Places

I went to Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve. It’s about 2 hours from SF. I stopped at Della Fattoria Downtown Café for breakfast. It’s a beautiful cafe. The vibe is fun and the coffee is out of the world. I haven’t seen such beautiful latte art. Don’t know how can one make it. I have taken a class and it’s incredible hard to even get the most basic shape right. I love flat whites and I am always on the look out for a good one. Will say, this one is so spectacular it would put SF to shame. Here’s a photo. ...

One rainy Sunday I just decided to take a long walk in the city. I imagined I would walk for a couple of hours but it became a full day adventure. The weather was pleasant, it was misty with a breeze. I walked aimlessly with no plans, no destination in mind. I decided on the street when I encountered a turn. I like to live in the moment and experience the world with little expectations. Urban walks are great for this as I don’t plan the route or the stops. I just do what I feel like. ...

Day 0 I couldn’t sleep at night, thanks jet lag! So, I decided to go get something to eat at 3 am and my neighborhood bakery was open. It’s 24*7 and highly rated. The bakery is tiny with lots of outdoor seating on both sides of the street. It was 3 am but it felt like 8 pm. The street was bustling with people, chai, cigarettes and chatter. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I walked around a bit to see if other places down the street were actually this lively and I found people around bars and in general walking around. It was surprising for 3 am. Also, people partying at 3 am on a Monday night? Everything about this neighborhood is eclectic. ...

It’s 7 am and we’re driving towards the national park to see the Cadillac mountain. It’s the final spot on the itinerary. A friend invited me to this trip. We’re four guys, two of them I met the first time at the rental car center. It’s a short weekend trip with people with very different personalities. ...

This is my 6th time (or maybe it’s 7th, I am not certain) in San Francisco and everytime I come here, I have had feelings in the realm of: oh, this city could be a paradise but sadly it’s so far away from it. It’s pretty meh! It’s terrible, why would anyone live here? I really wanna like this place but it’s still terrible. I have wished and tried hard to like this place and I feel so happy that it’s paid off. I think I finally like it. Maybe it’s a fluke, I don’t know. But here I am sipping coffee with a view of Dolores park. There’s a cool breeze even though SF is in a heat wave right now. The vibe is so relaxing, everyone seems so chill. ...

I am at the Lima airport waiting for my flight back to NYC. It’s been a fabulous 11 days in Peru. I don’t think I got to see a whole lot of places but I did have a fantastic time and I made a bunch of friends. It’s amazing and unexpected how great this trip has been. ...

Cities shape us in profound ways, often more than we realize. I am sure you have heard of the quote that you’re the average of 5 people around you. I can’t say how true that is but I can say that the basic idea makes sense. We are influenced by our surroundings, both consciously and unconsciously. ...

The view never gets old New York City is fascinating, social, lively and welcoming to say the least. It’s got so much happening everywhere. There are bars, cafes, restaurants and other public places, and all of them are full of people. Although this isn’t a surprise, almost everyone who knows anything about the city knows this. ...

Intro I summited Mount Rainier in August 2023, specifically 9-12 August. I started training way too early on November ‘22. Felt like the more I train the more I’d enjoy the trip. You know things are way more enjoyable when you’re not dying. Realistically I started in January then went on a trip in march so I couldn’t train at all that month. ...