Hey friends!
Well, January was one for the books. I’ve been working steadily on my New Year’s Resolutions and I’m pleased with the progress I’ve made. As for work, I’m finally off probation (woot woot!), which for flight attendants is the first 6 months in the air. Unfortunately, I also had the heart-wrenching experience of having my phone stolen by a passenger mid-flight while I was working… Y’all, if I wasn’t already upset enough, the paperwork that followed served as reminder to ALWAYS. KEEP. YOUR. VALUABLES. SAFE.
Moving forward, let’s check out the stats for January. I touched down in a grand total of 15 cities, I spent over 125 hours in the air (35% more than the average flight attendant), and enjoyed 6 different layovers in New York City, San Jose (Costa Rica), Fort Myers (Florida), Las Vegas, San Francisco and Nashville. This month’s Layover of the Month goes to San Francisco!
The flight to San Francisco was a bit hectic as this was the flight my phone was stolen on. I had to contact my manager when we landed and get everything sorted so I could still fly out the next day (the phone is required as it contains important work-related information).
I decided to indulge (read: eat my feelings) at The Melt. Where the “MacDaddy” was as equally photogenic as it was mouth watering. Annnd she wasn’t too hard on the bank account either. #FoodieParadise
After I finished stuffing my face, I decided to walk off the calories to the Ferry Building Marketplace down near Pier 1. From there, I casually made my way to the Fisherman’s Wharf at Pier 45. The weather was in the 60s – a stark difference from the below freezing temps in Minneapolis.
About 5 blocks from Fisherman’s Wharf is Ghirardelli Square. (Back story) My grandma worked for Southwest as a flight attendant. She was based in Oakland, CA. Growing up, she would make the trip across the bay to San Francisco to bring me back Ghirardelli chocolate. So it was a no-brainer that I’d visit their gift shop on my layover.
As I ducked my head into the entrance, I found myself surrounded by MOUNDS of chocolate (no candy pun intended). It took me a second to even realize one of the workers was standing in front of me, handing out samples. As I made my way past him, he hands me one and says, “here you go!” Then pauses and says, “And here’s another, because you’re cute!” *melts*
Thank you, San Francisco. 🙂
I wanted to save some energy for dancing, so instead of walking I hopped into a Lyft and zipped over to Lafayette Park for a photo-op with the iconic “Painted Ladies.” After spending about 45 min wandering around the park, I realized I was at the wrong park. Turns out I should have gone to Alamo Square Park. Oops.
From Lafayette Park, I eagerly guided myself to my next spot: Japantown! I liked Japantown better than Chinatown. The ambiance seemed more authentic, and the buildings were less run down.
I rounded off my layover by going out in the Castro District (pictured below). The famous Hot Cookie Bakery did not disappoint and neither did the night life! I can’t wait to come back and check out more of the Bay Area!
From 30,000 ft, sending you all good vibes and positive energy for the month ahead!
– Paul
This was actually my second time to San Francisco. My first time was waaaay back in 2015! Interested in seeing more things to do in San Francisco? Check out this blog post! 🙂