My best friend Pat, his wife Brenda (though she likes to be called Helen for some unknown reason) and their son’s girlfriend Ana are on the east coast this week. They arrived on Wednesday to see Scooter (their son) graduate from Basic Training down in NC somewhere. They are spending three days in DC and I get to be tour guide.

Most of the stuff we’re headed off to see I’ve already seen, and seven years ago, I saw it with them when they were here last.

I’m not a tour type guy, it’s never been one of the things on my list when I’ve come into a new city. I did a Banana Factory tour once, one word: DISASTER. When my parents came to visit in ’05 they wanted to do a tour bus, they loved it… but it wasn’t for me really.

When I head off to San Diego for my first time in December, I don’t think riding on a tour bus would do it for me; I want to see the real city and see what’s really there to see.