The San Francisco Saga

Hello! I know it’s been forever since I’ve posted, I’ve been having a crazy couple of weeks! I decided to go to San Francisco for a long weekend between farms (I’m currently in Blue Lake, about 30 minutes east of Arcata). I’ve been debating whether to write about my entire weekend from start to finish, but I think I did and experienced so much that I definitely will just provide the highlights! I had an incredible weekend so there will be lots to read about regardless.

So I stayed at this I N C R E D I B L E hostel/airbnb in the Mission and it made my whole freaking trip. So the Airbnb was styled like a hostel, where you share a room with three other people, and it was the perfect combination of homey and funky! I met the most incredible people and had such a blast staying in their little apartment. I’ve already planned a reunion with two of the girls I met there and can’t WAIT to see them again.

So, how would I describe my crazy weekend? Go with the flow, just do and experience. I walked miles and miles through the city, ate amazing food, and found cool little spots that made my heart warm. I wanted to see the city and all of its highlights, but I wound up following friends and my feet.

Sunday, I decided to explore the city by myself, which was a really cool thing. I rented a bike for free and *tried* to ride up 16th to Corona Heights but good lord almighty those streets are steep as hell. On my way to Golden Gate park, I stopped at the Haight and I’m so glad I did! I know it’s kind of the stereotypical hippie street that people think of when they picture San Fran, but it was so cool! After getting a late lunch, I rode my bike into Golden Gate park.

I truly had the intention of seeing the whole park- it was a beautiful day, there was so much to do in the park (botanical gardens, science museum, you name it!) but the first thing I see when I ride into the park is a group of middle aged men sitting on benches, hangin’ out, and playing bongo drums. That’s right, BONGOS!! God, it was so cool, so I decided to make a quick pit stop and watch them! Slowly, a crowd started to form, then more and more people started showing up with instruments. There were bongos, guitars, fiddles, trumpets, saxophones, DIDGERIDOOS, you freaking name it man. So I sat down in the grass and ate my lunch, then got up to chat with some of the folks that seemed like regulars. I learned that the “drum circle” has been going on since at least 1975 and some of the guys had been coming even before that. I couldn’t believe it, there were strangers making music together every weekend, drinkin’ beer, hangin’ out, and generally just having an incredible time.

So I stayed, I drank wine, I met new people, I pet LOADS of dogs, and I danced. Oh man, I danced like no one in the world was watching. The music, the drums, the love, the craziness, it all flowed through every inch of me. I couldn’t believe how much fun I was having with all of these strangers. Making merry, making music, and just letting myself exist. It was probably one of the best experiences I’ve ever had, and I’ll probably tell people about that drum circle until I die. I will be going back to San Francisco and I will be a regular at that drum circle even if it KILLS me. Wow, I still can’t believe how cool it was.

Another cool experience I had was meeting a stranger that would become my travel partner for a day. Saturday evening, I went to a hat party (yes, a hat party) with our Airbnb hosts, Duncan and Zain. At this party, I met a girl named Cat after admiring her scarf from afar. We chatted about her travels and adventures and I asked where she was headed to next, and, low and behold, she said Arcata. I freaked and was like “No freaking way, me to!” so we talked and decided to travel together! So Sunday evening, after the drum circle, we met up and scrambled to the greyhound station to catch our bus to Arcata, but when we got there there was no bus to get on- it’d been canceled. I guess the universe works in funny ways because we DEFINITELY would’ve missed our bus that night, so we transferred our tickets and tried to decide what to do for the night. I texted Zain from the airbnb and he let us crash on the couch for the night because he’s an ANGEL. We spent the next day running errands, doing yoga in Delores park, and scrambling yet again to try to catch our bus. We got there with 5 minutes to spare and the lady was so done with our BS that she just tagged our extra bags and threw our stuff on the bus. But we made it!!! Our bus ride was uneventful and we made it to Arcata on time.

And so ends the San Francisco saga, and what a weekend it was. This city holds a special place in my heart now, and I’m so grateful for all of the friends and memories it gave me!

Stay curious and happy travels!