Save Me, San Francisco - Part 2

After a quick and lackluster business trip to the City by the Bay in March, I knew I had to go back and experience the real deal. My friend moved down there to work on a project for a month, so it seemed like a great opportunity and perfect timing to try again. I left work early on Friday to fly to SFO and came back Sunday night. It was an action-packed 2.5 days and I can now say that I have truly seen the city and everything it has to offer. And I absolutely love it. 

View from my friend's apartment

On Saturday, I saw almost everything in Eastern/Central San Francisco, including the Ferry Building, Embarcadero, Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Ghiradelli Square, Little Italy, Chinatown, Union Square and Downtown. It's a lot, I walked 5 miles, by myself (since my roommate was working), and barely bought anything. It was AWESOME! I really feel like I experienced the city. I took a trolley for $2, mastered public transportation, got a tan, felt like a local, ate awesome food, etc, etc, I could go on. I love San Fran and could really picture myself living there. 

Since I did so much on Saturday and don't want to make this blog post a mile long, I'll point out my favorite parts:

The piers along the Embarcadero are great for catching some rays and looking out onto the water (and Alcatraz). I sat on this one for like an hour, just people watching. All the piers except "The" Pier 39 are really chill, but Pier 39 has been transformed to an international tourist destination that has absolutely nothing notable to see. 

After I walked up the coastline from downtown to the north side of the city, I found a tiny park and beach oasis. It's called Aquatic Park. I put my toes in the San Fransisco Bay and laid out in the sun for a while. It was absolutely gorgeous, and the only thing that got me to leave was the enticing smell of Ghiradelli Square a block away. 

I walked back downtown through the iconic San Francisco Chinatown, which, to me, is basically China. It was at least a mile square (estimation) and had so many different kinds of shops: clothing, tea, food, grocery, dollar store, trinkets, souvenirs...it put all other Chinatowns to shame. I got dim sum to go (yum!) from this tiny restaurant and ate it in Union Square, which I thought was going to be a park but is actually just a block with no stores and a big open cement area with tables. 

Sunday's main event was, of course, the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a hike and a half to get there on public transportation, but we made it eventually. The sights were amazing once we got up there. A couple photo ops before we got on the bridge, and a couple on the bridge itself. It was a sunny day, but foggy over the city. Still one of the cooler things I've ever seen. 

Overall, I love San Francisco, and I will definitely go back. I know that if I ever lived there, I would be in insane shape due to constantly hiking up the ginormous hills that are not just a myth. It was a great decision to go back to visit for real and I'll remember this trip for the rest of my life. (And I finally rode the BART! :) )

In other news, I have 9 days left of work and I'll be home in Maryland in 13. These were the fastest 6 months of my life, hands down. I wish I could say work is winding down, but it is definitely not. I have to somehow finish everything, write a how-to guide for the next co-op, and do the excessive reflections that Amazon and Northeastern require. Time to power through the last 2 weeks!