Sunday, July 31, 2016

Life Lately - Summer Edition



This has been a summer of somewhat "firsts" - first time going to the San Francisco Opera, trying out Paniq Room (an escape room group game), sailing in San Francisco Bay, taking some new exercise classes, and spending a couple days in Bend, where I went stand-up paddle boarding on my own for the first time. I probably won't do most of these things frequently, but it was fun to give them a try.

I also hit up some area restaurants for the first time: Old Bus Tavern (new-ish gastropub in Bernal), Pampalasa (Filipino food in SoMa), and The Conservatory @ The Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay (we were going to hang outside on the terrace but the summer fog got the better of us). All were tasty and places that I'd been meaning to try for some time now... Pampalasa in particular for the link to my Filipino heritage and Old Bus for being written up all over local press. Both spots are undergoing changes but I hope they'll be area mainstays for a while.




On another note, this has been a crazy summer around the country and the world. Who knew US politics could get this crazy? Who knew hate and violence could spread around the world so fast with our technological advances? There have been times, watching the news, where I've felt helpless as to what's going on. But out of recent tragedies, and from watching the DNC speeches over the past week, I've also been more motivated to pay attention and be more participatory in our political system, and to encourage others to do so, so that our voices are heard and have an impact.

Finally, this month marks my four-year anniversary of living in San Francisco! I'm not sure I thought I'd be in the city this long. It is one more year than I lived in New York City (after college) and two more years than I lived in Washington, DC. In each city I've taken time to explore neighborhoods and see what they had to offer, but even after four years here, there are times when I still feel like a tourist in San Francisco. The city has the added bonus of being an easy home base for my West Coast adventures. It's so nice to be in a city that still makes nature and travel accessible. I suppose all of that is a part of what's kept me here for four years and counting.