The trip started off on a really bad foot; I had been pretty sick with some sort of upper respiratory nastiness for the preceding week, but decided to power through the trip anyway, popping vitamin C pills and drinking liters of water 2 or 3 times a day. That regimen seemed to do the trick, and I ultimately returned far healthier than I had left. As much as I hate flying, I really enjoy flying across the country, for the completely different scenes you can pass back-to-back. I have a whole series of shots I took on the plane, but I'll just post one example here. From elaborately laid-out fields to chiseled snow-capped mountains:
Turns out I chose a great time to visit.. because it was FREE WEEK! The first week of each month means tons of museums and galleries open for free, so I had my pick of daily cheap entertainment. Most noteworthy were the De Young Museum, the ever-fun Exploratorium by the elegant Palace of Fine Arts, and the Conservatory of Flowers, with Plantosaurus Rex busting through one of the greenhouses!
In addition to doing prodigious amounts of walking (we're talking Bay to Breakers every day), I revisited at least one new old friend each day, had a fabulous and much-needed night of swing dancing at 9:20 Special, spent lots of time exploring Golden Gate Park, and ate so much delicious food I could've popped. (Well, not really, since I learned that lesson while living there..) And naturally, I paid a visit to Berkeley.
The weather was great the whole time, and it allowed me to be outside most of the day everyday. (How would I have gotten to see the horse racing at Golden Gate Fields otherwise?) It was exciting to get to spend a week in SF, as I never really explored the city that thoroughly, evidenced by my lack of knowledge that there are actual bison living in Golden Gate Park.
But when it came time to return home, I was pretty excited to see the Tennessee green under my plane. (Actually.. that's a lie. It was totally dark when I flew home, but whatever. I was still very happy to be back.)
