Now, as you're probably perusing the pages of Synapse, you'll see pictures of people's vacation this past summer. A few of my friends went all over the place; some of them went to Asia (Thailand was a very popular destination among my friends this past summer), while others wandered through Europe (jealous!) and South America (double jealous!!). I didn't have such luck. I had similar intentions (I was planning a last-minute South American excursion: Bogota, Inca Trail, Mendoza, Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls, and Rio), but since this whole condo thing worked out, I placed my vacation plans on hold for a bit.
At first, I was a bit bummed; ever since my semester abroad at Paris, I've been bitten by the travel bug. My mom tells me that since I have a mole in my left foot, it means that I love going places and that I can't stay in one place for too long (She also tells me that my mole near my mouth means that I like talking, so maybe there's some credence in her old wives' tales). It gave me a chance to get to know the city that I call home a bit more. There's a lot more to San Francisco than the areas tourists frequent.
This past summer, I was a bit of a nomad. For a while, I was crashing at my friends' place all over the city. One of my friends that I stayed with (Kat) lives in the Presidio, a few steps from Baker Beach (yes, THAT beach…). I've visited her a few times in her place before, but I've never spent an appreciable amount of time there. It's definitely a different side of San Francisco. The difference is strikingly obvious and actually, at times, it felt like I was worlds away; nary a bumbling bum in sight, no syringes in the pavement. It was a very peaceful place to call home, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, but yet not too far away from civilization; there's a bus that infrequently services Presidio and its surrounding areas, but it's best to have a car when you're up there. It's a very outdoorsy kind of place, and the people that live here reflect that; I saw a bunch of Campershells and bike-racks on people's vehicles.
This is when I met Jonathan and Vannida, a twenty-something couple that lives above Kat and her boyfriend Mark. One night, after a long day at work, Kat and I decided to make drinks to wind down. As I was looking around her cupboard and her fridge, I noticed that we were a bit short on mixers (we had the alcohol part covered), and the bottles of tonic water that she had were flat, so I went around her neighbors to ask for some juice or tonic water. Jonathan and Vannida had just moved in a few weeks prior, and Kat hasn't formally met them. Just like Kat and I, Jonathan and Vannida are SoCal transplants, and right away, we were chatting away as if we've known each other for years. Vannida just graduated as a Business major from Humboldt State and Jonathan is an avid surfer, and he's gone all over the world pursuing his exhilarating but increasingly expensive hobby; last March, he was assigned to work in Bali for a few weeks (he work as an environmental engineer) and ended up staying a few months to surf. When I told him that I've lived in San Diego for almost eight years, and I can count on one hand how many times I've surfed, he was flabbergasted and offered to take me surfing whenever I want; he had tons of boards from me to choose from, all I had to do is get a wet suit (and yes, I definitely would be needing one, knowing how frigid the waters here are). I've yet to take him up on his offer, but when I do get some free time (I wonder when that would be), I'll get right on that.
Afterwards, I lived in a sublet apartment a block away from 24th and Mission for a little bit. The Mission is one of those places that induce strong feelings in either direction; you either absolutely love it or loathe it. You can count me on the love side, that's for sure. Whenever I have friends or CouchSurfers visiting, I always show them around here. When I think of the quintessential San Francisco, one of the images that come in my head is an afternoon spent in the Mission. If I were artistically-inclined, the Mission is that kind of place that would inspire me to paint or write songs. What does it for me is the cultural vibrancy that is a hallmark of the Mission district. I loved meandering down Mission Street, perusing through the different shops, and eating street food.
My Sundays were leisurely spent taking in what the Mission offers the best: food! I must've gained 10 pounds living in the Mission for a month, but my tummy was quite happy! There are so much different kinds of cuisine to satisfy discerning palates. A few of my favorite restaurants in the city are actually found in the Mission: Foreign Cinema (French Brunch place), Red Café (Mexican Diner), Dosa (Indian), and El Farolito (Mexican). I actually had some Chinese food and it wasn't half bad!
Next post, Single in the City goes to San Antonio! My fierce cowboy boots will fit right in!
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