Arriving in Oakland was a major relief this afternoon. After sleeping through a buzzing alarm, slicing my thumb open, and almost forgetting my luggage it was going to be a miracle if I got to California with no major mishaps. Sure enough it was about 12:30 in the early afternoon when I began to drag my 49lbs of luggage to our bus parked on the street nearby the Oakland Airport. We drove through the city as I gazed out the window admiring the busy streets, honking cars, fast moving people, and beautiful landscape. Wes occasionally tossed in some insightful facts about where we were but at this point we were all starving and too anxious to pay any meaningful attention. We crossed the massive and somewhat overwhelming Bay Bridge, passing into that far side right lane made me a little nervous but the view distracted me until we had passed by completely. The hotel ended up being a cookie cutter Holiday Inn Express that typically has few differences compared to the one in Carmel, Indiana, other than the fact that this one is walking distance from delicious locally grown and bought cuisines, historical neighborhoods that home the beginnings of major American movements, and gorgeous scenery well beyond cornfields and flat plains that make up my daily surroundings. I was ecstatic about being here and as tired as I was I couldn’t wait to get out and about and experience what I had been looking forward to for these past few months.
Addressing the distracting hunger we all were feeling we walked to Fisherman’s Wharf for lunch to find what I hear is delicious fresh and unforgettable seafood. On our way there were many little stores filled with cheesy souvenirs, picture perfect posters, and many people walking around with disposable cameras and fanny packs. It felt very touristy, but soon enough I was to see what all the commotion was about. Turning the corner you could smell the fresh seafood simmering. Crab sandwiches, shrimp cocktail, and clam chowder soup caused clustered sidewalks swarming of hungry people. The smell of family owned crab stands filled my nose, nervously I tried to avoid it. Sometimes being extremely allergic to shellfish sucks! I walked across the street to the sound of a guitar strumming along with a raspy voice accompanying it. A crowd of people sat devouring their lunch enjoying the live music. Before I could even find a seat Amy was dancing around with a couple of middle-aged Hispanic women, in the midst of completely embarrassing herself, she was having the time of her life! After everyone inhaled their food we left Fisherman’s Wharf to go buy Muni passes, the most common source of public transportation here in San Francisco. I might add… public transportation is quite the interesting experience! We drove to the base of the famous Golden Gate Bridge. Leading to the sidewalks bordering both opposite sides of the bridge are beautiful gardens I’m not really sure what flowers are growing there but the scent of them is unforgettable. The view was beautiful once we reached the middle point of the bridge, surfers floated in the water underneath us and busy cars raced past as we took photographs of each other. After seeing one of the most famous bridges in the world we split into our assigned groups and visited different parts of San Francisco. Ms. Grunat took my group to a neighborhood called North Beach where little quaint Italian bakeries and small coffee shops line the streets. We also visited City Lights bookstore, owned by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti. The shelves are full of both popular literature but also City Lights has a large section of their store dedicated to beat poetry. After perusing the selection of books we decided to look for some famous Italian gelato as a treat before dinner. The most common flavor of the group, mocha, probably for that extra kick of caffeine! I had a small cup of vanilla bean as we walked back to the hotel for dinner. After delicious pizza and the Colts big win we headed off to bed for some much needed Zzzz’s!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Jan. 17th
After a long first day, walking through a rainy farmers market and muddy national park wasn’t exactly my idea of a great idea. My solution… the rain will subside, we can go do the outside activities then. Come to find out, the rain had no plan of stopping any time soon and ultimately I didn’t really need it to. I ended up truly enjoying both The Marine County Farmers Market and our hike through Muir Woods even with wet sticky jeans and damp feet.
Stepping out of the cozy warm bus into the clammy drizzle sounded pretty miserable but after meeting Jackie from Clucky Plucky Poultry, my wet socks and dripping ponytail kind of faded from my mind. Jackie and her husband own and operate Barrett Farms located in Lake County, California. They have dedicated their lives to raising certified organic chickens and hens to provide both Clucky Plucky Poultry and By Cracky Its Jackies Farm Fresh Eggs. They not only raise their animals themselves but their entire processing and packaging procedures are completed on their farm as well. Jackie’s stand had pictures of her farm, animals, machinery, and also her hard working husband on display to assure her customers Clucky Plucky Farms stands behind the claim they promote. It was definitely a refreshing idea after watching both Fresh and Food inc. earlier this month.
This was my first time at a legitimate farmers market and I was shocked at what variety the farmers were able to offer. The booths housed things from fresh eggs, to fruits I couldn’t pronounce, warm pastries, lavender eye masks and food from countries I most likely would have never been able to try. I had a delicious tart from an Afghan booth. I tried a blood orange and some Indian curry paste on a piece of spinach filled naan. It was weird to think I have been alive and eating for over eighteen years and I just in this hour and half I was exposed to probably fifty different foods I had never even heard of.
After gathering a random assortment of food for lunch later, we headed off to Muir Woods for our afternoon hike. The weather was damp and foggy but it made the gigantic redwoods feel even more mystical. The trees were enormous and the branches at the top provided a good deal of protection from the rain. It was hard to look around as you were walking because of the roots on the ground so we stopped about every 30 minutes to grab some water and notice the beautiful surroundings more deliberately. During one of our brief breaks David, Ms. Grunat’s son spotted a adult cougar about 45 feet away from the group sitting on an upcoming bridge crossing. Before the rest of the group could see, the cougar darted away up into the trees, but I was able to catch a glimpse of its long deep black tail. From then on I made sure I was walking in the middle of the group! We stopped for a short lunch on the summit of the mountain, I had a fresh pink lady apple, a blood orange, and some naan with roasted tomato paste, it was delicious!
Rain pouring down and everything this morning was definitely a highlight so far! I was inspired by the passion the farmers showed for their food and also by the distinct taste difference I felt at the Marine Farmers Market. I couldn’t have imagined a better place than the historical site of the beautiful redwoods to have my tasty lunch. Morning number two was a definite success!
Stepping out of the cozy warm bus into the clammy drizzle sounded pretty miserable but after meeting Jackie from Clucky Plucky Poultry, my wet socks and dripping ponytail kind of faded from my mind. Jackie and her husband own and operate Barrett Farms located in Lake County, California. They have dedicated their lives to raising certified organic chickens and hens to provide both Clucky Plucky Poultry and By Cracky Its Jackies Farm Fresh Eggs. They not only raise their animals themselves but their entire processing and packaging procedures are completed on their farm as well. Jackie’s stand had pictures of her farm, animals, machinery, and also her hard working husband on display to assure her customers Clucky Plucky Farms stands behind the claim they promote. It was definitely a refreshing idea after watching both Fresh and Food inc. earlier this month.
This was my first time at a legitimate farmers market and I was shocked at what variety the farmers were able to offer. The booths housed things from fresh eggs, to fruits I couldn’t pronounce, warm pastries, lavender eye masks and food from countries I most likely would have never been able to try. I had a delicious tart from an Afghan booth. I tried a blood orange and some Indian curry paste on a piece of spinach filled naan. It was weird to think I have been alive and eating for over eighteen years and I just in this hour and half I was exposed to probably fifty different foods I had never even heard of.
After gathering a random assortment of food for lunch later, we headed off to Muir Woods for our afternoon hike. The weather was damp and foggy but it made the gigantic redwoods feel even more mystical. The trees were enormous and the branches at the top provided a good deal of protection from the rain. It was hard to look around as you were walking because of the roots on the ground so we stopped about every 30 minutes to grab some water and notice the beautiful surroundings more deliberately. During one of our brief breaks David, Ms. Grunat’s son spotted a adult cougar about 45 feet away from the group sitting on an upcoming bridge crossing. Before the rest of the group could see, the cougar darted away up into the trees, but I was able to catch a glimpse of its long deep black tail. From then on I made sure I was walking in the middle of the group! We stopped for a short lunch on the summit of the mountain, I had a fresh pink lady apple, a blood orange, and some naan with roasted tomato paste, it was delicious!
Rain pouring down and everything this morning was definitely a highlight so far! I was inspired by the passion the farmers showed for their food and also by the distinct taste difference I felt at the Marine Farmers Market. I couldn’t have imagined a better place than the historical site of the beautiful redwoods to have my tasty lunch. Morning number two was a definite success!
Jan. 18th
Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Day had arrived and in honor of his legacy in service we visited the Presidio to volunteer our morning. We woke up early once again to a rainy day. The bus dropped us off near the Presidio and we hike up the hill to meet the Presidio Trust staff members. Including our group of 21, there were about 85 volunteers total, which seemed like a large number considering the weather conditions. The staff provided us with much needed rain gear. After getting dressed we either looked like giant bananas or smurfs, but the outfits added to the humor of the day. Hardhats and safety goggles in stow we divided into two groups and started working. Ivy had overgrown and killed the trees in this area, it was my group’s job to pull of the ivy and collect the brush so that the garden could be used as a place for inner city kids to experience the wilderness. Sounds easy but add in about a dozen stairs with water flowing down them like a waterfall and then try carrying huge rooted logs from the ground up those steps, lets just say that was my workout for the day! Two hours later with mud caked to my face and sopping wet shoes we had filled around 5 truckloads of brush! It was kind of a kumbaya moment, at least for myself.
We warmed back up in the building and shared with the other volunteers what we had accomplished. I was proud of our group and it felt good to know that a bunch of teenage kids from the Midwest had actually contributed something to a greater cause. Volunteering at the Presidio was a great way to spend the national day of service and truthfully I had a lot of fun doing it!
That same night my group visited Coit tower located on top of Telegraph Hill. It was a present to the city of San Francisco from a woman by the name of Lillie Hitchcock Coit. Rumors suggest the tower was given in honor of Ms. Coit’s fascination with firemen, but lets just say it was a fire hose instead. It was beginning to get dark when we were up there and the lights of the city were absolutely beautiful. We walked back into North Beach for a delicious Italian meal in a cozy restaurant right off of Stockton Street. I had spinach gnocchi it was delicious. I told myself, along with Wes’s encouragement, to try something new at every meal.
The night ended with a casual stroll down Grant Street through the largest China town in the entire country. It is odd to think that such a large group of Americans are able to function and be successful without knowing a single word of English but after walking through China Town it is apparent how easily achievable that could be. Ms. Grunat shared stories with us periodically the entire night about her son’s experiences living here in San Francisco and by the end of the night I was ready to leave suburban Indianapolis for good, the brief passing through Union Square didn’t make it any more difficult!
We warmed back up in the building and shared with the other volunteers what we had accomplished. I was proud of our group and it felt good to know that a bunch of teenage kids from the Midwest had actually contributed something to a greater cause. Volunteering at the Presidio was a great way to spend the national day of service and truthfully I had a lot of fun doing it!
That same night my group visited Coit tower located on top of Telegraph Hill. It was a present to the city of San Francisco from a woman by the name of Lillie Hitchcock Coit. Rumors suggest the tower was given in honor of Ms. Coit’s fascination with firemen, but lets just say it was a fire hose instead. It was beginning to get dark when we were up there and the lights of the city were absolutely beautiful. We walked back into North Beach for a delicious Italian meal in a cozy restaurant right off of Stockton Street. I had spinach gnocchi it was delicious. I told myself, along with Wes’s encouragement, to try something new at every meal.
The night ended with a casual stroll down Grant Street through the largest China town in the entire country. It is odd to think that such a large group of Americans are able to function and be successful without knowing a single word of English but after walking through China Town it is apparent how easily achievable that could be. Ms. Grunat shared stories with us periodically the entire night about her son’s experiences living here in San Francisco and by the end of the night I was ready to leave suburban Indianapolis for good, the brief passing through Union Square didn’t make it any more difficult!
Jan. 19th
It was already Tuesday and we were off again early to Monterey. The weather started to clear up and we were able to get in about 3 or 4 hours of blue skies. The aquarium was full of obnoxious screaming second graders but after breaking into smaller groups we were able to escape their chaos and experience the amazing sea life the aquarium had to offer. I got to hold a starfish and ouch a bunch of other small sized sea animals. The Monterey Aquarium is considered one of the best in the world and after only a few minutes it was easy to see why. They had incredible tanks that allowed the different creatures to interact in ways identical to actual ocean life. We watched a tuna feeding and also a sea lion training session. The jellyfish exhibit was by far my favorite. There were about 8 different kinds of jellyfish all that appeared distinctly different and beautiful. Our visit at the aquarium was great but I was anxious to walk around Cannery Row, not only so I could compare it to my experience with the John Steinbeck’s novel but also just to be outside during the nice weather. About a dozen of us indulged in a giant slice of pizza for lunch as we strolled the streets passing by shops very similar to the ones referenced in Cannery Row.
After lunch we headed to the bus to drive toward Point Lobos. I had heard it was beautiful but little did I know how stunned I would actually be. As quickly as I could climb out of the bus I was amazed at the scenery! It was breathtaking and I had never seen anything like it before. We hiked parts of the Point Lobos State Reserve for about an hour and a half and I will never forget the sight that surrounded us. This part of California where the land meets the water is considered the best of the best within all of California’s natural parks system. We watched barking baby seals float on their backs with their little noses poking through the surface of the water only about 30 feet from the shore where we were standing. We were able to climb some small rocks to get a better view of the massive waves rolling in. The weather was perfect, sunny and not too chilly either! Point Lobos was absolutely breathtaking and our walk was a great way to relax before dinner.
Tonight’s dinner was at a little tavern called Duartes. It was a bit nerve-racking getting there, the winding roads through the mountainside and the broken down building didn’t feel so promising, but once we got inside the place felt cozy and smelled wonderful. At Duartes they buy all their food from local farms in the surrounding area, so I was excited to see if I tasted the same difference that I had remembered from the Marine Market. I had a fresh garden salad, chicken cordon bleu with chard and potatoes, and a couple of us shared the oliaberry pie, I can’t remember exactly but I think the berry is a mix between a raspberry and boysenberry. My salad delicious, and surprisingly I liked the swiss chard, which wasn’t exactly a favorite of the group. The berry pie was a little sour but still good for an after dinner sweet. I wasn’t so fond of the chicken wrapped in ham, a little too much meat for my liking. Nevertheless we had a great time laughing silently so that Wes wouldn’t get mad at us.
Today was wonderful! The sea life at Monterey was outstanding and the exhibits were designed so close to the real oceanic life that I almost felt like I was scuba diving off the cost of California. The sunny warm weather made Point Lobos even more beautiful and dinner was enjoyable even though Wes was a little grumpy!
After lunch we headed to the bus to drive toward Point Lobos. I had heard it was beautiful but little did I know how stunned I would actually be. As quickly as I could climb out of the bus I was amazed at the scenery! It was breathtaking and I had never seen anything like it before. We hiked parts of the Point Lobos State Reserve for about an hour and a half and I will never forget the sight that surrounded us. This part of California where the land meets the water is considered the best of the best within all of California’s natural parks system. We watched barking baby seals float on their backs with their little noses poking through the surface of the water only about 30 feet from the shore where we were standing. We were able to climb some small rocks to get a better view of the massive waves rolling in. The weather was perfect, sunny and not too chilly either! Point Lobos was absolutely breathtaking and our walk was a great way to relax before dinner.
Tonight’s dinner was at a little tavern called Duartes. It was a bit nerve-racking getting there, the winding roads through the mountainside and the broken down building didn’t feel so promising, but once we got inside the place felt cozy and smelled wonderful. At Duartes they buy all their food from local farms in the surrounding area, so I was excited to see if I tasted the same difference that I had remembered from the Marine Market. I had a fresh garden salad, chicken cordon bleu with chard and potatoes, and a couple of us shared the oliaberry pie, I can’t remember exactly but I think the berry is a mix between a raspberry and boysenberry. My salad delicious, and surprisingly I liked the swiss chard, which wasn’t exactly a favorite of the group. The berry pie was a little sour but still good for an after dinner sweet. I wasn’t so fond of the chicken wrapped in ham, a little too much meat for my liking. Nevertheless we had a great time laughing silently so that Wes wouldn’t get mad at us.
Today was wonderful! The sea life at Monterey was outstanding and the exhibits were designed so close to the real oceanic life that I almost felt like I was scuba diving off the cost of California. The sunny warm weather made Point Lobos even more beautiful and dinner was enjoyable even though Wes was a little grumpy!
Jan. 20th
The trip is getting close to being over and the rain still isn’t giving up like we had hoped for. Instead of doing a walking tour through some of the San Franciscan neighborhoods we decided shopping in Union Square for the morning would be more enjoyable. After having breakfast at the hotel we loaded up on the bus and headed toward shopping mania. I had never seen so many stores in my life. Three stories of The North Face, five stories of Niketown, four of Urban Outfitters, and the list could go on and on. It was overwhelming to say the least. We had lunch in the food court considering it didn’t involve us having to brave the downpour. I had a giant burrito filled with veggies and black beans while some of my friends had sausage sandwiches and grilled paninis. Compared to the fresh food we have been eating the last few days the food court wasn’t amazing but I enjoyed being inside and having lunch with my friends.
After Union Square we headed toward Haight Ashbury for our tour. I hadn’t heard much about our tour guide other than the fact that she was quite the character. After meeting Eizu, formerly Suzie, “quite the character” was a huge understatement. The rain had died down a bit we were standing outside a brightly painted townhouse as Icco, Eizu’s knight in shining amour, pushed her in her 45lb wheelchair up the hill. She ecstatically introduced herself and welcomed us into the 60’s hippie psychedelic museum. As hot tea simmered in the kitchen we sat listening to Eizu’s stories about her days as a dead head. Well actually, she still is a dead head! The house had dozens of old pictures of music icons. She shared firsthand memories of the Summer of Love and Woodstock. It was obvious that she had a true passion for the hippie way of life and I don’t think any other explanation of this time period would do it any amount of justice.
We walked through Haight Ashbury with Eizu pointing out famous singer’s houses, memorable street signs, and “totally cool” clothing shops. I would have never imagined myself being so intrigued by such a hippie but her love for the music and culture of this neighborhood was almost contagious. She could answer almost every question and add in about five extra minutes of details that some probably didn’t need to know! She was a phenomenal speaker and storyteller and I had a blast during my time in the Haight. After leaving Eizu we visited Amoeba records and shopped around the neighborhood for a while until we headed off to dinner. The rain had slowed down to a slight drizzle during our tour but as we got off the bus to eat dinner at the infamous Burger Meister it felt more like a rainstorm. After multiple wrong turns we finally found the small burger joint and I had a delicious cheeseburger with fries.
Today was more casual and less structured than most of the other days but after almost a week of non-stop going it felt good to just walk around together in the city. The Haight was beyond my expectations and I couldn’t have dreamed up a better tour guide than Eizu for our time in Haight Ashbury. After all the fresh food and healthy nutritious meals it honestly felt nice to have a fatty cheeseburger and french-fries.
After Union Square we headed toward Haight Ashbury for our tour. I hadn’t heard much about our tour guide other than the fact that she was quite the character. After meeting Eizu, formerly Suzie, “quite the character” was a huge understatement. The rain had died down a bit we were standing outside a brightly painted townhouse as Icco, Eizu’s knight in shining amour, pushed her in her 45lb wheelchair up the hill. She ecstatically introduced herself and welcomed us into the 60’s hippie psychedelic museum. As hot tea simmered in the kitchen we sat listening to Eizu’s stories about her days as a dead head. Well actually, she still is a dead head! The house had dozens of old pictures of music icons. She shared firsthand memories of the Summer of Love and Woodstock. It was obvious that she had a true passion for the hippie way of life and I don’t think any other explanation of this time period would do it any amount of justice.
We walked through Haight Ashbury with Eizu pointing out famous singer’s houses, memorable street signs, and “totally cool” clothing shops. I would have never imagined myself being so intrigued by such a hippie but her love for the music and culture of this neighborhood was almost contagious. She could answer almost every question and add in about five extra minutes of details that some probably didn’t need to know! She was a phenomenal speaker and storyteller and I had a blast during my time in the Haight. After leaving Eizu we visited Amoeba records and shopped around the neighborhood for a while until we headed off to dinner. The rain had slowed down to a slight drizzle during our tour but as we got off the bus to eat dinner at the infamous Burger Meister it felt more like a rainstorm. After multiple wrong turns we finally found the small burger joint and I had a delicious cheeseburger with fries.
Today was more casual and less structured than most of the other days but after almost a week of non-stop going it felt good to just walk around together in the city. The Haight was beyond my expectations and I couldn’t have dreamed up a better tour guide than Eizu for our time in Haight Ashbury. After all the fresh food and healthy nutritious meals it honestly felt nice to have a fatty cheeseburger and french-fries.
Jan. 21st
The last day of our trip had sadly arrived; the past five days had passed by like a whirlwind and it was crazy to think that today was our last day in San Francisco. On the schedule for today… Berkeley, Chez Penisse, City Hall, and China Town for dinner. Yes, all of that in one single rainy day. It was going to be a long and most likely wet one, but I was excited!
We took the Bart across the bay and arrived at Berkeley early that afternoon. It was raining again so jackets and umbrellas out we walked across campus and divided into groups to explore one of the most prestigious and large public schools in the nation. My group spent the first half hour in the bookstore hoping for the rain to die out. But as we thought it wasn’t going to anytime soon. We walked across campus to Moe’s Bookstore. It was huge! Four stories of books and I had no idea where to begin. After perusing their selection we stopped for some warm coffee and hot chocolate at a small little café next-door. The campus didn’t feel much different than some of the neighborhoods we had been visiting other than the fact that the majority of people walking by were students carrying oversized backpacks.
Near Berkeley we had lunch at the famous Chez Panisse restaurant. The restaurant manager gave us both a tour and history of Chez Panisse. They source all of their food locally and also are strong supporters of urban gardening. They have created a garden outside a near by middle schools on vacant lot. The garden not only is farmed and maintained by students, the students also eat and use this food as an integrated part of their education. The ideas presented at Chez Panisse were very familiar after listening to Amanda Bird speak about the schoolyard gardens she instituted at her preschool in Indianapolis. The tour through the kitchen was pretty cool. It was fast moving and busy, lots of people working, and tons of delicious food being prepared. I even saw a whole pig hanging in the meat room, king of disgusting, but it also assured me that their meat was fresh and minimally processed, which has become important to me lately.
. Lunch was fabulous I had some delicious ravioli and an apple tart that I was able to see being made during the tour. It was such a privilege to eat at this restaurant and I tired to savor every bite of my meal because of it.
After lunch we had another once in a lifetime opportunity. We got a tour of City Hall in San Francisco and also a meeting with Mayor Newsome’s leading policy advisor. The building contained so much history it almost felt like we shouldn’t really be inside it. After watching Milk and the Life and Times of Harvey Milk I couldn’t keep myself from relating everything back to the story surrounding Harvey Milk. Jason was also very interesting he was young, brilliant, and easily approachable. I had expected an uptight middle-aged man who honestly didn’t really want to meet with us anyway. Our meeting was casual but engaging and it was obvious that the Newsome administration truly valued our interest in their progressive policy.
Our last day was definitely the most envied by my parents and probably by many other adults. I’m glad that I am old enough to at least recognize how extraordinary these kinds of days are. I didn’t have any prolific questions to ask Jason and I probably wouldn’t have realized how much of an opportunity it is to eat at Chez Panisse without the teachers telling me so. But nonetheless I understand and appreciate how many memorable and valuable experiences I am granted during these trips and this last day was probably one of the most privileged days in my life thus far.
We took the Bart across the bay and arrived at Berkeley early that afternoon. It was raining again so jackets and umbrellas out we walked across campus and divided into groups to explore one of the most prestigious and large public schools in the nation. My group spent the first half hour in the bookstore hoping for the rain to die out. But as we thought it wasn’t going to anytime soon. We walked across campus to Moe’s Bookstore. It was huge! Four stories of books and I had no idea where to begin. After perusing their selection we stopped for some warm coffee and hot chocolate at a small little café next-door. The campus didn’t feel much different than some of the neighborhoods we had been visiting other than the fact that the majority of people walking by were students carrying oversized backpacks.
Near Berkeley we had lunch at the famous Chez Panisse restaurant. The restaurant manager gave us both a tour and history of Chez Panisse. They source all of their food locally and also are strong supporters of urban gardening. They have created a garden outside a near by middle schools on vacant lot. The garden not only is farmed and maintained by students, the students also eat and use this food as an integrated part of their education. The ideas presented at Chez Panisse were very familiar after listening to Amanda Bird speak about the schoolyard gardens she instituted at her preschool in Indianapolis. The tour through the kitchen was pretty cool. It was fast moving and busy, lots of people working, and tons of delicious food being prepared. I even saw a whole pig hanging in the meat room, king of disgusting, but it also assured me that their meat was fresh and minimally processed, which has become important to me lately.
. Lunch was fabulous I had some delicious ravioli and an apple tart that I was able to see being made during the tour. It was such a privilege to eat at this restaurant and I tired to savor every bite of my meal because of it.
After lunch we had another once in a lifetime opportunity. We got a tour of City Hall in San Francisco and also a meeting with Mayor Newsome’s leading policy advisor. The building contained so much history it almost felt like we shouldn’t really be inside it. After watching Milk and the Life and Times of Harvey Milk I couldn’t keep myself from relating everything back to the story surrounding Harvey Milk. Jason was also very interesting he was young, brilliant, and easily approachable. I had expected an uptight middle-aged man who honestly didn’t really want to meet with us anyway. Our meeting was casual but engaging and it was obvious that the Newsome administration truly valued our interest in their progressive policy.
Our last day was definitely the most envied by my parents and probably by many other adults. I’m glad that I am old enough to at least recognize how extraordinary these kinds of days are. I didn’t have any prolific questions to ask Jason and I probably wouldn’t have realized how much of an opportunity it is to eat at Chez Panisse without the teachers telling me so. But nonetheless I understand and appreciate how many memorable and valuable experiences I am granted during these trips and this last day was probably one of the most privileged days in my life thus far.
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