Vacation for One

I woke up early on my birthday to check out of my canvas cabin in Pescadero and partake of a lovely breakfast. I'd spent the last two days reading, enjoying nature, going on hikes and being massaged, so I thought eating large amounts of eggs with cheese and starchy potatoes was in order. Besides -- it's my birthday, so I can do whatever the hell I want. I was completely on my own schedule, and it was fantastic. Two days was plenty to be alone in the wilderness, and I was ready to leave, but it was very relaxing and pleasant.

I understand that the Cascade Restaurant was greatly understaffed, but I was frustrated by the slow service. I blame this on being there alone. A single person in a restaurant is almost invisible: it's kind of socially unacceptable to eat alone in public, and one person isn't going to leave a large tip. Servers generally want to feed the family of four. It's not too few, it's not too many, they appreciate your help, their bill is significant, etc.

I stood at the front of the restaurant, and observed two female servers buzzing about tables in no particular order. After a few minutes of being patient, I used my womanly figure to get the attention of a "new" (arent' they ALWAYS new!) early-20-something male drink server, who told me I could sit wherever I wanted. He promptly served me coffee and OJ, but told me he didn't know how to take orders yet. (Oh, the double-entendre!)

While reading at my table to pass the time, I realized that I was sitting next to two Italians, so I started listening to their conversation. (It was in ITALIAN! I wasn't spying -- I didn't even understand it.) They were in a hurry to leave, and were having some trouble getting a server's attention, so I used my single-status to strike up a conversation with them. 2 busy Italians + 1 single person = restaurant service. By joining my forces with the Italians, they got to pay and I got to order.

I was proud of myself for going on vacation alone, but there is also power in numbers.