"I'm looking for the quickest way to the library ..."
(I'd intended to find that route with a map the night before, but ran out of time)
The receptionist laughed. "Walking will get you there faster than anything."
He pulled out a small map and a red pen.
"You just go downhill about seven blocks and then turn to the left. Cross through the Civic Center -- be sure to have a look at that cupola -- Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time! -- and through the park, past the Asian Museum, and there you are."
Relieved that I was much closer to the library than I thought, I thanked him, grabbed my computer case and checked my watch. I had 45 minutes -- "more than enough" -- but wanted to get a quick start, just in case I got lost or disoriented. As I walked down the hill, the weight of my swinging laptop seemed to propel me forward, which was just as well, because I'd begun to slow down to look at all the interesting shops and signs. Chinese, Burmese, Lebanese ...
Crossing the Civic Center park, I dutifully turned round to look at the cupola. The receptionist was right: it was very beautiful. Especially in the morning light. From here, it was a simple matter of crossing the street to get to the library. Once there, I made a call (outside the library, of course). My site supervisor's familiar, cheerful voice said meet me in the History Center on the 6th floor.
This proved to be a fun challenge. Though conventionally square on the outside, the Central Library is unusually twisty on the inside. It has an open, central atrium around which the floors and staircases curve. As I stood in the center of this lovely atrium and looked up, I finally realized why the logo for the library -- the logo that appeared on my formal correspondence with our "peers" -- is a spiral, and not, say, a cable car or the Golden Gate bridge or some other more obvious symbol of San Francisco. (Later, I would find out that the building and logo were based on the shape and proportions of a nautilus shell).
But how to get to the 6th floor? There was a central staircase that seemed to go up that far -- and in most circumstances, I gladly take stairs -- but with a nearly-ten pound computer on me, and wearing a nice outfit that was already a little bit warm, I opted not to. It wouldn't make a good first impression to appear flushed and out-of-breath.
Luckily, there were elevators. The first one I found seemed to only go down, but on the other side of the building, there were several that went up. As I exited the elevator on the 6th floor, two bold temptations dared me to pass by without stopping: the Golden Gate International Exposition exhibit, and the Innocents Abroad exhibit.
But I resisted -- if only by promising myself that I'd come back to see them after the presentation ...
1 comment:
I was in suspense until the last and relieved you made it to the meeting on time.
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