October 2000

I convince my parents to take their first cross-country flight and come visit me in San Francisco. Click on each photo to see a larger, more detailed version.

By October, I'm back in the heart of SOMA, surrounded by withering dot-com companies.

After their landing was delayed by the fog, my parents deplane in San Francisco after their first long flight.

My parents at the San Francisco Airport.

They seem happy to be here—or at least to be back on the ground.

For breakfast, Cafe de la Presse is a must. Dad eats pain au chocolat for the first time, and the French waiter sees cowboy boots in San Francisco for the first time.

The persimmons here are larger than those back home.

Chinatown is our first stop.

After Chinatown, my parents stop to rest... er, admire the greenery, as we climb the hill to Coit Tower.

Parents climbing the hill to see Coit Tower.

"See, my heart's not beating too quickly..."

Making it to North Beach, we take a boat ride in the Bay.

The seagulls are friendly here, so Mom tries to feed one.

Mom needs more gull-feeding practice. Luckily, someone has a bandage.

I take my parents to Muir Woods.

Our family finds trees much larger than those in Oklahoma.

Near the end of the trip, it's time for the required trolley ride.

Back at North Beach, my parents discover one of the technology marvels for tourists: a ride that, through the magic of computers, replaces the green background with an image of San Francisco. The result is a simulated magic carpet ride on video that one can share with those back home.

The simulation is more realistic than expected.

This ride ends better than that of the TItanic, although that says nothing of Dad's di Caprio impersonation.

The dancer and the French maid at Halloween.

I recuperate from my parents' vacation while spending Halloween with the dancer and the French maid.