The Hole in my Bay, Day the Two

Hey all-

Today shouldn't count because I didn't go to San Francisco. I stayed in Palo Alto and followed my nose up El Camino Real. I had a theory that because the bus PA would announce 'now approaching El Camino and California' that there was something to be found on California Ave. And there was! A whole strip of shops and cafes, lots of hussle and bussle. Rogamaror. Razzle Dazzle. Etc. And so, I decided to check it out. My first destination was Know Knew Books, which Google Maps pointed me to as the closest bookstore (yes, I search for bookstores on vacation).

Know Knew was friggin' great. There were used CDs, VHS, and DVDs on top of all the used books. The best part was the myriad of unopened action figures for sale lining every shelf-end. I snapped a pic of Leon from Resident Evil 2. LEON! Anyway, I spent a good amount of time there, and got the following:

• 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' on VHS
• 'Escape From New York' on VHS
• 'Dune' on VHS
• A souvinier for a Utica peep
• A pic of two books by Margerat Thatcher
• A pic of a Leon action figure from Resident Evil 2
• A pic of 'Mad About You' by Brandi Carlile on vinyl
• A pic of a 'Full House' young adult novel (the very heart of San Francisco)

I walked further on the Real, hoping to get to Long's Drugs to pick up some clippers for my face (I'm getting scruffly). When I happened upon it, however, I discovered that Long's was nestled deep inside a consumer frenzy of a strip mall. Complete with multiple strips. And little maps. It was weird. Anyway, I wandered about some more, packing away some more shopping. I came upon yet another bookstore, which just about made my day. This makes four bookstore visits for the trip. So far. Haul part two:

• A 'Stanford' emblazoned T-shirt and pair of shorts
• 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' by Milan Kundera
• 'Last Nights of Paris' by Phillipe Soupault
• Clippers, for my face
• Deodorant, not for my face

Then I took a bus back to the hotel and am resting my poor feet. Might read a bit and have some awesome Thai leftovers. Rock and roll, Palo Alto.

-Larson