My Birthday Trip to San Francisco.
Every year around my birthday, my parents are kind enough to sponsor a trip to San Francisco for my dad and I, because they know that that city is my favorite spot on Earth. Each winter, I eagerly anticipate the vacation, and every spring, I come back from the Bay Area full of energy and inspiration. This year was no different.
The voyage began when I got on the plane in Burbank, a peppy little Boeing 737-700 painted with the colorful livery of Southwest Airlines. After roughly an hour in the air, we were descending into paradise. As soon as I exited the puddle-jumper and walked onto the jetway in Oakland, I breathed a sigh of satisfaction, as I was going home.
From Oakland International, it was only roughly a half-an-hour BART ride under the bay until we entered the city of San Francisco. Once we dropped our bags off at the hotel, we decided to start the trip off strong by hiking up to the Coit Tower, which offers sweeping, panoramic views of the city and of the East Bay. Unfortunately, we discovered that the elevator in the Tower was closed, but this did nothing to dampen my spirits, because the beauty of San Francisco can be found on any street, and in any park, within the idyllic city.
The great skyscrapers of S.F. are a sight to behold, but the peninsula also boasts some of the best restaurants that one could ever frequent. Right after leaving Coit Tower, my dad and I headed down to Tony’s Pizza in Little Italy, which boasts the best cheese pizza slices I have ever tasted, outside of New York and Italy itself.
The next day, we met up at Golden Gate Park with my cousin Aaron, his significant other Candice, and my Aunt Lori and Uncle Alan. Our experience inside the Japanese Tea Garden there was so immersive that I felt that if someone had been blindfolded and driven there, once brought to their senses, they would mistakenly think that they had been transported to Japan itself. I additionally couldn’t help but notice that there is an abundance of running trails in the park, which I had read is even larger than Central Park in Manhattan.
The feeling I get when I enter San Francisco is almost impossible to describe. It is basically a sensation, which, this year, I experienced as soon as I got off the plane. While I was in the city, I felt physically healthier. When I got back, I suffered a phenomenon that I jokingly call “San Francisco Withdrawals.” I truly feel that it is exceedingly rare that one person can feel such a strong connection to a physical place. It is my ultimate dream to one day own property within the city.
If you have not experienced the phenomenon that is San Francisco for yourself, I would highly recommend giving the Bay Area a try. Like a casual smoker that sometimes cannot help but light up, I for some reason simply cannot stay away—and I truly feel that this phenomenon is not unique to myself. I am aware that any urban area has its benefits and drawbacks, but in my humble opinion, there just isn’t anything negative about San Francisco to be found.
My dad & I at the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park.