POS San Francisco 2022

By: Isabelle Saxon

After a very long week I think it was safe to say that no one was looking forward to dealing with an airport. With our bags packed up the night before we all met in the lobby at 7:35, and got on our shuttle. We made our way slowly through the airport. I have to say that the trip to San Francisco was a lot easier, however we survived and on the other side of security we all were ready for lunch. We split up into two groups with one heading over to get chinese and the other going to a deli. I went in the first group and the food wasn’t bad, and it was nice to sit down for a minute and chat over our last meal of the trip. Then we all headed back to the gate, and everyone did their own things for a while. Natalie, Sara, Kilali, and I played a game of Uno nobody won, but it was fun. The plane we went on was exceptionally large. I was sitting with Sara and Kilali and we spent most of the time watching movies or reading. I got through a good part of my book, and started taking notes for my creative response project. Sara had bought a lego set in japantown to build a corgi and she tried to build it on the plane. The time on the plane felt really long and I was getting pretty antsy after the second hour. Thankfully we soon landed in Houston, we managed to get off the plane and make our way to baggage claim where we were greeted by parents. I was really happy to see my family, but most of all I was exhausted. It had just been such a long and great week, but I was so ready for a nap in my own bed. I am only one of two students who had previously traveled before the trip, and I had just as much fun in San Francisco. I think it is such a unique city and getting to experience it was amazing. I didn’t think I would learn as much as I did, and I didn’t expect the trip to help us all get to know each other as well as we did. Overall it’s an experience that I won’t soon forget and was so grateful to have. 

By Ethan Zweig

Today was our final full day in San Francisco. We started today with a late start, which was at 9:00 in the morning. We had a quick meeting and then we started walking to find a cable car to take us to Fisherman’s Wharf. 

The ride was going smoothly until suddenly we came to a stop. Apparently there was a maintenance issue that prevented us from going anywhere. We were stuck for a solid 30 minutes which meant that we were running extremely late for breakfast. During the 30 minutes we were able to chat with the guys who were driving the cable car. They told us how the cable car worked and they even gave us breakfast/brunch recommendations. The maintenance issue finally got fixed and we were able to get to our destination.

We took one of the cable car driver’s brunch recommendations and went to Hollywood Cafe for breakfast/brunch. The driver really recommended the blueberry pancakes, so that’s what I got. Breakfast was really good but also really filling so none of us were really hungry for most of the day. 

After breakfast, we walked over to Pier 39, which is one of the largest tourist attractions in San Francisco. The first thing we did there was a mirror maze which was a lot of fun. Some people had trouble getting through it and other people got through it easily. We then spent about 45 minutes exploring some of the shops on the pier in groups of 3 or more. After the 45 minutes we walked to Fisherman’s Wharf to do even more shopping. We didn’t spend as much time there but it was enough for some of us to buy more souvenirs if we wanted to. 

We then took a bus to Haight street which had a lot of shops. We spent about two hours exploring all of the stores and buying souvenirs. We then ate an early dinner at a Middle Eastern restaurant. We ended the day arriving back at the hotel and reflecting on the incredible trip that we had.

Today was a great way to finish the trip. There wasn’t a lot of hiking today, which was great, and we got a late start and got to get back to the hotel early. I had a lot of fun going to the mirror maze and exploring some of the interesting shops in the city. This trip was a great way for all of us to get to know each other and to create fun memories.

By Cidette & Kenzie

PSA: Sorry for the delayed blog posts… we’ve been having some difficulty with the hotel wifi.

March 28th, 2022. Today we woke up at a delayed 7:45am to meet everyone downstairs at 8:30am. From there, our group went to the Honey Honey cafe and creperie for breakfast. We were all a bit intimated at first, due to the lengthy line trailing out the door. We stuck it out and were encouraged to order simple due to the lack of waitstaff at hand. I (Cidette) had two scrambled eggs, bacon, and a vanilla Italian cream soda. Italian cream soda is rare to find in Houston, so despite it being 9am, I was compelled to order one. There were many comments on how it looked like water mixed with milk. I (Kenzie) ordered an iced chocolate mocha and while I was disappointed with the taste, the presentation was beautiful. It was still a good drink considering that they had one woman working the front counter.

After breakfast, we took a couple buses to the Golden Gate Welcome Center. We had a bit of wild goose chase finding the correct bus, but in the end we ended up where we needed to be. It was a beautiful sunny day so we had a gorgeous view of the Golden Gate Bridge upon arrival. Albeit windy, we couldn’t have asked for better cloud cover, or lack thereof. We spent 20 minutes shopping at the welcome center, purchasing patches, postcards, pins, jackets, shirts, books, etc. (I don’t think many of us bought more than two things on that list, so don’t stress, parents). We walked to the first spire of the bridge, took some photos, idled in the sunlight, and turned back. Although we can’t wear a “I walked the Golden Gate Bridge” enamel pin in good faith, we still traversed a fair bit.

For lunch, we went to a small but elegant Italian place. Everything on the menu was in Italian (with some translations here and there) and the restaurant prided itself on having authentic Rome-specific Italian food. What excited our group the most were the yellow crochet blankets that came with each chair. Evan and I (Cidette) shared one. Because so many people were bundled in them, it looked like a crowd of yellow sweater wearing diners.

Following lunch, we headed to the Presidio district. You may have read pre-hand that the Presidio is one of the more luxurious areas in San Francisco- and one of the most historical. Cushioned by the expansive forests and decorated with early 1900s styled homes, the Presidio had many go-to spots. The first place we visited was the Palace of Fine Arts, an elaborate construction of carved stone that can’t be done justice through writing. Please open another tab and look up “Palace of fine arts San Francisco” and you’ll understand. It was built for an early 1900s international exposition, and has remained since.

We walked Lovers Lane after the palace on the way to the Yoda statue at San Francisco community college. Yes, Yoda from starwars has a statue on top of a fountain at the San Francisco community college. Forget traveling and financial troubles, I think Lovers Lane was the real test of strength for a couple’s relationship. It sounds like a breezy and easy stroll, but it had all of us out of breath and needing breaks. A quarter mile of a 30* degree incline made for no simple task. We made a pit stop at some elaborate stairs, met a dog balancing on an exercise ball, and continued to the Yoda Fountain. The Yoda fountain was exactly what we expected- a Yoda fountain. We didn’t stick around long and made our way to the next bus to Japantown.

We spent an hour running in-and-out of Japantown’s 3 malls, and evidently gave them a lot of business based off the size of our shopping bags. For dinner, we split into two groups, with our group going to a smaller south-Japan restaurant with traditional decor and food. Mr. Zhou finished off a huge bowl of ramen in record time with Natalie following soon after. Many of us were jealous of the size of their stomachs. We took one final bus back to the hotel, and concluded the day by returning to our rooms.

Cidette’s reflection: I really enjoyed today and I think it was one of my favorites, but I could only be saying that now because the day is so fresh in my mind. I imagine my parents will be a bit exasperated seeing my shopping bags, but I’m hoping some frustration will be relieved when they see all the cute postcards I got for them. I’ve strongly loved aspects of each day so far and it’s been a solid trip. My last trip with Post Oak was in 2018 during my freshman year when we went to China. It has been refreshing to get out of the city during the school year which is why I hope the travel tradition will be continued longggggg after I’ve graduated. While it hurts that I didn’t get to travel during my Sophomore and Junior years due to Covid-19, I’m glad that I got the opportunity to this year.

Kenzie’s reflection: Today, while tiring, was full of excitement and adventure. My favorite spot today was the Golden Gate Bridge, although the Palace of Fine Arts was a close second. I’m glad I was able to see so many famous landmarks with some great friends, and it was a lovely experience.

By Jeremy & Evan

For our sixth day in San Fransisco, the group was happy to begin with a late start. We met up at 10 am after having breakfast and getting ready for the day ahead of us. We made our way to the SF Ferry, and hopped on the earliest boat we could take to Angel Island. After a cool mid-day boat ride, we got to the pier and talked about the different “routes” we could take that day. Pun intended. Our group decided to take the full hike, from square one to the summit of the highest mountain on the island, for a full view of our surroundings.

As we walked, the group got beautiful views of the pier and the nearby cliff-side homes, the view getting better, the higher we all got. After a long, arduous hike, the group arrived at our final destination, to have a hearty lunch and take in the breath-taking views around us. No one in the group, besides our head cheerleader, Mr. Zhou, had ever been on a mountain like this before, so it was a really amazing new experience for all of us.

After having lunch at a spot like this, we decided to begin our journey back down. The trip to the ground was beyond easier, with far fewer obstacles in our way, but contained just as amazing views. We met a group of helpful hikers who gave us some bright tips on what to avoid while hiking, especially the poison oak that everyone would have definitely brushed past without acknowledgment.

After a bit of walking we finally arrived at the Angel Island Immigration Detention Center, and got the chance to learn about San Fransisco’s rich history of Chinese heritage interwoven into the city’s roots. The center featured many audio exhibits including a video scrapbook of different photos of the people detained on the island, as well as Chinese and English readings of poems inscribed into the walls of the building, which are still preserved today. The building also fashioned a large room, modeled after what would have been the original state of the lodging room, fit with clothes, beds, and other daily necessities, that the women’s quarters would have.

After getting a great in-depth look through the perfectly preserved SF Angel Island Immigration Center, we walked over to the attached museum, and got the chance to read through some super interesting facts about the immigration process of the average person trying to build a better life for themselves in SF. After a long walk back to the ferry, we rested, took a water break, and made our way back to the mainland. When we arrived in the city, we took a well-deserved break, to shower and recuperate for our dinner. The group split up into two sections for a great dinner and to head back for a quiet night at our hotel.

Evan: Wow! Today was literally insane. This was definitely the longest and highest hike I’ve ever made in my entire life. I’ve never seen such a large-scale view of the city before. It was definitely something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I thought that we got to eat at such a cool spot really set this day apart from the others.

Jeremy: I had a great time today. I was definitely unprepared for how grueling and taxing this hike was going to be but I pulled through and made it to the top with the rest of the group. It was interesting to learn about the experiences of Asian immigrants that travelled to San Francisco and had to be detained at the detention center. And we saw a dolphin on the ferry ride back which was great.

By Kilali and Natalie

Today we started out with going to a Farmers Market near Fisherman’s Wharf, where we got breakfast. People got pastries, bagels, and juices. After breakfast we headed to the Exploratorium. The Exploratorium is a science museum that is has interactive exhibits. All of us had a lot of fun exploring the different experiments there and learning something new. Afterwards, we went to an Italian restaurant in North Beach, which had amazing pizza. It was so good and we were so hungry that we all ordered more pizzas.

From the Italian Restaurant, we went to Golden Gate Park. It was so big and so beautiful. We started off by going into the Japanese Tea Garden. It was absolutely gorgeous. The cherry blossoms were in bloom, which were beautiful. All the other plants we also very beautiful and complimented each other well. The whole experience was really amazing and calming.

After the Japanese Tea Garden we hiked 40 minutes to the Bison Paddock. We got to see a few bison, but we couldn’t really get a good look at them because they were very far away.

We then hiked another 15 minutes to the tulip garden and Dutch windmill. We were all really surprised by the tulip garden, because it was so bright and colorful and looked like a picture.

We ended the day with dinner at Beach Chalet, where we got seafood. We all had a lot of fun and laughs during dinner and on the bus ride back to the hotel.

Kilali: I really loved our visit to the Exploratorium. I thought it was really fun and interesting, especially since it was interactive. I love science so the exploratorium was definitely the best part of my day. I also loved Golden Gate Park, but especially the Japanese Tea Garden. It was so beautiful to me, it looked like a dream. Overall, the whole day was really fun and I can’t wait for tomorrow!

Natalie: Breakfast at the farmers market was delicious because there were so many options to choose from. I got a beef empanada and apple cider. The apple cider from the juice place was especially good because of how fresh it tasted. I also loved the tulip garden and all the flowers we saw on our hike. I `thought they were really pretty and made a flower crown with the daisies on the walk. My favorite part of the day was dinner and getting to know that people at my table better.

By Katie & Cape

Today started off with two groups going to breakfast cafes. Afterward, we all headed to the San Francisco Chinatown where we were given a group tour around the district. Our tour guide, Linda, talked to us about the history and culture of Chinatown, specifically Chinese-American culture.

San Francisco housing is one of the most expensive in the world, ranked just behind New York City. The Chinatown that we visited is one of the most densely populated areas in the United States, and this lack of space contributes heavily to its expensive real estate. As a result, many Chinatown residents are forced to grow up in close quarters with extended family, many of them sharing small rooms and sleeping in the same beds. After the tour around Chinatown, we visited some local shops and got to see more of the beautiful architecture that is so distinct from the rest of the city. 

Chinatown Streets

In Front of Chinese School

Shopping in Chinatown

Chinatown Alleyway with Taiwan Flags

Shortly after, we hopped on one of San Francisco’s famous trolleys which took us partway to our next destination–the Castro District.

Castro District Streets

This part of the city is known for being a hub for the LGBTQ+ community. Rainbow pride flags lined the streets as we walked to the GLBT Museum. There we looked at exhibits showcasing the LGBTQ+ history of San Francisco, including figures such as Harvey Milk and the story behind the first pride flag. From there we spent some time at Dolores Park then walked around the Mission District, passing through Clarion Alley and stopping to look at the murals depicting different societal issues. 

One of the Mission District Alleyway Murals

Cape: The most impactful part of my day was visiting the alley of murals. We were able to see the problems we face in society through the perspective of art. It was interesting to be able to interpret the intent behind the artist’s different works and it helped me view the issues we face in different ways.

Katie: I loved going to the Castro District—the whole area was so colorful and the GLBT Museum had amazing information about the gay history of San Francisco. I think the highlight of my day was grabbing ice cream and hanging out in Dolores Park (we got to pet a dog there). The murals of Clarion Alley were beautiful, and getting dinner at the sushi place across the street from our hotel was a great way to end the day.

By: Lily & Sara

Today was a crazy start…

We were welcomed by a great Trader Joe’s breakfast, consisting of the perfect raspberries paired with sour mango and to top it all off Honey O’s in plastic hotel cups. After this we were greeted by our lovely tour guide Rolando. He gave us interesting facts about San Francisco culture and some recommendations on what to do on our following days. He also introduced us to Karl. Karl is what some San Franciscans refer to as the fog that blankets the city, which also has an Instagram and Twitter page (250k followers on Instagram, 348.5k followers on Twitter).

We took a ferry to and from Alcatraz which took about 30 minutes each way, including embarking and disembarking. We first saw the welcome from the American Indian Movement (AIM). We were guided into a garden tour which led us to the infamous Alcatraz prison. We saw the “lovely” living arrangements of past prisoners, and we also took some captivating photos. 

We ate lunch at a local deli in Sausalito which is across the Golden Gate Bridge. We strongly recommend local restaurants when traveling because they were some of the most delicious sandwiches. After a delicious lunch complimented by some ice cream, we traveled to Muir Woods. We did a magical hour hike through the redwood forest. We saw some wildlife such as an otter, and some claim to have seen a whale while eating lunch. 

On the way back to the hotel we drove through the Presidio district and saw some glorious Victorian architecture, as well as some of the most expensive homes in San Francisco. We learned how the city makes an effort to preserve its iconic architecture. Finally, we had dinner at Oasis Grill, which had really good Mediterranean food. This restaurant will be memorable for us because the owner called his wife to show how busy he was.

Lily: I really enjoyed the walk through Muir woods, I felt like a little garden gnome next to the tall redwoods. 

Sara: I really enjoyed exploring Alcatraz and seeing all of its culture. I learned that it was originally used as a military base, used to protect San Francisco. It was also a prison and later occupied by AIM to show the injustices that are in the treaties between the US government and the Indigenous communities. 

Can’t wait to explore more of what secrets San Francisco holds for us! 

By Charlie

Today was a large travel day, even though we only had to catch one flight. It was just slightly hectic. We were required to get to school at 8 am sharp, which a few people did not see that email and showed up at 8:15 am instead of 8 am. We got to the airport and got settled in, and right after that, a few of ups went and got Starbucks just to wake us up, and it is kinda hard to go wrong with Starbucks, except they messed up someone’s order and forgot to make it or it just got lost in the system, but I literally have no clue as to how they messed up a cup of ice water. After that, we headed to the small food court and we split into two groups, one group got Panda Express and Pappasitos. We quickly had to finish up eating because we had to begin the boarding for the 4 hour flight ahead of us. 

In this picture, (from left to right) we see Cape, Lily, Katie, and Cidette surprising Mr. Zhou while he is eating his food.

After we landed, we went to the baggage claim and got our stuff, thankfully nobody lost their luggage. After we got our luggage, we had to get our Clipper cards for the public transit, which was quite the hassle simply because we have 2 credit cards and 15 people. Each credit card can only purchase 5 clipper cards each day. After this, we got on the BART, which stands for the Bay Area Rapid Transit. The BART dropped us off near union square, where our hotel is. 

Here is everyone waiting to get on the AirTrain to get to the BART station.

Ethan, Jeremy, Lily, Kilali, and Sara on the BART.

After we arrived at our hotel, we had an hour to settle in and get ready right before dinner. For dinner, he headed to Pearl’s Deluxe Burgers, which ended up being as good as it sounds.

(Nearly) Everyone sitting at Pearl’s for dinner

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to wrap up the day. Overall it was a long day, but I still had fun. I watched the new(ish) Venom movie on the plane, and began the Shin Godzilla movie. Both of which were pretty good. Cidette and I sat next to a monk on the plane, and he was really nice. He was coming from Honduras to go to Portland, and had multiple connecting flights. Their first was from Honduras to Houston, then Houston to San Francisco, then San Francisco to Portland. The flight did actually feel like it was 4 hours long, but Cidette also kept me entertained on the flight. We kept flying over small towns and cities and we would try to see which town we were over by looking at noticeable land marks, like lakes and rivers. Quite possibly the most interesting part of the flight, was actually seeing the fault like in the water while we were flying over the bay. At night, I had a little bit of trouble due to the room being so warm, but I quickly got it figured out. I had a lot of fun for our first day, and I can’t wait for the rest of the trip.

By Cidette

Today, Tuesday, March 22nd, we spent the morning at school writing our proposals for our A-term creative response projects. The San Francisco A-Term creative response project is a project that connects the San Francisco-related books we chose with our own experience in San Francisco. For example, I chose Tales of the City (1978) by Armistead Maupin. Locations in San Francisco are mentioned often in Maupin’s novel, so I thought it would be fitting to write a proposal for a digital map that marks places that we visit and are also mentioned in the novel. Due to the individuality of each proposed creative response, each student would meet with either Mr. Zhou or Ms. Harrison in the afternoon to decide which grading standards their finalized project would be assessed on.

While each of us waited for our turn to speak with a teacher, we watched a film favorite of Ms. Harrison’s- So I Married An Axe Murderer (1993), a comedy-turned cult classic that follows the peculiar love life of San Franciscan slam poet Stuart Mackenzie (Mike Meyers). It is truly one of those films that you need to watch to conceptualize, and my description wouldn’t do it justice. Adorned with fluffy hairdos, late 80s style wear, and loft apartments, it’s a film for those who love the exploration of character through the spaces they occupy. At least, that’s what I enjoyed about it. I’m excited to see more of San Francisco’s eccentric and expressive architecture, such as the Golden Gate Bridge and the Palace of Fine Arts 🙂

Tomorrow, we board the plane and give California a big “Hello! Hello! Hello!” (Mike Meyers as Stuart). See you in the next blog!

Cidette, 2022

By Charlie

Today in our A-Term, we just began the prep for the actual trip. We finalized the itinerary, and completely changed one day while we were at it. We also went over all expectations for the trip. For example, with homeless people, if they come up and ask for money, just say “Sorry, I don’t have cash on me.” Literally as simple as that. We got to choose our books to read on the trip, that will be finalized into a project. There was also the packing list, which after reading, I realized I might have to pack slightly better than I thought I did. By this I mean that packing fewer sweaters than I thought, and just a few more accessories. Today was a rather simple day.

Personally, I’m very excited for the trip. When I first got put into it, I had slightly mixed feelings but I quickly warmed up to it. I’m really glad we basically get to plan the entire trip, and I’m pretty excited for the nice weather while were there, because it is like Houston’s winter weather, except with actual sun instead of being overcast everyday. The only issue I might have while on the trip, is not being able to talk to my friends that are still in Houston, and not being able to access pictures as easily because I won’t have my phone. But honestly, I think it’ll be really nice for my mental health. I have some close friends on this trip too, so I’ll be able to get even closer with them, and become friends with people who I’m not really friends with on the trip. Oh, another thing I’m super excited for is the food. Kilali and I put together the list of restaurants to eat at, and we put a lot of thought behind it, so the list got super refined, and we’re ending up eating at a few of the restaurants that I was really looking forward to. I can’t wait to get on the plane and begin our adventures on Wednesday.

This is the book I chose, Infinite City by Rebecca Solnit