4.2 Driving: Road Trips (The Bohemian Way)
An interesting road trip should not be too carefully planned. It should be based on improvisation. We want to see the real America, an America with high-end ski resorts, and an America with homeless in cardboard boxes. Most tourist guides will put an emphasis on the former and ignore the latter. As Thai students coming from aboard, we should see both pictures of America. The experience of the road trip should be the primary goal, and the means, secondary. You don't need wheels to be on the road. Foot and legs are also acceptable. If your car breaks down, then walk. If your legs get tired, take the bus. If the bus comes to its final stop, take the train! We must be stubborn. To maximize the experience, we suggest that you go alone. The intensity of experience is inversely proportional to the number of people experiencing it. For example, if you and 50 other people are witnessing a black kid getting beat up by a white policeman, you will probably not feel much sympathy for the kid. But if you are the only one witnessing the event, you will certainly be horrified by the experience. So for the sake of intensity, let's go solo! Preparations should be made with regard to your personal necessities for survival. In general, you must have a good pair of shoe sturdy in construction, waterproof, and with soles that're not easily penetrable. Your clothing should allow you to adapt to extreme weather conditions. In America, it could be extremely warm in the afternoon, and extremely cold after sunset. A sleeping bag, hat, compass, notebook, and some water are also recommended if you're going on longer trips in remote areas far from urban settlement. You should always have a map with you. Having done the preparation, you should check out www.transitinfo.org for public transportation. If you have a car, get the key. We recommend the following places: Shattuck Ave., Oakland Starting from Ashby Ave. down towards Oakland, Shattuck Ave. is an old street lined with commercial storefronts with housing units above. After the 1989 earthquake these storefronts/housing spaces became vacant because they are structurally unsafe according to the city building codes. They are now occupied by many homeless and some members of low-income black community. If you're interested in old streets of the Bay Area and the living conditions of American laborers, this is the place to go. Take the 43 bus anywhere on Shattuck (in Berkeley); it will go straight down to Oakland. Port of Oakland Visit the largest commercial harbor in the Bay Area, and see what part of the world all the cargoes are coming from. You'd be surprise! Call (510) 627-1188 for free tours of the harbor. If you're in a romantic bourgeois mood, you can also visit Jack London Square nearby. There are many "hi-so" shops and restaurants around the area ironically named after the socialist writer Jack London. Take the 51A bus; it will run all the way on Broadway to 7th Street. Then walk on Broadway until you hit the waterfront. Tenderloin District, San Francisco If you think that the "flats " in Klongteuy Harbor is unique in its social relation to the city, you will see that such relationship also exist right here in America - in the Tenderloin. In Bangkok, they crowded villagers who work in the city and stacked them up in flats. In America, they crowded old people and immigrants from Southeast Asia into old hotels. Yes, hotels! You'd see many old hotels in the Tenderloin being converted into low-income housing. Tenderloin is the second most "crowded community" (slum) in the Bay Area. Take BART to Powell St. then walk to Eddy St., the gateway to the Tenderloin. Angel Island Early in the 20th century around 1910s to 1940s, many Chinese were tired of Civil War in China. So they decided to try their luck in America. Angel Island was the first place to welcome them. Visit the Immigration Center on the Island, if you want to learn what happened to them. Angel Island is beautifully decorated with hills, trees, and pathways ideal for hiking or biking. To get to Angel Island, take a furry boat at Jack London Square. The cost is $13 round trip. Call (415) 435-1915 for more information. Monterey This calm and beautiful beach town was the place of many wars and bloodshed. It was originally a Red Indian settlement. Then the Spanish came in 1533 AD with Christianity (just like "Human Right " activists of today) to show the "uncivilized" Indians the path to universal truth. Sometime the Indian refused and rebelled, but those who did were mercilessly burned alive and killed in the name of God. The "Mission" style churches in this old Capital of California still provide evidences of this brutality. The United State later fought Spain and took over this beach in 1846. Writer John Steinbeck used to live here 60 years ago in Cannery Row before it turns into Tourist Row (coined by the author). Take highway 80, then 880, then 101, and finally highway 1 to see why they fought so hard for this beach town. It's about 2-hrs drive from Berkeley. Silicon Valley Home of the world's renowned high-tech industry. The valley includes cities like San Jose, Fremont, Redwood City, Newark, and Palo Alto. If you still have confidence in the ".com" companies, this is also the place to get an internship during summer. (Before the high-tech workers start forming Unions!) Take highway 880 down to the Valley. (0.5 to 1.5-hrs drive depending on what city) Sacramento To the north, 1.5-hrs drive on highway 80, is Sacramento the Capital of California. Visit Old Sacramento Railroad Museum which has the "4-8-8-4", the largest steam locomotive in history. Sacramento was the end of the Central Pacific railroad line that stretches across America. This amazingly long railroad was built in the 19th century by none other than the Chinese. They were tricked to come and built railroad in America at a very low wage. Many of them died from harsh labor conditions. Their labor surplus (profit) goes to the rich man name Leland Stanford. (Founder of Stanford University) If you're going on longer trips on the road, you will need a place to sleep. Here are some suggested places for sleeping: 1. In your car. Go to the "resting area" (a designated blue sign) and sleep during the day. We do not recommend sleeping in your car at night. This means that your driving may overlap both night and day. Gas stations exist in every town. The smallest town in America has at least one. But do not expect to find many towns along American highways! When we think of America, we see New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. As you will see soon enough, America is largely farm lands, mountains, and deserts. Always check your maps to see the geography ahead. We do not recommend walking 200 miles across remote mountain range to get gas. Arco AM/PM is our favorite because it opens for 24 hours, low cost , and has the most important elements of bohemian driving - gas, coffee, and smokes!
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Thai Student Association at the University of California, Berkeley
