The rental market in San Francisco is notoriously challenging. Estate agent advertising is virtually non-existent, and people rely on what should be a relic; Craigslist. It came as a bit of a shock, then, to be presented with a place almost perfectly matching our needs after a mere day and half of searching. It’s a modestly-sized, renovated Victorian apartment in the south of Noe Valley – the location balances access to the freeway, public transport downtown and while it is not quite as close to the beating heart of some of the areas like Potrero and Mission, that is probably not such a bad thing; we are but a walk away to Mexican food and more cosmopolitan entertainment. Noe Valley could be compared to Notting Hill … but with more Labradors and baby strollers.
A short walk to the more exciting areas of Mission – here you will find the fixie bikes, hipsters and yoga, but also Mexican murals and awesome food from down southI am really excited by the food options – local, independent butchers, fruit and veg on the corner, any number of delicatessens … oh and online delivery for Safeway. No excuses not to cook now!Superb cafes within a stone's throwSuper access to public transport … downtown only 15 minutes away on the new J-Line that runs by at the bottom of our streetOur street – soon to be called home!And our home … not perhaps the most beautiful example of Victorian style, but it still means we have a little slice of San Francisco living.
Within about 72 hours of landing, I already had my first riding date arranged with Marc Walliser from the office … I have yet to receive my own bike, so he was kind enough to lend me a very nice Rocky Mountain for the task. Awesome!
Ewok ForestNice riding – though lacking the killer technical sections of Taiwan so far!Looking happy with myself.
Today I landed in America. Months of theory are suddenly turned into practice, and amidst a haze of jet lag and general exhaustion from having gift-wrapped a previous chapter of my life, I am suddenly presented with such a wall of potential experience lying in wait that I can do little more at this point than shake my head and wonder how the hell it all happened to fast.
Relaxed rushing around in Taipei taking care of paperwork like ending cell phone contracts and ensuring bank accounts can be accessed, was matched with quite the most surreal experience of the year; watching a team of impossibly polite strangers pack your life into boxes and crates, with nothing but a ‘sorry sir’ and ‘excuse me sir’ to engage with. Luckily, a rather wonderful group of friends was there to scoop me up and treat me to my last bites of Taiwan, ending the culinary experience as it began; with a plate of Gongbiao Chicken in a loud and roudy restaurant, naturally washed down with some jars of Taiwan pijiu.
Hugs and rushed goodbyes complete, Yuyin and I made our way through the rain to the airport, ironically tracing the steps I made out to Hongshulin all those years ago (ie: along back roads, full of betelnut girls and dodgy furniture stores). A hop, skip (Tokyo Narita) and a jump, and before we knew it we had cleared customs and were blazing through the city on our way to our temporary accommodation. The day was full of ironies, but top amongst them is surely that our apartment friend Erick of Facebook fame can virtually see into our living room. Well, almost.
What a day to land. A photogenic city in the worst of light, today it was bathed in a clear, warm blanket of autumnal sunshine. Kicking off proceedings at Hog Island Oyster Company at the base of Market Street in the Ferry Building, crisp Napa white wine washed down oysters where zesty flavours whipped, cracked and fizzed in my mouth, the flavour experience extending beyond the tongue, into the roof of my mouth and somehow down into my belly. Suggested serving: under blue Californian autumnal skies.
A Blue Bottle coffee (the best cappuccino i have ever had?) and a banana tartlet later, and it was time to take in the Embarcadero, slowly approaching the sea. Yuyin and I were shaking our heads in disbelief all the way, but it was all we could do to stop ourselves turning back when we saw the silhouette of the Golden Gate Bridge set against a perfect graduation of oranges and reds, sliding into the Pacific Ocean. Stop this now. Leave some for later! It must be downhill from here. But keep me believing – you can see why people wrote songs about this place.
Tomorrow, the gluey bits start to come together; social security, initial apartment hunting, and meeting colleagues for the first time. But for now, I am happy to relive perfect autumnal oysters, set on the most perfectly fabulous plate I could imagine.
California DreamingWhat's up dog?Too much, too soon!
Seven and a half years ago, almost to the day, I arrived in Taiwan with a rucksack, a pack of CDs, a job with a little-known computer company and not a clue about what the future might hold.
I came for a year of experience in Asia, to see if I could cut it as a proper designer, and with a vague notion of getting paid for an extended period of backpacking.
I could not have predicted the depth and breadth of the experience, the amount I learnt about both the world and myself, the formation of such lasting, granite-strong friendships, and that I would form such a strong bond with this little island in the Pacific Ocean.
It is all of this and more that has given me the opportunity to be where I am right now; somewhere above Okinawa, a beautiful girl by my side, a job offer from one of the most exciting organisations in the world, and the goal to make a new home in a place that I thought only existed in the movies. Every time I think about all of this, I shake my head in disbelief and let out a little English-sounding murmur. Beautiful madness.
I’ll miss you, Taiwan. The worn-in familiarity of an old pair of jeans, the warmth and openness of the people, the love for food that is woven into the culture, scenery to make you weep, and enough crazy little details to make me laugh every single day. My secret little gem; a speck in the Pacific Ocean I came to call ‘home’.
The day after our kitsch night out, we planned to escape the city and head for the hills. Joining friends from Facebook and Google, we drove over the Golden Gate and into Marin County. It was all very odd with Abe and Armando; we are 30-ish year guys and we have never been in a car with one of the others driving … the same thing with almost all of my Asia-based friends, in fact. Unthinkable in Europe or the USA.
AtmosphericsArachnid
Making a beeline for Alamere Falls in Marin county, we hit Taipei-levels of traffic as people headed out to make the most of the holiday weekend. Our late start then bled into massive delays, and we arrived at the trail head at about 4pm. Since the sun was likely to set at about 8pm, we decided to strap on our shoes and go for it.
We wound our way through majestic redwoods, light pouring through and the sound of the sea filtering through the birdsong: oh how I wish Taiwan had a more temperate climate, otherwise I would be doing this every weekend!
Breaking through the trees, we began the final descent towards the cliffs, a substantial stream picking its way down through the rocks on its way to the ocean. Gathering to take triumphant photos at the base of the waterfall, it was fantastic to be in such a beautiful place with so many good friends.
Stepping out … a little later than we first planned!Big trees demand a big lensPeeking over the horizon and thinking of Taiwan on the other side!The first of the falls heading down towards the beach.Gorgeous!JAZZ HANDS!‘I was young and I needed the money’Yay!Abe art directs the photo of a perfect Californian view. Armando has other plans.As a direct result of our tardy start, we enjoyed some pretty amazing light and views across the trees.Sunshine account in the red.Seeing this photo, I couldn’t help but think of Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto, who did the last U2 album coverTeam Jazz Hands!
And a note to myself and the people that were there … ‘deaf hands!’
Explaining why three male, unmarried room mates from Taipei were in San Francisco for ‘entirely independent’ reasons, raised some eyebrows amongst the people that we met. But honest, Abe was visiting family, Armando was jetting through en-route to Austin, and I was leaving Texas on the way back to Asia. These things don’t happen an awful lot, so I was bursting to see what it would be like to meet them in a country where we all speak the same language as the locals.
Through some minor level of planning, we found ourselves on a night out in a relic of 1970s kitcsh, The Tonga Room, complete with Filipino funk band that floats out into the middle of a small lake in the middle of the bar, and retreats again when the rain starts pouring down (yes).
I guess I am as transfixed by the double-decker trains as foreigners are by double-decker buses in the UK.View from my room across the roof topsCalifornia metal
Badly made cocktails, silly dancing and some sore heads set us up for a great morning of brunching and procrastinating on starting a hike off in Marin county…
While Taiwan celebrates Chinese New Year, my boss took the opportunity to bring me over to Austin for a week or two with the team. I didn’t struggle too hard, since I can reschedule the holiday, and anyway flights out of Taiwan are pretty expensive during the holiday period. I have been through LA a couple of times, but never stopped for more than a couple of hours, escaping from LAX to Manhattan Beach for a swift beer.
This time, however, was different. I finally took Pip up on his offer to visit, and he picked me up at the airport in his new Range Rover. Without hesitation, he asked ‘do you surf?’ and I was too deep in exhaustion and jet lag to say anything else but ‘hell yes’ … I am not going to look a gift horse (or a Brit in a Range Rover) in the mouth. So, before I had even sat down, I was walking out of a surf shop in Santa Monica with surf board and wet suit in hand. Life is Awesome. Otherwise known as LA.
Range Rover + Surf Boards x Los Angeles = Pip Tompkin
Pip in his natural environment
Manhattan Beach in the daytime … long board in hand.
Limited snowboarding and wake-boarding experience have even more limited application to surfing, but I wasn’t about to let that stop me from trying. I mean, first time surfing here … what a start. Pip gave me the basic pep talk; essentially, paddle really quickly, jump up in one motion, don’t fall off … and we were off. I was far from completely fluid, but I did legitimately have some real standing time … I will be back.
After an extended chat on the beach and with my brain still being faxed over from Asia, we spot that the waves had receded. We grabbed the boards, paddled out to beyond the break, and hung out a little more. Some fins approach in the distance … “are they sharks?” I calmly ask. No, a school of dolphins swims by us, flirting in the wake. I bob there, mouth agape, and more than a little overwhelmed by the scene of dolphins, salt spray, and California rising up in the distance.
Jet lag completely forgotten, I decide this is time to catch a proper wave for the first time, and am caught by a fairly serious swell building up behind me. Arms darting into the salt water, I build up precisely the right amount of speed to catch the full momentum of the wave, and it picks me up like a rag doll as I dive off the six-foot wall of water. Screaming like a schoolboy (and with feet flying into the air) I plummet to oblivion, only to be spun around like an old t-shirt at the bottom of a washing machine. Twice.
Emerging from the water, I had nothing but a smile on my face, and water leaking out of my ears. My first proper wipe-out. Time for a burger. Time for In ‘n’ Out Burger.
While only having about three things on the menu, other styles, ingredients and upgrades can be had with the use of secret code names … a very cool idea.
The burger was pretty awesome, but mazing out on all the code names that I could think of broke my flat-mate’s #1 rule of buying burgers: get the basic one. ‘Animal Style’ and whatever happened to the fries, was delicious, but oh so oily. Ah well, start as I mean to go on!
After a quick brunch at Santa Monica staple, Norms, it was time for a tour of the LA sights. Naturally, we swap cars for something a little more befitting of Beverley Hills, Bel Air and Hollywood; yup – a drop-top BMW coupé. Music, shades and attitude packed, we prowled the streets, wowing at the cars on display, the wanton display of wealth, and imagining what celebrities are waiting around the corner (or at least I did). Since we were not rich Chinese tourists, we pointed the car at the mountains, and took in views of Hollywood from Mulholland Drive. It was surreal, taking in all these sights that I knew so well, and yet had never seen.
Wait a moment for the movie to load
Pip has two rather beautiful fixed-gear bikes, and he was kind enough to take out his baby for a spin – what a host. Cruising along Venice Beach was a cultural lesson in taking recreation very seriously; this is the melting pot that lead to skateboarding, surfing, hip-hop and BMX. It’s pretty humbling, and highly entertaining to see new forms of street culture bubbling up in front of your eyes.
Swap four wheels for two.
LA all the way.
Cavendish takes the green jersey.
Santa Monica amusement park at sunset … why doesn’t the whole of America live here?
Watching the scene; I could stay here the whole day.
An absolutely phenomenal weekend … thanks so much Shannon and Pip. You are welcome in Asia!
I just landed from a three week trip to the USA, taking in Miami and Austin, with brief stops in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The last time I was here, was right at the end of my Cambridge University masters; and it therefore offers rather a convenient moment of Texan-style punctuation from which to reflect and digest.
What a long way I have come. The first time was trans-Atlantic with nothing more than a backpack, a Greyhound ticket via San Antonio, a whim and perhaps a prayer. The next was trans-Pacific, taking in a global design conference, and with an extended stay at the Austin mothership, visiting colleagues that have become firm friends. I have, geographically-speaking at least, come full circle.
It also allows me to look at my Asian experience and life through a different, Americana, lens. I am positive I could feel myself being ‘reculturalized’ (as our resident Cuban, Pedro, so eloquently puts it) back to Western ways in a way I did not feel when returning to Blighty, perhaps because I am on holiday when I head back there. It’s a good feeling to head back to the office with a bit more confrontational spirit and less of the passive-aggressiveness reticence.
Usually, I enjoy writing these blog posts on the way through the trip. I think I felt some mild feeling of vertigo, however, as I imagined a virtual life in the USA, and re-imagined my Asian life; which felt more like a daydream, frankly – Kyoto to Taipei to Shanghai to Miami to Texas … what a head spin!
Jet lag is oozing from every pore of my being right now … time to sort out some photos, unpack and have a coffee. Good to be back to the daydream!
