Day 1
Here's the quick scoop. My cousin Genna had a wedding planned for a Friday in Santa Rosa, California. I knew it would double as a family vacation but I wanted to make the most of my plane ticket so I flew up 4 days ahead of my parents, brother, and sister-in-law. I flew in on Saturday afternoon, Halloween day. I had until Wednesday to rendezvous with my family. So let's see what I stumbled upon..
A couple nights before my flight I booked my first Airbnb, a hostel style, in Western Addition. I really didn't know which neighborhoods were which, or even have a good understanding of the scale/size of the city. All I knew was I needed to get from the Oakland Airport to downtown SF and hike my way up to Pier 33 to pick up my CityPass for unlimited muni travel and admission to 4 attractions. This was my first time to use public transit and I thought it was super hectic. I rode the BART (which I didn't even realize was a train that went under the bay), got my pass, took the buses up towards my Airbnb, and unloaded my belongings.
I scoured all the San Francisco event pages I could find and stumbled across... ROLLER DISCO! There is an abandoned church turned roller rink called the Church of 8 Wheels. It happened to be pretty close to my hostel so I was able to walk around some of the streets for food and drink before I braved the Halloween Night Roller Disco in plain clothes by myself. I had never used roller skates before (done plenty of rollerblading as a child) but I showed up after a couple drinks and figured it all out right away. Had a blast. Didn't meet very many people but it was groovy. Could have been a lot more fun if I was feeling social but that's OK.
I found this video on Instagram. I'm behind Mr. T with the mic during the Thriller dance.
Day 2
Alright, it's 5 am, and I'm up thanks to Mr. Carl Furry who recommended a dawn walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. I think I showered, got ready, and RAN FULL STRIDE TO THE BUS STOP BECAUSE I WAS ABOUT TO MISS IT. I probably made it with about a minute or less to spare. What an unnecessarily stresfful way to start the day -_-
I arrive at the GGB welcome center and walk up the path to take the bridge and there is a serious looking gate blocking the path. What? Oh, let me read these signs. Oh, it's closed? For a run? I was standing there with another gentleman and a loud buzzer sounded and then a mysterious person spoke through a speaker and said "THE BRIDGE IS CLOSED." as the signs attempted to say. The man by me mentioned a couple paths to walk down, so I wandered.
I arrive at the GGB welcome center and walk up the path to take the bridge and there is a serious looking gate blocking the path. What? Oh, let me read these signs. Oh, it's closed? For a run? I was standing there with another gentleman and a loud buzzer sounded and then a mysterious person spoke through a speaker and said "THE BRIDGE IS CLOSED." as the signs attempted to say. The man by me mentioned a couple paths to walk down, so I wandered.
Traveling is still very new to me. Over and over again i'm finding that life has a way of leading you to where you're supposed to be. From the sunrise on the dock to cheering on hundreds of women who raced by, my morning was completely unexpected, unplanned, and I wouldn't have asked for it any other way.
Next stop is Alcatraz! I needed to take the bus towards Pier 33 but I ended up getting off on the west end of the Fisherman's Wharf which made for a nice walk before the tourist hustle and bustle began. I needed some food and saw a board advertising a waffle bacon taco. Uhh.. perfect! It was at Bistro Boudin, a hoppin' bakery.
Alcatraz was great. I really enjoyed the audio tour that guides you step by step through the prison and features interviews with real inmates and guards. I had a profound moment while I was standing in one of the isolation cells. The man interviewed shared how he'd spend time in that pitch black room by tearing off his pant button, flicking it into the air, and searching for it blindly. Over and over. It really struck me at that moment that real people actually suffered in the exact spot I was standing. So many crazy things happened in that place but at first it's hard to transcend yourself out of a park/exhibit, and into a maximum security prison. It really changed the tone of my tour.
My CityPass gave me admission to Alcatraz, Exploratorium, California Academy of Sciences, and Monterey Bay Aquarium. Close to pier 33 I stopped by the Exploratorium but was mostly disappointed for not realizing it was a place for kids, and best for groups of two or more! In hindsight I should have used the alternate admission option for the De Young Museum.
The Academy of Sciences was a lot of fun. I only had a couple hours before the closed but managed to see a little infrared light show and a sweet "Fragile Planet" movie in the planetarium. Their aquariums were quite impressive too.
The Academy of Sciences was a lot of fun. I only had a couple hours before the closed but managed to see a little infrared light show and a sweet "Fragile Planet" movie in the planetarium. Their aquariums were quite impressive too.
I tried to catch the bus back towards my hostel, I thought I was getting a hang of things, but I hopped on the wrong direction. I played it cool and used the opportunity to check out the beach on the West side of the city. It was a bit moist in the air so I wrapped that up and hopped back on the bus towards the familiar street with all of the bars and restaurants by my hostel. I went to Little Star pizza for a deep dish pizza as recommended by my friend Rebekkah's cheat sheet. The leftovers would make for a great snack in a time of need. Day 2 done.