Sitting on the dock of the bay
This weekend brings me to San Francisco, California. The timing of the weekend isn’t an accident as come Monday, I’ll be employed full time for three years. A far cry from the previous six years that were spent in the wilderness aka my house. I wanted to do something special to celebrate this achievement, even if it seems trivial in the grand scheme of things. But it almost didn’t happen as a stroke of luck was involved.
It’s not a secret but I have a bit more luck than average. I tend to enter contests quite frequently by email and on Facebook. Last May, Jet Blue Airlines ran a contest where the prize was one of 500 round trip flights. The name of the promotion was “Calling All Jet Blue Virgins”, and I’m not kidding. I entered as I often do, not expecting anything to come of it. So I was pleasantly surprised to see an email from the company running the promotion saying that I was one of the winners. I was given the choice of a round trip flight between NYC and either LA, SF or Long Beach. The choice of San Francisco was easy given that I travel around the city by mass transit.
The next challenge would be when to take the trip. At the time, I could only book for 2016. As much joy as the thought of celebrating 31 on the other side of the country was, I decided against that. The last thing I needed was to get reamed by my dad for skipping out on the “traditional” birthday dinner. Then, I went looking for a date in 2017 that no one at work had and didn’t fall on the long list of blackout dates presented to me. I came across the weekend of January 27th knowing that my work anniversary fell on the 30th and could make a long weekend of it. I’d been keeping my sister in the loop the whole time and she had been to California before, she wanted to join me. With that settled, I had the first major moment of the new year locked in.
And so, three months waiting had finally arrived. On Friday morning, we made our way to JFK Airport for a 9:30AM flight. My dad insisted on driving us there and it was nice of him to go out of his way to do that. With my boarding pass in hand, we arrived at terminal 5 and at that moment, I knew that it wasn’t a dream but a reality. 5 1/2 hours later, we arrived in San Francisco.
After a ride on the BART from SFO, we got off at Powell Street and arrived at the Hilton in Union Square. Our first day wasn’t so planned out so we began walking to the Ferry Building and marketplace. But the kicker is going outside. The views from the pier are breathtaking as you can look out to the East Bay bridge heading toward Oakland. And that view continues all the way down the piers until you reach Pier 39. In addition to the shops, the pier has sea lions living there at the very edge. Blessed with a gorgeous sunset, we would get our first looks at Alcatraz. That night, we would be back on the BART for dinner in the Mission district and the restaurant, Foreign Cinema and all the charm that came with it.
Saturday had a bit more of a plan to it. Our day began on a mad dash to get to Pier 33 aka the Alcatraz Landing. The tickets were booked for 9:10AM, we were cutting iit close as we missed the F bus coming from breakfast nearby. But we got there eventually. On the ferry, you can see the Golden Gate and East Bay bridges and on a clear day, the horizon was as deep blue as the eye could see. Upon arrival, you see the prison in all its imposing glory. The guide is narrated by a former officer and combined with the walk around, you feel immersed in the experience of being an inmate at the notorious prison. Our next stop brought us to another landmark that’s impossible to miss, the Golden Gate Bridge. We walked across it to the halfway point, go all the way and you’d find yourself in Sausalito county. The two things you notice are the unparalleled view of the bay and a stiff wind making it colder than you are on land. After brunch, we made our last planned stop, the DeYoung Museum. I couldn’t decide between this and SFMOMA but this wasn’t so expensive and we had the bonus of being in Golden Gate Park. To get to dinner we ended up having to go through Lombard Street and the hills that make up those blocks are really steep. After one hill, it was unanimously decided to abandon mass transit and Uber it the rest of the night.
Sunday was the day I personally looked forward to. We were taking a day trip out to wine country. From the hotel we met the charismatic Buddy from Great Pacific Tours and his van filled with ten people. And as a bonus, we got a city tour and dramatic hill top views leaving the city. We started out in Sonoma and went to two wineries, Jacuzzi Family Vineyards and Cline Wines across the street, tasting wine and admiring the beautiful vineyards. For lunch, we ended up in Napa before visiting domaine Chandon, the American outpost of the French champagne maker, Moet & Chandon. I was particularly excited for this stop as of all the types of wine, I love sparkling wine the most. It took all my fortitude to not buy multiple bottles of wines or at least one from each winery. If only it didn’t cost $25 for a checked bag, I would’ve brought my suitcase but I digress. As we left Napa, we passed Berkeley and Oakland, crossing the Bay Bridge gifted with a beautiful sunset. But not before Buddy gave us a coda moment, in the form of the Bay Area quadriga of song aka “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” by Tony Bennett, “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane, San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) by Scott McKenzie and the song this post is named after, Sitting on the Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding. It was the perfect end to a great day spent in good company, eating and drinking amidst the splendor of wine country.
As I’m writing this, I’m on my flight home to NYC. It was an early start as we checked out of the hotel early this morning and walked to Powell Street to catch the BART to the airport. I leave the Bay Area exhausted and exuberant. I had such a great weekend, I wish it didn’t have to end. San Francisco at its best and worst is still a beautiful place to be. I felt some of that list for life that’s missed working day to day come back to me. Such moments were a dream three years ago and I’m thankful to be where I’m at in life now, even if I don’t know where I’m ultimately going.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a special thank you to my sister Natalie. This trip was initially planned as a solo trip but as she loves California, I was more than happy to have her join me. It also didn’t hurt that she’d been to SF before. With her lay of the land and planning acumen, this weekend was that much more enjoyable. I need a role model to look up to as I’m nothing but flaws and I’ll always be thankful to have her in my life. Her enthusiasm spread to me and I’m happy to have it.
As I bid the emerald city farewell, I’ll hope to be back on the West coast in the not too distant future. But for now, its time to think of the main event, returning to Europe in the Fall. Unlike last Fall, I know where I want to go next. From the emerald city to the emerald isle, better known as Ireland!
