September 20th - Frisco Day 2

Went round the corner for breakfast as the hotel restaurant is pricey. Initially they brought me the wrong meal, but this was soon corrected and it was delicious. I then went to Union Square and caught the "drop on / off" open-top bus, which takes you on a two-hour trip round the city. We went through the Tenderloin district, so named because the police had to be given extra money to patrol it, and they would spend this on better-quality meat ! I stayed on until we reached the Natural History museum in Golden Gate Park.

I went into the museum. There were some extraordinary fish tanks with creatures of all different shapes and colours. I was reminded of Ringo's "Octopuses' Garden" off Abbey Road. There was some very well-presented material on evolution - all totally fallacious of course as everyone knows that God created all the species simultaneously 4000 years ago, but well-presented nevertheless. That reminds me - yesterday at Fisherman's Wharf there were some Christians selling Bible Study pamphlets. Now I am fascinated by The Bible and know it pretty well, so I got talking to them about the book of Revelation (one of my faves). We had a good old chat about the pre-millenium Rapture. As I went off I passed the usual down-and-outs that you see round here - and it bothered me that I didn't stop and try to help them. These deadbeats would once have been innocent young boys playing with their mates and looking forward to what life has to offer. It doesn't take much for someone to slip into homelessness over here, and England is pretty much just as bad. I also reflected (with sadness, guilt, and anger) that my own children are now the products of a broken home. One of my aims when I get back is to find better ways of helping the disadvantaged in our society.

Back to today - after leaving the museum I had lunch and read for a bit, before making my way to Haight Ashbury and Amoeba records. There I bought 2 Galaxie 500 CDs, plus Robyn Hitchcock's Respect, Randy Newman's Trouble In Paradise, and a Quicksilver Messenger Service live 1968 double CD. I popped into Land Of The Sun, where I get my San Fran t-shirts, but nothing caught my fancy. I then bought a Patterson Hood solo album in Rasputin - the album is all about his divorce, so I should have a good time with that one !

Having completed my purchases I walked all the way back to the hotel, which took 1.5 hours. This gave me a chance to see streets I haven't visited before - I really do know my way around here pretty well now. The architecture here never fails to yield new pleasures.

Tomorrow is my last full day. It is great to be in 'Frisco but I doubt whether I will return unless it is with a partner. One slightly unfortunate aspect of it is that I'm not in the Holiday Inn at Fisherman's Wharf - when you're there breakfast is thrown in as part of the deal and you meet people. This hotel is more of a business facility and I haven't really got talking to anyone. One the plus side, the room is very high-tech and has a fridge. In general I am feeling homesick for England now, which didn't happen on previous trips. I take this as a sign of progress in my recovery from the last two terrible years - when I was over here before it was such an escape from things at home, but now my own life is starting to come together a bit.

I'm going to have a great last day tomorrow - the "As" are playing tomorrow lunchtime and I'm going along. It's due to be raining here, so going to watch the baseball will round things off perfectly.        

          

September 19th - Frisco

Walked down from Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf to have breakfast at Denny's and then attend the meeting with the Virgin rep. Arranged a tour into Marin County for the afternoon and then a two-day pass on the open bus tour for the following two days. For the rest of the morning I stayed in the Fisherman's Wharf area, where I saw some sea-lions squawking, swimming, and fighting in a confined space of water just outside Pier 39. The weather - unusually for round here - was very bright and sunny.

After lunch I queued up for the coach trip and was a bit peeved at having to wait in the hot sun for half-an-hour. Eventually the coach turned up and off we went. We drove down Lombard Street to Golden Gate Bridge and then over into Marin County. We turned off Highway 101 onto Highway One, and the views were spectacular as we climbed the hills. We stopped for an hour at Muir Woods, which had some huge Redwood Trees with wide trunks which stretched up nearly 300 ft. The area was very peaceful and I would never have driven there on my own, so it was well worth paying for the coach.

On the way back we stopped in Sausalito. This is a small town by the shore which is one of the most expensive places to live in the world. Fleetwood Mac recorded the "Rumours" album here, gorging on cocaine while they sang about their various broken relationships. Otis Redding wrote "Dock Of The Bay" there. Then we drove back and I was dropped off on the corner of Lombard and Fillmore. I walked uphill along Fillmore - good exercise in 'Frisco - to find the cinema I was planning to watch a film at.

I saw a film called "Äfternoon Delight", which was a slightly raunchy marital comedy / drama - a sort of film version of what I imagine "50 Shades Of Grey" is like. On the way out a couple of middle-aged ladies remarked that it wasn't as "earthy" as they were expecting - I dread to think what they usually watch ! Maybe I should write a book about the Pay and Grading review at work called "50 Grades Of Pay". Anyway, the film was quite amusing and the cinema facilities were excellent.

Caught the 38 bus straight back afterwards. Quite an active day !        

September 18th - to Frisco

Spent today travelling from Minneapolis to 'Frisco. Started with breakfast at Al's again, then packed up and left the hotel at 10:30. Had a lot of hassle finding a garage near the airport to fill up. The satnav directed me to a place on the ring road - however it was on the other side of the road and you weren't allowed to turn left ! So I went round the one-way system again and eventually found another place. After that I got sorted ok and read an article about Jerry Brown in "Rolling Stone" while having lunch. He is the Governor of California and has rescued the economy with a combination of fiscal toughness and enlightened initiatives on health, education, and infrastructure dvelopment.

The flight took 4 hours but, of course, my clock is now two hours back as it's California time. I landed in 'Frisco on schedule - as you fly in you go very low over the sea, and the runway is surrounded by water on all sides. I have flown into here three times now and it's always amazing. For most of the last hour of  the flight all you see below you is rocks and mountains, and you only see a built-up area when you are on the descent. California looks very narrow from the air.

My hotel is on Stockton Street, near Union Square. The room is very high-tech, and it took me a while to work things out. Found a nice Deli just up the road where I got some beers and a fresh sandwich. Tomorrow I will go down to meet the Virgin team at Fisherman's Wharf and plan my excursions. It's great to be back in this magic city. No more driving now so I can really relax.          

September 17th - Minneapolis

Spent today in the local area. Had breakfast at Al's, which is a little shack seating 14 people on 14th Avenue. It was delicious, and the owner was quoting Leonard Cohen lyrics. The guy next to me had come in from Washington, and had been delayed yesterday by the naval shooting. I then drove to the Mall Of America, the largest mall in the US, and bought a pair of jeans and some trainers.

I then had some fun with the satnav while trying to reach St Paul. It took me to a park on the outskirts, so I stopped there and had lunch. I then drove along University Avenue to the East, and returned to park the car at the hotel before walking into Minneapolis. Once there I visited the Mill Museum, which I really enjoyed. They took you right up the tower in a lift, stopping at various floors to explain the process. It is highly treacherous since flour can explode ! There was an observation area right at the top which gave you a great view over the Missisipi. They also showed a brief film on the history of Minneapolis.

Returned to the hotel via the Deli, where I said goodbye to the friendly proprietor. Upon my return it took me an hour to check in for my flight tomorrow, firstly because their computer was dead slow and secondly because the Delta system was not finding my reservation. I had to ring Delta, sitting through their various IVR menus and trying to stop myself swearing at it. Then I completed the check-in via my Tablet. I would have been lost in this place without it, so the purchase has proved its value.

Musically I listened to the radio as I drove around this morning. There was a good post-punk programme on, and then some classic hits, the best being "25 or 6 to  4" by Chicago and "Travellin' Band" by Creedence. I then played a bit of US Kaleidoscope from my MP3. Really enjoyed them - eclectic and original.

I had loved seeing Minnesota, especially the visit to Duluth yesterday. It really is a beautiful place and worthy of being Bob Dylan's birthplace. Now for 'Frisco ! 

September 16th - Duluth

What a beautiful day in Minnesota ! Clear blue skies and bright sunshine all day. So I went exploring the countryside in the morning, driving North up I-35 before heading East along Highway 18 to Rutledge and then North through Willow River, Sturgeon Lake, and Moose Lake. The countryside was forests punctuated with lakes, with what little housing there was being wooden shacks rather than brick. I stopped by a lake in the absolute middle of nowhere - the place is just vast ! A very good place for a bit of quiet reflection.

I then re-joined I-35 North and had lunch in a rest area, where I chatted with the caretaker. The weather patterns in Minnesota seem similar to those in England - like us they had heavy snow last winter which lasted until Easter with a blazing hot March in 2012. I then arrived in Duluth at just after 2. A man in the car park thought I was trying to steal the car ! This was because the car opens automatically when the key is near it, so to check that it's properly locked I leave the key a distance away and then check that the doors won't open. Just another of my little paranoias ! Another feature of the car to baffle me was that I had great trouble finding the button to open the petrol cap. It's tucked away in a fairly obscure place inside the passenger door.

Duluth is the most beautiful town as well as being Bob Dylan's birthplace. It's right on the Western extreme of Lake Superior and has hills behind the main street. I went down to the waterfront and then back to the main shopping street (Superior Street), which runs parallel with the front. I found a record shop and bought Dylan's "Another Self Portrait", plus the latest Van Morrison and the first two Rodriguez albums, having heard a track of his on the radio the other day. I spoke to the owner for a while about the music scene in London and told him about Bevis Frond.

Then I walked on and found another waterfront view which was really lovely. I asked a lady there to take my picture (always a good intro line here - wonder if I could use that back in England) and we got chatting. London accents really do the business out here. Then I returned to the car and drove back down I-35.

My music on the drive North was mainly Van Morrison - "Down The Road", "Pay The Devil", and a bit of "The Philosophers Stone". All this was great - Van is a big favourite of mine and has had such a long and consistent career. The music is very carefully-arranged and yet sounds spontaneous - that's what good musicians can do. And I do enjoy his lyrics - he uses commonplace language and has an unforced empathy for the working man. As I came into Duluth I heard a bit of Blood, Sweat, and Tears' first album.

The way back was nearly all Beatles - "For Sale", "Rubber Soul", and "Past Masters". I don't listen to them that often as I'm so familiar with their stuff, but they are simply irresistable. Together with Dylan, they changed millions of peoples' lives, including my own. They tore into America at the start of 1964 and, by April, had the top five records on the singles chart. The freshness and sheer bounce of their early stuff swept us all away back in 1963 and still stands tall due to the innate quality of the songwriting and the power of the vocals. They kept growing and growing throughout the 1960s and very rarely made a duff track (I hate "Here, There, and Everywhere" though). It was great last year that Dylan closed his latest album with a tribute to John Lennon - the two cultural giants of the post-war era.

Just at the end of the journey I played a bit of Terry Reid's "River" - a welcome slice of blues/soul after all that Beatle-pop.                   

September 15th Hibbing

Woke up early and walked round Dinkytown looking for breakfast. Didn't feel like a huge American platter so eventually ended up in good old MacDonalds. On the way I saw the Purple Onion, one of the places where Dylan played when he was starting out.

Then I embarked upon the 250-mile drive to Hibbing. I drove up the I-35 for a couple of hours, then turned off onto Highway 33 at Cloquet, before driving up Highway 53 to Virginia and then west on 169 to Hibbing. It being a Sunday, the place was deserted. Hibbing is basically one long main street (Howard Street) with the usual rectangular structure of streets around it. I went to a bar called Zimmy's and found out where Bob Dylan Drive was. I walked down it and found the house where he grew up. It is a cubular two-storey house painted blue on the corner of 7th Avenue and 25th Street. So it was in this small house in a remote and nondescript town that one of the major geniuses in the development of human culture grew up. I can only imagine how liberated he must have felt to come down here to university in Dinkytown.

The drive back was very exciting and comfortable - the sun was out and I could see the scenery better. Hibbing is in the middle of the Iron Range, which used to be a large mining area in the Second World War. The subsequent closure of the mines and the resulting impact on the local economy is the subject of "North Country Blues" on the "Times They Are a Changin'" album. The countryside is full of lakes and was largely flat where I drove. The sheer scale and remoteness of the place is very striking. It's hard to imagine people conducting their daily lives in such places.

Loads of music of course - constant Dylan on the way up, naturally - I played "The Bootleg Series" Vols 7 and 9. Much of this is early acoustic material and what stood out for me was the exceptional urgency and intensity of the performances, as well as the emerging lyrical genius of songs such as "Hard Rain". Dylan has never been easy listening, so he would never have got a hearing in these bland times. It is a tribute to the communal musical ear of the 1960s that such an uncompromising artist was a major pop star.

On the way back I started with Chuck Prophet's "Temple Beautiful", my favourite CD of last year. Then I heard "White-Faced "Lady" by the UK Kaleidoscope, a double album which was never released at the time. I found its English lyricism and pop sensibility to be highly refreshing after all the Americana. I then heard "Parachute", the Pretty Things classic from 1970 which was voted album of the year by Rolling Stone (I'd go for "Workingman's Dead" myself). There are some bonus tracks on here which are very, very good - full of different structures and interesting lyrics. Finally I heard some live Quicksilver Messenger Service tracks as I arrived back in Minneapolis.                      

September 14th - from Atlanta to Minneapolis

Had some entertainment taking the hired car back to the airport at Atlanta. The satnav kept urging me to go down a road which was blocked by a gate. So I went round in circles for 15 mins until I stopped and asked somebody. The satnav was a godsend when visiting places, but couldn't work out how to get me to the rental return area ! Lesson - never put your trust totally in technology.

Took the train from the rental location to the check-in desk. American airports are very large and you can do a couple of these train trips during a visit. Eventually got near the gate and had some "brunch". I then succeeded in giving myself a minor panic when I left my printed boarding pass on the table. I realised this when I was about to buy some snacks for the flight. The "fight/flight" reaction kicked into gear before a waitress kindly pointed out that I could go to the Delta desk and get another one printed. Having lost my wallet on my last trip I'm paranoid about this sort of thing - why do I give myself these frights ?

I got on the plane and it left on schedule. Upon arriving in Minneapolis I went to collect my next car and was talked into upgrading it to have a built-in satnav instead of borrowing one to stick on the windscreen as I had in Georgia. So, for a little extra money I've now got a really plush Chrysler to drive around Minnesota in the next few days. I drove to the hotel and my initial impressions were unfavourable - it looked like 1970s-style student lodgings. But actually the room is really nice and much better than the rather creepy place I was in in Atlanta. My former hotel was in a rather dingy area with nothing much around it. There was a security guard on patrol outside and I found the whole atmosphere a bit unsettling. The room was large and imposing, and worst of all the fridge didn't work ! By contrast, the room here is much more modern and comfortable. Also the lady on the front desk was really friendly and gave me lots of advice about the locality.

I'm located in Dinkytown, which is the University area and is where Bob Dylan first started playing folk music when he came here from Hibbing in 1959. I went for a walk in the city and crossed the Missisipi on a beautiful brick bridge. While doing so I got talking to a very friendly couple who had a "mini-pincher", which looked like a miniature Doberman. I had a cheerful conversation with the lady about being with people when they die (as I had been with my father). The downtown area was quiet (it being a Saturday) and much less garish than most American cities.  On the way back I bought some stuff in a Deli and got chatting with the shopkeeper, who was called Laurie. She stated that the shop used to be a bar in which Dylan played ! I feel at home here - it's a lovely city which reminds me a bit of Austin (another University town).

It was actually raining during my walk, which was a relief after the crushing humidity of  Atlanta. Laurie told me that they'd recently had a similar heatwave here, so I'm glad that I missed it. Tomorrow I will be driving to Hibbing, where Dylan grew up. It's a long drive but must be done !