different worlds

I spent the past few days in the bay area, and had a really nice time. In an unusual turn, I showed up in San Francisco without having done any research ahead of the trip; not so much as a quick Google search to identify points of interest. In retrospect, given the atmosphere of the trip and the area, this seems appropriate. At the end of the day, I spent quality time with friends and family, and am fairly refreshed after the fact.

As an (undeveloped) aside, I was struck by how very different the place felt from what I am used to. Sometimes I forget the vast array of experiences that people live through. At times it seemed like the sun was drawn from a different palate of colours than I am used to, and the air felt and smelled differently. Top it off with different architecture, a different terrain, and a distinct aesthetic sensibility among the people, and I really got to thinking that this was a different world than I'd come from.

Of course I realize that from a global perspective, New York and the Bay Area are remarkably similar. This, I think, heightens the reminder that there is a great deal of human experience that is not shared.