Ever wondered what your peers meant when they said they were from “the Bay”? As a proud East Coast girl, this phrase eluded me.Â
Sure, I eventually figured out they meant the San Francisco Bay, but as someone who had never even set foot on the West Coast before, I was fascinated by this apparent paradise — an imaginary world of beaches, mountains, and cities, all in the span of about 60 miles along the Pacific Coast.Â
Then, I became very close friends with fellow Boston University students from there. In June of 2026, I had the pleasure of visiting the West Coast for the first time, particularly the San Francisco Bay Area, where I stayed with friends for an entire week.Â
We spent our time exploring unique San Francisco neighborhoods, hiking Alamere Falls, and relaxing in Menlo Park and Marin County. While the Bay Area is a popular tourist destination, I hope my fresh-eyed take provides new insight into the beauties of visiting where your loved ones are from and learning to love their hometown, too.
Frankly, I fell in love with the Bay Area. As many-a-tourist will say upon return from the Pacific Coast, the weather is seemingly always perfect in sunny California. While this is a broad statement for an entire state, I can speak for my trip that the weather was wonderfully pleasant my entire stay.Â
What amazed me the most was the lack of humidity, even while the temperature was a steady 75-80 degrees every day! According to my San Franciscan friends, the area was actually experiencing a heat wave the week we visited, and it’s usually even cooler.
Additionally, I was simply awestruck by the everyday beauty surrounding the city. While picking up groceries or taking a walk around their neighborhood, I kept asking my friends how they didn’t get distracted by the beauty every time they stepped outside. I stayed part of the week in Marin, and the second part in Menlo Park, which are north and south of San Francisco, respectively.Â
One early morning, we did the Alamere Falls hike in Marin County, which took us five hours over about eight miles. Being surrounded by only nature, without internet service, and even with the weather being foggy, was awe inspiring. I had never taken a true hike before and I now completely understand the appeal of a complete disconnect from the material world.Â
The cascading falls of the cliff off into the Pacific Ocean was truly breathtaking. I had never been so close to the Pacific Ocean before, and although it’s a novelty to care about such things, I felt different — like I had accomplished something I’d been dreaming about for years.
On the other hand, exploring San Francisco neighborhoods like Haight-Ashbury and Chinatown was exhilarating. I consider myself a tried-and-true city girl because I constantly crave the feeling of being in the center of culture and where things are “happening,” and history has taken place.Â
So, walking the streets where the 1967 Summer of Love took place and rockstars roamed felt pretty special. The thrift shops in the Haight-Ashbury district were some of the sickest pieces I’ve ever seen and we even stopped in the famous Amoeba Music store where I bought a Joni Mitchell record. In Chinatown, we had killer dumplings that only cost $3 a pop and enjoyed the scenery of the historic neighborhood.Â
Oddly enough, however, some of my favorite memories from this trip were in… the suburbs. I’m a bona fide suburbanite, so I hadn’t thought I would be so thoroughly impressed with the small towns my friends grew up in.Â
I couldn’t have been more wrong! The little things like eating a late dinner at In-N-Out, watching The Princess Bride at the community baseball field, driving along the Pacific Coast Highway, and attending a local summer festival were utterly dreamy to me.
Maybe it was the novelty of being somewhere new, or possibly it was experiencing the hometowns that bred some of my favorite people in the world.
Either way, I loved my time in the Bay Area!
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