Leaving my heart in San Francisco

After what seemed like days and was really only a few hours, I finally made it into the city.

I don't know how I'm ever going to leave.

Yesterday, I got to our hotel around 7, and by the time I had eaten and attended our little group meeting, it was about 9:30. I proceeded to hang out, stay up, and read up on the City by the Bay (thanks, Mom and Jane.) Finally, at a very late hour at home but a more reasonable one here on the West Coast, I deemed it an appropriate time for sleep.

I was wakened this morning by a phone call inviting me out on a grocery run. Thanks to my unfortunate need for a shower, I almost missed it; luckily, I caught the group in the parking lot that was headed to Trader Joe's. I spent a good bit of my weekly budgeted food money in one morning, but my logic is that these victuals will last me for the next three weeks, so it's worth it in the long run. Anyway, I LOVE that grocery store - so many organic and natural foods, and such friendly staff! I wish we had them back east...or at least, back home. Like that's going to happen...

As I was watching the news and unloading groceries around lunchtime, I got a call from my roommate, Mumbi, who was hanging out in the lobby with some other classmates. One such classmate was Zach, who's originally from San Mateo, just north of here (Belmont) and very close to the city. The group had planned to go into the city for lunch, and I jumped at the invitation.

I KNEW THAT I WOULD LOVE IT HERE.

We had lunch at La Taqueria in The Mission. The restaurant looks questionable from the outside but has apparently won many awards, as evidenced by its multiple Zagat ratings and rec in my Lonely Planet. The Mission itself was one of my top destinations, so I'm glad that that's how I began my city tour.

Actually, we drove in through the Embarcadero, just to get an idea of the layout and diversity in and between the different neighborhoods and districts. After the Mission, we drove through the Financial District, Pacific Heights, and the Castro, not necessarily in that order. In Pacific Heights, we saw the Mrs. Doubtfire house! I realized today that I forgot my camera connector cord, so I won't be able to upload photos until after the trip...unless I get really creative, which I have been known to do.

Anyway, Megan, Mumbi, and I cooked a delicious dinner for ourselves after we got back (sweet potato/onion/rosemary egg scramble, toast, and sweet tea - we missed it already! - at Megan's inspiration), and then Mumbi and I headed out with the earlier group and the addition of Zach's friend, Hannah, a former Furman student, as well. We took BART to a cable car (for free, because we're "locals") to the Buena Vista, which is a restaurant Fisherman's Wharf famous for their Irish coffees. Too bad we got there after they stopped serving food, which meant that those of us under 21 weren't really allowed in...so we left. We walked back in the direction in which we'd come; at that point, it was fairly late, and we didn't want to miss the last train back. We retraced our steps, transportation included, and finally arrived back safe and sound a few hours ago.

Tomorrow, we're planning to go to Berkeley - by the time we get through all of the public transit, I can't imagine that we will be able to get much done, but I will keep you posted! More about our proposed jobs later - they do sound neat.