LA to the Bay in One Day

At 1AM, I threw some clothes in my bag, took a quick shower, and hopped into my friend’s Volkswagen to head out to our friend’s graduation party in the Bay. This, to say the least, was one of my most spontaneous trips.

I love San Francisco. I love the rhythm, the culture, and the feeling of being in a slower-paced, laid back community. When we got to the City at 8AM, we had breakfast at a quaint yet flavorful restaurant, Sun Rise Restaurant. Their Sun Rise Eggs is just as sunny and delicious as the rest of the restaurant, which had faintly bright yellow walls that made me feel like I was in an episode of Jane the Virgin or in a Sandra Cisneros novel.

There was also a Philz Coffee across the street so we couldn’t resist grabbing a Iced Mint Mojito Coffee before starting the rest of our single day in San Francisco.

Dolores Park reminds me a lot of the parks in Madrid, Spain — expansive, yet homey and colorful. The empty green lawn soon filled with people visiting with their dogs. Many were relaxing on the grass, reading a book, and even drinking a beer in broad daylight. It felt so much like a community. 

Afterwards we headed to The Castro, the gay district in San Francisco, which was bursting with color as they prepared for the upcoming LGBT Pride Parade. We found a book store called Dog Eared, where we spent quite a bit of time roaming the book shelves and poring through the spines. I couldn't help but buy two books myself.

I can never seem to pass up the opportunity to go to the Bay area despite the 10 hour round trip drive from LA. But it is worth all that time. And if you’re thinking that a day trip to the Bay is impossible, think again — it’s not.