July 17, 2016

Yesterday we took the kids to San Francisco thinking we would be tourists for the day and see the sights—Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghiradelli Square, Golden Gate Park, China Town, and the Embarcadero Boardwalk. We started out at Levi’s Plaza, which is off of the Embarcadero about halfway between the Ferry Building and Fisherman’s Wharf, and is the hip headquarters of the Levi Strauss Company with its snazzy brick buildings, manicured grounds, and many outdoor water fountain sculptures. It’s not that Ernesto or I are particularly enamored with this place and it is not particularly touristy, but it is where we met about 19 years ago and we wanted the kids to see it.

I was working for a non-profit and because one of our board members was a Levi’s executive, they donated office space to us on the ground level, which was generous, but was nothing more than a glorified storage area with lines of cubicles that converted it to office space and was overrun with mice at night, which we figured out when any food left on the premises was devoured and magically replaced with small black droppings. A non-profit relies on volunteer labor to get many projects done and my program was no exception, so I put an advertisement in the local San Francisco newspapers for a volunteer to help me create a publication for teachers. Ernesto answered the ad, showed up in a white shirt and tie, a little overdressed for non-profit work, but thoughtful nonetheless, and we sat outside on a bench in Levi’s Plaza while I interviewed him for the volunteer job. Yesterday we sat on the same bench where we met and what ensued was a funny conversation with our children.

Benjamin: Where did you go on your first date?

Me: I think we went hiking.

Benjamin: Typical for you guys.

Elena: That makes sense.

Ernesto: Is that bad?

Benjamin: Well, most people would normally go to Starbucks!

Elena: No, it’s cute.