Thirteen things I love about the Bay Area

Negative thirteens sorely tempted me this morning:

• thirteen things I hate about Thanksgiving (forced gaiety, turkey, overeating, turkey leftovers, dishes, the mess, memories of getting the short end of the wishbone EVERY single time, soggy stuffing, eating at the wrong time of day, wasting food, Thanksgiving Day Parades on TV, canned cranberry sauce, spending a day of vacation cooking/cleaning/eating turkey when we could be having fun in Berkeley),

for example, or

• thirteen things I hate about our hotel (down comforter, down pillows, ten dollar a day internet access, five dollar coffee, eighteen dollar LOUSY breakfast brunch, I mean for eighteen dollars they ought to have a chef preparing omelets stuffed with foie gras, don’t you think?, ten dollar creme brulee that looks good on the outside but has the texture of scrambled eggs on the inside, over-chlorinated pool that makes my eyes burn and gives my son a stomach ache, double beds and not queen-sized beds, no MSNBC on their basic cable, watered-down drinks at the bar, teensy weensy ice bucket I mean would it kill you guys to give us a normal-sized ice bucket?, nothing but anime on Adult Swim not that it’s the hotel’s fault but I have to listen to my son bitch about it, don’t I?, and no affordable suites)

but I’d rather not subject my readers to such a barrage of anger on a feast day. Instead, I give you thirteen things I love about the San Francisco Bay Area: below the cut.

1. The view.

You have to try hard not to find exceptional urban beauty here.

2. Great restaurants.

Finding a terrific meal is nearly effortless. Yes, the Bay Area has its share of Olive Gardens and Red Lobsters, but those are easily avoided.

3. Memories.

We spent some of the toughest years of our lives here, but we had fun together, too. Here’s a good one: first year of med school, I would take the train up the peninsula and BART across the Bay to see Karen, who had one year left to graduate. We were young, it was the 80s, and shacking up still held some cachet. It felt a bit wicked, sneaking back to Berkeley on the weekends.

4. Friends.

The cast of characters comes and goes, but we have always had at least a few close friends here with whom we could have fun.

5. Traffic.

Because it makes us appreciate home that much more.

6. Berkeley.

I suppose we could call Karen’s mom from Berkeley today, saying, “Sorry we missed Turkey Day, but we took a wrong turn on the freeway and couldn’t figure out –”

Yup. Won’t wash.

Here’s how you spend a day at Berkeley: visit East Bay Vivarium, one of the biggest reptile/amphibian pet stores in California. Grab a few hot dogs at Top Dog. Walk up and down Telegraph Avenue. Futz around the campus — go up to the top of the Campanile, for example, or catch an equally fine view from one of the upper floors of the School of Architecture’s Wurster Hall,

a building so ugly, rumor had it Frank Lloyd Wright came for its inauguration (is that the right word for it?), took one look at it, and got back in his taxi. After taking in the view, go to Lower Sproul Plaza, which now hosts a yummy gelato joint. Follow Strawberry Creek into the tunnels that end somewhere in the Berkeley Hills. Hang out in the Eucalyptus Grove, where Moonies preyed upon the gloomier undergrads. Or simply head to the north side of campus, where you can find yet another Top Dog.

7. The Exploratorium.

We spent the whole afternoon there and we still didn’t see everything. The Exploratorium remains my favorite science and technology museum, and I’ve visited more than a few.

8. San Francisco is the best walking city in the nation . . .

. . . according to me. Russian Hill and Nob Hill are challenging, no matter how physically fit you might be. Victorian homes, killer views, a myriad corner grocery stores, and curious little businesses cropping up in the oddest of places — that’s all gravy. When you have walked one of the San Francisco hills without getting a heart attack, you know you’re fit.

9. Fry’s Electronics.

Fry’s was born in Silicon Valley. Nowadays, they even have stores in Georgia. I wonder, can you still build your own system from scratch with components bought off the shelves? Probably. And yet the staff’s lack of computer know-how is legendary.

They’ve diversified their stock since the 80s. You can buy washing machines now, and televisions and stereo equipment. Geeks can still meet all their nutritional needs (they have Coke and Pepsi) while stocking up on USB cables and 48-port ethernet switches and God only knows what else.

I still like it for the video games. On sale for $9.99, they had the whole Space Quest series updated to be Windows XP-compatible. I’m kicking myself for not buying it.

(Not really. I need to get back to my writing, so the fewer distractions, the better.)

10. Libruls.

Kucinich bumper stickers and lawn signs. I’m not kidding.

If Mr. 24% ever shows his face area, his handlers will have a devil of a time packing a room with supporters. I wouldn’t be surprised if, around here, he’s Mr. 10%-or-less.

11. Coffee.

I know Seattle is known for their coffee, but consider the facts: Seattle gave birth to Starbuck’s. Berkeley gave birth to Peet’s. Anyone who has sampled both products knows what I’m talking about.

At Chez Walnut, don’t expect anything lighter than a French Roast.

12. Ethnic markets.

With any luck, we’ll hit a Persian market today so that I can stock up on harissa and pickled eggplant and, and, and yeah, who am I kidding, do I REALLY want to carry all that stuff on the plane when I can readily get these things online?

Still, there’s something satisfying about browsing an ethnic market, saying to yourself, “What’s that?“, buying the mystery item, taking it home, sampling it, and spitting it out, wondering what you could have been thinking when you dropped $8 a pound for something labeled “cow bung.”

13. Family. It’s Thanksgiving, after all, and we’ll be spending the day with them.

Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone, including you Canadians & Brits & Germans & other ex-pats. I won’t be able to do the usual linky lurve, so feel free to whore yourselves in my comments.

D.