The Traveler
Posted by Rhodester at May 14, 2008 11:25 PM and is filed under uncategorized 
Ossie rented a BMW motorcycle and decided to go on a riding tour of the
western United States. I don't know how a young guy like him does it,
but it must be nice to be able too. He's originally from Finland but
has lived in London for the past 8 years, rendering his accent a
mish-mosh that sounds like he has a cigar stub clenched between his
teeth when he speaks. I met him in the hotel bar and bought him a
beer, which was on the house because , hey, I'm not going to actually
spend any of my OWN money.
We talked about Europe and the United States. His next two destinations are San Diego and San Francisco - two cities I've spent a great deal of time in. I gave him some traveling tips - in both cities, stay away from North Park and The Mission District, respectively, unless you WANT thugs to separate you from your wallet. Stay away from Hillcrest and the Castro, respectively, unless you WANT guys hitting on you (he doesn't). Stay around the beach areas and Union Square, respectively, and you'll have a great time. Avoid the tourist traps like SeaWorld and Fisherman's Wharf (he's WAY too European for SeaWorld).
He said he found Palm Springs to be kind of boring, except for the desert, which is intriguing. He's right. There's a mystique to it; sort of a magic that whispers along in the wind, singing songs in your ear. He'd noticed that too, and said that even with so many wonderfully intriguing places in Europe, and so much beauty, he's never experienced anything quite like the serenity of the California desert.
Tomorrow he checks out and zooms away. I never asked what he did for a living, because when I'm wearing the hotel shirt that's borderline none-of-my-biz. But he said he's getting his holiday in before he makes the move to Zurich in a few months, where his company is opening a new office.
Zurich, SWITZERLAND?
Geez..
We talked about Europe and the United States. His next two destinations are San Diego and San Francisco - two cities I've spent a great deal of time in. I gave him some traveling tips - in both cities, stay away from North Park and The Mission District, respectively, unless you WANT thugs to separate you from your wallet. Stay away from Hillcrest and the Castro, respectively, unless you WANT guys hitting on you (he doesn't). Stay around the beach areas and Union Square, respectively, and you'll have a great time. Avoid the tourist traps like SeaWorld and Fisherman's Wharf (he's WAY too European for SeaWorld).
He said he found Palm Springs to be kind of boring, except for the desert, which is intriguing. He's right. There's a mystique to it; sort of a magic that whispers along in the wind, singing songs in your ear. He'd noticed that too, and said that even with so many wonderfully intriguing places in Europe, and so much beauty, he's never experienced anything quite like the serenity of the California desert.
Tomorrow he checks out and zooms away. I never asked what he did for a living, because when I'm wearing the hotel shirt that's borderline none-of-my-biz. But he said he's getting his holiday in before he makes the move to Zurich in a few months, where his company is opening a new office.
Zurich, SWITZERLAND?
Geez..
Great portrait. He sounds as free as a bird. This reminded me of something - many years ago I married a Welshman and we moved back from the UK to Phoenix. He had always wanted to see Vegas and I had to work, so he drove from Phoenix to Vegas. When he came back, all he could talk about was how much open space was in America. He was astounded that you could drive for hours and hours and see no signs of human life. He also loved the desert.
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He was an interesting guy. His GF is from Paris, btw, but he chose not to bring her along.. he's moving her to Zurich to be with him, so he's sowing a few wild oats in California before that happens.
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You certainly meet lots of interesting characters there at the hotel. Hey, maybe YOU should pay THE OWNERS just for all the experiences you're having.
Maybe one day you'll be making so much moolah from this blog that you will indeed work at the hotel for free, just to keep a flow of fresh material.
Meanwhile, better keep the official shirt on and refrain from prying into guests' lives. But I don't see a thing wrong with putting a "bug" or two in an artifical plant or a spittoon so you can better familiarize yourself with the clientele.
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The notion of ME paying the OWNERS is a far-fetched one, since they're basically a group of Beverly Hills Lawyers. I think they'll do okay without my money.
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Too European for SeaWorld? I thought you just had to be human not to like SeaWorld---unless you know a mime or a pirate there.
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Hey, a lot of humans like SeaWorld.. until they get to be about 15.
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Whenever I meet Europeans, I'm often embarrassed to say I'm from the states (as if they couldn't tell). Things are so much more interesting over there, and they are so much freer than we are (what? you thought we were free here in the U.S.?). The "only" advantage we have over them is our wilderness and countryside.
Good advice about SF. I really don't see what the edgy appeal is over the Mission anymore. It's hella dangerous there.
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I once had to put our car one block down from Mission when we had a hotel just the other side of Mission toward Market.. I was certain it wouldn't be there in the morning, or at least it'd be sans tires.
It was fine.. except for having been pissed on.
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Since I live in above mentioned "beach area," I can say great advice! Well, except for parts of PB at night. The Europeans are here en masse right now, and each time we walk past someone hearing something other than English, we try to figure out where they're from. It's not easy!
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I LOVE PB.. and I have a lot of awesome memories from there. Someday I'll be able to access them if the haze ever clears.
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