San Francisco & The Bay Area Pt. 4

Reaching the end of our journey, we spent the last couple of days in SF shooting and taking in as much as we could. We had epic breakfasts after epic breakfast with eggs upon eggs upon other world delights at a much more reasonable dollar than we were all expecting. Every meal we had in the Bay Area was top notch. One of the more impressive meals for myself was this French Toast plate from Theresa & Johnny's Comfort Food in San Rafael.

Three slices took up the entire plate and appeared to be deep fried together to form a mega-toast of sorts. I cried tears of joy.

After the heftiest meal of the entire trip, the Golden Gate Bridge was up next as well as some nearby exploring. What I love about photography is how different it pushes you to see the world around you. Human beings are naturally curious creatures and with a camera in hand, it often pushes the envelope of said curiosity, After taking some snaps of the bridge, we took a cue from Watch x Witness--EXPLORE EVERYTHING. Over the rail and down the rocky terrain, we found ourselves in a small graffiti hub with some less popular views of the bridge.

Very little is off limits when exploring.

A small hike (and subsequently a small slip) gave us some new gems and some dirty clothes.

The urge to uncommonly frame a common view.

We travelled a little Northwest toward the Point Bonita lighthouse which, to our disappointment, was closed. In these moments, you gotta make the best of the situation and explore beyond the rails and down the rocks. While I didn't go down as far, I can tell you that Ozzy came back soaked to the waist after reaching the rocky shore with Cory. Them rocks are slippery.

Watching the fog over the tiny bridge here was surreal.

Ever the wandering thinker.

I wont go into too much detail about this next place, but if you ever find it and have never been to Europe, you will be absolutely blown away by the architecture here. Hard to be pressed for time when you're in a wonderful place like this.

This is a school. A SCHOOL.

Let that sink in for a bit.

On our last night, we decided to hit the streets again. This time with a different tour guide, a young artist and homie of Cory's named Devin. Devin joined us as we lurked the late night streets of San Francisco. It's a different vibe at night and it's always interesting to see streets that are bustling during the day, completely dead at night. Chinatown itself is super empty at night with a few stragglers here and there. We found some artists painting, some form of late-night Chinese aerobics/calisthenics, a lively downtown, and two-floor Walgreens which boggles the mind because, like, how many overpriced Vitamin Waters and cutips do you need at 11pm on a Tueday night?

Random alleyway find, BEGR.

Transamerica Pyramind Center.

One last meal the next morning before hitting the road. Mission Cafe for the win.

Taking a roadtrip halfway across the country is a great experience I urge everyone to do at least once in their lives. The road may seem daunting, and it is, but the sights, sounds, smells, and memories far surpass any hardship or exhaustion endured on the drive. Thankfully, our journey was without incident, save for the lens rental I damaged due to fatigue on our last night shooting. I hope these images in some way transport you to a place you may or may not be familiar with. The colors, textures, places, and people I met and experienced in San Francisco and the surrounding areas surely inspired me and their essence will certainly find their way into future collections for Awake & Moving.

A big thanks to Travis, Mikey, Vic, and Devin for showing us sides of San Francisco most probably overlook while visiting. Thanks to all the staff at all the shops and restaurants we shopped and ate at for all their hospitality and amazing goods. Especially Ozzy's long-lost grandpa in Los Gatos. Thanks to all our AirBNB hosts (especially Maddy in Salinas); we had some great places and I am absolutely sold on the AirBNB travel model. S/O to California State Parks and the Raccoon Whisperer--I hope those bikers and hovering choppers leave you alone for good. Thanks to all the clean restrooms off the highways across the country. I also have to give Cory and Ozzy an extra special thanks for planning most of this trip and helping me with Ollie so much. Juggling an energetic dog and a camera is no easy feat and a lot of these images are owed to all their help handling Ollie while I took my own shots. Thanks, guys. Be sure to keep an eye on these budding artists and the collaborations with Awake & Moving that are sure to follow in the future.

It's easy to get bogged down in the monotony of a dayjob or other mundane routines we experience daily. But we have to make time to break those routines, if even for a few moments, and have some real life experiences outside of responsible living. To take risks, indulge in our curiosity, and take the path less traveled. In fact, make your own path. Understand that although it's a pretty small world, there are tons of places and spaces you probably haven't seen yet.

Get out there and go see them.

We did it, buddy! Great job, Ollie! We'll return home soon.

Keep Pushin' Forward,

BLUE731.