I’m not apologizing for anything in particular, but my good friend, Danielle, has flown to Glendale all the way from the Land of Beavers (a.k.a. Canada), where “Sorry” is the most common word spoken! She brought all sorts of special Canadian goodies, like Nanaimo bars, Fudgee-Os, real maple syrup (an $18 bottle here costs $5 in Canada), and the rarest, most elusive, and borderline illegal goodie from everywhere but the US: KINDER SURPRISE!
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Danielle has some impressive travel stamina. My goodness, she’s already done so many wild day trips during her stay with me that I was surprised at her enthusiasm to hop aboard MEGABUS and visit San Francisco on her first Saturday. “That’s fine,” said Danielle, “so long as we find a tide pool and a starfish before the day is done.”
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Danielle really, really, really wanted to touch a starfish, especially after her last attempts got botched by high tides and rattlesnakes. I was pretty determined to find one, but also to show Danielle how organized and efficient I’ve become on my landmark adventures, since she’s kind of my #1 fan. Despite the rough night of sleep, which included getting stuck in traffic at 3 AM, we painlessly transferred to Jack London Square to see some landmarks! “That’s fine,” said Danielle, “so long as we find a tide pool and a starfish before the day is done.”
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Wolf tracks lead to points of interest all across Jack London Square, where the famed author spent his childhood. One of these points was the life-sized bronze statue of Mr. London, accompanied by my favorite quote of his:
I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot.
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time.
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It was swell seeing that quote again, especially knowing that Jack London State Historic Park has been saved from closure! His square was full of reminders to live life on fire, like this majestic statue of Cheemah, Mother of the Spirit-Fire, by Osprey Orielle Lake! At first, I wondered what mythology brought us Cheemah, but then I realized she’s a brand new goddess worshipped by… art lovers? “That’s fine,” said Danielle, “so long as we find a tide pool and a starfish before the day is done.”
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From there, we went on a boating tour! At least, we toured the general vicinity of the boats. We saw the U.S.S. Potomac, FDR’s personal yacht, sometimes known as the “Floating White House!” It was the vessel that made possible the top-secret rendezvous between FDR and Winston Churchill, which led to the formation of the Atlantic Charter, a World War II alliance pact and first mention of a United Nations to further the aim of world peace!
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Then, we took a peek at the Lightship Relief (#1036), one of twelve remaining lightships in the country! Lightships were basically floating lighthouses, showing safe passage to incomers. Now, many of them have been replaced by buoys, but I still think it’s a neat idea to have a boat that lights the way to safe harbors! “That’s fine,” said Danielle, “so long as we find a tide pool and a starfish before the day is done.”
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Speaking of which, after a long, convoluted journey to Richmond, passing football-crammed Berkeley and introducing Danielle to Chipotle, we caught a glimpse of another lighthouse, the East Brother Light Station (#951)! This was an automated light station that helped ships entering the San Francisco and San Pablo Bays, but it has since fallen to disuse and been renovated as a bed and breakfast! It was far too expensive for us to pay a visit, but I certainly admired it from a distance. I wondered why there was no West Brother light station, and as someone who is also missing a brother, I felt for the little light station. “That’s fine,” said Danielle, “so long as we find a tide pool and a starfish before the day is done.”
It was at that moment when I realized we were about to miss the low tide, putting us in gravest danger of not seeing a tide pool or a starfish at all, so I decided we should skip the remaining landmarks until we found a tide pool with a starfish. However, a little kitschy structure called the GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE stood in our way! We just had to stop there! “That’s fine,” said Danielle, “so long as we find a tide pool and a starfish before the day is done.”
But then, as we walked over the bridge, we realized that the nearest tide pools were a long, steep walk down to the sea, and with only sandals on, and with the tide coming back in, it was hopeless. The first word that came to mind was “Sorry!”
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I had to make it up to Danielle, so I took her to Ghirardelli Square for some goodies. There, we discovered that the 2013 Chocolate Festival was in full swing! This bacchanalia of scrumptiousness featured all sorts of chocolates and chocolate-based confections, like chocolate coconut water and various other chocolate drinks. I, for one, was craving a sundae, so the Muir Woods cherry and hot fudge sundae it was! While Danielle chose water over chocolate and fought off the disappointment of not touching a starfish, I gorged on the delicious and far too expensive chocolate cherry flavor! Then, I remembered that there was an aquarium nearby, one that just might have a starfish! Without delay, we hastened to the Aquarium of the Bay!
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The aquarium charged $21.95 a ticket, way too much just to touch a starfish, and Danielle agreed. So, we wandered Fisherman’s Wharf, and I showed her Pier 39’s K Dock with its California sea lions! These sea lions weren’t planted here; they started appearing in 1990 after the Loma Prieta earthquake drove them from their ancestral home! Now, as many as 900 sea lions hang out here on a given day! We weren’t able to touch them like starfish, but they were pretty neat nonetheless!
As we headed back to the car under the setting sun, Danielle masked her disappointment well, because frankly, it’s hard not to love San Francisco! I said that we could try San Diego and its famous rocky shores next weekend! “That’s fine,” said Danielle, “so long as we find a tide pool and a starfish before the day is done.”
Just for insurance, I found a starfish magnet in a shell shop and slipped it in her bag when she wasn’t looking. It’s very important to have a backup plan!
See you later, eh?
