Tale of Two Cities is the story of road trips, an underwater forest and the hiking trails of California.
Since California is relatively large to cover on a single trip, my travel was split between North and South California. I do truly believe you can see all of it only through slow travel i.e. if you live in California and can take short trips over the course of time of living there. Which is why along with sharing my experience, I also interviewed two guests who have lived there long enough to know about the place more than I do!
Starting off with the tale of the first of the 2 cities - San Francisco.
Day 1 began on a Sunday - July of 2023. I caught a beautiful sunrise at the Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta Airport and reached the Bay Area (aka San Francisco) at about noon. My aunt graciously hosted me for 5 days and made the Mangalorean speciality Kori Rotti for lunch - a much-needed wholesome meal after a 5 hour flight across the country.
A word of caution for anyone hoping to catch a glimpse of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge - it does like to play hide & seek. The red suspension was completely covered by a huge cloud and I couldn’t see it at all, let alone take pictures with it! Since this was still day 1 of my trip to the fog city, we decided to catch a glimpse another day.
A short walk away in the Marina District is the Palace of Fine Arts that has a beautiful Rotunda with gorgeous detailing; if you’re a fan of Roman architecture, it’s worth a visit. Another tourist attraction in the area is the Fisherman’s Wharf - a waterfront area with live music and seafood. Here I recommend the Crab Chowder from Boudin Bakery.
Day 2 began by 9 am where we set out to a drive to the coastal city of Monterey. If you like the oceanfront, quirky souvenir and cute cafes, Cannery Row in Monterey should be a stop for you. Be sure to pack a light jacket - even in summer - because North California’s winds can make even mid-day feel extremely cold.
We then head over to Carmel’s Garrapata State Park that offers a stunning view of the Pacific Ocean. The park is filled with beautiful yellow Yarrow flowers and caterpillar scorpion weed that looks like, well a caterpillar!
Keep driving south to arrive at the Bixby Bridge - this view is worth stopping your car for because it looks like a scenery captured on a postcard.
Another state park to visit in this area is the Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park which has several prickly pear cactus - a plant known to lower blood sugar. The buildings and trails in this park were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps volunteers - a public program created by former president Franklin D. Roosevelt to conserve natural resources.
Day 3 was the Fourth of July so our day began a little later than usual. On our way to Sonoma, we drove through the Golden Gate Bridge so I did finally get to see it! You can’t be in Northern California and not have a wine tasting experience - which is exactly what we were headed to Sonoma for. It was a bright and sunny day at Merriam Vineyards where I tried the 2021 Undisclosed Vineyard Chardonnay and the 2018 Rockville Cabernet Sauvignon. With a massive sunhat, linen dress and a wine in hand, it truly encapsulated what a perfect summer day looks like! We also stopped by a charming little town called Healdsburg that is filled with cute boutiques and a vintage car show was on for Independence Day. If you enjoy shopping accessible luxury, the Petaluma Village Premium Outlets on the way back from Sonoma to San Francisco is a must-visit; especially around the holidays as they have great discounts.
On Day 4, I was headed out for a solo day that started off with the Salesforce Park. As one of the exhibits at the park rightly points - ‘the frequent wind and fog can be a surprise to visitors’. The irony of this moment being that I was clad in shorts anticipating summer in San Francisco - I know now, there is no such thing there! Although it is a park, it is also a stone’s throw away from the noisy Financial District so if you’re expecting a calm, relaxing atmosphere, this is not the place to go.
A short walk away is the iconic Ferry Building. I do suggest getting there about 30 minutes before your ferry is to depart, not just to be punctual but also because the building has a multitude of stores and cafes that you may want to explore; or alternatively you can do that when you are back from your destination. I was headed to Sausalito - known to attract creative thinkers, free spirits and non-conformists; I’d like to believe I identify with all of those! Sausalito looks a lot like America’s version of Positano. As you get off the ferry, you’ll witness wild harbor seals off the dock, so can an eye for them! Walk around the town’s boutiques, pick a book at Sausalito Books by the Bay and don’t leave without visiting the Bay Model Visitor Center. There is a massive bay model that was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers to understand changes to the bay landscape around the Pacific Ocean, the Carquinez Strait’s freshwater and saltwater mix’s impact to drinking water supplies and for flood control in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was an educational day with the backdrop of an artistic view and at 3 pm I was headed back to SF.
Day 5 and it was time to explore NorCal’s Silicon Valley. I took a train to Santa Clara to meet a friend, eat lunch from a food truck and immerse myself at the Intel Museum. Go here if you want to explore Intel’s history, spell your name with binary code and understand the photolithography process. My day ended with Robert Noyce’s quote - “Don’t be encumbered by history. Go off and do something wonderful.”
As I flew out of San Jose on the last day of this trip, I spot a massive IBM logo out of the window seat of the plane, perfectly encapsulating the association of Tech with the Bay Area!
Here's an excerpt of my interview with Rupa Shetty, a San Francisco local, who shares her city’s recommendations.
SA: Hi, Rupa aunty. Thank you so much for giving me a few minutes of your time for my questions. And remind me how many years you've lived in San Francisco again?
RS: I've lived here since 2021, so about five years now.
SA: Okay, great. That brings me to my first question. Since you've lived there for nearly five years, what is a San Francisco tradition that only someone like you who has lived there would know?
RS: I don't think there was any one particular tradition, but I think it's slightly different from the rest of the country in kind of the celebrations that they have over here. There's a lot of interest in celebrating Pride. So that's one of the major highlights of San Francisco's when Pride Month is there, and having to go and visit all the events that happen around that time, and also since we are a big Asian community over here in the San Francisco area, Chinese New Year is like a huge celebration. So those are two of the things that are highly celebrated that's not done in the rest of the country. So the Chinese Lunar New Year, which usually happens sometimes in February. So that's like a huge thing. So they have lots of festivities around there. You have, it's called a flower market, where a lot of the Chinese vendors come and they kind of sell all the things that are required for celebrating Chinese New Year. Like a red envelope with all the money that they give to their family members and flowers and jade and things like that, that you can buy very easily. And then Pride Month, of course, is kind of very fun because people dress up and a lot of people go to see all the crazy dresses that are the way people dress up. It's kind of outrageous, so it's kind of fun to see. And another one is also, I think, Bay to Breakers. Not many people are aware. It's a run that happens that goes horizontal across San Francisco and everybody dresses up and goes running. So it's kind of fun to just go and watch all the wacky outfits that people have come up with.
SA: Interesting. So February, for anyone who's interested in Asian festivals, that's a good time to visit or June around Pride Month or Bay to Breakers, whenever that happens throughout the year. That's good recommendation!
It took me 2 years to travel back to California, but this time was special as I was celebrating my 30th birthday in the City of Angels - Los Angeles.
Day 1 in LA and my Uber waved through traffic to reach the Korean Friendship Bell in San Pedro. The bronze landmark, gifted to the US by South Korea, has a beautiful pagoda structure and offers a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean.
On Day 2, it was time to explore Hollywood. If you don’t want to get overstimulated at all of the touristy spots, I’d recommend the Japan House. The cultural center offers a peak into Japanese traditions and art along with offering guests some delicious iced matcha tea. If you’re a fan of Picasso’s art, you should visit the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It was here that I learnt that although a world-renowned artist, Pablo Picasso didn’t exactly have a moral compass when it came to his relationships and treatment of women. At the time that he painted ‘Bust of a Seated Woman’ which is the portrait housed at the museum, he was married to a ballet dancer, whilst having affairs with a mere 17 year old Walter and another photographer Maar, on whom the portrait is based.
Day 3 and it was time for a glorious tour to Queen Mary. A shockingly little known fact - this ship currently docked at Long Beach is bigger than Titanic was. That’s right; in length, width, weight and the number of decks! I highly recommend taking the Glory Days Tour. It is about $48 and absolutely worth it to understand the history of this underrated ship. The ocean liner is very luxurious so just walking on the deck makes you feel like you’re a royal.
Memorial Day fell on Day 4 of my trip and I decided to stay indoors to cook and chat with my cousin.
Day 5 is etched in my memory because of how unique the sight I experienced was. Do not leave South California without a stop at Catalina Island. There are ferries from San Pedro to this abundance of marine wildlife. A special mention to Catalina Coffee & Cookie Co. that had the most yummy coffee. If you want to experience what Italy’s Amalfi Coast feels like, walk up to the Catalina Chimes Tower for an incredible view of the island.
On Day 6, I head to survive Downtown LA. If you don’t already know, Skid Row is an area you should completely avoid venturing into. In general, DTLA is not an area you can relax around. You’ve got to have an itinerary in place, and quickly be able to pivot if a place you go to is shut or feels unsafe. Two things to do here that I enjoyed and would recommend -
1. The World’s Shortest Train - Angel Flight. A one-way fare is less than $2 and the cable car goes both up and downhill for a distance of less than a 100m.
2. The Rotunda at the Los Angeles Central Library. This globe-shaped chandelier is worth a visit.
Day 7 and it was time to head down to South LA. I was invited to the MINI Motor Experience and it was an absolute fiesta with custom cupcakes, custom t-shirts and tacos for attendees. In the Uber from the showroom to my next destination for the day, one of my lenses just popped right out of my eye. My hands weren’t clean so I didn’t want to put the lens back in my eye so I pretty much spent the rest of the day with only 1 good eye. That incident did not deter me because the destination I was headed to is what symbolizes LA - The Hollywood sign viewed from the Griffith Observatory. If you’ve watched what in my opinion is the most misunderstood movie of all times - La La Land, Justin Hurwitz’ Planetarium tune will immediately come to your mind as you enter the doors of the observatory. Stay until sunset and beyond - the orange sky looks magnificent and on a clear day, you can view the moon through a telescope.
On Day 8, it was time to take my first ever Amtrak ride to chic city of Santa Barbara. My train departed from the Union Station which is so exquisite; I feel one should visit even if you don’t have a train to go to anywhere. I would also suggest a business class seat in the Amtrak as you’re provided with baked goods and beverages throughout the journey. The striking view of the Pacific Ocean between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara also make this train ride worthwhile.
I’ll break down Santa Barbara’s vibe for you based on my conversation with an Uber driver - rich but understated. The city resides many Hollywood celebrities but those that don’t want your attention. Santa Barbara is like quiet luxury, it doesn’t scream wealth through flashy brands but the peace and beauty it offers is what lends to its richness.
My 2 recommendations in this city -
1. The Santa Barbara Public Library. They have a very quirky collection of books like The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman which has the funniest dedication page I’ve ever come across -
This book is dedicated to all the women out there who no longer have the patience or desire to put up with any nonsense
2. The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. This has to be renamed to a forest because the place’s name is underwhelming but the experience is absolutely not. You can see the Santa Ynez Mountain Peaks, witness the Redwoods aka the tallest trees in the World and hike through serene trails.
Day 9 and I was heading back to LA, yet again in the Amtrak. This was an afternoon train so the beverages offered did include alcohol such as the Stella Artois beer and a box of snacks that included pretzels, a fig bar and gourmet cheese. The box of train treats was labelled ‘Eat Well, Travel Often’. There’s something about traveling between the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other, that makes me very emotional. Its realization of the privilege and joy of travel; how I would choose a memorable experience any day over materialistic things. Or maybe it was just a moment to capture the last day of my 20s - a decade that I’ve lived so fully.
On Day 10, I treated myself to an hour long massage at The Ritz-Carlton in Marina Del Ray. You leave with a box full of Sisley Spa’s goodies so the pampering doesn’t just end at the massage.
I made the most of my vacation in South Cali but a resident can tell you the best about a place so I have Nidhi Shetty to share what living in LA is like.
SA: So considering you have lived in Los Angeles for, what, nearly two decades now?
NS: Yeah, 20 years.
SA: 20 years! I couldn't think of a better guest, so I have some questions for you. First of all, because of your love for food, if a traveler could eat one meal in LA, what would you recommend that to be and where?
NS: So one thing, I think everyone expects me to say tacos and don't get me wrong, our taco scene is incredible. But if I had to recommend one meal that really represents Los Angeles, I would actually point them to its Japanese or Korean food. I think LA has some of the best Japanese and Korean food. One of my personal favorite is Otafuku. It's in Gardena, close to where I live, and it's one of those no-frills places where the food speaks for itself. I love restaurants like that. They are not trying to go viral or be the next hotspot. They're just constantly good, and people keep coming back because they care about the food. And then there is Koreatown, whether it is Korean barbecue or a bubbling bowl of Sundubu or late night comfort food after a night out. It's an experience as much as it's a meal. You could honestly spend an entire weekend eating your way through Koreatown and still barely scratch the surface. And what I love most about LA is that you can't define it by one cuisine. You can have Japanese for lunch, Korean for dinner, incredible tacos the next day, and then explore Persian food, Armenian food, Ethiopian food, Vietnamese, Chinese, that's LA. The diversity isn't just something you see, it's something you taste. So if I could leave visitors with one tip, it would be this - Don't plan your trip around Instagram or TikTok. Like talk to the locals.
Some of the best meals I have ever had has been in these little strip malls that most people would just drive right past.
SA: Those are some great recommendations. So there isn't one cuisine, essentially. It's like, you know, a melting pot, where there's so many different varieties to try from.
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