Arrival

I thought it might be nice to cover my first few days here in the states. Unfortunately they're kinda blurry, and very much out of order (if you're a blog chronology nazi...) but I don't much care!

So Tina, Marcin and I spent the first few days rolling around SF doing touristy things, and generally wreaking havoc. Tina and Marcin are old friends. As far as I can tell, their friendship dynamic revolves around Marcin teasing Tina, and Tina just barely tolerating said teasing. Oh, and a mutual interest in fashion. The teasing part I can relate to. :)

So we spent ~3 days together. Marcin was stopping off in SF before heading home to Poland, and I was technically homeless. Thankfully, Tina's housemate had the good sense to escape for the weekend!

Commence Highlight Things!

So these are all over the place. They're there to remind you where you are, should you forget or wake up in a ditch. Americans seem nice enough, though - so I'll lay off. :)

So this flag was kinda near a bigger attraction:

Golden Gate Bridge

Thankfully walking across the bridge seems like a far less interesting adventure by about a 1/4 of the way across. More so when you factor in the return trip! It is however, big, iconic and red.

We also visited the north side and had a squiz from there. The bay is hard to describe. It's beautiful and crazy expansive... take a look on streetview. Also switch to map view to get a feel for the layout of SF and the bay. San Francisco itself is really only 11km x 11km.

Another view of the bridge...

Mill Valley Hike

 

 

We went for a hike (that's walking to you and me) starting in Mill Valley and heading up into the nearby hills. As you can see, the landscape is a mix of oddly bare exposed slopes, and trees that Australians only know from movies. And pubs. Someone thought it was a good idea to put a pub halfway along a treacherous, winding trail... And after stopping there for a beer on the way back, I have to admit, I'm starting to see the appeal.

And because walking wasn't hard enough (in my inappropriate footwear) we decided to run the last, downhill portion. After beer. Yeah... :)

Segway!

So Marcin and I did a tour where they take you around the city on Segways. I know what you're thinking; didn't the Segway inventor die in a Segway accident? In a word, yes. Shh. It was awesome fun and painfully touristy, but totally worth it. As vehicles are illegal on the footpaths (sidewalks) here in SF, we had to take these babies out on the open road! Yes sir, 9 newbies and a tour guide a silly procession does make. :)

We rode around the northern waterfront area of SF, learning about the history of the area while attempting to wear down the batteries of our Segways (something the tour guide assured us tomfoolery would achieve). Then the weather turned and we had to withstand freezing winds at ~10 degrees! I've never been colder.

The Segway is an amazing vehicle. But it's so silly and impractical you could never really bring yourself to use on in real life - just as a tourist for 90 minutes.

Do it if you ever get the chance!

In and Out Burger

This place is a Californian institution. They're fast food, but known for quality ingredients and crazy freshness; they don't have freezers on-site. They're also known for their tiny menu, and extensive secret menu. Ordering from the menu is for chumps. We opted for fancy bun-less burgers and milkshakes... so tasty!

That's it, Folks.
I'll leave you with a random photo of the Marina District, known for its hyper-posh white people. Also, SF has mad hills!

<3

Dan