Bay Area Buzz Pt. 1

Northern California—what a special place. It felt so good to be there. My friends Mark and Meri were wonderful hosts and tour guides. They truly love the Bay Area and therefore love to show it off.

My first request was to go to Japantown, one of my favorite things to do in San Fran. If I lived here I would buy all of my house supplies at the Japanese dollar store! One place that was new since my last time here was a modern Tokyo style “mall” called New People. The boutiques included Lolita clothing, tabi shoes, $200 hamburger rings, and all things “kawaii” (cute). Only in Japan…or…only in Japantown, San Francisco.

In Japan (town)

High end burger jewelry

We spent the rest of the day exploring some cool neighborhoods like the Richmond and the Mission, mosing into resale stores, boutiques, and cafes. I mentioned that I wanted to explore more of the East Bay so my tour guides took me to the Rockridge neighborhood in Oakland (a nice part of Oakland!) and the city of Piedmont. I really liked the vibe of these areas which had a “town” feel but were within ½ train ride to the city. Being that I want to get away from city life but still have access to it, these areas really appealed to me. Hmm, I thought, I could definitely live here.

That night I went to a milonga (tango dance event) in Oakland at The Beat. I had been told that San Francisco had a great scene with great dancers so I was feeling intimidated before I even began. Especially since I was not at my best in Albuquerque. I decided to wear practice sneakers instead of heels so I could feel extra stable. I ended up dancing quite to my liking, and was asked to dance so much that I barely got a chance to breathe! A nice, warm, friendly welcome—or should I say embrace—from the SF Bay Area tango community.

The next day was we ate another awesome brunch (Mark and Meri took me to many,

Over the Bay

many delicious restaurants) and explored Berkeley and Berkley Hills by car. I ooh-ed and ahh-ed at the beautiful million dollar homes, the trees, and the gorgeous view of the Bay. I fell even more in love with the wonders of this area.

In preparation for my Green Tortoise trip I spent that night at the Green Tortoise hostel. After having spent time staying with friends, finding myself in the top bunk of a hostel room with 5 other strangers was disorienting. Music blasted from the neighboring bars and strip clubs and I thought to myself, I’m too old for this. I put in my earplugs and went to sleep.

Alas, hostels offer the unique opportunity to meet some interesting international travelers. The next morning I ate breakfast in the communal dining room and met a German girl who was biking her way around the U.S. on her own. This was one of the many bike tours she had done around the world. I love meeting adventurous women like this. I like knowing that women do this kind of stuff. It opens my mind to what’s possible.

Japanese Tea Garden

After breakfast I set off to explore Golden Gate Park. It was cold and overcast and that old bay fog made it cold as usual. But that didn’t make it any less beautiful. Eventually the sun graced me with its presence, making the park glow even brighter. This is how I like my parks: magnificent.  I hung out in the beautiful Japanese Tea Garden for a while, writing in my journal as I sipped my tea and ate a Japanese desert.

On my way back to the hostel I walked through the legendary bohemian district of the Haight-Ashbury and found various clothing treasures at some resale shops. Yes, I would now have to carry gold heels in my bag to Yosemite, but these are the sacrifices we make for the sake of fashion.

Next up: Yosemite National Park.