29 Aug First Time in the States

My first few weeks in San Francisco as a new exchange student has so far been an interesting and challenging experience from learning to being independent to going out exploring new things. I was told by a couple of friends and co workers back home that San Francisco is a cold yet lovely place and I definitely agree. You can’t get enough of the view! Everywhere you turn you can see a bit of the hill side with lots of houses piled on top. Each morning I wake up, take a minute to enjoy the view and take full advantage of the fact that I am in another country!

Catching the transport here is quite different to Australia. Here we have the Muni, buses, BART, Caltrain and more. In Australia we have the train, bus, ferry and the light rail which is kind of equivalent to the Muni, it just takes a bit of getting used to.

During my stay in SF so far, I visited South of Market and did a bit of exploring on my own. I did the mistake of walking in through Tenderloin area. I know I’m not the only one that went through this experience. It was definitely a different vibe from Market St area, the suburbs are so close by that you can easily fall into the trap. Tenderloin is not recommended nor is it a safe place to walk around in, you are immediately faced with numerous amounts of homeless people and some shady illegal stuff going on. If you’re new to this City, try staying away from Tenderloin but do go see Market St.

The best place so far that I have visited is Fisherman’s Wharf. It is packed with culture, liveliness and a lot of food! I walked from Pier 1 all the way down to Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf, I mean the walk was pretty long took about 30-40 minutes but definitely worth it in the end. You can of course take a bus up towards the Wharf but I like to walk and save some money at the same time. The restaurants there are competition between one another because the main type of food by the wharf is Seafood. You have to try the Clam Chowder, a very well known dish consisting of clam, onions, celery in a creamy thick consistence.

The place I recently visited is The Mission District. If you’re looking to have a good night, get loose and dance the night away at a bar, the mission has it all. It is jam packed with lots of bars, thrift stores and it’s got so much rich culture. It’s got a hippie vibe to the area with some old school shops here and there but the people make it what it is. The nightlife at the Mission is on a whole other level compared to the daytime. I would recommend going out one night with a couple of friends, go to a bar and dance till 3am in the morning. It’s just something you have to experience it at least once!

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