I got an email last week from my friend Mike inviting me to his Labor Day cookout. I graduated from high school with him and haven’t seen him since my first visit to San Francisco in 2004.  In his email the first line of the directions read, “101 North over the red bridge.” I had to think for a minute before I realized that he was referring to the Golden Gate Bridge.

If you show anyone in the world a picture of this bridge, chances are they will know where it is.  It has become the symbol of San Francisco.  It is perfectly named because it is the “gate” that separates the Pacific Ocean from the San Francisco Bay.  From the bridge, you get a great view of the bay, Alcatraz Island and The City (highlighted by the Transamerica Building and Coit Tower) in the background.

When I was planning my 5,200 mile drive out here, I made it a point to enter San Francisco over the Golden Gate Bridge.  I had seen it many times, but never had driven over it.  I planned to enter the city over the bridge even though it was the least direct route to get to where I have been staying.  I literally had to drive around San Francisco and approach it from the north.

Sunday, I rode up to the cookout with Nino, his wife Melissa, and their daughter Julia.  Being a holiday weekend, the traffic was terrible and the thirty or so mile trip took us almost two hours.  To get to Mike’s house, I would have to ride over the red bridge for the second time.  When I saw it, a feeling fell over me that I haven’t felt anywhere other than Boston.  It was the first time I had associated any place other than Boston as home.  I never felt “home” in Ohio.  It was always a place that I knew I would someday leave.

The almost two hour trip wasn’t that bad, because the majority of the time was spent trying to get to and over the red bridge. The views were spectacular.  Secretly, I actually didn’t mind the traffic because it gave me more time to enjoy the sights.  Good friends, good conversation and great views can make an almost two hour/thirty mile trip quite tolerable.

The red bridge will forever be a literal and figurative reminder of my journey west.  Seeing it will always remind me of my first day here.

It is the most beautiful bridge in the world, and now it is home.

Language NSFW

Welcome back, football!

Happy September! You know what September means?

FOOTBALL!!!

Anyways, you don’t move 3,135 miles away from home without keeping an eye on your old stomping grounds.  Since I have moved to the west coast, there have been some interesting (at least to me) developments back in Massachusetts.

Pizza: The best pizza place in town is opening a location closer to my old home. Go figure.

Kevin: My best friend from college visited Boston last weekend.  I know that I just saw Kevin in Paris last month, but it was really weird to be texting him in Boston while I wasn’t there. For many years I hoped Kevin would come back and visit Boston again.  Finally, he did.

Miley: As many of you know, Miley is staying with my friend Chuck. Chuck must be the dog whisperer because he has Miley swimming and running off leash. Old dog, new tricks, etc…

Johnny Damon: Johnny Damon rejected a trade to the Red Sox. BFD. I cannot stand Johnny Damon. He was one of the stars of one of the best games I have ever attended, but I still really dislike the guy.  Anyone who leaves the Red Sox for the Yankees (after specifically saying he would not do that) will never be ok in my book – no matter what he did while he was in Boston.

Injury Bug: The Red Sox and now Patriots have been hit with the injury bug.  The Red Sox have made the playoffs six out of the last seven years. It doesn’t look like it is going to happen this year. With injuries to starters Ty Warren and Leigh Bodden, I see a trend developing that I do not like at all.

Casinos: The Massachusetts House and Senate passed the casino bill.  Sadly, the Governor has stalled it again. Nice work, Deval!

Driving Laws: Speaking of state laws (and I know this isn’t MA related), California has a hands-free law regarding mobile devices and driving. I wish we had this law back in Massachusetts because it has made me an infinitely safer driver.  I used to text, Facebook, tweet, talk and even email on the phone while I was driving. Because of this law, I don’t anymore. Just today my friend Z called me and I pulled over to take the call. Nice work, Governor Schwarzenegger!

My Name is Earl: Suddenly a hurricane is looming for the Commonwealth. Hopefully, it stays far away from shore.

Just Because: I have to post this again.

And last but certainly not least…

Thanks Deadspin!

We’d trade an occasional message on Facebook every once in a while.  Usually, it was about the Celtics.  Nino loved to pick my brain about my thoughts on the team.  When my move to San Francisco became official, Nino was one of the first people I told.  I found out he was living about 15 minutes away from where I am living now.  Nino moved out to the Bay Area from Boston in 1997.

I missed Nino’s call this afternoon and on the message, his voice sounded much different than I remembered it.  Looking back on that now, it seems silly that I would even remember his voice after all this time.  After hearing his voice, I began to question if I even wanted to go.  I hadn’t seen the guy in nineteen years.  Would we even have anything to talk about?  Would the whole evening be awkward?

I decided to go because to make this move “work,” I need to establish roots out here.  I am used to having a large social network; Moving to a new place where I only know a few people has been quite the shock to my system.

I met him at his place and instantly we clicked like long lost pals.  We headed into The City for a nice dinner and also stopped at three different bars for some beers.  Throughout the course of the night, I learned that we have a lot more in common that I had ever even imagined.

Tonight was perfect for me.  Over the past few days, I’ve been really missing people at home and the reality of moving away has finally begun to set in.  With all that has happened recently, I’ve been wondering if I picked a bad time to make this move.  One night with Nino assuaged all of those fears.  It was great to hang with him and listen to him talk about my new city.  He showed me some really great places (with great scenery, if I may add) and tagging along with him, I felt like a local.

Thanks, Nino.  Tonight was the first night that San Francisco actually felt like home.

- San Mateo is a really nice “suburb” of San Francisco. It is on the peninsula and the temperatures here run about 10 degrees warmer than in The City. I love living a life without humidity.

- I googled “Best breakfast in San Mateo” and found probably the best coffee shop in the area.  I know in my vast experience here I’m really not qualified to make that statement, but I’m standing by it.  I’ve been there four times and feel like a regular already.  I was in there Sunday and one of the employees remarked that she hadn’t seen me in a while.  It was pretty funny to hear that considering that I had just been in there three days prior.

- I also found a new church. It reminds me of my old church back home.

- The Bay Area is expensive. Boston has a high cost of living, but it really doesn’t compare. A gallon of gas (cheap stuff) will run you anywhere from $3.05-$3.35.  Sales tax is 9.5%. Everything costs more. A few days ago, I went to the grocery store and spent $60 like it was nothing.  It seemed like all I bought was bagels and fruit.  Paradise ain’t cheap, I guess.

- The last two days have been very hot for the area.  It is funny to live in a place where they consider temperatures in the 80’s to be hot.

- The Bay Area is full of Filipinos.  I am not longer “different” and suddenly I’ve become Everyman.  Hell, SFO airport is like little Manila.

- There are two main Boston bars here.  They are the “Connecticut Yankee” and the “Buccaneer” downtown.  My friends out here are partial to the Yankee, but the Buccaneer isn’t a bad time either. It is pretty cool to walk into a bar on the opposite coast and have the Red Sox game on both TV’s.

- Happy Hour has been a welcome addition to my life.  Boston so needs this.

- Best sushi in America? It’s here.

- People love to hear my story about moving cross-country.  Miss McCarley would certainly agree that “I’ve found my story to tell.”  It has been a pretty good ice breaker wherever I go.

- I really miss all my peeps (and my puppy) back home.  I’ve found that the best way to combat this is to drive around the city.  Seeing the skyline, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay and feeling that brisk air are constant reminders why I picked up and moved 3,135 miles away.

Last we left off, I was leaving Phoenix (Thanks again Jeff for being such a great host!) and headed to Vegas.  On the way, I stopped in Sedona (Arizona) and the southern rim of the Grand Canyon.  As I wrote earlier, I love the Grand Canyon and think it is something every American should see.  Visually, there is nothing in America like it.  However, I like Jackson better on the whole because there is so much more to do there.

Las Vegas is one of my favorite places.  I love interacting with strangers from all over.  I love the gambling.  I love the lights and the buzz.  Hell, I love just saying “VEGAS.”  I certainly don’t love the heat and it was over 100 degrees when I got there.  All that said, Vegas will forever be different for me from this point forward.

Vegas is where I heard the sad news about Mark.  My next entry will focus more about him.  However,  I have to say that I am glad my friend Frank and his wife Terri were with me when I got the news.  It is easier to take news like that with friends around.  They somewhat softened a devistating blow.  I don’t know what I would have done had I heard it on the road or if I was alone somewhere.

When I got the news, I abruptly ended the trip.  I checked out of my hotel in Vegas early, canceled my plans with friends and family in Southern California and decided to go directly to San Francisco.  I didn’t feel like traveling anymore.  Driving from Vegas to San Francisco last Wednesday was very difficult.  Between the tears and trying to piece together in my mind what (and why) happened, concentrating on the road was tough.

My plan all along was to drive around the city and make my last stop the Golden Gate Bridge.  Geographically, it wasn’t the most direct route.  I had to literally drive around the entire Bay Area and approach San Francisco from the north.  After driving 5,200 miles, adding an extra 75 didn’t seem like a big deal.

Arriving at the Golden Gate Bridge, I felt happy for the first time in 24 hours.  I was sad about Mark, but I was quite pleased to have completed the cross country journey.  I literally went “sea-to-shining-sea” and will probably never go on a trip like that again.  It was amazing and I have gained an even greater appreciation for this great nation of ours.  America truly is a beautiful land.

I thought I would be more emotional upon arriving in San Francisco.  I remarked to Jen via text that I was all cried out.  Since I have arrived, I fall in love with this area more and more each day.  I have also been wondering what took me so long to get here.  To me, the weather in the Bay Area is perfect.  It certainly doesn’t hurt that San Francisco is one of the world’s most beautiful cities.

I’ll try and be back later in the week with a new blog entry.

I’ve been busy getting acclimated and will be back later today with a new entry to catch everyone up.