havent been able to write much due to lack of computer... a lot has been going on, i'll just fill you in on the major parts
last saturday matt mom dad shel and i drove down to mexico. we stopped first in rosarito, then continued for a few more hours to ensenada. both places were great, a lot better than i was expecting, i guess mostly because they are both major cities for tourists and surfers. on the way home we stopped in puerto nuevo which was also very nice. we came home late saturday night. getting acorss border patrol is always a pain in the ass, but it's not so bad- there are all these mexicans trying to sell you the crappiest things ever- i saw some bad art (i.e., paintings of the last supper in shells?), the hulk stuffed animals, ugly plastic banks in the shape of disney characters, and gum that loses its taste 10 seconds after you pop it in your mouth. then on sunday my dad and grandfather left, and shelby, mom, and i drove to the san fernando valley (l.a. county) to stay with our cousins diane and tom. the next day diane took us to the fashion district of l.a. it was sooooooooooo much fun we shopped sooooooooo much, i loved it. a welcome change from being with matt, who refuses to shop. ((guys- pssh)) tuesday matt met us at diane's, and mom shel matt and i drove up to san francisco (5 hour drive).
after we got into the city, we wet to my cousin brian's restaurant, the thirsty bear. he hooked us up with a wonderful place to stay- the hotel triton. matt stayed with his [very cute] friend sean, and all 5 of us hung out that evening. sean took us to a great little cafe. the next day we woke up early and walked around the whole city until 12 or so, and then matt sean and i drove over to mill valley where his friend jon lives. jon is ubercool. i stayed at his apartment last time i went to SF, when he lived in the city. mill valley is just over the golden gate, and it's a great little area. sausalito is right near it. there are unbelievable mountains and valleys to hike and bike in. plus, it's a lot warmer than SF (which is very very cold!). it's perfect. jon does triathlons- swim, bike, run. everything he needs to train is literally right in his backyard. so jon took matt sean and me hiking in the redwoods of the john muir trail. beautiful. just amazing. in total we hiked about 12 miles on the dipsea trail. we were at the top of a mountain, looking down on the bay area. we were above the fog, and it was a spectacular view of the city. i think that when i'm older that's where i'm going to live. mill valley. it was perfect. we got back into the city around 7 and all went out to dinner at a great thai restaurant, then went to that cafe again.
the next day we were going to try to go to alcatraz, but couldn't get tickets (which was just as well... i really didnt feel like going). so instead we checked out stanford university, which i have decided is where i want to go. forget yale. it's all about stanford now. 20 minutes from the city, a half hour from mill valley, sunny year-round, 3000 miles away from rhode island. perfect.
after stanford we drove around the santa cruz area. it was very nice. again we got back in the city around 7, and met brian at his other restaurant, las ramblas for 8. a great evening.
the next day we drove back to diane's, and mom shel and i stayed there. matt is heading off to korea the same day we leave for ri, so he had to get a new passport and visa etc. we spent the night at diane's again, hanging out with johnny and cassandra and tommy and miranda and taylor and laurie. extended family is great. saturday we left after noon, got stuck in horrid traffic by the airport. we've just been chilling out since then, doing random things, and of course, hiking in the morning.
until later-