Back from the Bay

Hmm... Where to begin...

I tried to pack as much of the CITY BY THE BAY as I could into my just-completed trip to SAN FRANCISCO.

I traversed the city, from breakers to bay and back, enjoying sushi and good beer and a marvelous burrito while gazing at the GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE at Baker Beach.

My sister INGER and I attended a pair of games between cross-bay rivals the GIANTS and the ATHLETICS. We also watched CHELSEA win the CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL in an Irish pub (mysteriously filled with BAYERN MUNICH supporters).

I shopped at world-famous Amoeba Music and the equally sprawling Kinokuniya Book Store in NIHON MACHI (JAPANTOWN).

I even took a much-needed stroll around LAKE MERRITT, the watery urban jewel at the heart of my birthplace, OAKLAND.

It was a wonderful trip, but it also confirmed my resolve to return to the West for good, once the girls complete their high school educations here.