I decide to mix things up today, since I enjoyed my walk yesterday so much and I don’t feel like staying in my hotel room this morning. I go back to the neighborhood with the two bridges and hike another trail through the valley. The air is clear and fresh again. In the morning it’s a bit chilly in a t-shirt, but the sun makes it very comfortable. When you walk in the green valley, it doesn’t feel like you’re walking in a big city. You can still hear the city sounds in the distance, but in the foreground are just the sounds of birds and insects everywhere in the valley.
After the hike I find a nice coffee place where I work for a few hours. I think this is quite the life. Enjoying free time, working for a while at a nice place location with coffee and then go outside again to keep enjoying the day. I walk further and before I know it I’m in Hillcrest, the neighborhood where I stayed a few weeks ago. I’m surprised by how short the distance is. If you don’t mind walking a bit, then it’s pretty doable to get around here by foot. I get lunch at a sandwich store and then walk to Kona Coffee, the little Hawaiian coffee place where I stayed a while the days before Christmas. The friendly barista is there today as well and it’s great to see her again. I get a delicious piece of pie from her with my drink. She’s friendly to everyone and it’s clear that people like this place for that reason. I grab my laptop and manage to rent a car for later this week and next week, so I’m set up for an adventure. I talk for a while with the barista and then take the bus to a shopping center I want to check out. It’s nice to see the neighborhood of Hillcrest again and the Starbucks where I went the first days at 5am in the morning. That already feels like a long time ago again. It makes me realize I’ve been here quite a while already. It’s great to be in one city for a longer time, because you get to really know the place a bit like a local. I had the same experience a few years ago in Vancouver when I stayed there for a few weeks.
It’s a long ride with the trolly during which I listen some music and look outside. Experiencing this all makes me feel thankful for the so maniest time during this trip. Thankful for this trip, for all the traveling I’m allowed to do, thankful for being in America.
The shopping center is huge, it’s easy to get lost there. There is even an Amazon store, but that’s nothing compared to Barnes and Noble. I buy nothing, but I do reach my daily steps goal before I take the trolly back to the hotel. It’s about an half hour ride, so that gives me some reading time. It’s interesting how fast the days go by here, when what I mainly do is some work, some walking around the city, drinking coffee and reading books. I enjoy it though, life is good.
