San Fran: Picasso and other characters

After a 15 hour flight from Sydney, which is but a hazy memory populated by bad Ben Stiller cameos and getting used to "coach" service United Airlines style, I arrived in San Francisco around midday for my 23 hour stopover (you can stop in a maximum five places on my 12-month ticket and also anywhere else on route as long as it is less than 24 hours). I have been to SF a few times when I worked for Levi Strauss so this was a good chance to remind myself of what this great US city has to offer.

I took the BART train to downtown (Central), having booked the funky sounding Amsterdam hostel through hostelbookers where I shared a two double bunk room with a couple of others. The bed looked mighty tempting after the flight and given the time zone my brain was in but I knew this would not help the body clock so I set out for a wander.



I jumped into a deli on the way to Union Square where I met two Kiwi women (yes, Rhylla would appreciate that) who were on their way to Holland to pick up a campervan they bought online. Then they were heading off on a five month painting tour of Europe, ie they were going to paint landscapes and portaits as they went along - way cool. Then on Union Square I met a girl seeking donations for a homeless shelter who was an aspiring and training Olympic figure skater and working two jobs to get there.



I headed for the SF Museum of Modern Art, a place mostly funded by the Haas family who are the direct descendants of Levi Strauss, makers of Levi's jeans. I saw on their site a few days earlier that they had an exhibition of Picasso and the American artists he inspired. It was amazing to see Picasso's work alongside those who tried to mimic him. On a very superficial level, I noticed how small his canvases were compared to the large, floor-to-ceiling ones of his American contemporaries. Funnily enough Picasso never set foot in the US but his influence was huge. I am looking forward to the MOMA in New York, will need a whole day there!

Later that night I caught up with the legendary Michael Law, a colleague from Ogilvy in Asia and then briefly Joe Lipson but Joe had to dash home as his 6-month pregnant wife was having contractions! Micahel and I babbled for ages about corporate social opportunity, politics and online communities in this French place, Cafe le Presse, somewhere downtown. Lovely.

Enjoying the US is all about experiencing characters. whenever I go there I meet people who are doing amazing and out there things. Although politically I have always grimaced at the US, you just can't help getting swept up in all the enthusiasm and the drive. Next is Canada and the warm embrace of Rhys James Rees (Jimmy Ray).