Sunrise At 10,000 Feet

Without the time or energy to spend multiple days camping in Yellowstone midway through a 4,500 mile solo road-trip, I instead spent a marathon day and a half driving around the entire park seeing as much as I could. I spent that night driving around Lake Yellowstone (the highest lake in North America) hunting for spots to attempt star-trail photography. One thing I failed to account for when packing for my trip was that, even in July, it is really cold overnight at high elevations. At around 10,000 ft. up, it was in the mid-30's when I attempted to take a short nap in my car by the lake. After about an hour of shivering under all the clothes and towels I had packed, I gave up and headed to the spot where I would catch the sunrise.



Leaving my car in a small turn off, I made my way through a patch of woods in the pitch-black moments just before dawn. Alternating between using my flashlight and walking blind in the dark, I savored that childhood impulse to run from invisible assailants lurking in the inky shadows around me. I emerged from the woods just as the pale pinks and oranges of early morning were spilling over the mountains at the opposite end of the water. I don't know why I refuse to dress warmly when I know I'm going to be in the cold only temporarily, but I sat down in the dirt there in shorts and a t-shirt, shivering while I waited for the sun. At 6:17 am on the morning of July 25 there was only the soft, warm glow radiating out from the horizon up across the sky and down over the clear, calm waters toward my feet, only the sounds of my trembling, foggy breaths and the lake's gentle waves that are so different from the ocean's roaring crashes. The world did not exist outside of that moment.

While talking with a friend the other day I mentioned, somewhat facetiously, that I wished I could just skip 2011. Not because I expect it to be particularly unenjoyable, but because this one year represents a task to be completed before I move on to the next stage in my life and career. It's always the anticipation of things that make them more than they are. I think that's why I like road-trips so much: it lets me continually surprise myself with anonymous, road-side moments of quiet serenity that let me tune out the rest of the world.

Winter Break (iii): San Francisco Eats

Some of my friends consider me a foodie because I like to find new/hip places to eat. This isn't exactly true, since I don't actually know anything about food or its preparation. I just know when something tastes good and is cheap. With some food blogs a part of my daily internet reading, naturally I've cultivated an affinity for non-chain restaurants. That said, most of my trips are planned around seeing and eating things. I already covered the seeing of San Francisco. Here's the eating:



1. The first place I ate was at Katana-Ya, a ramen place near Union Square. Unfortunately the lighting inside was really dim and purple-y so nothing came out that well. I ordered the chasu ramen, which seemed to be the thing. It was good, certainly better than anything in DC or Boston, but paled in comparison to any of the excellent bowls you can find in NY.

2. Lunch the next day was at Farmer Brown's Little Skillet. I'll go ahead and say that this was my favorite meal of the trip. Nothing super complex or fancy, just sublimely satisfying soul food. As you can see, it's just a window shop without any seating. I took my chicken and waffles and walked the couple blocks to the benches by the bay behind Giant's stadium. Sitting by the water with the sun in my face, warm breeze on my skin, and a giant piece of fried chicken in one hand and a waffle in the other just made me smile.

3. I had dinner that night at Una Pizza Napoletana. Having been to Anthony Mangieri's NY shop before he fled to the west, I knew what to expect in terms of the food (which was excellent neapolitan pies), but I really liked the space there. While his NY operation was tiny and cramped, the SF space was very open. Vaulted ceilings and a large cordoned off area for the brick oven and preparation table. It was clearly designed with the intention of exhibiting the art of Mangieri's pie making.

4. Dinnered the following night at The Monk's Kettle in the Mission. The wait for this place was excessive, but the abundance of bars in the immediate vicinity make it easier. Admittedly, the food here wasn't spectacular. Passable, but the main draw was their drink list which totaled to approximately a bazillion different kinds of beer.

5. On my last day there I met a friend from high school for dim sum at CityView Restaurant. Probably the best dim sum I've ever had. Which isn't saying too much, since I haven't had dim sum an extraordinary amount of times. The soup dumplings, however, were comparable to what I've had at Joe's Shanghai/Shanghai Cafe in NY. Needless to say, I ate a lot of them. The catch though, which I should have picked up on judging by the cleanliness of the place, was that it was not as shockingly cheap as I usually am surprised to find dim sum to be upon receiving the check. Still, it was good and I don't regret it.

A good variety. San Francisco is not a bad food town.

Winter Break (ii): San Francisco Sights

I was in San Francisco from last Thursday until this morning. A short trip to bookend my winter break. I went from a foot of snow in Boston to 65 and sunny. They say 70% of America is covered in snow right now and it looked like it on the flight over.



Beyond the western mountain ranges, California enjoys an almost otherworldly mildness. It was a nice break from winter to walk around in a t-shirt for a few days. I stayed with my friend/pseudo-cousin, Sally, and spent most of my time walking around and eating. While she was at work I wandered through the many neighborhoods peppered throughout the undulating hills around the city. San Francisco is full of vaguely distinct hipster streets and everywhere the subtle hint of marijuana lingers in the air.



In New York I sometimes dread having to cross several long blocks between avenues, but in San Francisco I came to dread turning a corner to find myself facing a 45 degree incline. The toll the hills took on my body notwithstanding, the constantly changing elevation promises an interesting backdrop virtually anywhere you look. Certain higher spots provide some spectacular views. I climbed the highest point at Telegraph Hill, but unfortunately Coit Tower was closed for renovations while I was there. It was nice, nonetheless.



Yes, that's the Full House house at the Alamo Park. That row of houses is called "The Painted Ladies." Then, of course, there are the bridges, both Bay and Golden Gate. Sally and I biked across the Golden Gate bridge to Sausalito on Saturday. The weather was beautiful. I'm told I lucked out there as it's been rainy recently.



It was a really pleasant ride. I rarely have the opportunity to ride a bike. There's nothing quite so nostalgia inducing like riding a bike on a warm, sunny day. The trail ended in Sausalito, where we took the ferry back. Sausalito reminds me of pictures I've seen of the Greek islands. Colorful houses piled on top of one another on dramatic hills by the water. On the ferry ride back, we were treated to a stunning sunset over the Golden Gate bridge. I stood there clicking my shutter for a good 20 minutes.



San Francisco is a beautiful city. Not only that, it has some pretty good food. I will share some of what I stuffed my face with in the next post. All in all, a nice way to close out winter break.

Snow Day

Like everyone that's no longer in K-12, my enjoyment of snow is somewhat diminished. It just adds some extra hassle to going about your day, but it's nice on days where I have nowhere to go. I just hope it doesn't interfere with my flight to San Francisco tomorrow.
I went up on my roof to get a few shots. I was kind of afraid that I'd step on some snow too close to the edge and find that there was no roof there, but I managed to survive.

The Maltese Falcon

Besides the word maltese, the title of this post is entirely irrelevant (The Maltese Falcon is a 1940's Humphrey Bogart noir/detective film). The week I moved to a place closer to work in June 2009, my mom bought a maltese puppy from a neighbor, ostensibly replacing me. She kept the name they had given him: Shimu. He's almost 2 years old now and still a spoiled little baby.

The door to my bedroom at home doesn't latch completely and can be pushed open. Shimu discovered this early on and every morning the first thing I hear is him sprinting down the hall from my mom's bedroom (where she keeps him at night) and my door being thrown open from the impact of a tiny, fluffy white cannonball. The first thing I see is his eager, impish face peering over the edge of my bed. It's a little annoying to be woken up so raucously every morning, but I admit it's pretty endearing.

When I'm home, he's the person/mammal I end up actually spending the most time with since he just hangs out in my room/bed/lap. Whenever I leave, he sits in my room alone for a couple of days before he realizes I'm not there.

Winter Break (i): Home

I basically spent the past two weeks at home sleeping, eating, and meeting friends (to eat with). It was a great time, but it went by in a blur. I can hardly believe I'm back in Boston already. The next two weeks of winter break will be over before I know it too. Blerg.



Home visits usually involve at least one jaunt across the National Mall. For New Year's Eve, I had fully intended to do absolutely nothing, but a friend and I decided to hang out in Baltimore at the last minute. It was fun and low-key. We got to catch the fireworks at the Inner Harbor.



My time at home was generally not that eventful, but it was restful and pleasant. I've been back less than a day and already can't stop thinking about school, getting a job so I can feed myself, summer internships, what to do about housing next fall... but it's OK! Two more weeks of freedom!

The precipitous drop off in the frequency of posts in the past couple of months was mostly due to the workload picking up, but I should have a bunch of stuff to put up here in the coming weeks.