Step 6: San Francisco Day 1

March 25th 2010 continues…USA time.

After an eight hour flight I arrived into San Francisco at roughly 10:30am on March 25th. It’s kinda nice traveling from Japan to USA because you don’t actually lose a day of vacation. The same day is still happening and basically just starting. I started my day in Japan at 3:30am on March 25 and arrived into San Francisco at 10:30am the same day…cool.

After retrieving my massive amounts of luggage I found myself a pay phone and called my friend Heidi. Heidi and I grew up together in Aspen. We probably met in the red brick gym on the gymnastics mat when we were about 6 years old. We did gymnastics together for about six years though she was always better than me so usually in a different level. We had for many years shared a mutual best friend and then in high school shared the same group of best friends. Even though we were in the same ‘group’ and had done a trip our last year of high school together up to the Teton Mountains --we had never really bonded just she and I. But as I started to plan my trip home I decided to make San Francisco and Heidi my first stop and I was excited to spend some time alone with her for the first time.

Heidi worked in San Francisco as an energy consultant. Yep, she’s a smart chic. In university she was one of about ten females in her engineering major. She’s also the girl who every guy falls in love with but she never seems to fall in return. I think she simply doesn’t 'seem' to let guys get to her the way most of us girls do.

Heidi picked up the phone and in an excited squeal with both were talking over one another. Then suddenly she said, “Jaz, I gotta go. Call me back. I’m being pulled over.” And she hung up. Shit. I sat in the little pay phone booth for about 10 minutes not sure how long the ticket process would take all the time wondering what had happened. I called back a couple times before she answered. Turns out there is a very strict ‘no cell phone while driving’ law in California and where better than to catch and enforce this rule but right near the pick up area of the airport where people are of course gonna be answering their cell phones. Damn! What a way to start the day and not only that but it was Heidi’s first time ever being pulled over!! Ahh. So sorry Heidi!!

She picked me up in her diesel run VW jetta, gave me my first USA hug, and we were off headed back to her place on Fell St. Heidi lived in a typical San Francisco style house with three other people who she kinda knew. It was a big house with a nice new kitchen but everything else in the house seemed original to the house. I liked it. It was a lovely day; Heidi had taken the day off and since we already had the car out we decided to head over the bridge towards Sausalito and get some lunch and go on a hike. It was heaven going into the restaurant and seeing the English menu board with multiple vegetarian options of all variety—I wanted them all. I ended up with a brown rice, pineapple, tofu dish and it was delicious.

We then headed to an area called Tennessee Valley which is within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It was so gorgeous and it just felt great to be out hiking with her like we had so many times in the past with our friends in Colorado. The outdoors and exercise are definitely a theme that runs through our friendship group but of the girls Heidi is probably the most fit. I, on-the-other-hand, had lost quite a bit of fitness in the last 17 months and was struggling to keep up with her.

Heidi on Tennessee Valley trail...holding her neck to hide her poison oak attack!

It was a lovely way to start my time back in the USA. The things I missed most about home were happening all in one day. Good food, good friend, fun life. The only thing missing was family... but that would be coming a few days later!

Since we were so close, we decided to go over to Sausalito and walk around for a little while. We window shopped and relaxed over some ice-cream.

Heidi fighting off the wind in Sausalito with a smile

We decided to make dinner so went to a grocery store. It wasn’t a Whole Foods, but it was another version of it that they have in San Francisco. I was OVERWHELMED! I honestly felt I was having a mini panic attack of some kind. I couldn't believe it. They had everything! I’d forgotten how lucky we are in the USA when it comes to produce. Where I live in Japan food comes as it can with the crops. The only fresh produce you can get year round are onions, carrots, bananas and cabbage. Everything else, when it comes, costs a fortune. And so most of my vegetables and fruits come frozen and even then they are very expensive.

I was in awe seeing all of that food looking so fresh and affordable. Let me give you an example of Japanese costs for produce: A small (as in mini) watermelon in the summer costs about $15.00. A small bag of cherries costs about $8.00. 4 apples cost $6.00. 1 small head of broccoli costs $2.00. It’s crazy. Meat and Fish on the other hand (neither of which I eat) are relatively cheap and always available. There I was in the grocery store with my jaw on the floor so Heidi basically had to drag me threw the aisles.

At this point I was exhausted. I had been awake for roughly 29 hours. We made a light dinner and crawled into her bed together around 10pm like little girls on a sleep over. It was peaceful and I felt at home for the first time in far too long.