In the New York Times Magazine, about once a month, a spread called DOMAINS appears, about where and how a certain well known person lives. Morning routine, Always in fridge, Gadget she can live without, Prized possession, are some of the questions posed. The reader can then think about his answers and thereby relate. My Prized Possession is my Yamaha Riva Z125 motor scooter. It is unrivaled for getting around the streets and hills of San Francisco, and parking is a breeze.
The yellow stickers are parking permits. I can park in un-metered spaces nearly anywhere in the city for $24 a year.
I’ve had it for as long as we’ve lived in San Francisco, over 15 years, and except for about 20 (a couple trips to Sausalito), the miles are all San Francisco miles.
I moved here alone in the spring of 1992 while Carol finished her school year at the Preschool Experience in Newton. I had a job and a flat, but no car, no bike, no bed. I rented a Mustang convertible for a week in order to explore my new city and bring home a futon.
Some notes from my journal recount early learning experiences:
Commute to 6 Federal Street:
Monday April 13, 1992
Bus 41 Union to Columbus to Montgomery to Clay to Beale & Howard – 30 minutes – walk 13 minutes. Turns corner at Clay and Montgomery, better? Looks a little longer on the map, but would surely be a nicer walk.
Home – Bus 45 caught on Third Street under overpass, about a 5 minute walk. Overall, about 45 minutes.
Tuesday April 14
Bus 45 Union to Stockton. Slower, through Chinatown. Longish walk from Fourth and Market.
Wednesday April 15
Bus 41 to Montgomery and Clay. Walk 22 minutes.
Stopped at a stoplight on Columbus Ave, I looked out my bus window to see a woman in a skirt and high heels on a motor scooter. By gosh, if she can handle a scooter, so can I. Continue reading “22,222.2”
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