New City views

I'm sitting here writing this in the Daly City Library. I'm not even going to try and take a picture, because it will not show how beautiful it is right now. I'm working a a little laptop station next to a full wall of windows. To my right there are hills covered in trees and big fluffy clouds. Below me is the street and a little garden area to sit in. In front of me is more trees and then the ocean. There are no clouds above it, and the ocean is so blue. Very blue. I can see the trains go by every once in awhile. I've been watching a sail boat slowly make it's way from the bay out to sea. Now a barge is coming in.
This city is so beautiful. There are parks that are so dense with trees and shrubs that you can see in them, like a wall of plants. There are Victorian buildings painted spectacular colors. No matter where you are you can look in a direction and see hills or the ocean or the bay. There are beautiful clouds here all the time, and crazy plants that I've never seen before. I was told before I came here that it's not like anywhere else in the world, and it's not. It's all very strange, but wonderful, so far.

This was the view as we crossed the bay bridge, coming into the city for the first time.

Seeing the pacific ocean for the first time.

OMG I love sea lions!!!

Walking through a park.

Waiting for a bus outside the capitol. The buses all run on those electric power lines. It reminds me of eastern europe.

The capitol at dusk, walking to the library.

I can't get over how crazy it is that they have compost, recycling, and regular trash at almost every place you go.

My friend Nick was in town! It was wonderful to see him. It's only been a month, but I am homesick for things in New York sometimes. Mostly people. Also behind us are the Painted Ladies, which are really famous houses.

You said it, crazy Japanese ponies.

New City

So I said goodbye to New York and I'm in San Francisco now.
This is still pretty strange and sudden for me. I cried a lot when I was leaving, but I don't miss NYC as much as I thought I would. This is surprising only to me.
I miss friends. I miss certain places. I miss that feeling of home that I finally had built up.
I'm still not sure what to make of San Francisco. I think I like it, but I've only been here two weeks and I still don't have a job or apt. So, I guess we'll see.
I'm still not sure if I made the right choice and I guess I'll never know. What I do know is that I was living in a place where I was occasionally happy and often sad. I loved my co-workers, but my job was giving me panic attacks. I loved my roomate, but the long winters were wearing my down. Making a clean break of everything was easier for me than trying to fix what was wrong with my life in NYC.
So here I am now. In a new city, starting over almost from scratch. I'm so very lucky to have family and friends to support me. I never could have done this alone.
I'll try to put up pictures from the trip here soon. It was amazing to get to drive all the way across the country, to see so many different landscapes.
When my sisters visited me in New York, they told me about how magical it was for them to see the skyline of NYC breaking through the clouds when the plane was coming in for a landing. I'm not sure when NYC lost that magic for me, I'm not sure if it was ever as strong for me, but the last time I flew in I tried to take some pictures, mostly for my sisters, and I found myself not looking at Manhattan, but instead searching the streets of Queens, looking for familiar sites. My home, my favorite coffee shop, my library, my route I walk to the park.
I loved my time in New York, I'm so glad I went. I keep introducing myself as a New Yorker now that I'm not there. New York is on my fuzzy list of where my "home" is. And it's always gonna be there if I decide to go back.

But for now, I'm excited to be learning my way around a new city. And it already has its selling points. It's warm! And green! There are seals! I think my parents would actually like to visit here! Also, this:

That, is the cover of my new planner, which I purchased from a dollar store in Japantown. Japanese dollar stores- possibly the best thing ever?

Thanksgiving+Christmas

So, I thought this posted months ago, but apparently it never did, so I'm just gonna throw some of these photos up now. Yah...

Nick waiting at the airport with me. He loves me.

This might have been our best idea ever. Also, we were only there for maybe 15 mins. We get antsy.

This is the wallpaper at a Broadway show. I took this picture mostly for my mom, but also because I think the Saytr looks like Nick.

Clearly me and Caitlin went to an antique store that specializes in taxidermied animals.

The many amazing sauces of Pom Frites.

We found a toy store. It was full of gems. Not pictured: the amazing action figure of Henry Jones Sr. as played by Sean Connery. Complete with an umbrella and briefcase.

And for your comparison...

We went to a movie and the sodas were absurdly huge. That is a small!!

Christmas!!! I have always wanted a white tree! It was just as amazing as I thought it would be...

Cookies!

My present from Nick! Wonderful!

Aside from the fact that this restaurant down the street has delicious food, I also feel like I could have decorated it. I love the sugar skulls as Christmas decorations.

Gingerbread friends

Home.

Sisters in the city

My sisters came to visit and this took me a long time to write.

I had a a ton of fun. It was the first time I've had family come visit me and I was so excited. If you want to hear more detail of their trip you can read their posts, but for me it was awesome for three main reasons:

It was fun to take them to some of my favorite places. I took them to Kickshaw, my local hangout right off. They got to see some other places I love, from the mall in Central Park to the N train.

It was also fun for my family to see me in my real life. It worked out well for them to have a tour guide who knew her way around, but I'm also very proud of how well I know the city now. I know my way around better than some people who have lived here longer. And it was fun, as someone who's stayed at both their homes and got rides from both of them, to be the one who can take them around town and show them my home.

And lastly, I just like my sisters.

Overall, it was fun, and they are welcome back anytime.