In a hellish heat (so humid also) we still enjoyed some of the dozens of Bonsais on display (three collections: Chinese, American and Japanese) both indoor (with flowers) and outdoor ones. I am really a big fan of Bonsais and seeing work from 1800s really impressed me. The Japanese ones were gracious and symmetric, Chinese strucked me as very different, more visual, with small statues, temples and many rocks/cliffs included in the scenery. 
Finally, the American collection shows that groups of trees and patches of green can also be replicated at the miniature level of a Bonsai world. Besides the miniature trees in these pavilions there are several whole worlds of trees (from Asian to European and American types of trees) that sprawl across 400 acres of land.
On my way to the Netherlands and also being a big fan of their ever since Van Basten and Gullit were busting Soviet balls on the court, I decided to cheer for them, along with my favorite underdogs (Asian countries like South Korea and Japan). Now...I am just waiting for the good second round matches since all the games in the first were (too) prudent.
We stayed at Berklee, because it was the best-bargain place I could find downtown for such a short stay. It wasn't cheap nor exceptional but the breakfast was awesome (where can you make your own waffle in the morning?) and that inclined the balance towards positives for me. Other than that it seems more and more strange to leave for Europe and be so far away from BOS, NYC or DC, places that I got accustomed to visit often. In some ways, I start to miss them already.
Santa Cruz is a lovely beach at the Bay that has its own microclimate, an interesting mix of low-temperatures and low-winds, which makes it a good spot to hit when the heat becomes insurmountable. I don't remember now the name of the spot we went to (very close to the Pier) but there are at least 5-6 good surfin' places there, and I even got to see the real deal surfers riding nice barrel waves (5-6 feet) at the lighthouse.The evening also gave me the chance to sample some nice grilling from several nations (Greeks, Turks, Iranian, Romanian and Argentinean) at Stanford. Great stuff, lots of meat and beer and wine provided by Germans and Belgians. Unfortunately, my stomach did not allow me to taste much (a fried calamari on the pier gave me the shivers (never, no more!), and I could not eat almost anything). Still couldn't pass a chance to sample some.. Argentinean steak, especially after almost one hour in line. And it was pretty good..
However, today there was no wining spirit in the Cavs, especially in the second half; they even looked ridiculous in the last 4 minutes, when they were down 9 but nobody was making a fault or trying agressively to corner the man with the ball. I felt bad for them, but on the other hand, I don't remember a bigger mental flop in the playoffs than the Cavs showed. From "New York Knicks" chants to James, to several 3 pointers made by Rasheen Wallace who had an awful performance this season, the Cavs had it going in every aspect. Congrats and look forward to a nice Eastern conference finals against the Magic. My bet: Magic in 6.
Finally, the Celtics came out blazing in a must win game in Boston; as a result, the series with LeBron's Cavaliers are now even at 2 a piece. Good for the show, and the overall sympathy with the underdogs. Stellar for Rondo who put up all star stats, Tony Allen and Big Baby Davis, who finally showed some guts coming of he bench; not so good for Pierce and KG, who looked tired and old. However, there is still hope for the Celts; with a bit of luck and some extra effort from their big three they could pull a surprise in the Eastern conference semis.
Today I went back to San Francisco a couple of years after that 2008 January when the ASSA conference was hosted here. And for all it's worth, I decided to take my bike; however, I was not sure if that would be wise or not, considering all the hills around. To my relief, biking around proved to be quite fascinating, either crossing the Golden Gate or just gliding through cars and buses downtown. Riding the Caltrain between Menlo Park and San Fran was also nice, it reminded me a lot of Europe. Biking from the train station was nice although I hit a lot of traffic and huge crowds of pedestrians (tourists) that were walking in the bike lane. 
Fisherman's Warf was my first stop and memories started to come back. Bought some souvenirs, streched my legs and went onward towards the Golden Gate. The wind was getting stronger and I started to regret my precarious clothing and lack of warmer stuff. The climb to the bridge was OK but the wind on it was terrible. Especially around the main pylons it was extremely strong and almost tossed me over a couple of times. Sausalito (the other side of GG) was nice with hills (no vegetation, a la Cluj) and I climbed all the way to the viewpoint. Took some shots there, had a sandwich and head back, since the wind factor was too much for me already (my hands literally frozed-up on the camera). On my way back took a couple of nice shots of kids playing soccer and some canine friends, and decided to head to Market Street and downtown. Here it was nice to see some restaurants where I had some nice dinners with my gf and our former hotel. All, very much the way I remembered them.
Biking my way on the 4th street to the Caltrain station was a bit interesting since there was no bike lane but a highway exit; however, I made it just fine (next time I will go around, using Embarcadero). Great ride and nice experience. SF is very vibrant and one of the nicer cities that I've experienced in the US.
The Farm gives you a sense of freedom and biking back and forth to my home in Menlo Park was a blessing in disguise that I have enjoyed. A lot of fields (soccer, football, baseball) and gyms all over the place, Californian style buildings with lighter colors and odd shapes (to my standards) give a special charm to the place, but the green and trees just took the cake. I just loved it!! Moreover, my hosting institution, SIEPR, just got the newest and coolest building on campus, and that just addedd thrills to my everyday commuting to work routine.
