Five joyful things
A weekly collection of what I noticed, loved, and want to remember.
Last week was such a good week! We went to San Francisco for spring break, all four of us. We arrived Saturday night and stayed for five days, warm weather for March, very loose plans, and more walking than I expected.
The last time I was in San Francisco was in 2011. I had just arrived in the US for the first time. I was 27, a single mom, and I had left my five-year-old in Colombia with my parents to finish my master’s on a Fulbright scholarship. Last week I came back with that same five-year-old, who is now 19 and in college (where did the time go?), my husband, and my seven-year-old. Some trips carry a lot.
I have been wanting to start a weekly roundup for a while now. A place to collect the things that caught my eye, fed my creativity, made me feel like myself and years from now, I want to remember what it felt like to be right here.
The Japanese Tea Garden
Walking through that gate, the city disappeared. Cherry blossoms in full bloom, soft and pink everywhere you looked. I found a way in for free. I slowed down and took it all in. I sketched it later, from memory.
If you are in the area, I recommend it. To get in for free, you need to go on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday between 9:00 and 10:00 am and grab the free tickets online in advance.
Sea lions at Pier 39
Piled on top of each other, unbothered and totally at ease. Noisy and wonderful. We probably stood there longer than we planned. Did you know sea lion groupings are called "Cuddle Puddles"? and that they dedicate long periods, sometimes 12 hours a day, to deep sleep. I have a lot to learn from them about rest. You can watch them on this live stream camera.
Musée Mécanique
Free to get in, which we did not expect. A basement full of antique arcade machines, each one still working. Strange and wonderful and a little absurd. We used the only twenty-dollar bill we had and divided all the tokens. Gaby and I went straight for the fortune teller machines and stayed there the longest. I loved every single one. Grandma told me a vast fortune was coming. I am keeping the card. Just in case ;)
The bay cruise
We didn’t plan this one either. We just showed up and got tickets on the spot. The wind was strong, and Maya had a blast, hair everywhere, laughing the whole time. The city looks different from the water. Smaller, somehow, and more beautiful for it. And going under the Golden Gate Bridge, that close, looking straight up at it. There are no words for that.
A German restaurant we loved
There was a German restaurant in Cartagena I used to love. I have been looking for something like it ever since and never found it. When I was searching for places to eat in San Francisco, Radhaus came up with great reviews and I decided to try it. It sits inside Fort Mason Center, a converted military building right on the waterfront, with vaulted ceilings, huge windows, and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge that stops you mid-sentence. We ate bratwurst and schnitzel and drank German beer. Chris has German roots and I watched him light up a little. We talked about coming back on our next trip to San Francisco before we even finished eating.
Side note: I think I found a best friend
I took my mini blue sketchbook everywhere and filled a few pages, which felt like a small victory. I started adding stickers from artists I admire. It is becoming a record of this trip in a way photos are not.
Thanks for reading. This is the first edition of what I hope becomes a small Saturday ritual, for you and for me. A place to slow down, look back at the week, and notice what was good. There was always something good. See you next Saturday.
Love, Alú