World Peace, Social Equality and More Starbucks
Natalie and I visited Monterey on Sunday and Monday to close up some lose ends since we left in November/December. While driving from Oakland on Sunday afternoon, we decided it would be a good idea to get some drinks from Starbucks. I mean, how long could it take? For us - long time.
We took 4 exits over a 60 mile span looking for Starbucks near Highway 101, but had no luck. To make matters worse, we are both very familiar with the route and have each driven it dozens of times. We eventually settled on going to the location in Gilroy that we typically visit while driving between Monterey and the Bay Area. All told, we spent over 45 minutes looking for a Starbucks during a trip that should take only 90-120 minutes. So much for instant gratification!
Once in Monterey, we had a good time visiting our old neighborhood and catching up with friends. We went by our old apartment building to determine if any improvements had been made since we left. The clothes dryer had been missing the lint trap for about 1 month when we left, and we were certain that the building would have caught fire and burned to the ground by now. No such luck - they had installed brand-new washer and dryer units, and threw on a couple more layers of paint onto the existing 20-30 layers. Our apartment was run by slum-lords, and I think that the fact it was Natalie and my first place together is the only thing that over-shines the squalor of it all.
We took some fun photos around town, including one of our favorite bar, Alfredo's. It was where Natalie and I went with some of her friends on her birthday right around the time we met. Naturally, we've got a lot of personal attachment to the place.
We also drove by the house I was living in when Natalie and I began dating. Meow!
