California '23

It was a pleasant day in Gainesville when four of us got into a rented car and started heading to MCO, where I had catch an Alaskan flight to SFO. It would be my first time on the West Coast, which I was told was supposedly the best coast. I was excited to verify that claim. My time at the airport disappeared like a breeze, and I was aboard a 6-and-a-quarter-hour flight. Thankfully, I was assigned row 13 and had the whole row to myself. I reached SFO by 10:30, and I was in Sunnyvale about an hour past midnight. (due to a small pit stop at Apni Mandi)

A day in the life of a tourist:

Started off by visiting SF. I had a bagel for breakfast and really liked the garlic cream cheese. Our first stop was the iconic Lombard Street, followed by the Golden Gate Bridge. Next were Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39. SF is pretty fucked, and spots like Chinatown were filled with homeless, druggies, and hustlers, with most people being all three. I saw cars with pages stuck to rear windows, pleading with people not to break them. 😂

Every tech bro's pfp at some point

We then headed back to South Bay and visited Stanford. Magnificent campus. After a long day of walking, we were exhausted and decided to relax and have dinner. We headed to the Westfield Valley Fair. I was pretty excited for Ramen Nagi (aka the best ramen in the world), as Ayush had hyped me up. The wait was an hour. While in line, we munched on a bag of fried mushrooms and Vietnamese iced coffee. Ayush had boba, which was tasteless. I had the regular, which was probably a Tonkatsu. It tasted great, and the spice was on point. We then did a little shopping and headed back.

Stanford's iconic arches

Road trip day!

We picked up some breakfast at In-N-Out. I, of course, had to have the double-double with grilled onions. Ayush had the grilled cheese, which isn’t on the menu, but you can order it (a nice little trick for vegetarians). The burger and fries were average but cheap compared to Five Guys or Shake Shack. We then drove through US-101S towards Monterey County. We joined the CA-1S highway and enjoyed the breathtaking views of the Pacific coastline. The route had patches where you could see the mountains on one side and the sea on the other. Truly mesmerizing. We headed to Big Sur and turned back to head back to the bay. Lastly, we ended our day with Pani Puri at Apni Mandi.

The Bixby Bridge, Big Sur, California

A day to remember, indeed

Ayush and I went to visit the Google campuses in Sunnyvale. After a hearty breakfast, I got a chance to look around the buildings. I also rode a GBike. Later, Vrishabh called tech “Adult Day Care,” which I found particularly hilarious.

Preppy kid at the Google Bayview campus

Helping a brother out

After helping Ayush with some personal work, we had Chinese food for dinner. Xioalongbao and Sichuan noodles. Bliss. Also, a dejavu happened, and Ayush was utterly stunned. [There is more evidence that we live in a physical world guided by dynamic systems] (https://cogdev.sitehost.iu.edu/labwork/Smith_dynamicsystem_2005.pdf).

Round up

I visited the Computer History Museum. I fiddled around with the artifacts just like Alex had. Fun. I headed to SFO, and after bidding goodbye, I was off to JFK for the next part of my trip.

The Computer History Museum, Mountain View, California