I've been busy these past few months trying to juggle a number of projects.
You can typically find me at my desk late into the night pouring over spreadsheets, multiple documents, and catching up on color-coded emails. It's been hard work that *fingers crossed* will pay off in the Summer when things are finally finished! I'm really excited and am looking forward to sharing that soon.
In the midst of all that, I made an unexpected spontaneous trip to San Francisco!
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I was only there for 4 days but made sure it was jam-packed with things to do, eat, and see. Honestly, I didn't finalize my itinerary until I was in the middle of my flight to the West Coast. (How type-A does that sound?)
I was there for CAAM's 41st film festival and it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. A short documentary film that I produced back in 2021 had been selected and was screened at the festival! I'm still not used to going to festivals and being in that space since I still consider myself a newbie (but my resume says otherwise, which still surprises me) as a 23-going-to-24-year-old person.
Despite how much anxiety I knew I would have, I still wanted to go and allow myself the opportunity to do something new that would be worthwhile. Hell, I've been saying "yes" more often, and it's opened a new perspective on things I would've chickened out of 5 years ago.
I also realized it was the first time that I would be traveling alone and staying in a new place. I didn't have the comfort of knowing that I could lean on anyone. I was nervous but wanted to embrace that independent-explorer side of myself that I've been unintentionally building this year.
I knew that I would only really have one day to be a typical tourist and explore as much as I could before the festival started. And that I would only be able to do some random food trips and sight-seeing moments in between running back and forth film screenings or events.
After landing at midnight and re-couping my first stop in the early morning only made sense to be in Chinatown!
At 9AM in the morning, the dim sum better be fresh. I got some radish cakes and siu mai at Good Mong Kok Bakery. I've never seen dim sum sold by the pound, haha! It wasn't bad for a fast food kind of dim sum spot (nothing can compare to banquet hall dim sum though).
I walked around the area and this Chinatown is much more active than the one in LA. I honestly felt a wave of relief and happiness to be walking in this Chinatown because I heard my mother tongue and felt at home. From grannies buying groceries to teens ordering food - I didn't feel as anxious. Being me - I also bought too many buns for one person for breakfast. So I stowed them in my tote bag for tomorrow and sat down at AA Bakery & Cafe for some milk tea and an egg tart.
I've NEVER had this type of milk tea before. It was just like the Hong Kong milk tea I've seen online where it's actual brewed tea and evaporated milk (rather than the tea bag and heavy cream I have back in NYC). It was sooooo good, not to mention this white egg tart? (I've usually seen the yellow ones, but this is apparently only made of egg whites).
With my stomach happy - I was off to my next adventure!
I was humming with bliss and awe watching all these trolleys and trams passing on the street. (The rails on the ground and wires above also audibly buzz?! As a New Yorker, walking on the tracks felt like a 100% NOPE feeling).
Anyways, I took a bus across town to start my ambitious 4.5 mile hike from Ocean Beach to the Golden Gate Bridge!
The day started out really grey and overcast. But the fresh wind and pacific ocean smell were what I needed.
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The Sutro Baths
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| Lands End |
These trees were pretty cool, look at those tree tops! I can't get over how beautiful the ocean and forest look alongside each other.
I went through a few beaches, parks, and a culdesac in order to do the coastal trail. It took me up, down, and around hills - but damn - just look at the views!
The sun really came out for me in the last hour of my hike as I got closer to the bridge too.
I finished my 3-hour hike at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge and took a bus to the Fisherman's Wharf. I originally planned on walking there too, but I was too hungry.
And it only made sense to get clam chowder in a bread bowl at Boudin!
It was quite windy and chilly during my hike so a warm soup really hit the spot.
They had a part where you could watch the bakers work from above the kitchen. It smelled DIVINE. Plus they had these little baskets that moved fresh bread around the whole place so this is officially my dream place.
After a late lunch, I walked around the wharf a little and the famous old-timey arcade museum they have. I didn't spend much time there mostly because my backpack felt heavy and I wanted to relax at my hotel before the festival opening night.
I walked up Hyde Street to get to the famous curvy road of Lombard Street. And just going up Hyde Street itself was a workout. It's just a straight-up INCLINE all the way. Lombard Street was cool, a number of tourists. Was it worth it? Maybe not from the top... I couldn't even see the curve that much when I stood on a wall. I'm sure the view from the bottom is much better, but I was so tired just getting there that I was ready to leave, haha.
I ended up taking a trolley back to my hotel! There were already a lot of people so I couldn't stand on the side, but the experience itself was fun enough. It was interesting to see how the operators in the front and in the back had to work in tandem with how fast the trolley was going, and when it was to brake.
I had the chance to freshen up, eat something, and relax in my room before I headed for the opening night of CAAMFest. I took the train to the Castro Theater and that was my first FULL DAY in San Francisco!
I won't go too much into the festival - since I really want this post to be about the city itself.
But in between the rest of the days I was there, I got to hang out at Union Square a little bit. And became a local just taking all the buses, trolleys, trams, and trains around the city. (I wish New York's MTA was as efficient and clean, lol).
This pier and the ferry building reminded me of growing up around South Street Seaport. It was really nice getting to see what locals were up to on a Sunday afternoon there. I got a few loaves of bread at Acme Bakery.
Then I took a bus to see The Painted Ladies where I ate my bread before catching a movie, haha.
Some more food I had!
Popcorn chicken on rice with a Jasmine green tea from Quickly. The ones in my Chinatown closed down when I was younger and never saw them again. So I HAD TO go when I saw one in San Francisco. Their drinks are still around $4?! I haven't seen that low of a price in legit 10 years.
More of Chinatown <3
The Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Co.!
Despite being in a line full of tourists (a sign of it being overrated?), the cookies were pretty good! There was someone handing out flat French cookies while they were fresh and warm. I also bought a bag of flat cookies to bring home.
I'm so proud of myself for taking this trip. I had so much fun and was reminded to take breaks, breathe, and go do something new or fun. Or to just pause and take in the moments that make life enjoyable.
Like sitting on a bench with a hot drink and pastry. Or feeling the salty wind through your hair.
Until my next adventure, chat soon!
