California Dreaming (mostly California…)

Greetings all. I hope those of you in the Southern US and Southern Europe are keeping cool. Here in Antwerp we are enjoying temps in the 20s (low 70s F). Not that I want to rub it in.

Getting back to the travel part of this blog…

In March of this year I did a whirlwind trip to see family in the US. The passing of an uncle in 2021 reminded me of the people I care about in the US (both blood and chosen family) and being overseas means I had to be purposeful about seeing them. It was such a wonderful trip! Exhausting, but really, really wonderful.

I arrived at SFO where I spent the night and then boarded another flight the next day to LAX. Yes, I know I should have flown into LAX to begin with, but I purchased the transatlantic part of the ticket months earlier before other plans had been finalized.

From LAX, I rented a car and drove to San Diego where I spent one night with my cousin Kevin and his wonderful wife Pat. I had such great time hanging out with them and getting to know their kids a bit better. After Kev’s house, I went to stay with my mother’s friend Susan and her husband Mike. Sue is like an aunt to me as she and my mom were as close as sisters.

Sue and Mike live in Coronado, a wonderful small island just off San Diego. We also went to their house in the Anza Borrego desert. This was such a treat. I have always loved the desert but this year, after all the rains in California, it was just incredible. The flowers created a carpet of color and, since the storms were still brewing, the skies added an additional layer of drama into the landscape and the photos. I also finally saw a roadrunner and made a new friend: Jack.

After San Diego and Anza Borrego I went back up to LA to visit with more family. I stayed with my Aunt Anne and her husband Steve. My cousin Gen also lives in LA and my cousin Lisa flew down from Washington State. We had one big family dinner to celebrate my uncle Kevin’s birthday. It was such an nice mini-reunion. I want to give a shout-out again to Auntie Anne for putting it all together. I hope we can do it again soon. I miss you guys!!!

Before leaving Southern California I went out to Joshua Tree National Park for a night. For European U2 fans, yes, there really are Joshua Trees and they look just like the ones on the album. Fun fact: Joshua Trees are not actually trees. They are succulents and part of the yucca family. The park was just as interesting and beautiful as I remembered and the snow capped mountains were like icing on a desert cake. It’s a lot more built up now but when I was going there in the 1990’s, it was just a mere “national monument.”

I finished up my trip to the USA with a too-short stay in Missouri with my friend Barb and a couple of days in SF before flying back to Belgium. It was great to see friends in SF, and the City by the Bay will always hold a special place in my heart.

TRIP TIPS

I did rent a car on this trip. If you have a foreign license, as I now do, SIXT rental car is probably your best bet. It was super easy and the car comes with the mandatory liability insurance all non-US drivers must purchase. They also have a lot of fun cars if you want something a bit more zippy than your standard sedan.

If you are flying in to SFO or leaving super early, the Grand Hyatt at the airport is a great option. Yes, they are more expensive than the ones off terminal, but here you are but a few air-train stops from your airline departure counter. If you want a hotel that’s a bit more economical, there are myriad choices within a few miles and most have free shuttles.

If you don’t have Global Entry yet, it is well worth the money and is open to some non-citizens/permanent residents as well as all US citizens. Depending on your credit card, the fee may actually be covered. Global Entry includes TSA Precheck (not vice-versa) and will have you through passport control in mere minutes. Once you are approved and your photo has been registered, facial recognition technology scans you and nobody even asks to see your passport. And before any of you conspiracy theorists say something about the facial recognition being an invasion of your privacy, do you really think they aren’t already photographing everyone that comes in through passport control? For more information and to check eligibility, click here. One note, while filling out your application, have your old passports for reference. I think I had to list EVERY country I have been to.