Strollers, babies and a lot of walking

Sea lions! Sea lions everywhere, it's a parade! No but it all seriousness, this is so cool. And noisy. We visited a place called Pier 39, which is basically overloaded with tourists and hop on hop off buses. Every single gift shop is located there, including one for Alcatraz.. why would I want to buy myself a jail suit?

The best part of the day was trying to get back home. Imagine a huge wave of tourists trying to get onto the same bus. Now, imagine having a two-year-old at your care that you have to also try and shove inside the bus along with his stroller. How about no? So, I decided to walk... huge mistake. Pushing a stroller is one thing, but pushing a stroller whilst being sick, is hell. And add an uphill road as a side dish. Phew. Good thing I didn't pack my asthma medicine with me!

Pier 39

Thank you for ruining the quality :(

This is probably the closest I will get to Alcatraz in a while.. :(

Anyhoo, I also found the Ripley's Beilieve It Or Not museum, but it looked so crowded that I didn't feel like going in just to stand in line. A lot of other cool stuff too, in-n-out -> a better version of my workplace (sorry dudes, I love you anyway) where they actually slice the fresh potatoes right in front of your nose and you can just watch them make your burger. As the cherry on top, the burger was delicious. Yum.

You know that feeling when you're walking down the street, minding your own business, and a freaking hobo scares you from behind two branches? Yeah, that feeling. I mean seriously, this dude was just sitting here and actually scaring people, how do we not see him, he's right there! I watched him for 10 minutes and haven't had a laugh like that in a long time. I gave him a quarter, yay me.

Well, time to hit the hay and try to get rid of this damn flu. Third week coming to an end, I have my suitcase full of new clothes to prove it. Something tells me I'll need a second suitcase when I go back home, there's still 2 months of shopping to be done.

Toodles

I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from Perdition

Another week has passed, wow. Two weeks can go by so slowly yet so fast at the same time. I'll be out of here in no time.

Today I've done what I always used to do in Finland, absolutely nothing. Well you know, unless you count the fact that I might have just broken a new record on watching series, I got a whole season of Supernatural down in one weekend. Which basically meant being in lock-down in my own room with cheetos and water. They taste weird, FYI. Kind of like plastic with some cheese. But I still got addicted and bought another bag... Yep, this place is definitely starting to feel like home.

Surfed through some tourists attractions online and figured I should buy myself a plane ticket to Los Angeles just so I can visit Universal Studios. Might do that next week... After all, how many chances will I get to visit once I'm in college and buried knee-deep in books?

Well anyhoo, another episode awaits.

One observation about this place:

California academy of sciences

Today I touched a live starfish, named a penguin Foxy and saw a rare white alligator. We went to the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park and I gotta tell you, it was one of the most interesting places I've been in. There was a huge dome where you could walk around a replica of the Amazon, with butterflies and different species of birds flying right in front of your nose. It was awesome. No other word to describe it…

Butterflies flying freely around the area

I even saw a couple of interesting frogs, meet Grumpy and Sneaky.

Sneaky

Grumpy

 It also had an aquarium, where they gave you a chance to touch starfish and some weird species of seaweed. Having never touched a starfish in my life… ew. Felt like rock, and I always thought they were squishy.. Mind.Blown. They also had the classic tunnel where the fish swim over you. No sharks or anything right that, just huge fish. I'm talking about the 2-3m, fat as a snorlax kind of huge. I would not want to encounter one of those while swimming. Ugh.

Did I mention my love for snakes? Well BAM, anaconda.

The Africa section was filled with stuffed animals from around Africa: lions, antelopes, cape foxes, giraffes etc. It sort of made me hope that Night At The Museum really is just a movie since they all looked so real behind the glass. I guess only the night keeper knows.

Meet Foxy, the african penguin

Free day? Yes please!

So today I had my first completely free day. What other way to spend it then to sleep in until 9AM and lay in bed till 12? After that, I decided to go have a little look at the city life during the weekends.

I realized that there was a huge building that I pass every day while going to work, and it just happens to be a huge shopping mall. My mind was (un)literally blown. It had 7 floors, each with over 15 different stores. There goes my weekly salary… whoops.

No idea why I was so excited to see this store..

Be jelous, my minions >:)

One thing that I will do when I get back is demand that we put cream on our milkshakes in Finland too. This was sooooo good.

One thing I noticed today was how nice the store workers are here. They would bust in while you were in the changing room to ask if I wanted a different size of something, and afterwards would comment on which shirt was better and what I should do to make it fit my jeans. Even had a nice long chat with a woman who happened to have the same taste in clothes as I do, which led me to buy even more clothes.. whoops again.

I didn't even realize that there was one thing that I miss back home:

My one and only<3

There's still tomorrow and then my first week here will come to an end. Feels like I've lived here my entire life, it's weird how at home I feel. I even gave directions to some tourists downtown even though I only know the names of like three or four streets. Never felt prouder of myself. But anyhoo, I have come to the conclusion that I will definitely move here some day in the future. Or just not go back to Finland at all :)

Chinatown and cable cars

Chinese people everywhere. But they sell so many cool things I don't even know where to begin. First, I found a sort of katana store full of weapons of all sorts. They even had a special section for real life weapons from animes like samurai jack and the teenage mutant ninja turtles. Sadly, I wasn't allowed to take a picture of them, the mean old chinese lady told me no cameras allowed :( But they were so cool! I wonder if they'll let me take one on the plane when and if I ever go back home....

They even had wedding cakes in the shapes of castles and dog-sized dragon-shaped glass things. No pictures allowed of them either. Pfft.

 Found another beautiful park today. Even though the sky had been cloudy all day, this place still looks like paradise to me. I am so going there again. I even bought a 0,5l strawberry milkshake for only $1.75. I repeat, paradise.

You know how everything is bigger in america? Well, they do mean EVERYTHING. I mean seriously, look at this fucking seagull. It's not even fully grown, and it's huge. HUGE. 

Days 2&3

Day 2

In the morning I took the little two year old to a playground near a place called the Ferry Building. It's a place with all sorts of organic foods and lots and lots of food places (where we then went to have dinner after I got out from work). The amount of people who think I'm his mom is ridiculous, in Finland I already would have been offended to be mistaken for that. But here everyone accepts the fact that someone might be a teen mom. Unfortunately.

While picking up our six year old from school, I stumbled upon the Palace of Fine Arts. To those who have never been there, it looks like something out of Aladdin.. minus the sand. The pond was filled with swans and ducks, I even got a glimpse of a turtle floating around in the water. There was also a sign warning people about aggressive raccoons, but I managed to avoid them.

After I got out of work, mom took me to eat at one of the food courts in the Ferry Building. She claimed that it was one of those places you just had to visit. After trying one of their double cheeseburgers, I would have to agree. As a burger expert from McDonald's, I can say that it was like nothing I've ever had before. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Yummmm.

Don't mind if I do :3

 Anywho, tomorrows a new day and I even get to go to work after 9 AM. What is this luxury?

Day 3

Horrible, horrible day behind me and for once I am so happy to be able to just crash into my own bed. The kids just wouldn't sit still for even a minute :/ But the best part of today? I found the Walt Disney family museum. I think I've found heaven on earth… and it's placed right next to the Alcatraz prison and Golden Gate bridge. So cool.

Ever see those memes of people who "keep their pants too low"? In Finland, we call that having your pants just under your boxerline. Here, woah. I finally saw my first gangster american with his pants to his knees, where there was a clear view of his bare skin between where his boxers ended and pants started.. Nothing to see here I guess.

Sidenote; nerdz. nerdz, nerdz <3