Back to the Blog...

It's been a while since I've been here. I couldn't even remember how to find the site, and when I did find the site I couldn't remember the password to log in.

But one of my photojournalist brethren found the site on accident, and thought enough of it to call me about the page. And he got me thinking about writing again.

I did scroll down and read some of my past posts, and thought of editing them down, but I've decided to keep them as they are even though I think I could improve them quite a bit..

Thanks, Bob B. for getting me back on track. And here's the re-boot of the blog.

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

To see the city better!

It sounds so simple, but it took me a long time to learn this lesson. It's something I learned accidentally. On a roady to San Francisco a few years ago I cabbed Fisherman's Wharf and needed to get back to my hotel near Union Square. It was early and I was in no hurry and after crab and Irish Coffee, I thought I could use a little exercise, although I was not expecting to walk all the way back to the hotel.

It's amazing how much you can miss sitting in a taxi. I discovered noise and fun and Italian food in North Beach. I love a good Tiki bar and, oddly, I found one on Broadway amongst all the Italian restaurants.

I abstained from the rummyfruityicy goodness, and continued on, up Grant through Chinatown. It's amazing how just by crossing one street (like The Chicken), you can cross into what seems to be a  different city. Cross Broadway at Grant and it's as if the aroma of Italian fare cannot pass across the street and is replaced by Chinese.  Every store was open. As in North Beach, every bar was packed and lively. Old men played erhus (I googled it... so can you) out on the sidewalk. Tourists laughed and bought cheap souvenirs. It was a loud crowded feast for the senses that only cost me a little effort, and I would have missed completely had I been in a car. It was a long but effortless walk all the way back to the hotel.

During last week's tip to San Fran I made the same walk, this time round trip. In North Beach I found a sign advertising San Francisco's Best Happy Hour, and who am I to argue with Bacon-Wrapped Tater-Tots and $3 PBR? Would I have stopped at The Boardroom had I cabbed for crab on Fisherman's Wharf? No way. But then I would have missed out on a bar full of nice people that gave me never ending grief about the Dodgers (G'nats were sweeping the Dodgers on T.V.) then wished me safe travels and a pleasant trip.

The walking lesson is one I have tried to repeat wherever I go, and I have seen so much that I would have otherwise missed. Moving at walking speed, I have more time to see details, like the beauty of light in windows.


Putting one foot in front of the other may not be the speediest way around, but slowing down allows me to discover the interesting in the ordinary, and give me a chance to have fun with my camera.