This little Panda moved to San Francisco.

This will be the first of many blogs to come. They won't be about anything in particular, just the observations of a harmless creature in a new environment. I decided that with all of the amazing little things I've seen and experienced in this new city, I needed somewhere to write them down, and to share all of the inspirational tidbits I've encountered since being here. In these short few months I've met so many wonderful people and stumbled upon little jewels tucked away from the crowded streets. I can't wait to see what else this city will reveal to me in coming 3 years.

So, with that, here is the first panda piece from me to you.




Somewhere between going crazy from the heavy work load of grad school, trying to catch some ZzZz's and wanting to enjoy the city, I decided to begin walking again. I think a more accurate way to describe it would be wandering up and down ridiculously steep hills. One day, maybe a week or so ago, about half way into purposely getting lost in the city, I found a playground hidden behind a short chain-linked gate and some greenery, somewhere on Greenwich walking East down Russian Hill. If it weren't for the small rusty sign posted on the wooden planks that guarded its entrance, I wouldn't have thought twice about approaching the gate. The facade looked more like an entryway into someone's porch, not to an abandoned playground whose company included wooden park benches, a basketball half court and large patch of grass.

Out of curiosity I walked through the sad little gate and found myself looking down a flight of stairs, out onto a plot of land about half the size of a football field. To my left was a lone bench on a wooden porch that over looked the playground to my right. I found it strangely beautiful, especially with its red and purple flower backdrop. At 8 a.m. I wasn't expecting to see any kids running around. I thought that I might encounter a few during my visit today around 2 p.m., but there were none. My only company was a couple sitting on the lonely porch, quietly chatting away while I snapped a few pictures before returning to my walk. Enchanting and nostalgic. It's my new favorite walking pit-stop.