As a Southern California Native, Davis and Sacramento had been my only taste of what Northern California was like. Davis’ 113 ℉ heat wave back in September was unbearable, the hottest climate I ever had the misfortune to experience; the rest of the month still hovered around the 80’s. To say I was excited to finally experience weather below 70 ℉ at San Francisco in early October was an understatement. I couldn’t wait to experience this famous city that was well known across the globe and would always pop up in cultural media and cinema.

The other four PREP scholars and I crammed like sardines in Arielle’s car (shoutout for the ride) and headed to the outermost BART station that would take us to San Fran [n.b. from a Bay Area native: ....ummm...Please: it's The City. -- Ed.]. After unsuccessfully scanning my mobile BART card and sneaking into the El Cerrito del Norte station, we were off to see the Golden Gate City. I am not a criminal; the BART worker at our drop off station oh so kindly corrected the scanning error on my mobile card.

After a quick walk, we made it to Chinatown where I was greeted with the familiar red lanterns and paifang that also decorate the Chinatown I knew back in Los Angeles. We made our first attempt at taking a polaroid selfie here, where the only one to make it onto the photo was Johnny.

We couldn’t stop at Chinatown and not eat Chinese food, so by Alex’s suggestion, we made our way to this little dim sum shop nestled in one of the heavily slanted streets. We then headed to the small park around the corner to enjoy our food. I couldn’t help but people-watch, fascinated by the Chinese aunties clumped together and catching up with their friends as well as all the elderly men playing checkers and chess with each other. We all agreed that the sweet egg custard bun [dan tat - good choice! -- Ed.] was our favorite from the dim sum dishes.

As excited as I was to finally see the City from Full House, I was not excited for the number of stairs we would have to climb to reach Coit Tower. It was interesting to say that on our way to Coit Tower from Chinatown, we came across a long line that extended all around an entire block. These were Brazilian expats in line to vote for the October 2nd elections that would decide their president, vice president, the National Congress, the governors, vice governors, and legislative assemblies. Spoiler alert: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva became their next president.

The view at the top of Coit Tower was very scenic: one could see part of the bay and a great chunk of San Francisco. I just wish my legs could agree. The steep streets that harbor the steps to get here definitely look good for photos, but I cannot say the same about climbing them. However, I was excited about seeing Fisherman’s Wharf. The trip back down was a walk in the park, and before I knew it, we were at the boardwalk. Arielle was very excited to see the seals bathing in the sun, and I was excited to finally feel a cold breeze. I couldn’t help but smile at the fact that this place reminded me so much of the Santa Monica boardwalk back at home. The carousel, ocean breeze, overpriced popcorn, and cotton candy, as well as a comically funny sock store were all there. Nothing could top the $.99 Arizona Iced Tea we got from the Walgreen’s across the street though. It also here where we took my favorite photo of the group: a photo at the Fisherman's Wharf sign minus the actual Fisherman's Wharf sign.

We then made our way towards Ghirardelli square, where I was tempted by all the delicious snacks and chocolate, though I decided against this after we agreed to get boba. It was very pretty, and I could see why it is such a popular spot to hang out. We headed out to catch a bus towards Boba Guy’s and I was glad that my BART card continued to work successfully now.

With a boba in hand from Boba Guy’s (the Hojicha Latte was amazing), as well as beer from a local convenience store, we made our way to Dolores Park to enjoy our dim sum leftovers. I really enjoyed just sitting down and catching up with these amazing folks, and definitely wanted to thank Kiya for finishing the beer I that could not. At this point we only wanted to recover a bit from our day throughout San Francisco. Also, while we were here enjoying our drinks and counting dogs, we kindly declined buying “shroom donuts” from this cheery woman.

We made our way back to the closest BART station, rode out to El Cerrito del Norte, crammed into the car like sardines once again, and drove back home to Davis. I made us some Japanese cabbage pancakes back at home (okonomiyaki) to finish off the day. Throughout my first time in San Francisco, I was able to see Chinatown, Coit Tower, Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, and Dolores Park.

I am so happy we made plans to visit this city, and as hectic as it was, I couldn’t have asked for a better crowd of people to make this trip with. Though my time in the laboratory and in this program will give me invaluable experience, it is important to remember to take some time off occasionally, to recover and do something enjoyable. I will continue to look back at my time with my fellow scholars fondly.