Written by Freya Waring, Exchange Student
I’ve been in San Francisco for almost two months now, and I think it is starting to feel like home. This is true in two senses of the word: firstly, I am comfortable in an easy, day-to-day routine, like putting on a second skin; secondly, this strange and beautiful city reminds me in so many ways of Sydney, Australia. Ocean breezes, parks filled with friends picnicking on sunny days, busy streets dotted with vintage markets, runners and cyclists everywhere…it’s strange to say I haven’t experienced much culture shock, but it’s true! If anything, I feel only cultural appreciation, cultural observation: it’s beautiful, and it’s ever-present – humming underneath the cafés and subway lines – for anyone and everyone that lives or visits here. I love this city. It’s true, I love it here.
I hope everyone is able to see the magic I see within San Francisco. But I know how hard it can be to settle in. My first couple of weeks were fraught with public transport misadventures, incorrect weather planning, moving chaos and the occasional burst of homesickness. So, without further ado, here is my non-exhaustive list of my favorite things about this city:
1. The Bay: The connective tissue of this community – so quintessential it’s almost inescapable – every resident from Berkeley to Daly City to San Jose is united by collective proximity to this beautiful, sparkling grey body of water. And what a bay it is! It’s as chilly in summer as Sydney’s coldest currents, but I can’t stop myself from spending every spare second on the coast. Dipping my toes in at Baker Beach, cycling along the Marina, watching the sea lions at Fisherman’s wharf…I find it nothing short of magical. Best of all, it’s just like home; Sydney too is split down the middle by a harbor full of ferries and islands teeming with military history. It’s something that you don’t notice how much you love it until it’s gone, so I’m glad I never have to say goodbye to the views and the natural weather patterns and the constant desire to swim.
2. The Free Events: I have been, and continue to be, lucky enough to wander San Francisco during the Summer of Music series, when every street corner is electrified by another musician strumming a guitar or singing jazz to a small crowd of passersby. This is the very tip of the iceberg when it comes to free events. On Sundays a local street is shut off to cars and becomes a farmers’ market. On Saturdays I see a constant stream of vintage markets in parking lots and outside dining areas. Yesterday, I wandered a mile of Haight Street teeming with artist’s stalls and skaters showing off their tricks on a makeshift park, two live bands capping off the street fair at each end. Soon, I will see Patti Smith and Cat Power for free at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, a weekend of free live music all across Golden Gate Park. San Francisco is prohibitively expensive at times – no one can deny that – but I love the many, many free events hiding just beneath the surface.
3. Mission Street Burritos: Need I say more? My favorite is the carne asada super burrito; find any taqueria in The Mission and for less than fifteen dollars you will experience the best meal of your life, rich with tender steak, creamy guacamole and fresh sour cream on a bed of intricately flavorful rice and beans. Horchatas are also a completely new experience – sweet, cold cinnamon rice milk – that is now my regular sustenance anytime the sun comes out.
4. Home: I made the brave choice to live off campus and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I live in a beautiful WWI-era mansion in the Presidio, shared with seven other people and a German Shepherd that loves to rest her head on your lap and beg for your dinner. I wake up in the foggy mornings to views of the Golden Gate Bridge. I take walks down to Crissy Field to use the climbing gym. I am constantly sunbathing and reading book after book by the lookouts and crumbling wartime forts. Though I have heard campus is a bustling hub of social activity just a Muni ride away from the city center, I couldn’t be more thrilled with the options all around the city.
5. The Fog: In one of my classes, I was asked to introduce myself by telling everyone something that inspired me within the city. I said, most of all, it was the fog. Eerie at times, late at night when a flashlight beam only illuminates the cloud in front of you. Capable of ruining plans to watch the sunset over the bridge when, sitting just a few hundred feet from the base, there is nothing but white around you. But I’ve never seen anything quite so mystical. I love leaving the house dotted with droplets of water or sitting in the sun at Mission Dolores watching the clouds creep over the hills. As far as I can tell, it’s completely unique to San Francisco, and I couldn’t be more entranced by it.
6. The Walks: I have been a city girl all my life, but I have a soft spot for a good hike. I feel stifled in big cities, surrounded by buildings on all sides and searching for the occasional patch of green. San Francisco is like a city on easy mode; the Presidio, Golden Gate Park, Twin Peaks, Buena Vista Park and Marin Headlands – which you can bus to easily just across the Golden Gate Bridge – satiate my deepest urges for peace and quiet. Best of all, they’re all readily accessible on public transport, which is perfect for me because I do not have a car and do not have the courage to drive on the right side of the road. As an exchange student, sometimes the best sights feel inaccessible without a car or a friend who can drive you, but so far, I haven’t had that issue here.
Two months here, and I am already singing this city’s praises. Four months more, and I think I may be trialing a future here. There is so much to love in this strange, chilly peninsula: so many restaurants and bars left unexplored, so many shows to enjoy, so many hikes to complete, so much to taste and touch and see and laugh about until my sides hurt.