Let’s just say the the past week and a half have been “relatively busy”. You know, the kind of “relatively busy” that ends in a 14 hour slumber from 20.00 Friday to 10.30 Saturday, ^.^
아이고!
Thus, yesterday and today have been put to good use in relaxation, with this afternoon’s trek around the city a welcome break from office life and cooped up apartment living. Like most good stories, it started with food—pizza to be exact, at my favorite shop in San Francisco which just happens to be a breezy two blocks from my place! Cheese with jalapeño and an orange creme soda are enough to wipe away anyone’s worries.
Walking up 16th Street to Deja Vu Pizza.
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This is what I stared at for the 30 odd minutes that I used to slowly munch on my pizza. I’ll have to see if the sushi is really crazy at “Crazy Sushi”.
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Afterwards, I strolled to Dolores Park where the late indian summer was in full effect. The waft from a smoldering pot cloud danced through the air and a group of hipsters in their underwear held signs that read “No Pants!”, just another day in the Mission. Groups and couples littered nearly the entire park, their half-naked bodies resembling sea lions on a grassy beach.
The parking lot just behind the fields at Mission High School.
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Half way up Dolores. You can see the skyline in the distance and the massively wide open blue sky (not typical for here, at all).
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Shirts, totally optional.
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This is the view from the top, the one that is best enjoyed with a burrito in hand.
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From the top of Dolores you can take the J towards Market, and I decided that it would be a good chance to hop the N from there and get out towards the Sunset or Ocean Beach. Since the wait for the MUNI was a bit extended, I ended up hopping off around 7th to take my old strolling path through the Golden Gate Park from when I first moved to San Francisco in mid-2008. It lacked the nostalgia I was expecting, though the familiar sights did bring a smile to my face—augmented only slightly (haha) by 2NE1 on repeat in my headphones.
These are the J tracks that go to Market.
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A biker coming down past the Church and Duboce stop where I transferred from the J to the N-Judah.
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Here is a J making the turn onto tracks that take it down towards the Embarcadero, notice the wonderful mess of wires above.
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After 15 minutes the N came and I was off towards the beach.
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Once I hopped off the MUNI. I followed exactly as my memories told me to: Once you cross Lincoln, walk through the baseball fields, around the bathroom house and arrive at the Employee entrance to the Academy of Sciences, take a right and hoof it a hundred or so meters until you come across an unremarkable mulched path leading up towards the left. You’ll find yourself surrounded by trees, an unusual experience for even this city. Follow your sense towards the opposite side of the park, meandering through the various paths (some of which have since been paved) and out past the small garden where you were once startled by the shadows of imaginary figures walking through the mist given off by the sprinklers. Across the street is a paved area where roller bladers skate to Michael Jackson and hoola hoops are common place, or take a left and hang out between the De Young and front of the Academy of Sciences.
Grassy green fields mark the beginning of Golden Gate Park.
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The forbidden “Employees Only” entrance.
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The woods in the park are so quiet and refreshing.
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Once there, I couldn’t help but stop to dabble my feet in the cool water of the fountain pool. I’m quite certain I must’ve gathered quite a few stares as I bopped my head to music and splashed my feet like a high school girl—oh well!
The Academy of Sciences in the mid-ground and Sutro Tower in the background, the De Young is just behind me while two girls lay in the grass by themselves.
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Splish, splash!
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Wet feet.
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And then… dry feet!
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My exit strategy was less glamorous than my entrance, in fact, it was one of the routes I used to take from home to Albertson Design—the 5 to the 22 Fillmore, a 30 minute bus ride from the Inner Richmond back to the Mission. On the way I developed an annoying sense of responsiblity: that I should feed myself by going to the grocery store and cooking rather than resorting to another meal eaten out.
Though I got a healthy supply of food, I’ve somehow ended up eating ramyun and cheese covered popcorn from a bag… oops. I’m also mentally about as far away removed from work as I’ve been in quite a long time, so all in all, I’d consider today quite the success!
Crazy light causing the trees across the street from my apartment to glow.
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