The Great Wonder

In November of 2013 I went on a trip with my study abroad program to San Francisco. At this point in my life I had just started a travel blog and was more than ready to add an entry on San Francisco. On our first day there several friends and I decided to walk to Pier 39. Mistake number one was only bringing a pair of leather flats for the entire duration of the trip. Mistake number two, was forgetting that none of us knew our way around the city. After navigating through the parts of town they don’t show you on the double decker bus tours, past buildings that soared high into the clouds, and past ones whose brick façade told of the San Fran’s rich history, we made it. The pier was bustling with people, all speaking in different languages, some weighed down with shopping bags others whizzing by on borrowed bicycles. My friends and I stopped to sample free chocolates at the candy store, before we chowed down on bread bowls. We decided then we wanted to find our to Coit tower. It took nearly 40 minutes but we found the staircase and made the climb up the steps. The tower was closed there would be no more trips up to the top, and we had only missed closing by 15 minutes. We told the employees that all we wanted was a few minutes at the top. They let us purchase tickets and we got to experience Coit Tower privately after hours. The roof was quiet and the Golden Gate Bridge was lit up in the distance, its reflection shimmering on the water. When we finished our visit and left the tower we realized that we missed the last bus and had to find our way back to the hotel. We walked through little Italy, nd stopped a bookshop before eventually making it back to our hotel. The third mistake I made that trip was accepting the idea that I felt more at home and at peace getting lost in foreign cities, then I would ever feel in the house I grew up in. It was the best mistake I could ever make.