In Which We Undertake Urban Exploration, With Lunch

The day begins... 7 a.m.


Today I got to hang out with the Lady Scientists (S, J, and B) and go urban exploring. It's our 2010 commitment to a) get back to spending more time with each other (we used to get together for what I called monthly archaeofemme lunches, but work commitments got in the way), and b) explore more of the Metropolis and surrounding areas we live in. Our first trip: the local Jewish History Museum and a new restaurant, picked by S.

First, B, J and I went to the historical society for a lecture by the author of The Blue Tattoo, a biography of Olive Oatman. The lecture was great, and I very much want to read this book. We were the youngest people there, besides the author. Good for the ego.

S was at meeting nearby, so off to Paradise Cafe for tea and coffee until she joined us, then off we went, through downtown, through the South Metropolis, through the



Yaqui village, to Perfecto's, a new taqueria restaurant that had received a recent good review. Typical Mexican taqueria, with old cafeteria style chairs and little tables, and food served on quite trendy rectangular white plates. I had the chicken enchiladas, which were delicious. Unusual guacamole--with large chunks of onion and lettuce in it. I liked it a lot, but I'm not sure the others did.

Then, through the barrio to the Julian Wash Park, which we did the mitigation for, then worked with establishing the park, layout, design, everything. We even did the explanatory signs. One of which has either been stolen or taken down for some maintenance. This is where I sigh and shake my head.







Then to the Jewish History Museum, where we must have made the docent's day, week, maybe month. Four eager, innocent visitors, too polite to ditch him. He followed us around, read the displays to us, told stories, etc. It was really very sweet, but as it turns out, two of the people who have donated major parts of the exhibit to the museum are friends of both S and B, which led them to get excited and start talking about their mutual friends, which derailed the docent's speech and kind of discombobulated him. But he was sweet and enthusiastic, and the museum was a very interesting window into the early days of the Metropolis.

The Lady Scientists are such fun to hang out with--they're smart and savvy and incredibly nice and lovely, and are nice enough to let me hang out with them, despite my not being as smart and savvy and lovely as them.

Future outings might be to visit some of local Joessler buildings (local early nineteenth century architect who built beautiful Spanish Colonial structures), maybe a visit to a couple of the large developments which we did the mitigation for and haven't seen since, perhaps even a visit to the Uber Metropolis up the freeway.

Tomorrow: Nerdy Scientist culinary experiments