Time Travel, Otis Redding, #2 and #4 on my list

#2 - Visit the United States of America

I've always wanted to go states-side. It probably stems from my dad's love of 1950s Rock 'n' Roll music - but there's something about America which has always fascinated me.

 

So - on my way back from New Zealand I thought I'd tick another number off my list and take in a few days in the good old U.S of A.

 

My destination: San Francisco. Home of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and, of course, hippies.

 

But before I arrrived, my brain had to navigate its way back through time. I set off from Auckland at 7.30pm on the 26th March. I arrived in San Francisco at 2.30pm on the 26th March. Somehow I'd managed to land before I'd even taken off. Crossing time zones really messes with your head. To give you some idea as to how long that day was - I'd woken up 13 hours ahead of the UK - and went to bed that evening 8 hours behind it.



It's midnight, I'm drunk - let's play Chuck Berry

 

My first evening was supposed to be a quiet one - it turned out to be far from that, far from that indeed.

 

I left my hotel and bumped into a woman who said "hi". I said "hi" back - she engaged me in some brief small talk before asking "do you like girls?". My response was typically naive and British..."it's been known in the past" I said. She then said "'cos I've got some girlfriends who are working in the area". Brilliant, the first woman I speak to and she's a hooker. Well done James, well done.

So I made a quick getaway seeking refuge in a nearby bar. After an hour or so I got talking to two guys: Ryan and Josh. They were friends from Nashville. Ryan had lived in San Francisco for a couple of years but Josh had only been there a few days. We got talking - music, sports a bit of politics for good measure - they were really cool guys. Turned out they'd both been through a break-up process too so soon enough they'd bought me a drink with the obligatory tequila chaser. We drank some more then headed to a few more bars. Note to self; tequila is a bad idea...always a bad idea. Come midnight we were all fairly sozzled and a bit peckish. Now, back home it would be ropey kebab with a side serving of salmonella - but in San Francisco...oh no. It was Mel's 1950s diner. A Jukebox, 1950s Rock 'n' Roll and meat. It was bloody brilliant!

 

Now my midnight snack had potentially taken years off my life expectancy but the hangover in the morning could have shaved at least a decade off too. Still, I had more sightseeing to do and no time to waste. So I hopped on a sightseeing bus, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time (more about that later) and headed to the small marine town of Sausalito - just on the otherside of San Francisco Bay.  

 

Despite the sun failing to make an appearance - the views looking out over the bay were incredible. To see the famous landmarks of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and the famous San Francisco skyline was breathtaking.

 

And it was here I found out my favourite fascinating fact of my entire trip. One of the most iconic soul tracks of all time, Otis Redding's 'Sitting On The Dock of The Bay'  was penned in Sausalito. And there I was, sitting on the dock of the bay too - not so much wasting time - more nursing a hangover and meat sweats. But nonetheless, I could empathise with what Otis was saying. But that wasn't my favourite fact - no. One tour guide explained that the whistling which you hear at the end of the song wasn't suppossed to be on the final track. Otis had recorded the song but whistled where a final verse was to go. Apparently he'd written to a friend in Georgia telling him he'd recorded this song but that he thought it needed more soul and he'd re-record it later on. But there was to be no later on. Otis Redding perished in a plane crash just weeks later. The track was released posthumously, whistles and all.

#4 - Visit Alcatraz

#4 on my list - visit Alcatraz, the world's most infamous prison.

 

I have to admit, although I've always thought it would be a cool place to go - I've never really known a huge amount about it.

 

But what struck me the most was how close it is to the mainland. The ferry crossing takes less than 10 minutes and that thought must have been excruciating for the prisoners; knowing freedom was so close - yet so far away.

 

I spent a good few hours going around the island, taking in a really interesting audio tour and finding out more about Al Capone and 'the Birdman'. What I found really peculiar is that prison officers and their families used to live on the island - what a strange place to raise a family.

 

Really glad I got chance to go there - it was a really interesting place with a fascinating story to tell.

I ended that day with a walk along the famour Pier 39. Now that's a strange place. A bit like a pimped-up Llandudno pier, minus the Welsh teenagers menacingly hanging around the slot machines.

 

With my hangover subsiding and jet lag kicking in - I headed to bed before, what would turn out to be, a very eventful day.

 

My final blog on my travels will see me achieve #3 on my list, ending up on the wrong side of the tracks and a German Brian Blessed.

 

In the meantime - I'll leave you with this...