Tuesday, 9/20
- To pick up from where we left off, Simone picked us up at the
Emeryville station just across the bay bridge from San Francisco. We
were whisked straight away from coach class and delivered to
high-rollin' deluxe class. Our
accommodations were posh to say the least. We stayed with a friend of
Simone's, who hooked us up with a gorgeous house complete with bridge
and bay views. Check it.
We put our bags down, popped a bottle of bubbly, and watched the sun set over the Golden Gate and into the Pacific (see pic above). I was deeply exhausted from the lack of sleep on the train, not to mention deeply grimy from the lack of showers on the train, but despite all that we decided to wash up and head out for dinner. We went to a great place called Absinthe which, for all you Top Chef fans, is where Jamie Lauren used to cook before she moved to LA. I ordered a cocktail called "The Agent", spicy pork meatballs, and heirloom tomato gazpacho - all delish. The food, the booze and the laughter amongst old friends created the perfect storm of sleep-inducing goodness. We took a cab home and had a roller coaster of a ride, complete with several "woo!"s. That was my introduction to the crazy hills of San Francisco. Woo!
Wednesday, 9/21 - I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to explore. We decided to walk around different neighborhoods, do some shopping, check out some scenic viewpoints, and just do whatever came our way. One of the best things that came our way was PikaPika, a nothing-but-photobooths store in Japantown. Jackpot! We picked our booth, our backgrounds, our poses, and then got to decorate each photo with props. Have a look at the awesomeness that is PikaPika, and the awesomeness that is Sara, Simone and I. Take note of the little guy in the pink, in the lower left hand corner of the bathtub, as well as in several other pics. If this Girl's Weekend had a logo, it would be that little guy, and the motto would be: "Hey Girl."
These pictures are by far the best souvenir from the trip. So, after the hilarity that ensued as a result of these pics, I was high on silliness and friendship; I doubt there's a higher high. Maybe not a higher feeling, but there definitely exists a higher place: Twin Peaks. See below for breathtaking views of San Francisco, the infamous fog, and the waters that surround. Do you see the bridge popping out of the fog in the last pic?
After these pictures were taken and after a little more shopping, we headed home for cocktail hour with our gracious host, Stewart. It was my first cocktail hour with a venture capitalist, and I learned a great deal about the world of wealth and venture capitalists. I've always been drawn to that term not because it's associated with wealth but because the word "venture" sounds an awful lot like "adventure", and I'm all about having adventures. I could take or leave wealth, but I could not do without adventure. Anyway... I digress. After cocktail hour, we went out for sushi (by way of a failed attempt at Burmese food) with Simone's friend Franco. Again, the food was scrumptious, and we even got to listen to Journey on the drive home. After a few classic Journey tunes and the Night Ranger tune "Sister Christian" thrown in for good measure, I was ready to rest my weary head and call it a night.
Thursday, 9/22 - We woke up and decided to escape the fog and head to Marin county for the day. The fog followed us to Muir Beach, so we continued further onward to Muir Woods. We had stopped and picked up lunch along the way, and had the intention of picnicking in or around the park. Once we arrived, we realized that the parking lot was the best bet for a picnic (no picnics allowed within the actual park), so we set up shop atop a mound of hay in the parking lot and enjoyed our salads and Sofia Coppola bubbly cans.
Once inside the park, we were under the meditative spell of the redwoods. The woods were lovely, dark and deep, and left me feeling like I had their secrets to keep. Alright already, I'll share one secret: "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." ~ John Muir
After the woods, we drove through some quaint Marin towns and wound up at Scoop in Fairfax, where we indulged in freshly-made coconut, strawberry, lavender vanilla honey, and chocolate ice cream. I could have died a happy and fulfilled woman after my ice cream cone, but something told me there was even more delicious food to be had in my near future, so I held on, and forged ahead. Such a trooper I am.
On the way back into San Francisco, we made a quick stop at the Marin Headlands, which is another gorgeous overlook that offers spectacular views of the bridge and the city... or the fog. Because the Headlands sit right on the border between SF and Marin (basically on the fog-line), it offers a unique perspective on the interplay between the two different micro-climates. Look behind you and you see sunny blue skies; look ahead of you and you see a wall of white on the move. It's an excellent place to experience the fog not as something lurking in the distance but as something that is alive and active and in constant motion. I could literally see the fog swooshing over the hills and blanketing the bridge; there one minute and gone the next. And the wind- oh my goodness it was so incredibly windy! I thought my sunglasses were going to ripped from my face. Because of the fog, it was the first time I felt like I could see wind. Fascinating stuff.
After the Headlands, we crossed the bridge back into the city and slipped back into the fog. Later that night, we succeeded in our mission to have Burmese food at Burma Superstar. All I'm gonna says is this: pork belly. I'll also say this: food coma.
Friday, 9/23 - I forget to mention this above, but when we arrived at the house on Tuesday, there was a basket of goodies at the foot of our bed, courtesy of Simone. Inside the basket was an array of bath and shower goodies, including homemade lavender vanilla salt and sugar scrub, shampoo and conditioner, shower gel, body lotion, bath robes, cozy slippers, chocolate, and a little mini wallet/business card holder type thing. Inside the mini wallet/business card holder thing was... drumroll please ................................
............a gift certificate for a massage! Not a five minute massage, not a chair massage, but a full body, full hour massage. I felt like I had won the showcase showdown on The Price is Right! Seriously, what an incredible treat, especially after days of uncomfortable sleeping (or not sleeping) in a chair on the train.
So anyway, we woke up Friday morning and went to the spa for our appointments at 11:00am. I knew my body would be jacked from the train experience, but I didn't anticipate just how tight it was, or how difficult it would be for my body to release that tension. The massage felt pretty damn good; I could feel some of the tension in my upper back and shoulders melt away as my therapist worked it out. It wasn't until the post-massage lunch cocktails, however, that I truly felt all of the tension leave my body ;)
After the massage and the cocktails and the lunch (what a fabulous life!), we spent the rest of the day running some errands and taking care of loose ends. We wound up over at Simone's house that night for a cookout with Simon, Franco, and Franco's parents John and Sue, who were in visiting from New York. We wound up having way too much fun (shocking!) and could not drive ourselves back to the posh pad. So, we just kept on having fun until the wee hours. I think we got maybe 3 hours of sleep at Simone's before we had to return to the posh pad so I could pick up my bags and hop on my flight home.
Getting out of the car and saying goodbye to my best friends at the airport was hard. Not because I love them and didn't want to leave, but because we were all hungover and any type of movement hurt. I kid. It was hard because I love these two girls so much, and despite the number of years we've been apart and the number of miles between us, we always have a blast together. Always. We've grown from kids to adults- well, that's debatable, but we just fit perfectly together. So it's hard to walk away from that, not knowing when the next get together will be.
Also, boarding that plane and heading home signaled the end of this latest and greatest adventure. Travel changes you; it awakens you and opens new chambers within yourself that you never knew existed. I think the challenge, for me anyway, is fitting this new self and perspective into my existing world. Going back to work was the biggest challenge, by far. But it's okay, it's been a week and I'm starting to feel settled. Mostly though, I just feel so grateful that I had the opportunity to experience this adventure in the first place, especially with people whom I love. I can think of nothing better.
Thanks for reading these lengthy recaps, friends. If anything, I hope they've planted a seed for you :)
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