415 MEETS 510
"My mind is for the Bay, but my heart belongs to Frisco."
Although natives never call San Francisco by the nickname, "Frisco," I definitely resonate with that quote from my boy, Dexter Lopez. Honestly, Summer Day in the Bay still slaps and continues to be my favorite summer song to EVERY YEAR. Take a listen!
I know I already made a post about how much I wanted to explore my city this summer. However, there's so much more to do up here in the Bay! What I love about living in this area is that there's trusty public transportation to take you from one side of the Bay to the other.
There are often times a debate of what exactly is "The Bay Area" and who is a part of it. Here's some insight before I go on with this post: "The Bay Area" consists of big cities and small towns in Northern California that... surround the Bay... literally. It is divided by three distinct parts: the Peninsula (San Francisco to San Bruno), the East Bay (Oakland to Vallejo and Antioch), and the South Bay (Santa Clara to Gilroy).
Yes, the Bay Area is big. Although the area spans probably a 100+ cities and towns, we have a lot of pride. Whether you're from the 415, 707, or 408, Bay Area people know how come together and represent!!! Moving away from the Bay has made me realize how prideful we can be.
Anyways, enough of that! I can spend hours writing about the Bay Area and all of its great glory. <3
Today, I decided to explore more parts of the Bay that I have been wanting to check out: Berkeley & Oakland!
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We decided to stop at Berkeley first!
There's soooooooooo much gr8 eats in the Berkz. Downtown Berkeley has a plethora of both fine dining and fast food joints. To be honest, it was so hard to decide where to settle down and eat! My dad and I decided to try out a trendy hole-in-the-wall called the Snack Shack. Fun fact: it's inside a redesigned garage! Although that may sound a little weird, the ambiance was definitely hipster and the food was delicious. Their Shack Fries (pictured above) are to die for.
After lunch and driving around, we found ourselves going higher and higher up Berkeley Hills and found Grizzly Peak!
Grizzly Peak is an overlook tucked away in Berkeley Hills. On a clear day, you can see all of Berkeley, Oakland, and other neighboring towns. If you're lucky, you can even see the Bay Bridge and the Downtown San Francisco skyline!
I will for sure come back to Berkeley for another day out with friends to check out all the local art. (Side Note: If anyone knows where the "You are my sunshine" mural, slide into my DMs, por favor!)
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After a 15 minute drive, we got to the middle of Oak-town!!!
Lake Merritt is an urban oasis. Located in the Lakeview area, Lake Merritt is the perfect place to go to after a long day of shopping on Bay St. or a 9-5 job in Downtown Oakland. Whether you're out for a run or need a place to take your date after dinner, Lake Merritt is a picturesque location that will bring you at peace. These are the kind of places I really appreciate and hope to find more of.
This reminded me a lot of Stow Lake in San Francisco and Glorietta Bay Park in San Diego. (Ahhh, I miss San Diego sooo much!)
Today was well deserved after a long week of studying math and sociology. I have learned that Summer classes actually take up soooooo much time! Nonetheless, ya girl is getting her grind on and putting in werk. Finals are next week, which means: finally more adventures!
So, where have y'all explored this summer? :-)
Sincerely, Kaithleen