Sorry for the delay in posting! But you know life is life. Anyway here are the rest of the very few pictures I took when my family visited. Of course we rented a car and made our way to John Muir woods, which I hadn't been to, and it was magical! I absolutely love redwoods, I think this is on eof my favorite things about California so far, the woods are like stepping back into time. It was also the first time I got to drive across the Golden Gate bridge. Earlier this year I had a walk across date on the bridge, but driving across is much different. On the way back we of course had to stop and take pictures. Times like this, looking down on San Francisco makes me really excited and re-energized about living here, especially when I don't often get into the city.
On our way back to the hotel and the East Bay we drove along the coast and stopped by Sutro Baths and Ocean Beach. I wish I was able to see the baths when they were first built, the images look amazing. But it's neat to have Romanesque ruins along the coast.
After the beach we went to Trader Vic's in Emeryville for dinner and cocktails. This place is awesome and a staple of the bay area mainly since it was the first Tiki bar started by some servicemen after the second world war, and started the tiki bar craze.
Flash forward a couple days, one of the last evenings we all met at The Top of the Mark, another famous place in San Francisco. It's the bar/resturant at the top of the Mark Hopkins Hotel and was known as the place to meet up and dance and drink for sailors before they were shipped out during WWII. It was great, my friends met up with my family there, and a very special friend happened to be in town from Brazil as well. My friend Guilherme, who I've known since highschool when I lived in Brazil, just happened to be SF for an astrology conference and he was able to meet up with us that night and another time before. My family hadn't seen him in years (he also did an exchange in the US and lived with my dad, so he's like a part of our family), and I hadn't seen him since college. My friend Marlee who I've known since junior high and been living with also came out, another familiar face to my family that they hadn't seen in a long time. It was great having my family, past friends and current friends all at on table sharing laughs and drinks.
Of course this group shot doesn't really show everyone, but I think it is a good example of the fun night we all had. My family being here was so rewarding and it was amazing sharing a glimpse of my new life here with them.
