Slug Francisco.

It was a very interesting month. Perhaps it was the change in seasons or maybe a new audio I’ve been reading, but the month of September felt different. I’ve been feeling a change happening and with change comes newness, which ultimately makes one reflect on the past, and the fleeting times of now. Over the past couple of months, one of my best friends and college roommate, Quinn and I have been talking about seeing each other. He frequently visited New York, but we both felt it was time for me to visit him on the West Coast. Despite times changing, seeing your best friend should always take precedence. This Slug story is about a trip across the country to the great city of Slug Francisco… I mean San Francisco.

“What’s the roommate situation?”

Quinn and I had met the very first day of college for he and I were each other‘s first ever roommate. I remember when we matched on the college-roommate website, I saw that he was from California. That was really all I needed to hear. I was moving from New York to Miami in a search of newness and unique experiences. Living with someone from across the country ensured I would get that. I bet he thought the same. I’ll never forget our first time meeting. We famously achieved the worst dap in human history. It was amazing. Over the next four years, we lived three of those together. Over the past 9 years, I’ve visited San Francisco several times, the last being in 2021 on the architecture trip. Given that this month was rather evolutionary, I thought it would be a great idea to see him while he had time in law school.

Utopic Arrival.

I arrived in San Francisco to a utopia. Big mountains, Blue skies, Lush greenery, Open air (aside from the hundreds of A.I. Billboards, lol). From the moment I touched down, Quinn and simpy resumed our easy friendship. The plan for this trip was pretty simple: enjoy ourselves as much as we could in the hours between his law school and my work. Quinn did an excellent job planning. We drove his white electric Mini Cooper all around the Bay Area, from parties to his campus, from golf course courses to burrito bars. Every day brought something new. We hiked, we went in the ocean, we listened to a lot of Larry June. We spoke about our futures, our personal relationships. You know, it’s interesting, your college roommates meet you at probably your most vulnerable state. It’s very rare to be completely new somewhere. They truly love you for who you are at that moment in time.

Friday was the Best.

One of the most special days was Friday. I had wrapped up work early and had no class. We left Berkeley, where he lives, around 9am and drove to Baker Beach. The beach had incredible views of the Golden Gate Bridge and magnificent cliffside mansions (which I’m pretty sure Robin Williams lived). We walked down to the beach, Quinn with Slug, his bathing suit, his water bottle, the leftover Mediterranean food he made for our dinner party the night before. I only requested a couple things on this trip and one of them was going in the ocean. I didn’t care how cold it was. The Pacific Ocean and its vastness is something I’m addicted to. It feels like a giant, sloppy French kiss. I took some photos of Quinn by the Golden Gate Bridge.

We then went to the Richmond neighborhood in San Francisco. We stopped off to a flower shop, where Quinn insisted on getting some bottom shelf bammer … but I had to convince him to get the good stuff. We went to a very neat coffee shop where we got chocolate cappuccinos and a cookie. I love San Francisco because it’s so spread out in terms of the streets. There’s a lot of space to operate, but you still feel like you’re in the city. There were about 10 people in this coffee shop with people sipping outside. No one seems to be in a rush. Everyone’s weird. I love it here. We went into this thrift shop and Quinn and I tried on a bunch of clothes. There was this old woman there with this cute but crazy dog named Blue who tried to bite my finger off. We returned to the car and drove to Downtown San Francisco.

You Can’t Escape Me, Ferry!

The other request I had was to take the ferry. You think I would be sick and tired of ferries as I take it every day into Manhattan, but I have such a love for them. It’s really one of the best ways to see a city from afar and understand the scope and scale. We enjoyed our greens, stretched and went into the San Francisco ferry terminal. Oh my God, was it beautiful. It was an old structure, all exposed beams and trusses so eloquently designed. All the stores were clean and crisp, but not minimal and soulless. They were full of life and color and honesty. Sometimes when I get a little too green, I have extreme focus on things. This time it was a homeware store. I was amazed by the craftsmanship and the organization of the store. I spoke to the woman behind the counter for a good 10 minutes. Well, really I was just saying “wow” and “Oh my God” while she spoke. Quinn followed ahead and I caught up.

We made our way to the ferry, a big giant white boat that reminded me a lot of the fast ferries in NYC. We sat at the top of the boat and watched it take off. It was such an incredible viewing experience. We left San Francisco and headed towards the other islands of the bay. I took some photos of Quinn, but really we were just fucking around, taking in the sites and sounds. The boat ride was about an hour and a half and we enjoyed every second of it. It was kind of what I envision heaven to feel like.

It’s very interesting how right a place could feel for you. Maybe it’s the air. Maybe it’s the pace of the city.. I don’t know. All I know is I’ll be back one day… with an office.

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Quinn

Real Friends.