Rajneeshees, anyone?
Musk gets his Texas wish. SpaceX launch site is approved as the new city of Starbase
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Adios, San Jose
Wrapping up my SJ/SF leg of the trip.
I have been determined to not rent a car and mostly took trains and buses everywhere. I took light rail in San Jose, Caltrain to Palo Alto and San Francisco, Muni and BART in SF, and the 17 bus to Santa Cruz. Now riding Amtrak to Sacramento. Everything has been really efficient and comfortable.
I walked close to 50 miles over the last week to burn off all the Mexican food.
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I’ve had a lot of fun traveling around without a car. Still, the most annoying thing has been dealing with other people listening to something on their phones without headphones. Everywhere I go, calls on speakerphone, loud music, YouTube videos on trains, in lobbies, at stations. So annoying.
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Time for bed 💤😴
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San Francisco Day Trip
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Back at SF Caltrain Station, about to head back to SJ, and I’m just struck by how much this system resembles regional service in Italy. It’s obvious they took some cues from them in station design. SF feels a bit like Venice Mestre. SJ feels a little like La Spezia. We need more regional rail!
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I visited the house in Glen Park that my great-grandmother Louise rented in the 1950s and ’60s, after she left Detroit and separated from my great-grandfather Silvio. In the 1960s, my grandmother also lived there with her kids—my dad and my aunt—after her husband left her.
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I love how most other cities with botanical gardens keep their exotic plants in conservatories, but San Francisco’s flex is that their plants from all around the world are just kept in a park outside.
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Took Caltrain up to the city. Gorgeous day at Mission Dolores Park in San Francisco.
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Hint: Oregon isn’t one of them.
Housing market shift: 9 states where buyers are quickly gaining power
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Super impressed by Caltrain in the Bay Area! Wish Portland had something similar for certain routes. And no, Wes isn’t the same.
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Is In-N-Out’s name intentionally ironic?
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“Center for Engineering Management.”
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It was an absolute trip reconnecting with my former MSU dorm mate in Palo Alto after 25 years!
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Had a lot of fun exploring Stanford.
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Thursday May 1, 2025
The Arizona Garden at Stanford.
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So far, San Jose feels a lot like a mix between Lloyd Center and Skidmore Fountain area, if that tells you anything. Looking forward to making larger concentric circles tomorrow in hopes of improveming perceptions.
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I don’t often take the window seat, but when I do…
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Wednesday April 30, 2025
Portland International Airport (PDX)
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Finally getting to see the PDX airport renovation in person. #portland
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Meeting up with my old college roommate this week who works at Rivian. My six-year-old son made me promise to ask him why their trucks don’t have games in them. Priorities!
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Shout out to the neurodivergent folks who make things happen in spite of the world. Sometimes I look back at the gauntlet I just made it through, grateful someone told me it wasn’t possible.
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Do you want to know why most affordable housing projects are less than 5 stories? Prevailing wages requirements from DBRA and BOLI. #pdx #oregon
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Picked up a new sling ahead of my trip to California this week. It’s the Pakt 5L Everyday. So far I’m really enjoying it and think it will be the perfect size for a personal item carry-on bag. PS, I have a loose itinerary later this week in Silicon Valley if anyone wants to grab lunch or go hiking.
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Terribly saddened to learn of my cousin Garwood’s passing today. I will miss his caring positivity and sense of humor. Rest easy.
