Visiting the elite in their adopted state.
Bookends: Travel was by air, so it was necessary to travel to and from where we were staying by a very large car, generously driven by our hosts. We were glad about this non-environmentally conscious transportation, because luggage and us would have been quite cramped in a Prius. The radio came on with NPR, before being switched to XM radio music. As we drove, we passed an easy dozen homeless encampments. They went unmentioned and ignored by our hosts. Also unmentioned were the black tiremarks forming ‘donuts’ at each large intersection, …even as we got away from the depressed areas. What was commented on was the sorry state the roads were in, as we were rattled and bounced along. Although we visit roughly annually, I did not recall them being so bad previously.
Location, Location, Location: Their residence and our less posh rental were in the heights, overlooking first some spectacular estates, and high-end condos, then the depressed main body of the city, and finally the bay. Our rental’s printed-out guidance to renters had changed this year, including advice about not having anything visible in one’s parked car, so as to avoid being the victim of smash-and-grab theft. When our hosts offered us one of their vehicles, for our personal use, we demurred, thinking that our rental might be in a tougher neighborhood. No, we were told, they had had their windows busted out to facilitate a search for loot a half-dozen times over the last year. Also, their cars are no longer parked on the street, as they were historically during the day, but instead moved into their garage when not in use.
Learning from Experience?: A younger family member had moved a couple hours away into rural CA, and shared that he now had a gun safe. He had rifles, of a sort one might hunt with, but did not speak about hunting, and he had a few pistols. Another person raised the idea of danger from cougars and bears, as he is a hiker, but he said what frightened him more was the idea of what people might be around him in these relatively unpopulated areas.
Micro-Activism?: Our hosts always provide plenty of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, (and we always contribute) but this year I was surprised to see Bud Light stocked, next to the higher-end beverages.
Politics: We don’t talk about it, and neither do they. We had our discussions once upon a time and have no expectation that such discussions are going to do anyone any good anymore. As their city crumbles into chaos, it likely won’t do anyone any good for me to point out the sad sequence of events and misbegotten ideologies that got them there. I’m grateful for their friendship and the opportunity to visit.
More: Below the paywall, I share the location we are talking about (have you guessed already?) and a few more observations and thoughts.
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