As I browse through Facebook and Pinterest and the like, I can’t help but become nostalgic for my time spent traveling the world – even if it was just across the country or up to New York City. Am I wrong in that discovering new things is one of the best feelings? I sure hope not, but that could just be the travel enthusiast in me.
One thing that caught my eye was Rick Steve’s Facebook page. I began to follow him about a month ago, and I have yet to be disappointed by one of his posts. Currently he’s on a cruise, sailing around the crystal blue waters of Denmark and Sweden. I might be just a bit jealous.
However, this allows me to reflect on the time I spent abroad, so I decided to present a few of my favorite places that I have visited on this earth in a series. First up is San Francisco, since it is the freshest in my memory.
This summer, as you may know from my post in July (which, by the way, I only fulfilled goal #5), I spent 40 hours a week interning at Burson-Marsteller, a global public relations agency, at their San Francisco office. Boy, was it an experience. I’ve been to San Francisco before, but there’s something about working in a city that brings out a new side to it. Here are the top things I adored about San Francisco:
- In the summer, it’s never humid and never scorching. Yes, that’s correct, there is such a thing as a non-humid summer Delawareans. I wore jeans and a cardigan (and sometimes a scarf) to work every day, and didn’t hate one minute of it. Each day was a high of about 65-70 degrees.
- There are a ton of different neighborhoods, all with their own culture. This is going to make my decision of where I want to live that much more difficult, because you have to try out a few different neighborhoods to really get the feel for what’s right for you. Hint: Do not live in the Tenderloin.
Neighborhoods of San Francisco.
- It’s close to everything. I lived in the East Bay, where my commute was about an hour from my doorstep to my desk in the city. Not bad at all for what seems like a completely different world from the city. San Francisco is also really close to Sacramento (the capital of California), Napa and Sonoma Valleys, Oakland, Sausalito and San Jose, just to name a few. Day or weekend trips are must when you live so close! We even went wine tasting a couple of times.
Wine tasting in Napa Valley.
- The tourist traps. Although native San Franciscans may say that they don’t like the tourist attractions, those are what really make San Francisco, San Francisco. You can take a ferry over to Alcatraz (okay, that might not be a favorite of the natives), eat clam chowder out of a bread bowl at Boudin (get a sandwich/salad combo the second time you go), or take a walk through Fisherman’s Wharf and eat chocolate at Ghiardelli Square or drink an irish coffee at the Buena Vista.
Long story short, this is just one of my favorite places. Where are some of your favorites?
Next week, I will take you to a city that was in the news a lot this summer, and last summer as well come to think of it. Where in the world?
–Chelsey Rodowicz
