San Francisco trip - 2/15

Today is a lazy day because we're so tired from yesterday's adventures. We just want a pretty place to lay out in the sun and read, so we head to Berkeley. Campus isn't too far from Kayley's house, and I'm almost out of money anyways, so we're happy. As we enter, Brianne and I can't believe that this is an actual college campus. It's so beautiful, and we admire this little forest. We walk past many buildings that are just beautiful. BYU-I is rather plain in comparison, but we'd both choose it over Berkeley, of course. 

We have backpacks and just enjoy the fact that we can blend in really easily. We go into the library and wander. It's incredible too. I can only imagine how many books are in this place. Finally we find a nice patch of grass and I read The Screwtape Letters, while Brianne continues to push through Les Mis. It's a perfect day here as well, and I enjoy the sun on my face. 

After a few hours, we decide to head home, but are distracted by a place that sells roasted corn. That is something that Brianne really loved eating when she was in Uganda, so she wants to go inside. It's called Suya, and it's an African-Carribean restaurant. We order chicken kabobs, with potatoes, flatbread, and roast corn. All of it has this suya on it, and a suya dipping sauce, and it's freaking incredible - all of it. It was short lived, but it's the best thing I've had in a long time. 

We go home and hang out. Kayley is getting ready for a trip to Ireland, so she has a little going away party. She has about six or seven friends over and we all eat and play games. They all drink wine and Brianne and I feel like non-adults because we had Top Ramen for breakfast while we watched Hey Arnold! on youtube, but what can you do? I like our life a lot, and I don't want to change things. We stay up late laughing and getting to know these people a bit before we leave.

San Francisco, you were really good to us. I'm so glad that I got to go with my best friend, because there's no one I would have had a better time with. I was glad to see my family though, and sleep in my own bed. Coming home is great too.

Life is great, and so are adventures.

San Francisco trip - 2/14

We take our time getting ready, but we get off at MacArthur this time. I lead Brianne about a mile down the road. This is the roughest part of town we've been in so far. Maybe not, compared to what would happen later on. All I know is it smells foul, but no one hassles us.

All the sudden we're in this nice neighborhood, and I know we're there. Tall fences border the facilities, and I think maybe they're not too tall to climb. No, I'm not making a phone call home to my mom. I'll get in someday but not this way. We walk the perimeter, hoping to see something better than fence and bushes. Employees walk in and out and maybe we think about sneaking in the door behind them. We think about it very seriously, actually. Through the cracks we can see a man playing basketball, and it looks like people are working out. What even...we keep walking and talk to a guy pouring chlorine into something. Maybe he's their pool guy. He's really friendly. "This place is seriously it's own world," Brianne says. "I feel like no one would ever have to leave."

Around the other corner is a nicer view. The buildings are nice and there are apple trees and a stature of a seagull on the top of a building- the one from Finding Nemo. "I bet they just make themselves laugh so much with their inside jokes," Brianne says. I agree. It's beautiful, but still doesn't reveal much. We continue around the last corner and I hope for the best. I don't want to have led her down here for nothing, but I this is something I've wanted to do for so long. I don't want it to be an empty trip for me as well. 

There are still gates, but we see a large patio outside a nice looking building - the Steve Jobs building. Writers, animators, and editors are all outside enjoying lunch together. Some are lounging on the grass. I see Luxo Jr. and the ball. I knew those statues would be here as well, but from the past few minutes, it didn't look like we'd be able to see them. I stick my arm through the gate and through the rose bushes. There are so many thorns, probably meant to discourage people from doing this, but I snap a few pictures anyway. 

The sign and the gates appear before us. Pixar Animation Studios. I take a picture and stand for a moment to reflect. It's incredibly hard to get into this place, and so far, standing outside these gates, it's the closest I've been. I am filled with resolve and vow to work much harder so I can work here someday. Tears fill my eye. I am happy. 

We take the bus back to MacArthur. I look at the map and it says to get of at the Civic Center, but I forgot that was one place we did not want to go. This is definitely the worst part of the trip, for me. It smells horrible and there are people everywhere, everywhere, and I feel terrified. Like they want something from me or want to hurt me. And it feels like the buildings are getting taller and taller and I want to scream. I'm trying to find the right directions but I'm having an anxiety attack, and trying to keep it under control so I can get out of there ASAP. 

Finally we find the right bus, and I stare out the window and try to forget everything, because we've got something really great in store for us. We get off at the Golden Gate bridge, and man, what a sight. All is right again. There's a really nice lookout point with a visitor's center and a place to grab food. I'm reminded of Disney's California Adventure, but then laugh at myself because we're living it. 

Walking across takes some time because we keep stopping to take pictures and admire everything. In the middle of the bridge is a great view of the city. A white sailboat sails underneath. "This isn't real life," we laugh, astonished at the sight. Bikes blow past us and we pass emergency phone boxes. Crisis lines. We talk about how we lucked out, because it very easily could have been foggy. The weather was so beautiful and really, so perfect for walking the bridge. By the time we get to the other side, the sun is starting to go down and we're hoping that there will be a bus. No such luck. 

After resting for a few minutes, we gather our things and cross back over. Each step hurts, more than the other. We're slow, but we make it, still admiring with each step. We catch a bus home.

San Francisco trip - 2/13

We walk to two different H&M's, looking for the "big one" that my mom told me about. It was two stories tall. I used my gift card on a long black skirt, and Brianne ends up buying the same one in green - for her mission.

We head to Chinatown and spend a good portion of the day there. Southwest Airlines was sponsoring some sort of parade for Chinese New Year, so the streets were all decked out with lanterns and it looked festive. We're taken by the how vibrant the colors are, and again, intrigued by the architecture.

We stop at a park and sit on the tire swigs for a few minutes, and are stopped by a man who needs to use my phone. I naturally do no trust people, so I call the number and put it on speaker. He thanks me by offering me a joint. "Naw thanks, I'm good," I tell him. I think he's in the middle of a deal gone bad so we make sure to get out of there real quick. (Did I mention this is the second time we've been offered weed since we've been here? I feel like it's some sort of currency for favors, but how expensive this must be!)

Across the street is St Mary's - California's first cathedral. It was completed in 1854, and had withstood both earthqukes and fire. There is something about standing in this quiet spot in the middle of a busy city and realizing the holiness of this sanctified space on Ash Wednesday.

We wander Chinatown some more, but now were deep in the city, far from tourists. We explore markets and storefronts selling sea cucumbers and oranges. Older folks move impatiently past white people taking pictures of things foreign to us - breadfruit and pigs feet to Instagram later. This is their life. They've come here to buy things for dinner and you're in their way.

Trash lines the streets but overhead it's all bright red lanterns and golden buildings. We might be the only white people here but that's cool. It's good to be "other-ed" for awhile.

We find a strange sidewalk with sayings on it. Some I like. Some hurt.
We use a fancy outdoor restroom. It looks European and it has automatic doors. We cross the park and eat for a minute. Then we cross the street and admired St. Paul's Cathedral. Stunning. I think this one is actually more beautiful than St. Mary's, but we can't go inside.

We make our way over to Lombard street to find the most crooked road. We find it after climbing a really steep hill, but if that little grandma over there in heels can, then darn it, I'm gonna do it too. Seeds drop on our heads as we climb the stairs and we look up to find about 25 parakeets overhead - a beautiful shade of green with red feathers around the face. These birds can't be indigenous to this area, I know it. The view from the top is incredible. We can see the city really well, and see Coit tower. We head back down and catch a bus home.

San Francisco trip - 2/12

We set out for the day, having no real plans, but some general idea of what we'd like to do. We find the BART to be confusing because it's not very "tourist-friendly" and I'm determined to make sure we don't look like tourists. We get off at Embarcadero and find ourselves in the financial district. We're blown away by the architecture. We head for some tower and see a farmer's market. I convince Brianne not to blow all her money on tamales. Not yet, anyways.

We keep walking and find Pier 39. It's an interesting place, but I suppose it would be more so if you had money to spend at the shops. We sit to have lunch and watch sea lions play on floating rafts. We befriend a man who tells us from the Netherlands, and we spend an hour talking to him. He works for an airline company and he's just in town for a day or two. 

We go to look at this cool submarine, but take a detour into this strange warehouse. It turns out to be a arcade museum, and we walk around looking at player pianos, fortune telling gypsies, and pac-man machines. Some attractions that are so old, they look like they are made out of toothpicks and when you put in a quarter, they dance or move around. It's incredible how these things still work.

We continue on to Fisherman's Wharf, and Brianne stops to get fish and chips. Coming all this way, how could she not? There's a stall with bubble machines blowing all over the place, and pinwheels are just a blur as they spin in the wind. Some people are playing music across the street and the sun is warm on our faces and everything is just so lovely, that we wonder how we're lucky enough.

We happen upon this really beautiful looking park, and walk across the grass. It moves, and we're really curious but also a little bit disturbed. A man who may or may not be homeless stops to tell us that it's because there are high tides. I suppose this makes sense, but I question it still to this day. He tells us about his career as a chef, and all the different companies he cooked for.

We go up the hill to Ghirardelli, but walk past this art gallery and decide to take an impromptu detour. They are having a Dali exhibit, and we look at the art. It might be the only time I see real Dali pieces in my life. What a man. Then we continue up the hill. Despite the fact that Brianne is lactose intolerant, everyone has told her that she needs to have some of this ice cream. She gets a dark chocolate topping and she shares it with me. It was divine. Probably the best ice cream I've ever had. We catch a bus and take the BART home.

San Francisco trip - 2/11

Brianne and I wake up at 5:30 AM and her dad takes us to the train station. We get to LA and wait a few hours for Megabus to arrive. We spend 8 hours watching movies and talking. It feels like a relatively short drive, considering. We pause several times to stare out the window at the green hills. Everything is so vibrant and we stare in disbelief. We meet Kayley and she takes us to her house. We're tired from the trip and I fall asleep in the middle of us all watching Mean Girls.