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At last! I've caught up on (most) mail and notes.
San Francisco rules, I felt like it was "home base", can't
explain it; felt very at home first moment I was there.
Have never been there. Stuck my finger in the ocean.
Had my picture taken.
Flew in Friday night; watched the Atlantic recede and saw
the Pacific approach... way cool for someone who's never
flown coast to coast (non stop, no less) before. I dug it.
(btw, if you're concerned about the population explosion
forget it, there's *plenty* of empty space in between! :-) )
Did too much, or tried to anyway. Never made some of the
scenes I had in mind.. like the Park or the Haight.. still
did see some cool stuff. George Lucas's "Skywalker Ranch"
where his businesses are set up; Muir Woods (big-assed
trees!); Highway 1 along the coast (literally breathtaking,
just like everyone always said. I was nervous sitting in
the back seat watching my driver try to drive and see the
scenery at the same time!); Berkeley (no frommmmmmmm sitings
tho); this big hill in Berkeley we climbed, you see a fantastic
view of the Bay from up there; the beautiful (and unexpected)
aroma of eucalyptus in the air (like god had decided to perfume
the environment just for your personal enjoyment!); miles
and miles of unrelieved beauty; *exceedingly* friendly people
(I think everyone's in a good mood due to the weather!);
weather I'd die for (gorgeous and sunny again? yawn);
beautiful women (maybe it's just me); you can't swing a
dead cat in Berkeley without hitting 10 espresso shops!;
lots of tourists, lots of Asian folks; HILLS! (just like
in "The Streets of San Francisco"!); beautiful architecture.
Stuff seems clean; the salads have vivid colors and neat
ingredients; went to Point Reyes and saw a cool lighthouse,
then the fog just *raced* in (like that Carpenter movie!)
like I couldn't believe, I got a good picture of that! I
learned to take your shots when you can, you might not
see that vista in a few minutes!); um, gee, I guess I
didn't see much huh? ;-)
Oh yeah, in between I hung with my friend Dave and his
fiance Lesley.
And oh yeah - TR-i! Almost forgot! ;-) Well Todd is Todd,
I love Todd like you guys love the Dead (meaning, I've been
a fan for a long time). Two great shows, kick ass rock and
roll, good acoustics, great venue (more on that in a sec),
the last two shows of the tour (in his home town, so he was
in a good mood). Didn't get into the post-tour party but
there were so many great fans to meet, most of whom I have
only met on-line. They never fail to disappoint, however.
It's like meeting a friend you never met before, you guys
know how that is.
Now about the Fillmore. (side question, is this self-same
"Fillmore West"? It's on the corner of Fillmore and Geary).
I assume this is the club where the Dead got their start
pretty much, with Bill Graham promoting them, have I got
that right or am I embarassing myself? This club was closed
for a few years after the most recent big quake for repairs;
I believe it was commercially moribund during the 80's.
Anyway, I have yet to enter a Boston club where when you
hit the top of the stairs there's a guy who says to each
and every person entering: "Good evening, and welcome to
the Fillmore!". Very classy. Then - they offer you an
apple! Yes there was a big barrel of apples. Help yerself.
(Which was good since I forgot to eat dinner and only had
drank beer!)
The club is your basic club *except* nice looking and big
and comfortable. Big chandeliers. Decent stage. Not a
very big crowd (but then again the album is not out in
the states yet).
The best part: they have photographs plastered *all* over
the walls, both downstairs and up (where there's a smallish
performance room in the front, plus a bar). In that upstairs
room in the corner is a big glass case with a gorgeous photo
of Jerry in it - it's a GRATE photo because he is playing
guitar (of course) and the look on his face is absolutely
beatific! He's clearly transported somewhere else the music
is taking him. It's quite a shot. And, there's (faded)
flowers and garlands all over the inside of the case. I
guess it's something of a shrine.
Among the smaller photos all over the place, the following
one really gave me pause: taken in 1966 from left to right
it's:
JerryG JanisJ Bill Graham
Already planning my return trip.
Tom
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| attaboy Tom...I knew you'd enjoy the city by the Bay...funny you say
you feel at home there, having been there 3 times now, brief visits as
they were, I felt that way too...if I was younger and single, I could
live in SF for a few years to check it out...I'll have to consult my
"Last Days of the Fillmore" vinyl set, maybe it explains the exact
location of the hallowed Fillmore...from what I recall, the old
Fillmore wasn't actually On Fillmore, tho I can't say fersher...
next time you must get up to Lake Tahoe...
oh, and Where ARE those Todd set lists? :)))
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