My time here began with roughly ten hours of much needed sleep. After I arose from my slumber I was able to check out [yet another] Japanese garden with a friend of mine. I actually found out that this Japanese garden in San Jose is oldest one in the States, dating back to the 20’s. It was pretty nice to get my zen on for a short while.

From there I began my next adventure: Driving through San Francisco; an adventure in itself. I drove from San Jose to Mill Valley (north of SF) to visit my cousin. Listening to Grateful Dead made this 120 mile trip much more tolerable indeed and needless to say I was probably the one of the faster drivers on 101. Contrary to popular belief the drivers of San Francisco really aren’t in a rush to get anywhere. So I probably looked like a total asshole. #marylandrepresent

The following day consisted of studying for the dreaded gre. However, I was rewarded with a lovely trip over to Santa Cruz! I love this place. We packed our faces with seafood and ice cream on the pier while watching otters, listening to seals, and conversing with deadheads-and what wonderful people they are! Absolutely hysterical. After crashing hard that evening I awoke to a race against the traffic of highway 101 heading into San Francisco. I checked out the museum of asian art, packed my face with sushi, empanadas, and kombucha, and hit the beach for a sunset stroll. The hike back to the train was…quite literally a hike. Sidewalks were at 75 degrees, I kid you not. I’m surprised my heart didn’t give out!

After Packing my face, blowing too much money, and seeing all kinds of beauty, I can say with complete certainty that this visit was a successful one.