Aug 14 2006
San Francisco
My first week here is over. Work was mainly meeting people over here and getting used to the way things work at the ‘Plex (ie, I still have to learn to stop walking between buildings. Hello death scooters… 
) Apart from the office, I ended up in Palo Alto, home of the rich and shameless during trips to the Apple Store and Fry’s Electronics, mainly looking for toys…
On Saturday, I went into San Francisco (after spending an hour waiting for a Caltrain – damn queue in Starbucks meant I got to watch the train leave from the wrong platform). Once I (finally) got into San Francisco, I discovered what proper US cities look like. They’re big, very big and tall, very tall…
Saturday afternoon decended into nothing more than a shopping trip, probably because I started in Union Square. I ended up acquiring things like a decent set of portable headphones to replace the ones I thought I lost earlier in the day (only to find them again that evening) and a much sought after, decent camera bag and more California friendly clothes (t-shirts and shorts). After a failed attempt to go to the cinema (would have involved a 2 hour wait for a midnight Caltrain back to Mointain View), I ended up getting lost on the Muni before getting a Caltrain back to Mountain View and my apartment. 
Sunday was much better day in San Francisco, now that I had worked out the public transport systems. Despite missing the Caltrain (yet again), I went to two museums for some culture – the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, since I’m becoming a sucker for art galleries, particularly modern art and the unique Museum of Cartoon Art – where I saw original Disney, Peanuts/Snoopy and Calvin and Hobbes strips and cells.
After my cultural quota for the day, I went off on a photography shooting spree around a few preselected venues for the rest of the day. The result of which are up on Flickr. All that’s left on my adgenda for sight seeing next Saturday is the big one – The Golden Gate Bridge, which I’ve intentionally left until last to avail of what looks like forecasted good weather next Saturday (I find the less clouds the better for my landscape photographs), and since it’s disjoint from the other interesting areas of the city.
I really am thankful that I ended up getting a Video iPod a few months ago. Until now, I had never really used the video playback functionality, but I’m making up for it now… I’m also very impressed with my new camera. It’s quite enjoyable to use. I just need to be a little less tame and step away from the automatic photo settings (hence why I got two books off Amazon during the week about how to use my specific camera with weird and cool effects…). I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up with a proper tripod before I go home, but I have to resist the temptation urge to buy a second lense…
Now, it’s late and I’m off to get some shut eye before another week of work before even more exploration…