Ewwww. I had a 7:00am flight out of Dulles International which meant a wake up of 4:00am. After checking my baggage and trusting my sweet ride (bicycle) to baggage workers, my parents saw me off through security. My 5 hr 45 minute flight went smoothly. I hadn't flown Virgin America before but it was swanky. There are t.v.'s in the headrests in front of you with movies, cable t.v., video games, and food. I played old school DOOM and watched CNN/MSNBC to stay awake. I wanted to sleep but every time I nodded off, my contacts dried up and I didn't want to b blind for my arrival in a new city. My neighbor with the window seat didn't offer me alcohol like the last flight I went on solo. We arrived at 9:45 am, pacific time.
I was very anxious all day. I was worried about the upcoming orientation and the skills assessment we would be put through. I didn't want to look bad in front of everyone or fail and get sent home, so those possibilities drove me nuts.
I waited an hour for my Ramada Limited shuttle to pick me up in front of San Francisco International Airport (SFO) after I had retrieved my bike. Something funny had happened at the baggage carousel actually. I had written fragile all over the cardboard box that held my bike, which I think attracts damage then it protects. As it came toward me on the machine, a young boy (about 3 years old) in front of me noticed my box, and began to pound his fists on it yelling, "Bam Bam Bam!" It was only funny after I found my bike intact.
Check in at my hotel wasn't until 3:oopm but I was able to get a room when I arrived at 11:00am. I took a breather and then returned to SFO to catch the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit)-basically a metro-to North San Francisco. I got off at the Civic Center on Market Street and was immediately shocked by how many homeless people I saw. I felt bad because I hadn't been exposed to that, not as I had in D.C. or NYC. I walked up Powell St. through Downtown, Chinatown, Nob Hill, and Russian Hill districts (no Castro st. today!). I saw the "crookedest street in the world" at Lombardo St. It was really curvy, but pretty and covered in flowers. The views were spectacular from atop San Francisco's steep streets, which were a pain to hike. SF isn't very tall, there aren't hardly any skyscrapers, but it is short and wide, densely packed into brown hills. Every building is an earthy tone, I saw a lot of stucco. I made it to Fisherman's Wharf and ate some delish crab at Fish Alley. I followed the Embracedero to Pier 39. I was kind of displeased as I found it to be really overly touristy place. There was nothing really San Francisco-y about it because all the restaurants and shops it had were chains or franchises that I had seen back east, nothing unique. It was cool to see Alcatraz from a distance although the tours had filled up in advance and I was not able to go.
I headed back south through North Beach and Telegraph Hill. I liked seeing Coit Tower and strolling Washington Square and Maritime Plaza. I continued through the Financial District to finish at Market street and catch the BART back to South San Fran.
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