Saturday, February 01, 2025

The Saturday Morning post: 50 States in 52 weeks: California


California is one of several states that a contract to do training for AARP took me to for the first time.  The first training I did for AARP was in Sacramento, I arranged a couple of extra days, rented a car and drove into San Francisco. The city is easily love at first sight.  Driving in across the Golden Gate Bridge, China Town, Castro Street, around the embarcadaro, riding the cable cars. 

I have taken every opportunity I could to return to California, going back to San Francisco, Hollywood, Huntington Beach, San Diego, back to Sacramento. I spoke at a conference in Folsom (near the prison but not at it.)  One of my favorite trips, I spoke at a conference in San Francisco, rented a car and drove down the coast to Pebble Beach and back, taking the old slow road right along the coast. I have also been to the California side of Lake Tahoe (the smoke free side, Nevada allowed smoking in public places.) 

It is an amazing place.  If I won the lottery, I would consider living there.  It can be rather expensive.  


 

24 comments:

  1. We did love living in San Francisco, although, after living in San Diego, the summers there were disappointing. As Mark Twain said, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”

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    1. And the ocean water is cold.

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    2. The Pacific is much colder than I expected, even in LA and San Diego. But San Francisco was impossible for me.

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  2. I grew up in Sacramento, well, just outside, and went to college in San Francisco. I, too, would move back to The City in an instant ... if the lottery helped me out!

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  3. California, Land of Dreams.

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  4. San Francisco is certainly an expensive city. I have friends who lived there for a while back in the 90's. They bought a place that stretched their budget but in the end, when they sold it, it gave them enough money to buy a huge house in Portland Oregon.

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    1. I have known a couple of people who made their first million, owning a home in San Francisco for a few years.

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    2. I have a cousin who lived in SF. He got married and eventually they wanted to buy a house. They moved to San Diego to find something affordable. San Diego... affordable... now THAT'S saying something!!!

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  5. I went there years ago. I wonder how recovery from the awful fires will happen.

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    1. The fires are always a concern.

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  6. I never fell for California , I preferred Seattle

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    1. The whole west coast is really fun.

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    2. Love Seattle, but it ain't cheap either...

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  7. Ps……I need to see your desk

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  8. I love California, too. I've been to Tahoe, Sacramento, San Francisco, down the coast highway to L.A., San Diego. It was always too close and too tempting.

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    1. A few years ago I drove from San Francisco to Pebble Beach on the old road along the coast, it was a wonderful slow drive.

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  9. Where I live there is an ever going exodus from California, of thems complaining it is too expensive to live there.

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