Eighty days is not long enough

My bad picture of the Transamerica Pyramid. After the Golden Gate Bridge, this is the symbol of the San Francisco skyline.
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San Francisco is a beautiful city. As an intern, I spent one summer in the City by the Bay. It was enough for me to realize I want to go back again. And again.

I was lucky to rotate through three different housing situations during my 11-week visit. Each spot put me in a different section of the Bay Area and gave me new sections of the Bay Area – and its main city – to roam through.

Part of me wishes I took the boat to visit Alcatraz, but I had too much fun scratching the rest of the city for that to matter.

Take a long walk through Golden Gate Park and you'll see lucious green space, towering trees, and hidden trails.
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The first week, I lived out of a hotel in the Tenderloin. Sure, the area was rougher than other parts of San Francisco. It wasn’t as scrubbed and shiny as other touristy areas. That was part of the beauty of my time there. My walk to work took me through United Nations Plaza each day. I ventured into Nob Hill and Russian Hill. I saw Chinatown. The food tasted real. The city felt real. At the time, I was a student at Ohio State, and the “rough” neighborhood reminded me of campus “back home.” You don’t need to seek out this area during your trip, but don’t go out of your way to ignore it out of fear.

If you walk to the end of Golden Gate Park, the Pacific Ocean awaits you.
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For the next two weeks, I did a house-sitting gig in the East Bay. I had someone else’s house to myself (and their dog and cat). It was a two-mile walk to the BART station each way everyday. I spent a few evenings and weekends up in Berkeley. My advice to you: Spend a day to hike up Claremont Avenue to see the beautiful scenery and the preserve. See the Buckeye Trees. Explore California Memorial Stadium by yourself. (See the cracks in the stadium where an underground fault has slowly pulled apart at the stadium. Think about how strong the earth is, and think about how insignificant we are.)

Take in a game at the ballpark. Stand on the walkway that straddles the park and McCovey Cove.
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I finally got a sublease for the rest of the summer, and I lived just off San Francisco State University’s campus. Once again, the long and laborious commute was one of the best parts of living so far from downtown. The West Portal Station area is a really great neighborhood. Eat at Fresca (a Peruvian restaurant) and drink at Joxer Dalys (an Irish pub). West Portal is on the red MUNI train. The whole neighborhood is a small city main street far from downtown. Take a full day to go to the Presidio and see the Golden Gate Bridge. The Presidio gives one of the best views I had that summer. It also gave me one of my favorite pictures alongside a bike path that runs near the GG Bridge. Photo catches the mundane of a path, the soaring trees, and the Golden Gate Bridge towering above it all. Favorite day was the LOOOOOONG walk across Golden Gate Park. Started at the DeYoung Museum area and hiked east to the edge of the park. Then I walked the whole way across. Tired and sore, I stumbled out of the trees and found myself two blocks from the Pacific Ocean (the first time I had seen the Pacific.)

I never stopped to see Alcatraz. Every time I wanted to go see something, the island prison felt too touristy. Part of me wishes I took the boat to visit Alcatraz, but I had too much fun scratching the rest of the city for that to matter. Instead, I learned how to use chopsticks from a Chinese woman when I stopped in her Chinatown restaurant during the slow time between lunch and dinner. I wish I knew the place – she’s one of the most patient people I’ve ever met.

I got tickets to baseball games for both the Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants. (Bought one, and got the other set through a lottery at work.) PacBell, or whatever it’s called now, is a great stadium. Better than great – it’s one of my favorites. All the commercial signage and structures are ridiculous. Somehow, they’re garish and comical and classic all at the same time. I have a beautiful picture atop the wall overlook McCovey Cove and the Bay.

For my birthday, I spent the night drinking and riding the cable cars. Hopped on a car, took it to the next cross street, got off, and went to the nearest bar. Repeated. Over and Over. Sounds like a sad and depressing time, doesn’t it? Nope, great bars, great crowds (a house band played Hang on Sloopy for me without my request.) It was the most expensive night drinking I’ve ever had.

If you want a beautiful show, visit San Francisco for Independence Day. Follow the crowds onto the MUNI buses to The Embarcadero. Pick a pier, and push your way out toward it. Then sit back and watch across the Bay as cities in every direction run their own fireworks show. In one night, the compilation of shows will outshine anything Boston, New York, and Philadelphia display. And the sense of community from every city giving a few fireworks to the entire Bay night will remind you that so many diverse groups working together is what makes our country special.