BEST OF SAN FRANCISCO

there’s something about san francisco—the architecture, the people and/or the rhythm of the city that I gravitate towards and immediately fell in love with after I landed there this month.

ARCHITECTURE

the architecture of san francisco is self-explanatory. i was in paradise photographically speaking and naturally went to the famous painted ladies (as seen on the full house opening) to photograph them at sunset. the bay windows, the vivid colors, and the personality of each house, distinct by their differentiating designs, were breathtaking. although the financial district buildings looked similar as to any other financial district, there was a certain charm about them, sitting adjacent to these old houses. let’s not forget the golden gate bridge, because it’s cooler than the brooklyn bridge by color.

TRANSPORTATION

transportation in san francisco comes in bushels. there are major hills in sf and I ended up walking up some of the hilliest streets (powell street to get to chinatown and lombard street to see the “crookedest street in the world”). there is the bay area rapid transit that takes you in and out of the city, equivalent to the new jersey transit, lirr or metro north.

FOOD

the food was, needless to say, out of control. i will never have to travel to mexico for good quality mexican cuisine. the mission district, a famous section of sf heavily populated by the mexican and hipster community, provided one of the finest burrito that has ever come across my life. to top it off, there were some beautiful murals I drooled over in the alleyways. in japantown i experienced the finest sushi, 100% hands down better than nyc sushi.

NATURE

the feeling you get from driving over the golden gate bridge and being in the middle of mountains and woods is the most liberating feeling. it was atop hawk hill in the marin headlands that i sat transfixed, overlooking san francisco and falling in love with it. it’s a close and far enough of an escape from a bustling city, a day trip out to the marin, hiking the beautiful coastal landscape and going gaga over how blue the pacific ocean is.

to end on a cliché note, yes, i left my heart in san francisco.

Fernanda DeSouza, Culture Editor