The plan to visit my sister and her husband in the San Francisco Bay Area came together quickly. I covered Pac-12 Football Media Day in Hollywood on July 29 and got to speak with players such as Cal safety Daniel Scott. Afterward, it dawned on me that I hadn’t attended a game at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley since 2013. As an alumnus and former band member, I had been happy to join my brother when Northwestern took on the California Golden Bears. It was great to watch quarterback Jared Goff’s first collegiate appearance, but I didn’t get to see California emerge victorious against a top-25 Northwestern squad. It was settled: I was ready to see my Bears face the UC Davis Aggies on September 3.
My sister Lauren suggested a visit to the de Young Museum, one of my favorite art institutions. I added that we could visit Oracle Park as the San Francisco Giants were slated to take on the Philadelphia Phillies. I lived in the Bay Area in 2002 when Barry Bonds hit 73 home runs, but I hadn’t seen much of McCovey Cove in recent years. Labor Day weekend proved to be the perfect excuse.
Before boarding my Friday night flight at Long Beach Airport, I was treated to some live jazz. It felt like a good omen as I headed toward my gate. After I took a brief flight and landed in Oakland, Lauren and her husband Brad were kind enough to drive me to their home. It had been more than a year since I had visited and their cat pretended not to remember me. No matter! I gratefully accepted a home cooked meal and then decided to get some rest.
Using the BART system on a Saturday meant that I had to wait a while for my initial train and then transfer to reach Downtown Berkeley. I didn’t mind sitting in air conditioned comfort during a hot weekend. While the temperature only reached about 80 degrees, I worked up quite a sweat as I hiked up to the stadium. I passed the Campanile bell tower, Alumni House, and even some visiting UC Davis fans. I was very pleased to reach the gate, grab a drink, and find my seat.
Even more than 15 years later, it’s still strange to watch the Cal Band perform a halftime show as a pure spectator rather than a participant. To be sure, I was grateful to be sipping a Diet Pepsi while wearing a comfortable shirt and sitting in the shade underneath the press box on this warm afternoon. As for the game itself, the Bears had a rough first quarter and fell behind 7-0 to the Aggies, who play in the division below Cal. Newly transferred quarterback Jack Plummer, wide receiver Jeremiah Hunter, and freshman running back Jaydn Ott then helped California take a 17-7 lead to the locker room.
The second half got off to a great start for the home team as Craig Woodson intercepted Davis quarterback Miles Hastings and ran 39 yards for the touchdown. Ulonzo Gilliam subsequently caught the Cal defense napping with a 60-yard touchdown rush. However, the Bears sealed the game with a Mavin Anderson reception in the fourth quarter to make it 34-13 Bears. Even after an unsurprising win, I took plenty of musical pleasure in the postgame Palms of Victory performance. To finish out the day, I joined Lauren and Brad for Thai food which is never a bad decision in my estimation.
On Sunday morning, the three of us got an early start and grabbed a rideshare to San Francisco. Because my family is partially of Egyptian ancestry and briefly lived in Cairo, this particular exhibit carried extra importance. Highlights included statues, video renderings of important historical sites, and jewelry from the reign of mighty pharaoh Ramses II. I always seem to enjoy cultural activities when I’m in a city to watch sports.
After getting our fill of artifacts, we took a walk through Golden Gate Park to catch the MUNI tram toward downtown. Eventually, the vehicle entered a tunnel and ended up in the SoMa neighborhood. The ballpark was steps away and we were right on time for first pitch. Our seats were in the sun, but a fellow fan assured us that shade was forthcoming.
The Giants erupted with run-scoring singles by LaMonte Wade Jr., Austin Wynns, and Brice Johnson against Ranger Suárez in the third stanza. Carlos Rodón pitched six strong innings for San Francisco, but it looked like extra innings were looming. The Phillies scored three runs against reliever John Brebbia in the top of the eighth when J.T. Realmuto homered to left center field. With a fairly long BART ride home looming, Philadelphia hurler David Robertson managed to secure the first two outs of the ninth. Wilmer Flores then delivered a walk-off homer that struck the foul pole in left field to the delight of the home crowd. The struggling Giants had managed to win 5-3 and sweep the Phillies, who still held the final Wild Card spot in the National League at the time. As I left, I noticed a Lego sculpture of World Series hero Madison Bumgarner.
With downtown Pleasanton converted into a very walkable space for the weekend thanks to street closures, we headed to dinner at Zachary’s and explored a city with which I had not been particularly familiar. As a lover of Chicago pizza, I have enjoyed many meals at their other locations but this was my first visit to the fairly new site. It was entertaining seeing competitors in kilts from the Scottish Games come in for a meal as well. Now I want to fly back for Happy Hour!
The holiday meant that I could stay until Monday night, so I suggested the Diego Rivera exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art during the day. I had seen some of his famous works in person before, but I was delighted by preparatory sketches of his murals and materials from an event once held on nearby Treasure Island.
We grabbed sandwiches across the street and posed for a photo commemorating our time together. Upon returning to their home, the thermometer read 112 degrees and even the Southern California heat sounded appealing by contrast. Still, I could have stayed for another week if not for that pesky concept called employment. Without question, I felt lucky to have such accommodating hosts for a thoroughly life-affirming trip.