Wednesday, January 15, 2014

A Tale of Two Cities

When I was just a kid at U.C Santa Cruz, I discovered the City of Saint Francis. For a buck, U.C. students could take a shuttle bus between the U.C.S.C. and Cal Berkeley campuses.  So, since I found Santa Cruz painfully boring, most Fridays I would hop on the shuttle, then take BART into the City and bum around San Francisco for a day or two.  Most of the time I had about a nickel in my pocket, but the City always took care of me.  Well, the gentlemen in the City certainly did....

Years later, I discovered California AIDS Ride, a charity bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles.  About half of the cyclists are from the Bay Area, and during the 13 AIDS Rides I've participated in, I have made a very special family of friends there.  I have come to love the City very much; I feel comfortable there, I feel "at home".  It just fits right, you know?

Fast forward to 2012.  I had a horrible breakup.  Horrible!  It look about a year to clean up the aftermath of that nightmare; the entire relationship was a lollapalooza of poor judgment and substance abuse and I had a lot of damage control to do after it's spectacular demise.  Thank god it's now finally behind me.  And now that I'm back on firm ground, I am longing for a big change. Some excitement. Something new.  San Francisco?  Hell yeah, let's go!  Although I'd love nothing more than to fill up a U-Haul and head up the interstate TODAY, I have one more commitment here in Los Angeles through the late spring.  So I hope to be relocated to San Francisco before summer begins.

Leaving Los Angeles is going to be really weird.  I grew up in the Valley, lived in West Hollywood and Hollywood for many years, and feel very "Angeleno".  My family is here, many of my closest friends are here, and I know it like the back of my hand.  But life is a banquet, and I just feel like it's time for the next course.

So, let the packing begin!  San Francisco, open your Golden Gate.....