Arriving in SF: Memorial Day Weekend

Saturday I landed in San Francisco and was warmly welcomed by Polly and Alex. We spent the afternoon exploring the city: we got lunch at food trucks (mac ‘n’ cheese spring rolls?!) then visited the Ferry Building. I was immediately struck by what a creative environment San Francisco is. Small, local businesses seem to be thriving, and they completely trump East Coast businesses in terms of innovation. Even their logos seem to be more creative and aesthetically pleasing. For example, we got coffees at Blue Bottle Coffee, and something about their logo is just so interesting to me. Plus they serve all of their coffee in compostable cups! Beat that, Starbucks! Polly and Alex also pointed out the little shop Far West Fungi, the origin of the Truffle Salt that we love so much!!!

Dad would have appreciated this bakery at the Ferry Building. Note the "Teeny Roll" in the front :)

At an outdoor Berkeley bar with my friend Kevin listening to a live band.

Sunday morning I took the train to meet Polly in Marin and we went to a huge farmers market. There were so many vendors and the produce was so delicious! It seems a lot easier to eat healthier out here because there are so many great fresh veggies and fruits. We also tried some organic, sustainable dim sum from one stand. It was so much cleaner than normal dim sum, which is so greasy.

In the afternoon Polly and I went into the Mission District of SF to meet up with Alisa, Willem and Gus. We had lunch at Mission Cheese (I had a sandwich with a delicious cheese, prosciutto and fig). We went to Tartine Bakery, which is renowned and always seems to have an incredibly long line. According to Polly and Alisa, though, it’s “worth it!” My theory is that everything tastes extra good because you have to wait in line so long before you get it. While we waited in line, we were entertained by a big black poodle that just wanted attention. He would try to hug people standing nearby – it was adorable!

Waiting in line at Tartine's

A cute Chihuahua puppy we saw at the Carnival celebration in the Mission

Spirit’s Dinner

On the way back we picked up one of my close friends from school, Kevin. When we got back to Polly and Alex’s we saw firsthand how well Spirit eats. Alex even seasons it perfectly. Then we played some Super Mario… Polly and I kept ending up in bubbles (which basically means we died), but I think we were improving quickly.

Monday was Memorial Day, so none of us had to work. A couple that Polly and Alex are friends with came and joined us for a hike. It is so cool that P&A live only 10-15 minutes outside of the city, but can also walk out of their house and access awesome hiking trails. We went down to Pirate’s Cove and then hiked back and barbequed some burgers.

our group of hikers

All in all, the long weekend was the perfect start to my West Coast adventures! It left be feeling relaxed and refreshed, and completely ready to dive into my internship on Tuesday.