Suddenly *Not So* Single Journey

I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to organize this.  I mean, there is so much to talk about.  The Four Seasons in Palo Alto is a post entirely of itself.  The entire Yahoo! experience merits more than a few words.  Then there are all the many people that I met.  And let’s not forget the food.  Om nom nom.

Do I tell it to you in chronological order and just be done with it?  *sigh*  That seems so ordinary, so unlike me.  Yet, if I want to get it all in…that seems to be the way to go…

Here it is.

My First Trip to California , Courtesy of Yahoo!

We all know I was a little freaked out at the prospect of flying to California .  It’s not the flying part that bothers me as much as the possibility of flaming death from a bad landing.  Glad that part is over with.

And before I left, Rachel cursed me.

Rachel: Remember to put the oxygen mask on your face before you place it on the face of the screaming kid next to you.

Sure enough.  I was seated next to a nine month old nightmare.  They should never have scheduled a non-stop flight.  Kids need breaks to run around.  A one or two stop flight would have been much better…especially for me.

And we all know I was excited at the prospect of some serious rock star treatment upon arrival.  Sure enough, there was a man dressed completely in chauffeur garb, holding a sign with my name.  I wish I had thought to yank the camera out of my bag.  It was too cool.

Rich was very nice, very friendly, super chatty as he guided me to my waiting vehicle.  Yes, I was driven to the Four Seasons in the back seat of a black Lexus SUV.  It was awesome!  Seriously.  I had a little difficulty adjusting to the courtesy, the opening of doors, that kind of thing, but man, can I adapt.  Mwah ha ha.

Soon enough, I arrived at the Four Seasons in Palo Alto .  It was just about 12:30pm PST.  And I was struggling with the three hour time change.  My room wasn’t ready yet, but I managed to meet the first two Mother Board members while attempting to check in.  Naturally, I started the conversation when I noticed one of them holding the From Left to Write Book Club selection.  We chatted and went our separate ways…since their rooms were ready.

I grabbed lunch at a place around the corner.  I have learned NOT to eat in hotels, since it can be prohibitively expensive and I tend to be positively on a tight budget.  Not knowing any better, I carried the pizza back to the hotel pool with me.  And this brings me to something I really like about fancy hotels.  They may have rules, but they tend to bend them a tad just to keep their clientele happy.  So, while I wasn’t supposed to have outside food, they didn’t do anything about it.  Yay!  And my belly was happy.

I hung out at the pool until 3pm, which is when they closed it to prepare for our private party starting at 5:30pm.  And that’s when I saw my room for the first time.  By the time I reached the desk, I discovered that my luggage was already in my new room.  Too cool.  And the room was worth the wait.

I had more amenities than I knew what to do with.  It was a case of sensory overload, since I hadn’t stayed in a room alone for 20 years and a hotel room alone EVER.  My personal favorite touch…the television in the bathroom that meant I could ‘watch’ while I readied myself.  Too cool.

Well, I dressed for the pool party reception in a purple sarong.  That’s my style.  And I worried that I would be too casual.  I shouldn’t have.  These women are so diverse, so extraordinary, that anything I chose would have been just fine.  I’m glad I went a few minutes early to take pictures.  The décor was incredible.  The food was divine.  The company was exceptional.  The open bar and desserts were a special treat.  And I met a woman that could easily become a true friend for life.  Yes, Lisa, I mean you!

We laughed, we joked, we carried on for two hours.  And when the cocktail party was wrapping up, we received the first of many gifts from Yahoo!, as if the flight, reception, and fabulous digs weren’t enough.  They gave each of us a pair of Shine slippers and a Four Seasons Palo Alto Spa toiletry bag, with toiletries!  I was already getting waaaaay too spoiled.

It was time to change for a night out in San Francisco with David of Dad’s House.  So, I rushed to my room on the 9^th floor.  (It was practically the penthouse, since there were only ten floors…)  That was when I had my first Sleeping with the Enemy moment.  Remember how Julia Roberts would walk into a room and it would be magically straightened?  Uh huh.

It was like that.  Only they called it turn down service.  The blinds were closed, the music playing lightly in the background, the bed readied for me, my jeans were folded on the bed instead of laid out like I left them, the toilet paper was re-triangled, and the toiletries were organized neatly at the sink.  Creepy.  In a nice way.

As for David, he’s just as funny, intelligent, and witty as he seems on his blog.  Oh, and very punctual.  We drove to San Francisco and I did my best to dig deep and be myself.  (I was ridiculously tired since it was 11pm my time and I’d been up since 5:30am.)  Dinner was sushi at Unami.  Sooo good.  The bathroom freaked me out.  I was hearing voices, thought people were in there.  Nope.  They were piping in Japanese language tapes in male and female voices.

Then we drove all over.  Ask me what I saw, and in a word I’ll tell you: everything!  And I was really alert for most of it.  There was the Golden Gate Bridge, Candlestick Park, The Haight, Pacific Heights, Lombard Street, Palace of Arts, just about anything I could have hoped to and more.  The funniest part was my tour guide.

David: See that building there?

me: Yeah.

David: That’s something.  Oh, and that building where it juts out?

me: Yeah?

David: That’s something, too.  Oh and the building next to that…

There are a lot of somethings in San Francisco .  Good news.  There was also great conversation.  There was a feeling a familiarity far from home.  There was laughter.  (And I couldn’t stop giggling as he struggled with driving the roller coaster roads.)

He dropped me off at midnight.  I was horrible company on the ride back.  I could barely stay awake.  Still, I wouldn’t have passed on a chance to meet David for anything.  Many thanks, friend!

Come back tomorrow to hear about Friday at Yahoo!.