19 Comments

Beautiful look back. I too moved to San Francisco for a while with incredible, romantic notions, and loved it so much it ached to leave.

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Sometimes life has other plans. It's obviously not an easy city to stay in financially. I am grateful I've figured out staying for so long. <3 <3

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Jan 24Liked by Kathryn Vercillo

Neat! I think I need to do some lookbacks on earlier pieces I wrote a while back. This seems very useful.... I'm cognizant that I'm the lens through which I see the world, so I had better understand my own limitations when possible.

Cool photos! Some of 'em look very professional.

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THIS LINE: "I'm cognizant that I'm the lens through which I see the world, so I had better understand my own limitations when possible." SOOOOO GOOOD.

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Jan 24Liked by Kathryn Vercillo

Hey, thanks!

We should try writing some time, maybe.

Maaaaaybe.

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I have ideas brewing!

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My father settled in SF in the mid-80s, I believe, and lived there until he passed. I visited the city for the first time in 2004 and felt him guiding me along. I saw at once why he loved it there.

For me, though, San Diego is my north star. It's similar to SF in many ways, just flatter overall and more spread out.

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I love San Diego and haven't been back in quite some time. Definitely need to make a trip there again. I like being car-free so spread out isn't ideal for me but I can see the appeal for others!

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Well, we have a trolley system and a couple of trains to make things easier to access. Should a trip "down south" materialize, hit me up for the key deets!

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It's been a while since I was there and I drove in then so I didn't get a chance to really experience the public transport. I'll definitely connect with you if/when we head down there again. My brother is in LA so I am in the relative area a few times a year.

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Jan 25Liked by Kathryn Vercillo

What a beautiful article! I love the way you tell the tale of your life— the pictures, the stories behind them, the events. You are a matured writer, and I appreciate how you discuss the relationship between art and mental health. ❤️

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Good article!

I'm new to substack and I'm discovering accounts and people that I'm passionate about, this look back brings me up to date with who is behind these texts. Congratulations

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Thanks, I try to remember to share more of my background and experience alongside the current work that I'm doing.

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These images are beautiful. I visited San Francisco for a couple of weeks while touring North America in 1993 and loved it.

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Thanks. It's a special place. Where else did you visit in North America at that time?

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I travelled with two friends when we were 21. We had standby air passes for Delta Airlines and could go anywhere we liked.

We started in Toronto, then Niagara, Buffalo, NYC, New Orleans, Miami, Key West, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Bryce National Park, Zion National Park, San Francisco, Yosemite, Sacramento, Santa Cruz, Winnipeg, Seattle, Vancouver. All in two months.

I was in New Orleans for Independence Day. That was a blast, although I'd never experienced heat and humidity like that in my life. Nor have I since!

The trip to Winnipeg was to visit a friend. Same with Santa Cruz. The Sacramento trip was to see one of our favourite bands, The The.

The national parks in Utah are incredible and one of my most vivid memories is of sleeping outside on someone's porch in near Kanab and seeing more stars than I thought possible.

A trip of a lifetime.

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What an amazing experience. Around the same age a then-boyfriend and I got in my pickup truck and spent about six months driving around the country. Utah’s parks are definitely beautiful! Colorado as well.

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Jan 27Liked by Kathryn Vercillo

What a terrific reminiscence. I really enjoyed this.

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Thank you <3 It was really enjoyable and valuable for me to look back in this way.

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