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  1. SF Lists

    Friday, August 31, 2012

    So in the short time I've been in San Francisco, I've already started thinking about things I like and things I don't like so much. Therefore, I decided to make this blog post in list format. Enjoy.

    Things I Like About San Francisco:
    1. Food trucks
    I had the immense pleasure of checking out Off the Grid, which is essentially a foodie's dream. A gallimaufry of food trucks pile together in one parking lot and people from all over the community come out to try a vast selection of different street food. I was overwhelmed by the abundance of choices at first, but I eventually settled for Senor Sisig's  California Sisig Burrito. BEST CHOICE EVER. My burrito was stuffed with chicken, shoestring fries, shredded cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole. I ate the whole thing =) Next time I'm going to have to check out Bacon Bacon.


    2.  Dry air
    I love Atlanta (FILA), and I love Atlanta weather, but I do have to confess - it's nice not to feel like I'm walking around in a blanket of dew sometimes. The air out here is nice and dry. Max, I keep telling you this, but you would love it here. Come out!





    3. Parks
    We live right across the street from Golden Gate Park, a huge expanse of greenery covering 1,017 acres (holy moly!). We walked over the other night for a game of frisbee. Public parks really are something to be celebrated (I miss you, Piedmont).

    4. The Little Shamrock
    Our landlord's father owns the oldest bar in San Francisco, an Irish pub by the name of The Little Shamrock. I've only gone once so far, but have no doubt, I will be back. The inside gives off a cozy, personal vibe, in large part due to all the old comfy chairs and sofas set up everywhere. The bar also comes stocked with loads of board games! It kind of feels like a combination of a little French bar (like Le Vieux Murier in Tours) and Ormsbys in Atlanta. Nate and I played a game of Jenga (technically Jumbling Towers) while we sipped on some Anchor Steam Beer. 

    Things I Don't Like About San Francisco:
    1. Parking
    So here's the deal. SF has TONS of parking rules that I am SO not used to yet. For starters, we are not allowed to park on our street daily from 4pm-6pm or Fridays from 7am-9am. This wouldn't be such a big deal if we didn't have a huge box truck to maneuver around the city. It seems like every street we drive on has some kind of restriction at some specific time. Hopefully we can work out a reliable system while we're here...
    2. Muni
    Sadly, Muni, San Francisco's metro system, is my enemy right now. I like the concept, and the convenience factor is great, but there are just too many dang people in this city! I had to wedge my way into massive crowds in order to get to where I needed to be, ultimately coming out feeling nauseous and somewhat violated. Despite my initial bad experiences, I'm giving Muni the benefit of the doubt since we were traveling at high traffic times. Let's hope for a better relationship in the future.
    3. Being sick and sunburned
    Okay, this isn't really a San Francisco specific dislike, but I had to add it since it's been so prominent during my time here. Being sick is booboo, y'all. I also got a pretty gnarly sunburn on my arms due to some excessive hours in the sun promo-ing for CMF (that means I'm a dedicated worker, right?). At least I'm getting better now!

    Things I Miss:
    1. Mom's cooking (seriously bad)
    2. Hot weather
    3. Being a local
    4. Bone Garden Cantina

    Alright, I'm cutting myself off here. Looking forward to my first real weekend in SF!

    Posted by Unknown at 4:16 PM | 2 comments | |

  2. Road Trippin'

    Tuesday, August 28, 2012

    In the past four days, I have traveled about 2,500 miles by car. Can you say junk food and hot beats?

    The first leg of the journey included a stop in Oxford, Mississippi to visit Alex-Anna, one of CMF's past co-ops. We were greeted with warm smiles, swarms of sorority girls, and some bodacious Southern BBQ. A note on those sorority girls: they were virtually all wearing athletic shoes, Nike shorts, and oversized t-shirts. What is the deal with that? Anyway, AA treated us the with the true Southern hospitality that I'm sure we will miss in San Francisco.

    I was introduced to a new road tradition by Nathan, our team's tour manager. Apparently every time he stops at a gas station during tour road trips, he does push ups. Check out his form!


    The first night ended relatively calmly in Russelville, Arkansas at a Quality Inn.

    The second day was a sensory overload. First, I started the morning off by driving the big box truck for the first time. I was nervous, but I think I managed to get the hang of it pretty well  (we made it to San Francisco, didn't we?).


    We stopped off for lunch at Mama E's Wings and Waffles in Oklahoma City, OK, which was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Even though I've lived in the South all my life, I have never tried chicken and waffles. Needless to say, I was really excited to get the chance to chow down on this Southern staple. I was not disappointed. Both the chicken and waffles were topped with powdered sugar, just adding to the sweet joy of the experience.


    After lunch, we headed to Amarillo, TX to check out Cadillac Ranch, a sculpture garden right next to the highway. This site is one of the coolest roadside attractions I've seen. Several old Cadillacs are buried nose-first in the ground and completely covered in graffiti. People are encouraged to bring their own spray paint and leave their mark.


    We ended the second day in Albuquerque, NM.

    The third day, we headed out of Albuquerque after a stop at Whole Foods, which was full of green chiles. We stopped at the Hoover Dam on the border of Arizona and Nevada, a truly beautiful sight. I can't imagine the man power it must have required to build such a huge structure!


    After we were done soaking in the site's grandiosity, we drove the short distance to Las Vegas for a night on the town. Nate hooked us up with a room in the Monte Carlo on the Las Vegas Strip, where we promptly changed into our fancy clothes and headed out to the city. Nate and Nishant, our team's promotions manager, were daring enough to gamble in the Bellagio, indubitably one of the nicest and most expensive resorts in Las Vegas.


    I played a few hands of blackjack at the Monte Carlo, but I was very wary the whole time. One of my highlights of Vegas was finding these guys to hang out with:


    Surprisingly, we all made it to bed by 2 am - not too shabby! 

    The fourth day ended up being the longest day, hands down. We stopped off at a gas station earlier during the drive to shoot a CMF short featuring me... Stay tuned =) 

    Things really started getting stressful once we got into California. Our path took us through endless curvy and bumpy roads with barely any signs for gas, food, or lodging for miles. At one point, the box truck only had a quarter tank of fuel to make it through the next 60 miles or so. Fortunately, we all made it to the next gas station in one piece.

    After filling up on gas, our next move was to drive through Yosemite National Park. Easy, breezy, and beautiful, right? Wrong. Well, I will concede that the surroundings were absolutely magnificent. Unfortunately, none of us could appreciate the natural beauty all around us because we were so stressed out about getting our box truck out of the treacherous mountain path. We ended up reaching 9,000 feet with both the box truck and the CMF minivan. On the way down the mountain, Caroline, our team's co-op, and Nishant waved down me and Nate in the box truck because our brake pads were smoking up a storm. When we stopped the truck, smoke just poured out of the hood.

    At this point, we were all a little concerned. According to the GPS, we still had a good 50 miles to go before we go out of the mountains. We let the truck cool down, and everyone took a breather. After waiting 20 minutes or so, the guys took over the truck while Caroline and I followed behind in the van, checking to make sure we didn't see any more smoke. Luck must have followed us from Vegas, because both vehicles and everyone involved made it down the mountain. I think it goes without saying that we will never be attempting that drive again - once was enough =)

    Finally, at midnight on Tuesday morning, we made our way across a beautifully lit up bridge and found ourselves in San Francisco. It took four long, seemingly never-ending days, but we did it! I think we're all excited to settle in for a bit.

    Posted by Unknown at 11:23 AM | 0 comments | |

  3. Ready, set, whoa.

    Sunday, August 19, 2012

    I'll keep this short. Summer is almost over, which means I am about to head out on a completely new adventure. Thursday morning I leave for a 4 day road trip that will lead me to the heart of San Francisco. This is both daunting and exhilarating. I have absolutely no idea what to expect, but I am extremely optimistic about the coming months.

    I'm going to give this blog thing a whirl, mostly because it seems like a few of you out there might be interested in what's going on in my life (I'm looking at you, Mom and Dad). Sorry in advance if it's boring, but something tells me boring is going to be replaced with busy, unbelievable, inspiring, and a multitude of other active adjectives once the tour rhythm actually starts.

    Who's ready?

    Posted by Unknown at 9:52 PM | 1 comments | |

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