San Francisco 2012

Hey reader-friends! Remember last week how I said I was writing from California? I'd like to share some Instagram photos from my trip. I was in the sunny state for seven days with my good friend Annie. We met on our dorm floor last year and bonded over our love of eating dinner at 4:45 and many'a Say Yes to the Dress marathon. Her family recently moved outside the Bay Area, and I was so excited to tag along!

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1. The first day, we went on a tour of the city and Alcatraz. It was such a spooky island. We took a 10-min cruise ship there, and it showed us some great views of the city. With waves splashing onto the rocks and flowers lining every path, it was hard to believe this beautiful place housed some of the worst criminals. We even saw a book about a girl who grew up on the island because her dad was one of the wardens. She took a boat to the mainland for class everyday - can you imagine? 2. The morning was so foggy, and the city was so chilly! Annie and I would get excited thinking we could see the Golden Gate, but more often than not, it was just power lines in the suburbs. It seemed at first, I was looking for it no matter where we went, so seeing it for the first time was such a thrill. 

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3. We went to a Loews's garden center and helped Annie's mom choose some flowers. Everyday in the suburbs was dry and hot - perfect cactus weather! 4. My favorite spot of the whole bus tour - Twin Peaks. It overlooked the entire city and the bay. San Francisco felt like this cool island town - houses painted all sorts of colors, the bay almost always in sight, and houses stacked on top of houses! 

The city no longer has room to grow horizontally, so it really is developing vertically. If you looked down the street in one direction, it seemed to disappear down a hill. But if you looked in a different direction, you couldn't possibly fit all the homes in one photo as they jutted in all sorts of funny angles and on the sides of the mountains? Hills? Rolling terrain? However, I was surprised at the lack of space everyone had. Such tiny lawns (if at all), and garages typically took up the entire main levels of homes which makes for better, er... earthquake living conditions, for lack of a better term? The city was pretty squished, but it was crazy-bustling, in a good "where do I look now" kind of way. So much diversity! Maybe I couldn't "figure it out" at first, because you can't possibly put a label on it. 

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5. I couldn't get enough of all the houses. Looks like they belong in Florida, no? Or perhaps MGM Studios at Disney? As we were driving around town, I couldn't help but notice that none of the houses had screens on their windows. When we stepped outside one night, Annie and I quickly realized there were nearly no bugs. In addition to the lack of humidity, there also weren't any bugs! I'm convinced California is a little piece of heaven on earth.  6. Spotted in World Market: Happy Hippo chocolates! Have you ever had them? They're the best.

Home sweet home at O'Hare! What beautiful signage we have here in the Midwest, wouldn't you say? I was so bummed to leave behind Annie and her family. 

They made sure I saw the Redwoods, drove over the Golden Gate Bridge, and Annie and I even had a chance to visit the movie theater twice in one week. We took her dog on a couple walks, finished books, bought new books, (I) fell asleep outside, and we tried plenty of delicious California eats! It was the perfect vacation to start the summer!