Besides the weather (how New Yorker of me), I did find my serenity in the hills of the Presidio, which contains the Golden Gate bridge and an old military base. I was relatively well-fed with the proximity of Asian markets and a pearl milk tea joint, Quickly. Being close to a 24-hour bus line also meant it’s an easy ride downtown.

But! It’s not New York. People walk too slowly. (I, too, slow my pace but I blame the hills.) They don’t move for you on buses. Bums confront you to pay for their service. They camp out in parks. Most coffee are bad, unless you find comfort in chains like Starbuck’s or Pete’s. Pizza places mostly have table service (therefore more expensive) and only sometimes offer slices. Some bus stops don’t have bus stop signs – only a bus number painted on a metal pole. The buses stop every block on hills.

Still I miss the quietness, the beach, the Mexican food, In-n-Out (cheap burgers), and sometimes (only sometimes) the weather – no humidity! Also, I sincerely have a deeper appreciation for buses.

I welcome the California Supreme Court’s historic decision… I encourage California citizens to respect the Court’s decision, and I continue to strongly oppose any ballot measure that would write discrimination into the State Constitution. -Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House

Today, the California Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage, overturning the previous ban (See San Jose Mercury News’ Report). Only 8 years ago, Californians voted to define marriage as between man and woman. Now, even Californian Republicans (including Govern[at]or Arnold Schwarzenegger), previously a group of the largest dissenters, are “not opposing” gay marriage. I suppose it makes sense since California have such a high gay population, and since politicians, lawmakers, and other public officials merely reflect popular opinion. If that is so, then laws should be in line with popular values. This rule is a prime example. It’s in our hands, American citizens… if you want it to be. So far, only California and Massachusetts allow gay marriage while 45 states explicitly ban it (See Human Rights Campaign).

Summer travelers, beware! Suspiciously, fees are being applied at around the same time – during this month of May. ( See: “You’re charging me for what?!” by Kate Hamman – SmarterTravel.com)

I remember feeling appalled last year when I made the move to New York from California after learning that Virgin America charges extra ($10) for a second baggage. Weren’t travelers always allowed two complementary baggage spaces? For someone who is moving across the country, being limited to one is considerably restrictive. Thinking back, I could have shelled out extra (after all, it was only $10) and saved my new roommate and me a lot of sweat and pain lugging that 60-pound piece up 4 flights of stairs – if only I knew the trend, the standard, now: extra fees for that second bag. According to SmarterTravel.com, major airlines including United, American, Continental and Delta are charging up to $25. Virgin America is also hiking it up to $25. At least JetBlue’s fees are only $20?

Personally, I figure as long as the air fares are not dramatically increased, second-baggage fees are no big deal. Yet, we find out that airlines are not making profit due to sky-high fuel prices, except Southwest. We can certainly expect fuel surcharges like Delta’s. A month ago, I was weeping over high fares for New York/California flights. Now I feel that I should be content that I nabbed a round-trip for $339 via Priceline on American (for late June-July). But, compare that to my round-trip to Sweden for merely $514 in mid-February. I might as well give myself another vacation abroad.