Reasons I Love? SF: Tiny Bathrooms

One of the quaint things about living in San Francisco (and many places around the world where buildings were broken into apartments and/or did not have indoor plumbing at some point) are the telltale tiny bathrooms. All of the places that I've lived here, which now total four in number, have had them. And, each one was smaller than the last...

This is a panoramic view of my current itty bitty bathroom. It's astounding how large it could be if we all lived in panorama....Anyway, every time I stand in the shower stall that is barely bigger than my small frame I think about the cramped corner shower at the place my old college roommate was subletting in Brooklyn a few years back. Or I think about how my parents speak fondly of the teeny tiny shower in a hotel room they stayed at in Italy. And, then I feel sort of cool. Like I share something with people in New York and Italy that feels less suburban-"little-boxes" and more a rite of passage of some kind.

And, having a bathroom that only fits one person has its advantages. I will never have to deal with dating a dude who insists on using the mirror in the bathroom when I'm trying to go number 2, for one... But, more importantly, while a tight squeeze, there isn't much to clean. If I need to wash my hands while sitting on the toilet, it's totally do-able. And, I really have no use for those huge packages of toilet paper from CostCo that sit in closets around the U.S. for years sometimes. Instead, I had to get creative with storage and, as you can see, found an artful way of displaying my TP in a cute basket on the back of the commode, within easy reach.

So, while my family pokes fun at me, I see my little bathroom as a gift. I don't need to spend much time in it, anyway...

Reasons I Love SF: Uniqueness

When I first started coming to San Francisco regularly as a photography student, I distinctly remember feeling like I was boring. Even the models that were posing for our lighting class were belly dancers that spoke fluent French while traveling in North Africa. After ten years, I'm still in awe albeit over slightly more unique interests than just simple belly dancing and French language skills. It seems that everyone in San Francisco has some unique and/or interesting thing they are working on.

This past Thursday, I went out for dinner and a music show with my neighbor who I really love talking to and spending time with. During the evening, while chowing down on delicious Thai food, we chatted about our favorite Dave Eggers book and his Ted Talk, a recent Fresh Air episode featuring Dustin Hoffman, and the interesting Thai wine that we tried. After that, we headed out to Java Beach to catch Cajun music headed by an Irish American Bay Area native. It was a typical evening in San Francisco but, for a girl who spent several years in Wisconsin talking about beer and football and who tends to talk about work more than she should, it was pretty unique. It reminded me how much I love San Franciscan's desire to learn and share their uniqueness.

Reasons I Love SF: Winter

All summer long, I complain about the weather in San Francisco. But in the winter, I smile and brave the rain (which is supposed to come in winter) and simply duck my head when the wind kicks up. Winter in San Francisco is fabulous.

Today, I decided to get myself out of my apartment for a walk in the 48 degree sunshine. In fact, I could have probably gotten away with not wearing my heavy down jacket after I worked up a sweat on the hills of Golden Gate Park. There were couples strolling and walking their dogs, lots of runners running, and even a family barbequing. The ducks were swimming through the ponds and there were bright purple flowers blooming. Of course, San Francisco is not alone in its fantastic winter weather but, it does have the contrast with its gloomy, foggy summers. Which somehow makes winter in the bay area better...

Los Angeles: Griffith Park

While in LA, I was able to get out and explore Griffith Park, which was fun. The sun was shining and I happened upon a very LA scene: the Friend Zone was being filmed near where the old zoo was. As someone who gets sucked into whatever is on Hulu, and is sometimes a watcher of Raising Hope, Lucas Neff caught my eye although I had no idea who his leading lady was (I never got sucked into Switched at Birth or Desperate Housewives).

At any rate, aside from that minor excitement, there were lots of smiling Angeleno's even in the middle of the day on a Friday, including a sister of the cloth. My jacket was off in about fifteen minutes since the sun was beating down and I was ascending almost the entire time. From the top of what seemed to have been called the Five Points trail, I was able to catch views of downtown LA although I was walking on the side overlooking Glendale for the majority of my "climb".

When I move to LA, I will definitely need to spend ample time tromping the hills of the park regularly.

Drive to Los Angeles

After the holidays spent with the family, I took a drive down to Los Angeles to relax, spend time with friends, and regain my sanity. On the way, I snapped some photos of Solvang during a pit stop and the beach near Carpinteria:

The tourist office was thriving, even in the midst of winter.

 

The center of town is marked by this windmill. Check out those gorgeous New Year's Day blue skies!

 

This made me laugh: palm reader next to the Little Mermaid Restaurant right on the main drag.

 

 

 

 

And, then there was this beautiful view from Hwy 1 near Carpinteria at dusk.