Berkeley and San Francisco, Revisited

After celebratIng the 50th wedding anniversary of Bruce and Susan Cogan, we still had one more day in California. We decided to take full advantage of the opportunity to revisit scenes from our days here 50 years ago.  

Our visit to Berkeley occurred before the party for Bruce and Susan.  We wanted to relive some memories of the my student days at the Graduate Theological Union and the University of California where I studied psychology. We recalled the hill to our house which will always be a source of dark humor. Generally, Joan rode her bicycle to the hospital, but as her first pregnancy neared it’s end, she took the bus. The hill was foreboding each evening, but more so on one evening that ended with the birth of Sara. Somehow or other, each evening was a challenge, but I never recalled a complaint.  But it never escaped her memory. We saw the house where we lived for the first few years, the university building (now under repair) where I spent much of my time, the gorgeous hills of Berkeley displaying the famous eucalyptus trees. 

We wanted to see what the current Children’s Hospital looked like. It was enormous, but we captured the small portion of the original structure. Joan treasures her memory of so much that occurred in the neonatal unit where they first treated successfully babies with hyaline membrane disease (the condition resulted in the death of President John Kennedy’s baby boy). I remember visiting occasionally to watch Joan through the window deftly maneuver her hands to care for these premature infants. 

In our effort to renew our memories of Northern California, we headed toward Muir Beach which required going over the Golden Gate Bridge. We always treasured the beauty of the hills filled with eucalyptus trees within sight of the ocean.  It was in this area that we got our first dog, Amy, when we stopped at Stinson Beach. 

We returned to the city. We reveled at the streets of San Francisco that transition from one hill to the next.  We then ended up at Fisherman's Pier. As often happens, we saw change that made us aware how fortunate we were to experience the area 50 years ago. Life goes on and, at times, the past is better. 

Our last stop was special (even if the Top of the Mark did not open until later).  I cannot tell you how amazing it was that we would go there once in a while for a drink while looking over the city. We would sit there, trying to understand our good fortune. Then, we would go across the street to the Tonga Room to dance. The memories are still vibrant, but the best part of the experience remains at my side. Nothing compares to Joan Louise!