Over the decades I have been flying. Flying too often and too far.
If the person next to me wants to talk, I’m usually willing. I learn a great deal.
Once on a trip from San Francisco to D.C. I was sitting next to a lovely debutante (I know, real ones don’t exist anymore). There was no way to discuss my reasons for going, it had to do with aid to ‘Third World’ countries. So we discussed the only subject she knew well: fashion. For four hours I told her the meals and events I was going to and she told me what to wear. I listened to her list of events and clothes too. Its true.
The point of this blog is about trips going the other way. Back to San Francisco.
Invariably in these conversations, I will ask ‘where are you going?’ The response is frequently San Francisco.
As we talk further it usually turns out the person lives in a suburb 30 miles away from San Francisco. Such as Walnut Creek, Vallejo, Concord or Marin.
The reason for this white lie is simple. Everyone has heard of San Francisco and few people have heard of the many suburbs. It just saves time trying to explain where the suburb is.
I like this conversational ‘condenser’.
This condensation no longer happens with people who live in the dozens of suburbs that comprise ‘Silicon Valley’. That is now a place that the world knows about.