(Berkely came much later)

I remember the time we got near the theater to see Handle’s Messiah or was it Ebenezer Scrooge only to realize we didn’t have our tickets.  A quick trip back home and the tickets were retrieved from the trash can and we were ready to be entertained.  I’d forgotten how long the Messiah performance could be.  After the first half I got a little sleepy and you know I had a few cat naps.

Alan had some interesting friends.  One of them named Bill was a cheapskate.  He gave me a pair of socks he’d taken from one of his United flights.  They were drab and ugly and I said, “thank you.”  

I’ll never forget the meal I had with Alan and two of his friends.  One of them was a black girl.  The more I tried to follow her train of thought the more confused I became.  I was glad when, without her,  we caught the cable car and headed to Grace Cathedral for the midnight mass hour.  I was enthralled by the magnitude of the great cathedral and the mass of people attending!  Attending Grace Cathedral was always a special experience!

A trip to Union Square was like visiting Santa’s Workshop in person.  Live puppies to be adopted were on display in one store and I dearly loved the mall that was erected in the round with five or six floors, mechanical escalator steps and unbelievable glittery decorations.  My favorite stop was Nordstom’s.  I still wear my white coat, rain coat, and shoes I got from them many, many years ago. Then there was the toy store that had someone to greet you at the entrance.  He demeanor was that of a wooden soldier.  One year I got a replica of Scarlett O’Hara of Gone With the Wind.  It still stands on my entrance table to my apartment.