Memories of US West Coast

Memories of US West Coast

Let me count the things I remember.

1. I didn't know that Marriott Torrance was near a beach, where we could have good seafood.

2. I lost my way when I scooted out of Macy's Mall (just opposite my hotel). I wanted to evacuate before they shut all the doors at closing time (and risk being locked in) and got lost outside the mall. Turn left, turn right? No one knows. But after seeing a policeman and asking for directions, I found my way back eventually.

3. I don't know what West Hollywood looked like, though I visited.

4. The Standard Hotel in West Hollywood has its name inverted. On purpose, of course.

5. University of Southern California was big and hot (in summer).

6. A new building with broken aircon (a well-known, big name think tank).

7. Embraers are darned small air craft.

8. Monterey Fishermen's Wharf has free clam chowder for sampling. If you know what to do, you can save dinner money.

9. Monterey is one nice place, but honestly not my kind of place.

10. Palo Alto (aka Silicon Valley) is just a mass of concrete buildings.

11. San Jose is a tired little place.

12. I'll never leave my heart in San Francisco.

13. See's chocolates.

14. Strawberry infused water tastes great - now the bigger problem is how to pour the water out of the pot. The berries have often clogged the spout.

15. Bagels. And flavoured Philadelphia cream cheese.

16. The less you pay, the more you get - a second liner hotel in the Marriott chain offered free internet whereas the first liners required you to pay to use the internet.

17. The more you pay, the worse your room. Monterey Marriott gave me a room that was so out of the way that it took the time to run a marathon to get to the lift lobby. Dragging a suitcase, that is.

18. Never judge a building by its facade - the grander it looks, the yuckier inside.

19. [I will probably need Al and my other US readers to confirm this but] Americans seem darned rich. Hey, they seem to go fishing or hiking all the time and be able to pay big bucks to stay in Concierge Level rooms!

20. SSSS - Special Secondary Security Search (or something like that) - the cursed 4-letter word printed on your boarding pass means you are going to be searched big time. I got it in LA. They searched and patted me down. (They probably also checked if it was true human blubber and not packed explosives.) But why didn't they think of liposuctioning me, since my thick, blubbery love handles are actually also flamable?

21. The queue that you are in will NEVER move.

22. In the most sound-proofed and enclosed areas, babies and kids will start wailing the loudest. (I think this is not just for USWC but everywhere too.)

23. American portions are just nice. You either skip starters or dessert. Or even both sometimes. Saves money and calories.

24. Chinese food in America is not as bad as you think (though they are not exactly authentic). But then again, if Chinese food in China in authentic, then I have problems everywhere because Chinese food anywhere else hardly tastes as bad as those from China.

25. Magazines. They have almost anything under the sun. Don't just play-play ok.

26. Cars. Every road is jam packed with cars. And with gas prices so high, you wonder why people would buy such big monsters. But they do.

27. Cheap cigarettes. There was a comic I saw when I was there. Osama asked the tobacco barons if they needed his services to kill more Americans. The barons replied, "No need. They are just doing fine." At less than half of what it costs in Singapore, lighting up is cheap.

28. Late night shows. Not for those who are overly uptight and lacking humour. Often no-holds barred and hilarious! Oh, I liked that one where PIs tracked down stray married partners. That's so bitchy, especially when a husband got PIs to track down his bi- wife (he never guessed till the end!).

29. 6 pillows on a bed.

30. Cool summer evenings.

31. Endless meetings.

32. Quaint little houses along the way to West Hollywood.

33. Graffiti. So pretty. So artistic that you forget they are vandalism.

34. Book stores. Many of them.

35. Moving scenery (from a fast moving bus scooting us from meeting venue to meeting venue)

36. Staples Centre - Home of the LA Lakers!

37. Jam packed San Francisco.

38. The Pacific Ocean from various parts of the shoreline.

39. Flowers in full bloom.

40. Traffic light junction vagrants/beggars.