Today started out easy enough. There weren't really any plans for today and I spent the morning writing up Day One and Day Two as well as getting WoW dailies out of the way. As afternoon began to slip away, I made the trek into Downtown to find something to eat.
Sunday + Holiday = Closed; I quickly realized my pickings were slim. The park was filled with children playing in the fountain and parents reading or chatting. A few ice cream vendors were wandering around with little hand-carts, but I wanted something with more substance. I figured McCormick and Schmicks or whatever would be open, but I've been to Jake's Grill in Portland and was not impressed; no way I was going to pay for overpriced seafood that I won't eat anyhow. Nestled just beside them, however, was a little bakery and deli called Bijan. I picked up some lunch to go and headed back home to enjoy while watching 3 Ninjas. Man, that movie was so awesome back in the day; I feel like a kid again after watching it and The Karate Kid the night before.
I did something to my right eye. I don't know if I just got an itch and ended up rubbing sunscreen into it or if I scratched it or got some dust or cat fur in it or what, but by the end of the movie, it was bright red and I was tearing something awful. My youngest brother had texted me earlier about college applications, so I called and chatted with my mother for a bit while resting with my eye completely closed. By the end of our talk, it was better, so I made my way toward the 22 Westbound stop.
San Jose reminds me a lot of Portland; you don't really know where the city itself stops and the suburbs begin. My destination was Santa Clara Central Park. I knew it was going to be a bit of a walk after I got off the bus, but my two bottles of water never made it into my backpack before leaving. Needless to say, my calves were burning by the time I arrived at the park. I had no clue where I was going, so I followed the throng of people. They led me fairly true; there was a building in the way of some of the lower fireworks but otherwise a good view could be had from where I ended up. The smoke, however, finally choked me out of my spot and I retreated back toward the main road.
The display itself was lovely until the finale. Yes, finales usually have large amounts of fireworks displayed in rapid succession and this was no different. The problem was that the smoke was so thick after the first few seconds, the display was muted; you couldn't see half of each firework that went off and the heavy, acrid smoke caused me to retreat yet again. All in all, it wasn't a terrible show. Those around me were raving about it, but I guess they're used to smog in California, though I heard a few complaints from people regarding asthma.
Everyone leaving was total chaos. Just across the way there was a shopping center sporting a Taco Bell whose seating area closed just as the fireworks ended. Group after group of people approached only to find locked doors. The KFC catty-whompus from them, however, had the bright idea of staying open past 10p. They were pretty well packed, but they sold bottled water so I wasn't complaining. After a quick dinner and a bio break, I headed back north, weaving in and out of badly-parked cars and dodging folks' own personal fireworks displays in the middle of streets. My iPhone lost 3G connectivity until I was halfway to the bus stop, thwarting my hopes of finding a closer bus to come save my aching feet. Some guy shouted something at me from his truck as he drove by; not sure if it was a good thing or bad thing as I was studying the bus schedule at the time.
The driver of my 22 home was neither friendly nor helpful. He didn't return the 'Good evening' that I gave him and he didn't know where Delmas met with Santa Clara. I missed my stop and had the pleasure of walking even further through badly-lit streets in an unfamiliar part of town. No one bothered me, at least, but I'm glad to be safely indoors again.
I can still hear bottle rockets, poppers, and candles going off outside of the window. It could be a very long night and I'm already exhausted. I had planned to make tomorrow my visit to The Tech but I may put that off until Tuesday and make tomorrow a day of rest and water shopping at Trader Joe's.
Reviews
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Bijan Bakery and DeliCafe, Baked Goods
$/$$
This was a jewel to find, not only because I was hungry, but because it was delicious and cheap! They have a full range of breads, sandwiches, and tarts that will easily break your wallet. However, the diamond in the rough are their stuffed croissants. At $2.50 each, they have Ham and Cheese, Mushroom and Cheese, and Spinach and Cheese options that are extremely filling. I had a Ham and a Mushroom and they were both extremely good and well worth the price; the croissants were nice and flaky, the cheese was perfectly melted, and the ham and mushrooms were quite savory. I also splurged on a Lemon Tart (I'm a sucker for lemon desserts) and it was spectacular! Rather than a baked tart, which I'm not as fond of, the lemon custard filling was nice and soft but not runny and the crust itself had the perfect amount of crumble. It was a bit pricey at $3.99, but very much worth every bite.
The interesting part: I received my meal for less than the listed price. The two stuffed croissants set me back $1.99 each and the tart was only $3.50. I'm not certain if it was because they intended to close soon (it was after 4p and they were closing at 6p) or because I was kind to the young lady who had just dealt with a rather difficult and rude customer before assisting me. Either way, I'm not complaining and it may show that being friendly and smiling can go a long way. Regardless, if I run out of other options for cheap eats while here, I will certainly be back for their stuffed croissants.
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