Berkeley.

Today me and Josh took a trip across to Bay on BART to visit Berkeley. I can't believe I haven't been before! UC Berkeley is one of the most prestigious universities in the US, and it's especially well known for the student protests which were held here in the 60s.

The campus is huge - in fact, the whole town is based around it. Very different to the compact city campus I'm used to. 

We began by walking through the campus in the sunshine (the weather in the East Bay is ALWAYS nicer than it is in foggy SF) past the main Clock Tower, the Bancroft Library and the University Library. 

Afterwards, we had a reverse lunch, first wandering down Telegraph Ave and getting an ice cream sandwich from C.R.E.A.M (chocolate chip cookies and pistachio ice cream)...

...and then walking down Shattuck Ave and sharing a pizza and PBR at Sliver. 

Berkeley's definitely worth seeing if you're in the Bay Area - just a short ride from downtown SF and you're there! 

Mount Tamalpais.

With all the time in the world (but not a huge amount of money, as I'm saving my funds for VEGAS), I wanted to venture out of the city and walk for a very long time - so I hitched a ride with my friend Tyler (bless those friends with cars) and we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge to the Mount Tamalpais State Park in Marin County.

We decided to take the Matt Davis Trail down to Stinson Beach, and the Steep Ravine Trail back, which is about a 4-hour round-trip hike (6-7 miles - yes, that's right!)

The first part of the trail is mostly forest, where we came across some of Marin's wildlife. 

banana slug! 

After the forest, the beach comes into view - but there's still a way to go through the scrub! Luckily the scenery makes up for it. 

Eventually we got down to Stinson beach. 

Proof that we made it! 

After a well-needed rest by the water, we made our way back to the ranger station. By this point, I was far too tired to take pictures, but I did manage to catch the sun setting over Stinson Beach.

So beautiful! 

Still in San Francisco.

Yes, I know by saying that I'd moved out, it seemed like I was completely done with San Francisco. Not quite! I've still got just over a week to enjoy this lovely city.

On the day of move-out, I went to a really cool part of Ocean Beach called Fort Funston with Andy, to relax before we had to deal with the stress of moving out! 

On the way to the dunes it's partly forest, and all of the trees intertwine with each other. 

We found a lovely spot overlooking the water to enjoy the sunshine. 

As that day was Lauren's birthday, we all decided to stay together in a motel by the beach so we could have a proper celebration. Due to unforeseen circumstances (a very stressful move-out, not enough time, etc.) we all ended up just getting In-N-Out and having low-key drinks at the motel (or Bates Motel, as we liked to call it.)

Our very sophisticated bar. 

...And then there were two! The next day after everyone left, I spent one last day in the city with my lovely friend Andy before he headed home. 

We went to his favourite place in the city - the Wharf - and had popcorn shrimp, and then cocktails at a surf-themed bar (it's times like this that being 21 is great!).

A truly perfect way to spend the last day with one of my favourite people in San Francisco. 

Afterwards I headed to my hostel, we're I'm staying as a stop-gap between moving out and heading off to Vegas in a weeks' time. 

I'm so glad that Vicki, Alex and Morgan are all staying in the city over the summer for their jobs - it means I can spend time with them in-between their shifts! 

The next day I met up with Vicki in her new neck of the woods, the Sunset, and we spent the day wandering around the thrift shops and Asian food shops on Judah and Irving Streets. 

We grabbed some boba tea (a tradition of ours) and I got a bahn mi, a Vietnamese sandwich, and a rare find in San Francisco - HULA HOOPS! - before heading to Golden Gate Park for a picnic. 

Vicki and her new mate. 

Afterwards we all had a nice girly afternoon at Vicki and Alex's new apartment, and had dinner together. It's strange going to visit them at their new house, as I'm so used to them being around all the time! 

The day after I headed back over to Vicki's house with plans to go to the Mission, but faced with rain we decided to have a day inside instead - so we watched Forrest Gump, the perfect rainy day film.It's amazing how much of a dampener the rain can put on plans in the city! 

In the evening I went out for sushi with Josh to a place near the hostel, which was a really good deal - we got miso soup, salad, California Rolls, shrimp tempura and rice for under $20 ( Japanese beer not included). 

Just some of what I've been up to over the past few days. 

Movin' Out.

And with that...I'm all moved out of my lovely little apartment, filled with A LOT of happy memories. It's amazing that my whole existence has been reduced to this:

I can't believe how much fun it's been - going back into 'dorms' was like being a fresher all over again. Without it, I definitely wouldn't have made such amazing (and all-American) friends, who have helped so much in making this year an enjoyable one. 

I feel lucky that I can say this isn't goodbye forever - it's just until the next time, because I'm sure I'll remain friends with all of the wonderful people I've met here for a very long time to come. 

If any of you are reading (you know who you are) - love you! 

21 things.

I've learned a lot over the past year, and over the past 21 years too-  so I thought I'd stay in keeping with the birthday theme and write 21 observations I've made about life in the U.S, and also life in general!

PS. Don't be expecting nuggets of earth-shattering wisdom here at all!

On Food: 

- Easter Eggs do not exist, which I think is very sad. Also, trying to explain why Brits might roll eggs down a hill at Easter is pretty tricky. 

- Americans are spoilt with the amount of flavours of Pop Tart available - I'm always being reminded that if you haven't tried a S'Mores Pop Tart, you haven't lived. 

- I didn't realise how lucky we are that curry is practically a national British dish these days. I don't think I'll ever find a decent tikka masala within these United States. 

- Likewise, I'll probably never experience better Mexican food than I've had here in California (well, maybe in Mexico). 

- My old obsession with drinking tea and sparkling water has been replaced with two new drinking obsessions: iced lattes and root beer. 

- However, my favourite beer is unchanged: Stella, as always. Here, I can drink it here and look all Euro-chic, as opposed to chavvy. Blue Moon is now a close second though!

- I wish Prawn Cocktail crisps were widely available. 

On Things Which Are Not Acceptable:

- Spray Deodorant. Who knew?! I'm constantly getting death glares about my refusal to switch to roll-on. 

- Referring to San Francisco as 'Frisco' or 'San Fran' in front of locals; 'SF' is more widely accepted. 

- Not leaving tips for bartenders. It's meant to be a dollar a drink. I can't imagine doing this in England, there'd be pound coins rolling all over the place!

On Things Which Are Surprisingly Acceptable: 

- Skateboarding as an acceptable mode of transport for adults, and not just 12 year-old boys. 

- wearing cowboy boots, even when you're not at a rodeo. 

- Public Transport, though this is San Francisco-specific. One rule: the Muni metro is far superior to the buses, in that they're faster and less claustrophobic, meaning it's less likely that someone will sneeze in your face. 

- Overly-dramatic news. We're definitely spoilt with the loveliness of the unbiased BBC. 

On 'School Life' SF State:

- I didn't know that parentheses are brackets, that cursive is joined-up handwriting, and that a period is a full stop until I was educated outside of the United Kingdom. 

- though people often say I haven't had a 'real college experience' due to the lack of fraternities/sororities, cheerleaders and an American football team at SF State, I can honestly say I don't think it's made a difference to the amount of fun I've had! 

On Other Things I've Noticed: 

- On the whole, toilets are much closer to the ground here - slightly unnerving to say the least.

- Trying to explain the purpose of a bookies is practically impossible. 'What, gambling is nationwide?!'

- Jeopardy is an amazing gameshow. I wish we had it at home. I might watch it even more often than I used to watch Pointless. It's true that all student households must religiously watch at least one programme like this, and obsess about it. 

- An astounding lack of roundabouts. I sort of know why this is the case - in England, everyone would be far too polite about letting people go at stop signs - 'no, after you' - that no one would ever get anywhere.

- Americans expect you will know a lot about Europe. They're very disappointed when I tell them I've never been to Germany. 

Turning 21.

Finally, FINALLY, I'm 21 years old!

Here in America, 21 marks the true beginning of adulthood, and being able to drink legally (again), of course. 

It just so happened that my 21st this year coincided with everyone's last night in our apartments, so it became a sort of joint birthday/leaving celebration. 

After having a homemade cake at midnight, I woke up to a couple of surprises from my roommate (you sneak, Vicki), and got down to opening my cards and things. 

For the rest of the day I headed to Golden Gate Park with Andy to enjoy the lovely sunshine we've been having, with my first (in America, anyway) beer in hand (I only really chose it for the name, but still).

After being a little bit stuck for ideas, I finally decided that I really wanted to go to the Cheesecake Factory, which overlooks Union Square - so I grabbed all of my San Francisco crew for a night out. I feel so lucky that I have such good friends here - I was a bit worried that my birthday wouldn't be the same without my family and friends back at home, but these lovely people always make me feel special, and especially so on my birthday! 

When we arrived, the Cheesecake Factory was overrun by newly graduated students, so instead we hopped downstairs to the Burger Bar.  

After we'd set ourselves up for the evening, we went to a couple of bars - The Owl Tree, not far from Union Square (a nice bar) and The Shannon Arms (a cheap student bar) on Taraval and 19th, on our way home. 

A lovely evening all round!