Catherine Yesayan
BY CATHERINE YESAYAN
Megabus began its route between Burbank and San Francisco about five years ago. Since then, I’ve used their service a few times. I love traveling on that bus, I really do. It definitely beats the old Greyhound. It’s very convenient, clean, fast and cheap—the price scales down to $1 if you buy the ticket early enough.
The double decker gets to its destination in seven hours. For a mere $5 extra, I usually reserve a seat at the first level, where the wi-fi is powerful and I can have a table to write on.
This time I’m on a mission. I’ve purposely chosen to be in San Francisco during the week of the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide to observe and write about commemoration activities there.
I will start by telling readers about my Aunt Elo. She’s one of the main pillars of the Armenian community of San Francisco. She is my dad’s cousin—their mothers were sisters.
Catherine about to board the Megabus to San Francisco
When I think of Aunt Elo, my mind drifts to a black and white picture in which I must be 5 or 6 years old. It was taken at the christening of Dena, Aunt Elo’s third daughter. In that picture, my cousins and I are standing in front of a grand piano in their huge living room, filled with the expensive Persian rugs and elegant bulky sofas and chairs that were popular then in Tehran. Aunt Elo’s family belonged to the upper echelon of society. Being invited to their home for any event was a big treat.
Aunt Elo and her family emigrated from Tehran to San Francisco in 1969. Soon, she and her husband, Edward “Edikâ€
