Hello, it’s Group 1 again, and here’s our weekly check-in!
The major highlight of the week would definitely have to be Independence Day! And since it’s a public holiday, we have no classes and some of us took the opportunity to travel around San Francisco area for some sightseeing.
We started our journey at the Maritime Museum, where we learned all about San Francisco’s maritime history and read some interesting stories about explorers and sailors of the past.
After the short museum tour, we begin our walk to Chinatown! We wanted to immerse ourselves in the city’s culture and explore the place by foot so that we don’t miss any nice scenery along the way. It was quite a long walk to Chinatown and the topography of San Francisco didn’t make it easy(hills are really steep), but the cool weather and great companies make it 100 times more enjoyable.
We eventually reached Chinatown, where we saw the famous San Francisco cable cars going up and down the hills. Unlike Singapore, buildings in San Francisco are usually much shorter. The buildings in Chinatown was filled with many colours and the smell of familiar asian food filled the streets.
There were so many pastry shops and bakeries, making us feel as if we were back home in Singapore. Smelling the traditional Chinese pastries and cooking brought back so many memories, and we just had to try some, so we went to have a dim sum buffet at a small restaurant that was tucked away on one of the streets of Chinatown.
After we had finished exploring Chinatown (and entering almost every pastry shop), we decided it’s time to make our way to Pier 39 to catch some fireworks.
Many others were already gathered along the grass field beside Pier39, waiting to catch the 9 pm fireworks, and we were welcomed by the live performances on the makeshift stage as part of the celebrations for 4th.
At last, it was time for fireworks! We were so excited for the fireworks, but to our dismay, the fog made it hard to see. There was a huge crowd around the pier which, coupled with the buildings in the area, made it hard to view the fireworks. We managed to catch glimpses of them behind the building every now and then, but it was mostly just coloured fog. But oh well, it was still a great experience to embrace all the festivities for the 4th of July and it’s an honor to witness the celebration of the nation’s birthday in with the fellow Americans here at the bay area.
Any lessons learned? Definitely! BRING A BLANKET/THICKER COAT TO SAN FRANCISCO, believe us, the temperatures drop quite drastically from the day, and that together with fog and wind makes it really cold!! Having hot food ready or coming with a full stomach makes getting through the cold much better too, so come prepared!
That’s all for now folks! Till next week!!
