Fun Times in San Fran

Going to San Francisco was a dream. I couldn't believe I was actually going! I had gotten plane tickets from my parents to go to San Francisco for the summer.
We left on June 29th, taking a Southwest flight from Phoenix Sky Harbor to San Francisco International. Once we got close, I could see the water of the ocean and see the famous hill streets.
Once we landed, I decided that we all should go on a boat ride to see all the famous sites that San Francisco had to offer, including The Golden Gate Bridge. This was such a fun experience I had seen so many fish in the water and the boat floated very smoothly. We saw many sail boats out and about. We waved to them and they waved back. It felt so nice to be in such a happy place. Finally, after about an hour on the boat, we got to the Golden Gate Bridge. Now granted, nothing is ever as it seems, but knowing about the bridge and then physically seeing it are two different things. After getting off the boat, it was starting to get late so we ended up calling it a night and headed to our hotel room in the heart of the city.

The next day, we got up and went walking around the town. It was a very foggy day and even the Golden Gate Bridge was getting covered by all the fog. Walking around, we saw some cool architecture, got to see some local sites, and even went to China Town. One thing that never got old was the steep streets that were everywhere. Eventually, my whole family and I got tired from hiking up streets that we had to take a breath and sit down at a restaurant. After resting, we made our way to Lombard St. where we hiked down the tile road that is right there. It was beautiful, with so many different flowers and greenery. Before we finished walking for the day, we spotted Alcatraz, the infamous island prison, which was what we were going to hit the next day.

The next day came and went; soon we found ourselves on a boat headed to Alcatraz. I was nervous because I didn't know what to expect of the prison. It turned out to be really fun and we got to go into the different cells and act like we were the actual prisoners. On top of that, we got some nice history about the place and saw where the Wardens use to live. After taking the trip and checking out the gift shop, we headed back to the mainland and headed to the airport where we caught our late night flight back to Phoenix, AZ.

Upon arriving home, I was upset as I had a great yearning to return to San Francisco. Hopefully one day I can make my return.

 



As a reflection to writing this piece, I realize that it is very difficult to write about a place that you haven't been to. The details that would normally come naturally are very hard to create on your own. I was lucky enough to use photos from my parent's vacation out in San Francisco but I didn't have any context besides what the pictures told me. In an essence, the blog is the literal description of the phrase "A picture is worth a thousand words". In this case, the picture is the blog post cause everything is centered around the pictures presented.
It seems to me that even in this day and age of social media, the idea of a trip somewhere is still something personal that no one can take and make their own. For instance, someone can post pictures about their trip to the United Kingdom, but unless they have actually been there, when asked about the trip, not much can be said other than, "Have you seen my pictures?" This leads to the fact that it is still hard to get a sense of authenticity unless you have physically been there. You can't take someone else's description of a place and make it your own because you won't be able to create the same image the other person did.
Travel is not overrated as it gives a sense of adventure to anyone who partakes in it. Travel itself is an exciting experience but the memories and descriptions of it that you use to tell people about your travel create that authenticity that we all strive to find.

Spring Break Playlist

Playlists are my favorite thing to make. From finding your favorite movie soundtrack to collecting your favorite pop song. Especially when going on road trips, playlists can symbolize what feelings are associated with the trip. Along with this, the content of playlists can illustrate the personality of a specific person or group.

During my Spring Break, I had a pretty extensive playlist that I listened to. Some of the songs are listed below. The songs that are part of my Spring Break playlist either explicitly or implicitly relate to what I personally did during Spring Break.  Let’s see if you can figure it out!

1.      Work by Rihanna – This song was constantly playing during my break. From Monday through Friday, I had this blasting the whole time. It inspires me to continue on, even if I’m hot and sweating. It pumps me up and has a great beat. The beat is very infectious and it is interesting to note that I don’t know all of the words to the song. I usually just bounce to it and enjoy the music that it produces.

2.      Dear Evan Hansen Cast Recording – On top of Rihanna, this cast recording was on constant repeat in my apartment. The musical deals with human connection and the feeling of depression and loneliness. It is a modern musical and relevant to today’s society. The soundtrack is incredible and evokes all your feelings. My favorite song from the soundtrack is Sincerely Me. This song is smack dab in the middle of the first act and revolves around Evan creating a fake friendship with a fellow student, Connor Murphy. The whole song is the emails he wrote back and forth to himself. It’s upbeat and always puts me in a good mood.

3.      How Far I’ll Go from the Moana soundtrack – This song is a great ballad/upbeat song that makes you want to sing. It is from the latest Disney animated movie and deals with what to do and whether to follow your heart or your head. It’s a beautiful piece and I love belting it in my apartment.

4.      Believe from the cast album of Finding Neverland – This recording is just amazing. All the songs are enjoyable and Believe brings up memories of making stories up and playing around in the park when I was younger. The song is all about taking the real world and twisting it into your own fantasy. I love this philosophy and I try to do just that everywhere I go. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but the power to take reality and turn it into fantasy is amusing and relaxing.

My Spring Break was filled with a lot of nothing but with my music, I could be transported anywhere I imagined. My music is a big reflection of my life; I am a musical theatre lover and junkie and I love listening to any and all soundtracks.

Music gives all of us a great outlet to show our emotions or to express what we are doing through song. From the songs that I listened to, could you tell what I did over break?

Airport Extravaganza

Airports are a very mysterious place. It's a building specifically designed for people to come and go, not to linger and take in the experience. Well, on Monday, March 6th, I did just that. I went to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on the edge of Phoenix and Tempe and I took in all the sights, sounds, movements; everything. When you're not in a rush to get to your flight, it is amazing to notice how many different exhibits Sky Harbor has to offer. There are art exhibits, restaurants, quaint little shops, and more just waiting to be noticed by the hustle and bustle of everyone.
I decided to take the Phoenix Light Rail system to the airport. This seemed like a logical choice since it would be cheap and more efficient then taking an Uber. We entered the Light Rail at the Rural Rd./University Dr. station. We quickly found seats besides the entrance door and rode west for about 10 minutes coming to 44th St./Washington St. This station is directly connected to the Sky Harbor Sky Train which was what was going to be used for us to get inside the airport. We exited the Light Rail with a huddle of other folks, either going to the airport for a flight and heading off to work, and we followed up towards the Sky Train.
When we got to the Sky Train station, we waited for 2 minutes until the next train arrived. There were around 12 people standing and waiting along with us. When the train finally arrived, we scooted in and stood as the train took us to Terminal 4 of Sky Harbor. Upon arriving to Terminal 4, we quickly exited and found our way to the main part of the terminal.
Now, the reason that my class and I went to the airport was to look around and notice things that otherwise would go unnoticed. We were given an itinerary to follow and were instructed to keep an eye out for anything that is interesting. The following is based on the imaginary itinerary given; my group did not actually go anywhere.

We were divided into teams, once everyone arrived and we quickly made haste to the Sky Train once more to depart for Terminal 3. Upon arriving, we found ourselves at the Delta check in area, where passengers can pick up tickets, drop off baggage, and have their questions answered. When we arrived, it was a slow day at the counter. There wasn't a huge line and many people were quickly stopping to drop their luggage and then leaving for security. Following the itinerary, after dropping our luggage and picking our tickets up, we headed towards security. When getting to the second floor, which is where security is, my group noticed an art exhibit focusing on capes and the art that goes into making them. It was a beautiful display, that not many people were centered around, and my group took a minute to look and see its intricacy and beauty. Afterwards, we headed to TSA security where we got on our flight and headed to Atlanta, GA.

Little fun fact: While in Georgia, we went to the Coke Factory stationed in Atlanta.
Here's a picture of me near the Coca Cola.

Soon our trip was over and it was time for us to return back to Phoenix. We had a layover in El Paso and we eventually made it back to Sky Harbor with no time to spare. We quickly got through the airport and arrived at baggage claim. We received many looks as we made our way to baggage claim as we didn't have many possessions with us. We checked the board and found out that our baggage would be on carousel 6. We made our way to the end of the floor and waited for our baggage to come. We got our baggage and left the airport.
Finally, we walked outside to transportation area. We made our way to the station where the bus for the car rental facility is and waited in line.

Looking back on our experience at the airport, it was a lot of fun. Following the route that was described above, my group kept getting looked at since we seemed that we weren't actually traveling anywhere. While taking pictures, we were stopped numerous times by airport volunteers who asked if we needed any help or any directions. We would politely decline and then reflect thinking do we look like we need help. Along with the people, there were many art exhibits. One was talked about briefly, the exhibit about capes, but there were two more that we saw on our adventure. One was on the way back to the Sky Train in Terminal 3; this one was about the desert and its beauty. The other one that we saw was located by security in Terminal 4; this one was centered around Arizona weather. All of these are in plain sight, yet many travelers don't take the time to appreciate them. I would recommend going to your local airport and just wander around; notice things you haven't seen before and eat at the restaurants located inside. You would be surprised at how many restaurants are located inside airports that are accessible and open to anyone, whether you are flying or not. That is one thing that Sky Harbor is trying to push to the community.
All in all, our trip to the airport was a success and I look forward to going back and taking another stroll through the terminals; maybe there will be something new next time!

My Group

Arizona Weather

Cape Art

Lake Walk

Friday was a beautiful day. The weather was perfect and there was a slight breeze blowing my hair all around. As I waited for the clock to strike 5, signaling the start of my callbacks, I decided to enjoy the weather and take a trip over to Tempe Town Lake.
As I walked from my apartment, I noticed the road was congested with cars. Walking along Mill Ave., I noticed many people walking to and from restaurants and shops. Some people were casually dressed while others were dressed for the office. I walked by a couple angrily discussing about where to go for food. I'm pretty sure they ended up going to Five Guys. As I got closer and closer to Tempe Beach Park, the fewer the amount of people who were out. I passed by a street performer playing the guitar. I nodded my head to his music as I passed on by nearing my destination.
When I arrived at Tempe Beach Park, there was not many people in sight. A few people here and there were walking around but it felt like I was the only one there. I walked along the path nearing the lake, noticing all the water soaked fields that surrounded me. Once I got to the bank of the lake, I decided to go right and follow the trail parallel to the lake.
The sun was shining down on me as I followed the trail. It felt wonderful not having anything to do except enjoy nature and feel the breeze all around me. As I walked, I noticed birds chirping and saw a few fly from tree to tree; they were probably stretching out their wings. The trees stretched out and tried to touch each other's branches as the wind slowly swayed them back and forth. To my left was the lake glistening in the afternoon sun. To my right were buildings that were massive. One right after another, the buildings lined the skyline of the lake and gave a nice reflection to the lake and its surroundings.
As I continued forward, I waved to a couple that jogged past me going towards the park. I took a sip of water after seeing the runners; they reminded me of the fact that I should stay hydrated in the Arizona weather. After drinking half the bottle, I started to look around and notice more and more people. Some were on the same trail that I was on while others were exiting the office buildings ready to go home and enjoy the weekend. The birds flew by again as I neared Rural Rd. and I thought to myself what the view is like from their perspective. Having that amazing vantage point would open up a new world to view and explore. This thought enticed me as I rounded the corner heading back towards home and I started to think about being a bird. Flying around and getting to be in different places within minutes would be awesome and a great way to travel and see sights you've never seen before.
Soon enough, I passed the ASU baseball stadium and I realized that I would be back on campus and in the midst of all of my responsibilities. Thinking back to the walk, I was extremely happy and very present as I walked along the bank of the lake. I will definitely take this route again as it is very relaxing and a great way to get back to my apartment if I want to take a slight detour through Downtown Tempe.

Until next time, I will leave you with a quote from Moslih Eddin Saadi.
"A traveler without observation is a bird without wings."
In other words, the cliché of stopping to smell the roses definitely has meaning. When you travel, even if it is to take a walk, make sure to soak in the sights, sounds, and smells. Don't miss out on the simple things.

A trip up the road

One misconception regarding traveling is that an individual has to go out of the country in order for them to count it as travel. Well folks, you don't even have to leave the state that you live in order to travel. Traveling consists of going from point A to point B and enjoying the ride there and the destination. Recently, I had the chance to travel to the Scottsdale's Old Town Farmers Market. I had an exquisite time and enjoyed seeing and smelling all the delicious food that was on sale.
I started off by leaving my apartment around 7:30 and hopping on a bus to leave north towards Scottsdale. The ride was boring as there weren't many people on the bus;it's a fairly easy route to get to Old Town Scottsdale, so I quickly fell asleep. Luckily, I woke up with only two stops before my own.
Once I arrived, I stepped off the bus into the cool, crisp air. I immediately started to shiver as the morning air wrapped itself around me. I headed towards the inner section of Old Town Scottsdale looking for the market. Without too much hesitation and trouble, I approached the market and, with a quick breath, I entered the area.
The market was grand with many tents and signs all claiming to have the best food out there. Many tents included samples that individuals could try and enjoy as they walked around the parking lot. The main section of the market included many industrial sized bins full of fruit and vegetables. The bins utilized around 4 full tents just to cover and shield everything from any weather that may occur. Most of everything in the market was marked with different signs to describe what the consumer was looking at. It was astounding to see how many gluten free and/or organic foods there are; they seemed to be around every turn.
The people that roamed the market were mostly couples. They seemed to be getting cheap groceries for the week ahead or stocking up on their favorite vegetables or fruits. It wasn't uncommon to stumble upon a couple with a baby in a baby bjorn or to see a dog hobbling around on all fours. This market truly seemed to be for everyone and every species.
After spending the good part of an hour floating around the market and writing down my observations, it was time for me to start hitting the road. I took a few photos of different places around the market and even tried some bread samples. I passed by the check out area to quickly see how everything was managed by the market workers. All the registers were manually operated and used a scale in order to properly charge the consumer.

After exiting the market, I headed back to the bus stop located at Civic Center Blvd. and 2nd St. I hopped on the next bus available and made my way back to Tempe.
I had a great experience taking a mini trip over to the Old Town Farmers Market. This activity acquainted me with local venders and many delicious options for healthy foods. I look forward to venturing up there again to actually buy groceries.
Until next time, I'll leave you with a quote from Hans Christian Andersen.

"To Travel Is To Live."