choose, the person that affects the change that moves millions to revolt against a dictatorship regime and not only do you do that in your home land but inspires millions and millions to uprise across the whole region. Or would you prefer to be the most powerful person that cannot pass a single legislation to benefit his people (those who elected him to office)? Food for thought However, I have realised that our goals are like our lives and they never cease or end. I for one believe that goals are not something we have achieved but something we are yet to achieve and I guess in a mad kind of way it’s a reflection of my life at the moment. I have plenty of goals to achieve and aspire to achieve them. I have no aspiration of being the most influential or the most powerful. I do however want to be the best at being the “Best Dad” my kids can have. To me all the other goals that have been achieved are a memory and all the ones yet to achieve will only be memories. The only goal that will ever be everlasting are the memories of my children growing, happy and loved and that’s all I can aspire for, everything else is only a mean for me to fill the void while I am fulfilling that one goal. “A man cannot be comfortable without his own Approval” ~Mark Twain. And for the time being I am comfortable that I am still striving to achieve that goal. Thank you and from the conclusion of yet another adventure I bid you farewell. PS A few readers have advised that I write it in the same manner I speak...its because I don't proof read or edit so its just a rant...but at least you know its honest...Thanks :) Over and Out H

DAY 13 USA 14th November 2011

I am sure there will come a time when I am travelling somewhere and will not rely on general knowledge but will take the example of Mandy (friend from Seattle) who actually pre reads and plans on what she will be seeing and knows why she is choosing to travel there. Until such time, I am going to continue to wing it and rely on valuable feedback from Mandy, Dana, Rigot, Amanda and whatever else means available at the time (mostly things I stumble on as I am walking aimlessly or lost & Facebook comments) Sorry, I promise to try to get it right sometimes in the near future. Thankyou Mandy & Rigot for your invaluable insights and advise for without it I would just walk until I am tired and return back to the Hotel to sleep. The San Francisco experiment started with me lugging all my camera gear and walking three blocks and finding a beautiful big church and taking a few snaps before realising I left the memory cards back at the hotel and there are no photos saved…Great start…I go back to the Hotel, get my memory cards and when I return to the church, there is a funeral service…so although tempting to sneak in, I find it inappropriate and never actually made it back that way. I then get carried away with the ornate architecture that I start losing focus of where I was heading (the golden gate bridge) and just follow buildings as I spot them…. I end up in front of City Hall and the Opera… The box office just opened and I see a poster of Carmen http://sfopera.com/About/Press-Room/Press-Releases/San-Francisco-Opera-Presents-Bizet-s-Carmen-Novemb.aspx and decide that if there is a ticket why not? Now I am supposed to leave on Tuesday night but Carmen is on late Tuesday so I decide to stay on and skip LA til next time… Now I am walking and after about 100 shots (minimum) I receive a text that I should check out Ocean Beach…and the next thing I see is a metro/tram that has a sign that says Ocean Beach…Now this next bit I get from my father I get on the tram and there is no place to purchase a ticket and I am having a panic attack… There is no one at the station that I can talk to and I am in down town and not absolutely sure I am in the right place (although I have an inkling I am in the wrong place)…I miss a few trams until I find someone friendly that I can ask about the direction I should be travelling in and finally the station assistant arrives back in the booth and allows me to buy my $2 ticket…phew… Its tram N and heading to the end of the line…(in case someone who actually is reading this needs to know that simple trivial matter (my advise is read the lonely planet as all information on this blog is likely to be misleading and inaccurate; not to mention also very biased) http://www.sfmta.com/cms/asystem/routelist.php I make to Ocean Beach http://www.parksconservancy.org/visit/park-sites/ocean-beach.html and it reminds me of Cable Beach in Broome but only by its vast openness and the length of the beach…Other than that, its cold, windy and you can see the rips in the water are deadly so no thanks but believe it or not some people are tanning and by tanning I mean they are in their shorts and t-shirts and exposing part of their bellies not bikini tanning as its really only about 17 degrees. More photos snapped and I know I talk allot about photos but promise to put some on flicker ASAP (sometimes before Xmas ☺ ) The walk from Ocean Beach to Golden Gate Bridge is superb, the weather is balmy and I’m informed its only about 50 mins walk to the bridge (which I later discover is a lie, ok maybe a fib) its actually about 6 miles to the bridge and then to get across the bridge and back is another 1 and a bit so all in all about 7 miles walk and its almost the whole afternoon…But I did it and it was brilliant way to start introducing my body to exercise again. Maps Here As I finished the walk Marty had texted me and said that he is 15 mins away and we will be heading out for the San Francisco tour (Local Marty style.) I didn’t realise that 15 mins meant an hour and 15 mins but I got a couple of minutes of Zzzz waiting which was not bad at all. True to his words from back in Seville early in the year when I first met Marty , he did show me the town, we drove to the Twin Peaks , Chinatown, the Fisherman’s Wharfs, Coit Towers , past the occupy San Francisco tent city, the strip clubs (which seem a large number), then to Balboa’s (used to be owned by the Mayor-(insider Info) ) and finally dinner at Umami Burger (Union Street is also for the up and coming) After a few cocktails and a Scallop and Bacon Burger with a couple of beers we even stopped at a house that is rumoured to be J-Lo ‘s and on that note we end another crammed day full of photos, sore feet, new knowledge and perspective on San Francisco and with all of that Info I hit the hay. Thank you Marty for a great night and hope to one day pay the favour when you visit Sydney Town.

DAY 14 USA 15th November 2011

 After being awake most of the night with headache, fever and enough flam to rival any camel I am not sure I have any energy left in me for anything today. I am planning on an easy day. Maybe a walk two blocks to Japan town and then a visit to Alcatraz and a nana nap before the Opera and sleep tonight so I can pack for tomorrow’s trip home… Good plan?

It starts ok with the 2 blocks walk but then moves into a 2 miles hike to get to the ferry for Alcatraz from Pier 33.  Followed by a two hour walking audio-guided tour of Alcatraz. Then head back to the Wharfs for Clam Chowder (thanks Amanda). Now I make the mistake of realizing I haven’t bought my mum a pressie & that was a BIG MISTAKE. I go from one present for mum to bags and bags and bags & I am tired and no time to nap and stressing about the luggage and baggage weight. Arrrgh! Ok, I am blaming my mum for that J

I get to the Opera and there are some seriously ends of the spectrum, there are those dressed like they have been invited to meet the queen, there are those in Jeans, there are those in dresses and suits and arrive on push bikes, there are those that are dressed in ragged jeans and t-shirts and even one lady was dressed in a kimono.

The Opera building is magnificent and I am almost embarrassed that I am hungry and they were selling sandwiches in the foyer and me standing alone with a glass of red vino and a turkey wrap seemed wrong…Thankfully, no one would ever know that (til now)

The seat is front row dress circle but the guy next to me makes me nervous by leaning forwards so much I feel he is about to fall over the railings. Also, the girl behind me must have been a hopeful cast (perhaps rejected) but she attempted to sing along before the Opera started as the Orchestra was warming up…Thankfully that did not occur during the performance J

The Opera was in French with English subtitles, the cast was brilliant and it included a children’s chorus line of almost 30 kids (probably between 9-13) very impressive. The props were superb and it was definitely a play to behold. Although, I still think that the Albert Hall Performance in London was by comparison much larger scale from a prop and stage but the voices of the San Francisco Opera performers was grandeur and especially in French…

I highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates the arts to attend a theatrical performance and please don’t go in jeans to the opera, even a grub like me knows that.

That was a superb way to conclude my last night in the USA for 2011…Thank you San Francisco…

DAY 12 USA 13th November 2011

There is allot left to be desired for travelling in the US especially coast to coast. DC to SFO is 3000 miles??? Or thereabouts but I was abut to discover distance is not measure in a straight line, its like lightning, it always zig zags. A flight from DC to SFO direct is approximately 4 and a bit hours but costs about $1000 US if you want to do the last minute as I often do. There is a price for spontaneity…now at $379 you can do the trip in 7 hours (plus 3 hours transit & about $60 for luggage) and yet somehow now the $1000 fare seems like a fair price. I got to Washington International about 11 am DC time (8:00 am SF) and land in San Fran at 10 pm…a long bloody day…the only useful thing I did was get a chance to write the blog (Ok some reading this would disagree and not find that a useful task at all) However, the funniest thing that happened that day while I was writing the blog goes along the following path… I was sitting in my rocking chair and even had my headphones on…when after about 3 hours of typing I hear this man going absolutely off his head (supposedly talking to his wife) I only pick at the conversation at something my ears just pricked up at the following sentence… “Honey, I need to work and don’t need to sleep at your relatives floor so I visit them when I am in town…I don’t need this!” And whoosh memories just come crashing on the shores… the conversation goes for about 20 minutes and I am so absorbed in it to the point I almost miss my flight by delaying my check-in through security screening” The man continues pleading with his Mrs who apparently also disclosed to those relatives what he was in DC for which almost drives him up the wall again because its not information that should be in the public domain yet. The conversation is funny in that personally I think the man is an idiot… 1. Don’t discuss on the pillow what you should not discuss in the pub (general rule I learnt the hard way) 2. If you are being flown by work don’t be a cheapskate and charge your hotel to work…saving them pennies by staying somewhere where you won’t be ready for work the next morning is moronic & no one benefits. 3. He really was repeating himself too many times and I don’t believe she was listening or intending to…Proof is he ended the conversation by, Thanks honey don’t worry about it I will call them and apologise that I won’t make it” A conversation I might add he handled very well by making it out that he appreciates their kind offer but he is extremely sorry as he did not wish to intrude and impose on their kindness especially that (assuming speaking to his wife’s relative) that they have a new baby and her mother in law staying as well. Good recovery but 30 minutes waste of time…. After a long flight and cab ride I made it to San Fran and the Queen Anne Hotel was a tad out of town but like most of these little quirky place it was delightful, clean and full of Xmas cheer. Queen Anne

DAY 11 USA 12th November 2011

Technically I still have another day in DC tomorrow but I am so worn out and can’t think of anything else to see so I just wonder over to get my 10 days of stinky laundry to see if I can have it washed… The only Laundromat wanted two days to return them so I headed to the Coin Op Laundromat and had a “Big Bang Theory moment with Sheldon talking to Penny with the exception really no one looked friendly enough to chat to so I separated my darks and whites and washed and read the newspaper and drank my Canada Dry and bag of dry chips…Hee Har … I am almost 39 and this is the first time I do this…Net time bring a book the papers are a bunch of shite except for the article of this guy that risked his life as a community services worker who went into a tornado and saved three disabled adults and in the process was injured and almost died only to have his claim denied by the workers compensation insurance…The Claim was $2.5 Million in medical expenses… God Damn… Not much else today other than updating my software on all my devices…Fun Fun Fun…What a geek… Dinner was a whole new extravaganza well it was a poor cousin to a Moulin Rogue and allot less risqué but the cocktails were so worth it and the dancing was ok for the most part albeit lacking real energy in the choreography… The Sax Restaurant Now that leaves an impression of DC to linger for a while.

DAY 10 USA 11th November 2011

Technically at home its Remembrance day and 11/11/11 on the 11th hour is something special…Although, that was some 15 hours earlier…I held my moments silence in my time zone… “Lest we forget” 11/11/11 is a special day (allegedly) I think people make too much of those days but what is the next time after 12/12/12 comes around? First of March 13? Numbers are really irrelevant and freaks just need to chill out a bit. Another glorious sunshiny day in the Capital... Good Morning DC (regrettably leaving the Morrison Clark) but that regret does not linger long especially when checking in the all superior serviced Washington Hilton But before that it was anther walk and a few more photos The Museum of Natural History and The Air & Space Museums are not to be missed…Memorial on Veterans day. The Lincoln Memorial Unfortunately, the camera battery died and after walking for 7 hours again I just wanted a rest. And a rest is indeed what I got at the Hilton…great superior service and fantastic accommodation and its not expensive for what you get. The suite included Internet, personal concierge, breakfast and even afternoon tea… Highly recommended stay for any business or someone who appreciates all life’s little luxuries. The evening started with a telephone chat with another friend, planning another European getaway and booking to go to San Francisco and hoping to catch up with Selvi and Marty. Will see how I go. Then it was off to dinner with Dana at yet another great recommendation Perry’s Adams Morgan and apparently there is a drink of Scotch and Sparkling…mmm ok… The food was delightful and the sashimi and Pork Schnitzel were amazing. The character of the evening goes to “Anthony of San Diego”…definitely a stoner who was very amuzing and probably seeing him in a dark alley wil make you turn around and run but very entertaining as he was bumming cigis all night and off everyone that walked in. The other misfit was this Asian looking bartender dude that spoke Spanish …Only in America… Very amusing and a great night of drinks, food and fun.

DAY 9 USA 10th November 2011

Head is aching with a very nasty cold…Those damn cold sores do really mean I am about to be bowled over and every part of me is aching.. Neurofen and lots of water and Orange Juice to be had today Headed to China town for a decent coffee and trust me its worth the walk of 8 blocks as other coffees are just shite. Thank you Dana for another successful recommendation. From there she heads back to Uni and I to the long long long walk up Massachusetts Avenue towards al the various embassies and up o the National Cathedral . The same as per the monument the cathedral is going through major rebuilding after the earthquake that hit D C earlier this year so no access but would have loved to see Darth Vader http://www.nationalcathedral.org/about/darthVader.shtml . Maybe Next Time From there more walking and down to George Town I had a mammoth lunch and when I walked out it was raining ☹ well not bad for a first bit of rain and somehow I didn’t mind the rain as I just got in a cab and headed to the Hotel and had a nice snooze. In the evening ventured to almost the first decent looking (busy bar) in down town which happened to be Capitol City Brewing Co. Where I sat on the bar, ordered my beer and pretzel and watch College football pretending with some random that I know what I am talking about regarding a game I have almost no understanding of ;) I had another burger and a few more ciders and at closing time I was satisfied I had sufficiently immersed myself in “All American Bar Culture”… Struggled back up the hill and crashed in bed.