every city has its own special personality. i love to wake up with a place. it is fascinating to observe the patterns of movement, the sounds and the behaviors that make each place unique. i walk to the bus stop most days when i am in California. the twenty minutes bring me from a dense group of single family dwellings nestled at the foot of a hill thru a grove of majestic redwoods. this morning crows were having a very loud argument as they hopped from treetop to treetop. the air is fresh and clean. i rarely meet another person until i get to the corner where the bus turns down the street to small shelter which is the 'depot' stop. the local greasy spoon opens at 0730. the vegetable delivery truck for the restaurant at the corner is periodically present. It is a far cry from baguettes and gutters running with water in Paris, or the old men holding their La Repubblica and espresso in the middle of the piazza with the schools kids streaming around them. Mill Valley may not be a world city, but from 0710-0730 it's mine, and I'm pleased to discover just like baguettes in paris and esspresso in venice it makes my heart delight and leaves me realising that while the scenery may be different, the storyline is exactly the same the world over...every place is unique. they each have their own pace and it's a special treat to participate in the rituals of their daily emergence.