Dream Tourist with a Pillow

 In many dreams, I usually take an active role, whether it's as myself or a diffferent character. But in some dreams, I'm more like a passive observer, walking through a cityscape or landscape or whatever. A dream tourist in other words. Oddly enough, in some of these dreams, I'm carrying my sleep pillow as I stroll through the dream. (No idea if I'm also wearing my sleep clothes as well.)

 

One of these dreams took place in a hilly residential neighmorhood with sloped streets in the middle ofnight. It was very quiet with no sign of life, not even a passing car, and it was midnight-dark except for intervals of light pools from streetlights and porch lamps. I strolled up and down sidewalks, lugging my pillow and gazing at dark suburban-style houses and trim lawns. At one point, I dropped my illow but picked tiup quickly -- I guess I didn't want to risk waking up iwthout a pillow.

One steep street dead-ended at a rushing river. Lights from the tall office buildings across the river twinkled on the water currents like tumbling stars. There was a sidewalk running parallel to the river, so I continued that way. One or two blocks later, I caught a startling sign: a huge rectangular sign propped high on a pair of metal columns. It was one of these hi-def displays like you'd see on Las Vegas Strip, announcing "IMPERTIAL CLUB" with both English and Chinese text on it and a video display doing a slideshow of scenes of a restaurant's interior, a dim sum cart, and the like. Just beyond the sign was a large parking lot, full of cars and well-dressed people milling around as if it was early evening, not very late night. I couldn't make out the building itself as it was concealed by the night. Though the food on that dim sum cart looked good, I didn't try to go to the restaurant because I'd look funny, carrying my pillow.

Anyway, it probably doesn't seem like an exciting dream, but it certainly was neat to find a secret restaurant in the middle of an oherwise normal residential neighborhood. (For some reason, I seem to have dreams about Chinese restaurants hiding in places, which I'll chronicle here someday.)

Another dream I had as a dream tourist was in some southwestern town (not sure where... it oculd be New Mexico, Arizona or even Mexico) in broad daylight. I'd just left a motel, carrying the ubitquous pillow (not sure if it's mine or one I nabbed from that motel) and strolled on a sidewalk through the town, admiring the Spanish architecture of various buildings. I also passed a supermarket that looked like it was straight out of 1960's with high glass walls, a butterfly roofline and colorful globe lamps hanging from the ceiling. (Maybe the Swamways own that supermarket?) On the next block, I spotted a billboard-sized sign on the top of a building that simply announced:

    TWO CHILE RELLENOS FOR 5 BUCKS!

Don't ask me why but I find that sign endearing. They could have gone with something more familiar like burriots or enchiladas. Besides, by today's standards wiath with inflation and all, 5 bucks for a chile relleno, let alone two, would be an awesome deal.