Lol, I hear you Jim. San Fran is even more expensive than Manhattan. It blew me away when ai paid 7 bucks for a tube of toothpaste...and that was just the beginning. I am not sure i could afford it either - though honestly, I have some how done it in Manhattan (admittedly with two jobs and sometimes three).

When I last went from LA up the coast, I stopped in Monterrey, and spent some time in Carmel (Dog Town USA). They are also really cool cities. I really like the aquatic wildlife that is so prevelant. None of this is so obvious on the east coast.

BTW, thanks for the compliments on the images and text. It was odd for me to be writing. I may do one for NYC, particularly as the holiday time is an awesome time to be here.

James