Disclaimer: I am not a professional photographer, just a traveler who appreciates a good shot.  I don’t shoot with fancy equipment, just digital cameras or phones that fit inside my pocket. 

Have you ever stood before something – natural or man-made wonder – and been so enthralled that you had no idea where to start photographing?  There are intricate details you want to capture, but you can’t miss out on the big picture.  In these situations, I usually try to go general-to-specific, photographing the scene from afar and then approaching it to get the intimate details.  I imagine most people intuitively do this already, so don’t expect this post to be mind-blowing, but I think it helps to have a set methodology.  That last point might be the engineer in me talking.

           An incoming PhD candidate to Northwestern’s Materials Science and Engineering program, ecstatic at the prospect of fiddling with polymers and biomaterials, I may fit the profile of a stereotypical “nerd.”  I’m also a 20-something girly-girl though, so when planning a trip to Singapore, I thought I’d go on shopping sprees and return with novel fashion items.  Instead, I did next to no shopping but found plenty of attractions, i.e. unique architectural achievements, that delighted the nerd in me.  

           When I vacationed in Singapore and Malaysia, I chose to visit a disproportionately high number of religious sites.  By disproportionate I don’t mean that tourists shouldn’t or never go to the places I went to, but they weren’t necessarily the area’s main attractions.  In Singapore, I spent the better part of one day exploring a Buddhist temple and two Hindi temples, when I could have been shopping on the famed Orchard Street.  In Malacca, my hotel provided a tourist map and the words “mosque,” “temple,” and “church” kept piquing my interest.  I understand I have a quirky propensity for religious sites, but believe they can be a great way to get to know a region – no matter what your personal beliefs.  

Summary: This was my last day in San Francisco before moving away for a PhD program, and I chose to spend it on Angel Island.  I caught a ferry there and rented a bike to explore it's perimeter, about 5 miles of paved road.  The uphill areas were taxing, but the downhill thrills made up for my struggles.  Angel Island is often called the "Ellis Island of the West" because it used to be a processing center for Chinese immigrants, commemorated by the Immigration Station museum today.  I caught the ferry back to Fisherman's Wharf in the afternoon, where I hung out for a bit and had some lunch/snacks.  My day ended with Blue Bottle Coffee, a local Bay Area brand.  

Summary: The Twin Peaks are two hills near the geographical center of San Francisco, and and their summits are the second highest points in the city after Mount Davidson.  Due to their high elevation, views of the city are great from the tops of these hills.  I hiked to the summit of the Twin Peaks from the Castro neighborhood, which was about 1.6 miles one way and involving steep uphill climbs.  The summit was windy, cold, and foggy, and all pictures I took from there were during random bouts of clearness.  After hiking, I went to Bi-Rite Creamery in Dolores Park and then Alamo Square Park where The Painted Ladies are.    At the end of this post, I also write some tips for doing this hike to Twin Peaks.

Summary: I decided to become a tourist in San Francisco with Sian, who was visiting from Australia, and this involved biking across the Golden Gate Bridge.  Like most San Francisco residents I've seen the bridge several times, but this was my first time biking it.  We took the San Francisco Cable Car - also a first for me - up to Fisherman's Wharf where we rented bikes.  From there we rode through Crissy Field to get to the Golden Gate Bridge, and crossed it to arrive in Sausalito.  After eating and shopping in Sausalito, we caught the ferry back to Fisherman's Wharf for a little more sightseeing.

Summary:  My dad and I briefly explored the Marin Headlands, a beautiful mountainous area really close to downtown San Francisco.  Many people bike or hike here, but we only briefly explored it by car.  The views of the Golden Gate Bridge were nice, with the top tip hidden in fog but the rest still visible.  After Marin Headlands we ate lunch in Sausalito, a gorgeous sunny suburb situated on the San Francisco Bay.  

Summary:  This day consisted of several reunions for me, as friends I hadn't seen in a while all congregated in San Francisco!  In the morning, I met up with two friends from high school, and in the afternoon, my flatmate who I used to live with in Australia joined us.  We basically drove around and hit some relatively non-touristy sites in San Francisco (keyword - "some" and "relatively"), which included: Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market, The Embarcadero, Lombard Street, Palace of Fine Arts, The Marina, Ocean Beach, Sutro Baths, Moscow & Tbilisi Bakery Store, Dolores Park with Bi-Rite Creamery, and The Painted Ladies.  

Related Itinerary:  Sundial Bridge, Shasta and Crater Lakes, July 2013: Day 1, Day 2 

If you're looking to do some sightseeing on a short road trip, I think this itinerary is more than sufficient.  However, if your goal is to really explore the outdoors, this itinerary may be a bit scanty.  I'm not qualified to give advice to hardcore outdoorsy people, but here's some stuff I didn't do that others may enjoy.  I also write some general tips about visiting Crater Lake National Park.  

Summary: We drove from Medford, OR to Crater Lake early morning, where we spent the day before driving back to San Francisco - so a pretty long day.  The activity level was light as most sightseeing involved driving from vantage point to vantage point in the national park.  The only strenuous activity was the Watchman's Peak Trail - totally worth the effort.