In mid-January, after working 3 long 12-hour shifts in a row, I found myself getting up extra early and Uber-ing to the train station at 5 a.m for a trip to the Bay Area, barely making it as there were no drivers out and about that early. (It was a holiday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day) The reason for the trip? To meet and visit with Erich's cousin Thomas from Germany, who had not been to the US in more than 25 years. Thomas and his longtime partner Gunther had been in the Bay Area since Friday and was leaving later that day. So I was basically going up there to be with them for only a few HOURS. Swell. I was so exhausted. But off I went.
When i arrived at the Oakland Amtrak station, there was no one there to meet me. Hmm.
One thing Thomas and Gunther wanted to do before leaving was visit the Ghirardelli chocolate factory. I know everyone thinks it is in San Francisco. Although Ghirardelli Square is there and that may have been where the factory originated, it is now currently in San Leandro (occupying the factory space that used to house Rice-A-Roni, which was (is still?) "the San Francisco treat". Ha! Even though it was a holiday, the Factory Store was still open.
Not long after that, we sped off to the peninsula and headed to the San Francisco Airport so the guys could catch their flight home.
Auf Wiedersehen, guys!
After the movie, as we were heading for the freeway on a detour, we hit a curb. We didn't think anything of it and continued on to the freeway. But once we were on the freeway, Erich was startled to realize something was wrong with the car. He couldn't get above 40 miles an hour and it was steering weirdly. We pulled off of the freeway and drove down this very long off ramp that curved and went under the freeway and found a place to park. Yep. The tire was flat. (So much for a night at Trader Vic's... Waaagh.)
We called AAA for help, but first we could not make the dispatcher understand where we were (as we were under the freeway. She couldn't see us on her maps.). Then we had to wait and wait and wait (more than an hour) for the tow truck guy to get there.
A car did pull over and offered me a ride...but I thanked them and said no. We had called AAA. They left--thank goodness. Who knows what would have happened had I gotten in?
It was soon dark. Where was the AAA man?
He finally arrived and took off the tire to put on the spare.
The old tire was totally a goner.
With the spare on, we headed out....but decided to head back home via surface streets because Erich said the car still did not feel right. It too a long time to reach San Leandro. When we got there, we discovered the spare we had been driving on was flat (Thanks for checking that out before hand AAA man! GRRR!). We stopped for dinner at a Japanese restaurant (Yum!)...
Then went to air up the spare.
The next morning was spent at the tire repair shop. Joy...
After that, it was time for the long drive home. Blah! I had to be at work the next day. So much for my days off.
However, on the way home, I had Erich take a slight detour. Just about a block off of the 99 just south of the 152 junction, there is a museum of some kind. At the edge of its parking lot resides a moldering relic that was once part of The Mammoth Orange roadside orange juice and hamburger stand. There had been several up and down the highway at one time, but this had been the last one.
It had been in operation up until a few years back when the highway was expanded. Instead of being torn down and paved over, I am glad someone saved it. I just wish that someone would come along and save it/restore it.
When i arrived at the Oakland Amtrak station, there was no one there to meet me. Hmm.
Erich called a little bit after my arrival, saying that he, Thomas and Gunther had been talking---and had completely lost track of the time. Okay... Eventually, Erich picked me up and back to San Leandro we went.
Thomas and Gunther had aged well. By that, I mean that they were both incredibly THIN...like people here used to be 40 or 50 years ago.
One thing Thomas and Gunther wanted to do before leaving was visit the Ghirardelli chocolate factory. I know everyone thinks it is in San Francisco. Although Ghirardelli Square is there and that may have been where the factory originated, it is now currently in San Leandro (occupying the factory space that used to house Rice-A-Roni, which was (is still?) "the San Francisco treat". Ha! Even though it was a holiday, the Factory Store was still open.
For lunch, Thomas made (at Erich's request) the German dish spaetzle.
Not long after that, we sped off to the peninsula and headed to the San Francisco Airport so the guys could catch their flight home.
Auf Wiedersehen, guys!
After getting back to San Leandro, I went to bed. I was exhausted from working all weekend, the trip and very little sleep in between. I fell asleep almost instantly.
The next day, Tuesday, I was really looking forward to. Erich and I had made plans to see "THE SHAPE OF WATER", a movie I really wanted to see. That was going to be followed by dinner and drinks at Trader Vic's in Emeryville. I had not been to Trader Vic's in years and it had been closed when I had tried to visit the last time I was there.
Traffic was heavy on the way to the movie in Alameda...and then we had to park. By the time we got to the box office window, the movie had already started. UGH! What did we do? We saw something else. The only thing playing near that time was the new "JUMANJI" movie. I had heard good things about it and so we reluctantly opted for that. It was nothing great--it was okay (I had really had my heart set on "SHAPE OF WATER"). Although Jack Black did steal the show as a prissy high school girl.
We called AAA for help, but first we could not make the dispatcher understand where we were (as we were under the freeway. She couldn't see us on her maps.). Then we had to wait and wait and wait (more than an hour) for the tow truck guy to get there.
A car did pull over and offered me a ride...but I thanked them and said no. We had called AAA. They left--thank goodness. Who knows what would have happened had I gotten in?
It was soon dark. Where was the AAA man?
The old tire was totally a goner.
With the spare on, we headed out....but decided to head back home via surface streets because Erich said the car still did not feel right. It too a long time to reach San Leandro. When we got there, we discovered the spare we had been driving on was flat (Thanks for checking that out before hand AAA man! GRRR!). We stopped for dinner at a Japanese restaurant (Yum!)...
Then went to air up the spare.
The next morning was spent at the tire repair shop. Joy...
After that, it was time for the long drive home. Blah! I had to be at work the next day. So much for my days off.
However, on the way home, I had Erich take a slight detour. Just about a block off of the 99 just south of the 152 junction, there is a museum of some kind. At the edge of its parking lot resides a moldering relic that was once part of The Mammoth Orange roadside orange juice and hamburger stand. There had been several up and down the highway at one time, but this had been the last one.
It had been in operation up until a few years back when the highway was expanded. Instead of being torn down and paved over, I am glad someone saved it. I just wish that someone would come along and save it/restore it.
Maybe I should do an article on it? Hmm.
But my disastrous three day break from work was at an end. What a waste of days off.
Comments