As the world panics about the solvency of its financial insitutions, I find myself in London, fiddling while Rome burns, off for drinks at Europe’s longest champagne bar. But my thoughts are with California. Let me remind you: we live in one of the world’s most spectacular locales. Yes, your retirement funds may have shrunk like a coked-out supermodel, but that doesn’t mean that you too have to pick up the spoon. To help you find a bit of sanity amid the gloom, here are my top tips for escaping the panic.
• Go to the beach. The single-best way to hit the reset button of a panicked mind is to immerse yourself in nature. I’d suggest San Mateo or West Marin or Point Reyes, but if your car has been repossessed, a mere $1.50 gets you to Ocean Beach via Muni. For avian inspiration, ascend the bluffs of the Marin Headlands to visit Hawk Hill (once noisome Fleet Week finally ends), and watch eagles and red-tail hawks during their seasonal migration to the Bay Area—a sight sure to remind you that there’s more to life than money.
• Learn how to craft at this Sunday’s the next Indie Mart, a street fair of underground artisans, vintage-clothes peddlers, jewelers, ‘zine writers and crafters. Admission is free, and the beer will be cheap. Cultures are remembered for their art, not their financial institutions. If the world is indeed unraveling, now is the ideal time to learn to knit.
• Plant a garden. Nothing is so soul-soothing as digging your hands into the primordial earth. Head to the Strybing Arboretum in Golden Gate Park for inspiration, then peruse the fabulous little bookshop next to the gate to thumb through gardening books. But avoid ornamentals: learn to grow winter vegetables and how to can and preserve, just like your grandmother did during the Great Depression.
• Disappear off-the-grid at Wilbur Hot Springs. This summer’s wildfires skirted the 1800-acre property, and though the land may appear scorched and dead, nature is in fact regenerating itself—a timely metaphor. No TVs, no cell service, and no Internet mean zero distractions from the pastoral bliss.
• Liquidate your frequent-flyer miles. If you have a secure job, under $250k in the bank, and aren’t approaching retirement, your money is theoretically safe (though it seems US banks aren’t as sound as those in Namibia—as in Africa. Huh?). Believe it or not, the dollar is rising against European currencies. Now is a fabulous time to cross the Atlantic. Come join me at the bar for a glass of bubbly. I couldn’t think of a better time for a bit of British irony.
October 12th, 2008 at 7:07 PM
I have enjoyed reading your travel reviews for several months. I have enjoyed your stories about the people that make up the communities that you write about and their “insiders” p.o.v.s & tips. That brings me to this…you are a bit too sarcastic and smug in your political remarks. I am not going to refer to you or your site for your ill-considered slights of California any longer…a shame since you are both a gifted writer and seem to have a true handle on your subject. Perhaps you should strive to NOT alienate the readers by your “observations” but rather entertain and illuminate them. Good luck!
October 13th, 2008 at 6:44 AM
Hello SF Native,
Thank you for your note. I’m not sure what precisely offended you about my post. I can only assume it was my reference to Fleet Week. Okay, ‘godforsaken’ was too harsh, but really, I find it obnoxious that military jets roar over the city all week, chewing up in their engines the very birds I was directing readers to appreciate. I’ve changed the word to ‘noisome.’
Best,
John
October 13th, 2008 at 11:52 AM
Oddly enough, SFnative, I admire and look forward to John’s “sarcastic and smug” remarks. So much so, in fact, that I regularly encourage readers to check him out. Really, why don’t you head back to antiquated print where your bone china-thin feelings will be a bit safer from the mean ol’ internets.
Later, grampa.