Weekend in San Francisco!

So I had decided that before I moved south to San Diego I needed to get up north. Those of you from marching band know that Kenny Leftin works for Google and lives in San Francisco! Soooo the following is a summary of the crazy weekend we had. As with the road trip, please check out the full album on facebook if you like.

Since Google loves guests, I left Arroyo Grande early on Friday morning to meet Kenny at the Google campus for lunch. Google is probably one of the most incredible places I have ever been to. I was constantly asking Kenny how he ever got any work done. They have everything from a gym to volleyball courts, a pool, a ball pit, places to nap (appropriately called Nap Pods), and around 15 different cafes. The best thing about the food, other than that it is all organic and uber-healthy, is that it is all free! The only thing you ever have to pay for as a Googler, is the unhealthy candy, which is priced according to how unhealthy it actually is. What a novel idea! As such, there are very few fat people that work at Google. I have yet to find one.

After seeing and experiencing oh-so-much of the Google campus, I decided my favorite part was the free bicycles. Since there are some 12 different buildings throughout the whole campus, they have Google bicycles that you can take from one meeting to the next. The best part is you feel like a kid again because you have to pedal backwards to brake. This of course completely made my day.

After an exciting tour of Google, Kenny and I made our way back to the city so that we could get dinner and go out on the town. Before dinner he took me to his favorite places in the city. Here's some stuff we saw: First and foremost, the Full House houses!





We climbed 5 flights of these -->






to be able to see this: (that's Alcatraz in the distance, which I like to call Azkaban).

The Parthenon-esque Palace of Fine Arts:

And we ended on a beach to watch the sun set over the Golden Gate Bridge:

Friday night I also successfully parked on a hill in San Francisco. Don't forget to turn your wheels in!

Whew! And that's just Friday! I will try to keep the rest if the weekend a little shorter.

Saturday morning we made our way north-ish to Napa and Sonoma for wine country! On the way there I drove across the Golden Gate Bridge! Hooray! We hit 2 different wineries in Sonoma, where we not only got to taste wine, but also different cheeses and different olive oils! After two wineries I decided I had had enough and would not partake in too many more tastings, a decision which we later learn was a VERY good one. As this is wine season, downtown Sonoma was packed with craft fairs and things going on. We got to see the beginning of a grape-stomping contest. What a culture!

We also found a kitty at one of the wineries. Her name is Lola.

Anywho, we did about 5 in all, and then collectively decided we needed a break, so we went to a place called Lake Henessey to watch the sunset. After leaving Maryland I have come to realize that sunsets are some of the most beautiful and accessible things one can experience. They happen everywhere, without fail, they are ALWAYS calming and gorgeous, and they are always completely free of charge. What could be better? So here's some of that:




If you thought that was the end you are sorely mistaken! Mwahaha. After the sunset we made our way to downtown Napa for dinner. But not before I experienced my first ever sobriety check. Eeek! As this is wine season and it was a Saturday evening, they have random sobriety checks throughout northern California. Remember how I said it was a good decision to stop after that second winery? Let's just say I passed with flying colors.

So we ate dinner at a place called Ubuntu, a super expensive, uber- gourmet, vegan/ vegetarian place that blew my mind. One of those places that if you watch enough Top Chef, you know the names of the people that work there. Anyway, above is one of four dinner platters we ordered (this is also a double portion). Wow!

Following a very exhausting day full of vino, sunsets, and gourmet platters, we concluded with another night out in the city, and some very good beers.

Is she done rambling yet? Not quite people! We still have Sunday! Sunday morning Kenny had a show he had to play at in Oakland, so I followed around his friend Maura (who coincidentally went to Maryland as well) while she took me to some of her favorite spots. We rode the cable car to the top of Nob Hill, the highest point in San Francisco, and visited Grace Cathedral, the Episcopal Cathedral in the city. Go Espicopalians!



We then met up with Kenny after his show, went to another craft fair in the city, and spent the afternoon lounging in Dolores Park, right across the street from Kenny's new apartment. A gorgeous end to an amazing weekend.

All in all, I don't think I have ever had more fun in only 3 days time. It was certainly a weekend full of firsts: parking on a hill in San Francisco, driving across the Golden Gate Bridge, sobriety checkpoints, and so on! Lessons learned: Google should rule the world, driving stick in San Francisco must be the hardest thing in the world, and seeing other cities and other cultures is the greatest thing in the world!

I miss everyone sooooo much. For those of you that do read the blog, I am sending lots of love your way!

Love, Shub :)