Monday, August 3, 2009

I'm Home.

Yep I'm here. The morning after I arrived. It turns out that the hotel didn't have free internet so I couldn't get online. I had the most amazing time in San Francisco. I wish I could live there. The trip was good but they someone sat in my window seat and someone who couldn't move was in her seat, so I had to sit on the aisle for my first flight from San Francisco to Minneapolis but it went by very fast because I was reading Going To Far and listening to my music. Then I had a 2.5 hour layover. I had to stay in the Unaccompanied Minor's room which took like 15 minutes to get to and to go to my other flight. Kids were coming and going and I just sat there had a few glasses of apple juice and finished Going To Far by Jennifer Echols (which I bought at a FOUR STORY Borders across from Union Square!) and I LOVED it. Then I started Tricks by Ellen Hopkins, called my parents and grandparents and went to my other flight where I got to sit in the front seat next to nobody.

But anyhow, let's talk about San Francisco! What I did:

Day One:
  • Went to the German Embassy because my grandma wanted to get her German Passport. She didn't make an appointment so they didn't allow her in.
  • Went to the Books, Inc. on Van Ness and bought Nothing But Ghosts by Beth Kephart.
  • Went to Chevy's for lunch on Van Ness and had really good fajita nachos.
  • Rode around town until we found Columbus Ave which is right next to Chinatown, so we parked up a few blocks and walked down to Columbus to go to the City Lights Bookstore, which is that might seem familiar it is. It was the bookstore mentioned in Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler. Sarah: I have pictures! Sadly they had a very poor YA section there. But I did buy The Other Side of The Island by Allegra Goodman, which I heard about once and it is a dystopian novel so it looked pretty good.
  • Then my grandma and I walked around Chinatown for a bit. We walked in stores and looked at stuff and we did buy a little bamboo plant which I will mention later.
  • Then we got the car, and to get on the freeway we went through the financial district! I just loved being by all those skyscrapers! I took pictures!
  • We went to the hotel in South San Francisco and checked in and we called my BFF who lives in the San Francico Bay Area and we went down to her house for dinner which we gave her family the little bamboo plant and had a great dinner.
Day Two:
  • I got up earlier then my grandma (unheard of!) and we got ready and went down for the complimentary breakfast, which was very good.
  • We were out of the hotel by around eight. We planned to go to the SFMOMA (Museum of Modern Art a.k.a. the MoMA.) But when we got there it wasn't open until 11 am and it was only nine so we decided to walk around for a bit.
  • The MoMA was right near the heart of San Francisco, meaning the area where all the skyscrapers are. So we walked down there on Polk, Market, New Montgomery, etc. It was so amazing. You could definitely tell the locals from the tourists. There were so many designer stores which weren't even opened yet.
  • We decided to walk down to Union Square. They were having like a gallery thing going on there. But we looked around and we saw a BORDERS! We went in and asked where the YA section was and he said the third floor! I just can't get over how big it was. I ended up getting Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog ang Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols.
  • When we went by Union Square again we saw the (what we learned later) second largest Macy's. They even had a Cheesecake Factory on the top. We went up the 7 (or 8?) floors to the top of Macy's and I took a lot of pictures of Union Square.
  • We saw a lot of people wearing scarfs. We weren't sure why but my grandma thought we should know. Most of the scarves we saw were like 50-100 bucks. But my grandma found one that was 10 bucks so she got one and realized why everyone wore then. They kept you much warmer in the wind there. :)
  • Then we went to the MoMA and spent a few hours there. They had two special exhibits, Georgia O'Keeffe and Richard Avedon. I really liked the Richard Avedon one. That was neat.
  • We then had lunch and walked around a bit more. We found a bookstore called Alexander's Book Co. It was a three story bookstore and on the top floor they had the YA section. There was a lady there, I think it might've been the owner, and we got talking and I told her about my blog and showed her my blurb in Blue Moon and she went to get something and when she came back she had three ARC's with her and said I could have them! I couldn't believe it! I think that was one of the most awesome moments. I got The Well by someone. I can't remember the author. But I also got Tangled by Carolyn Mackler which I already read and it was really good. I also got Tricks by Ellen Hopkins which I am in the middle of right now. But I also bought Graceling by Kristin Cashore. I think I'm getting a ARC of Fire so I thought I might get this one, plus I've heard fantastic things of it.
  • Then we went back to the hotel and I started Tangled and we had dinner and went to sleep.
Day Three:
  • We got out about an hour later then the day before and we planned to head to the Golden Gate Park for a museum they had there and then go to Fishermen's Wharf.
  • We went to the Golden Gate Bridge and even though I've done it before, we crossed it and took pictures. It was a very foggy day though.
  • Well, it took us a while, but we got to the museum and we remembered that the De Young building was there and they had the King Tut exhibit. So we did that, which was very interesting.
  • Then we saw the galleries they had there, which was a lot. Gorgeous art though.
  • Before we left we went on the elevator to go to the top of the building and OMG it was just a panoramic view. I could see everywhere! I took lots of pictures.
  • We then left and traveled through the Golden Gate Park. It was amazing! There were ponds and a waterfall and just everything. I couldn't believe it.
  • We traveled through the Golden Gate Recreation Area and the Presidio. It was gorgeous. We found lots of areas to take pictures.
  • We were riding around and we found another Books, Inc on California Ave. So we went in there, and guess what I found? A autographed copy of Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. So I had to get it. :)
  • Grandma and I decided to go to the Coit Tower then. So we went on Lombard street but then we realized that on Lombard street was the "Crookedest Street in the World" but they had a huge line so we ended up going around it to get to the Coit Tower.
  • When we got to the Coit Tower I took some incredible pictures! And when I went up to the top I took even more incredible pictures, even though it was very windy and foggy, the pictures turned out pretty well I think.
  • After the Coit Tower it was around six at night I think and we didn't feel like going to the hotel just yet. So we ended up going to Ghiradelli Square, which was pretty disappointing. Though we had dinner at a dinner all the made it Ghiradelli Square was the two Ghiradelli shops. My grandma and I had a really yummy Ghiradelli hot chocolate though.
  • Then we went back to the hotel and went to bed.
Day Four:
  • We planned to hit the Ferry Building and Pier 39/Fishermen's Wharf today. When we got out of the highway we had a little trouble finding parking but we found some and we got to the Ferry Building. It was totally different then what I thought it would be. But they had a bookstore there that we looked at but I did NOT BUY ANYTHING. I was afraid I wouldn't have room in my suitcases. Haha.
  • They had a Farmers Market that day. And Across the street at the Embarcadero Center they had a little crafts things. So we looked at that for awhile and then walked all the way from the Ferry Building to pier 39/Fishermen's Wharf. It was a long walk.
  • When we got to Pier 39 we came across the Garyline Tour station and my grandma and I ended up do the 2.5 hour Trolley tour. It was fantastic! I had a terrific time and saw some great places that my grandma and I didn't go to in the other three days. I took TONS of pictures on the tour.
  • After the tour was over we walked over to Fishermen's Wharf and went to have an early dinner at the best seafood place on the Wharf: Scoma's. It was yummy! Go there!
  • Then, instead walking all the way back to the car, we took the bus, or in San Francisco, The Muni. Believe it or not, it was my first time in public transportation. At least of what I can remember. There was an accident or something because we sat in front of Pier 39 for like 20 minutes. And as much as it was strange and the smell of body odor, it was pretty convenient. Better then walking in the cold.
  • Then we went to the hotel and I packed and read Going Too Far until 11 pm and woke up at 3 am to go to the airport.
So that was my time in San Francisco. I just absolutely fell in love with the city. I could so live there if it weren't so expensive! Maybe when I become a best selling author . . . Hey! I can dream! Haha.

Anyways, I'm home and when I get all of my books here (I had to ship most of them in a big box that weighed 30 pounds!) I'll take a pictures for you all. It's a LOT of books. Plus all the books I have for review. I don't know what to read first!

4 comments:

  1. Glad to hear you had a great time. :)

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  2. Im glad you enjoyed San Francisco! Coit Tower is really pretty at night. Awww. I have been down Lombard in a truck before, that was an interesting experience... xD
    I hope you come back to SF!!!

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  3. It was really fun to read this... as I myself am San Fran bound. Thank you for believing in GHOSTS.

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