The Travel Bug Glows in the Golden Hour

It’s like San Francisco is Instagram. Or at least it seemed that way to me and my friend Dawn. We were standing on Baker Beach with our eyes fixed on the Golden Gate Bridge.

It was the golden hour, that time of twilight when everything glows in a soft amber light. I stood on the sand and looked to my left—a rugged cliff basked in an orange hue from the setting sun. I turned to the right and was met again by the wonder of that architectural beauty that is the Golden Gate Bridge.

Moments before, as I sat in a car crossing the bridge, I had asked myself, “Is this actually happening? Here I am on this bridge that I’ve seen in movies, on postcards, and in magazines.” It was a strange feeling like meeting a celebrity and realizing mid-conversation, “Oh my gosh this is real. This is that person!”

My visit to San Francisco was part of a road trip from Seattle to L.A. My band was on tour, and by “tour,” I mean mostly vacation. And the “band” is just me and my sister, Meghan, a keyboard and a drum kit. Our road trip buddy, Dawn, is a native Californian; she knew the city’s treasures well. After crossing the bridge, she took us immediately to Baker Beach, which in my opinion is the best place to gaze lovingly at those red arches.

Minutes after leaving the beach, we arrived at our hosts for the night. With a few fleeting moments of sunlight left, we climbed to the rooftop, to catch one last look at the Golden Gate. I couldn’t see the whole bridge, but the arches were peeking out above the rooftops in the distance.

With a native guiding the way, I discovered some of the lovable secrets of this town. For example, locals put brown sugar into their coffee. No one explained the reason for this phenomenon, but every coffee shop had it right next to the fluorescent packets of Splenda and Sweet ‘N Low. Now, every time I put brown sugar in my coffee, I think to myself, “I’m adding a little San Francisco in my cup.”

My long journey introduced me to Redwood forests, delicious co-ops, and the Space Needle. I spent less than 48 hours in San Francisco, but I connected with the city within minutes of entering it.

Sometimes places look better in the movies. You get disappointed when you discover that in real life they lose their glossy, dreamlike appearance. San Francisco does not. It looks like a picture already edited. It’s one place that beats all depictions of it.

The city stole my heart immediately, which is good. It means I have to return to find it.