Prison and a Ball

A couple of months ago I got to spend some time with two of my closest friends and explore a city I had never spent time in. (Driving through the city doesn’t count.) Ironically enough, I’m actually back in Northern California with the same friends (and a couple of more) as I write this.

We flew to Sacramento and spent the day (and night) at one of the girl’s homes. She moved a year ago, so it was nice to visit her and her family. We ate brunch, had massages, then hung out with the family and had an amazing dinner listening to all the kids talk about their first day of school.

The following morning we got the kids off to school, got ourselves ready, worked a little, then drove up to San Francisco. We checked into our hotel downtown, explored the rooftop views, and I made them both nervous by taking selfies sitting on the ledge and leaning back towards the street.

We changed clothes, put on some going out makeup, and headed across the Golden Gate Bridge to eat dinner at a nice restaurant. It was a rooftop establishment with an incredible ambiance, view, and amazing food. Oh, and drinks. Once we couldn’t eat anymore, we headed outside to enjoy the view.

Of course we took a few pictures, then headed back downstairs. And took a few more. If the lighting was better, I’m sure we could have stayed another hour taking more. We went back to our hotel to prepare for a busy day.

Our first full day in San Francisco included walking from our hotel, through several different sections of the city, across several piers to a tour boat going to Alcatraz. It was warm and breezy, which was perfect.

We took our time exploring the old federal prison, including the self-guided tour. I learned a lot more from being there than I have from the books and stories I’ve read or the movies and documentaries I’ve watched. It was surreal being there, knowing a fraction of the things that have gone on there, including the occupation.

Once we arrived back on the pier, we walked a few more piers over to eat lunch and enjoy looking out at the sea lions. We ran a little short on time, so we grabbed a rideshare back to the hotel to get ready for our evening, which is what prompted the entire trip.

We walked out onto the street wearing ball gowns replicated from the early 1800s. We were stopped by quite a few people remarking about how we looked like Disney princesses or something. It was hilarious.

Due to the gowns and wanting to arrive in a timely manner, we made haste by the way of a hired carriage (otherwise known as rideshare) to the Queen’s Ball. It was a Bridgerton experience that was a lot of fun, and well planned and executed.

Our VIP tickets mimicked the dance cards of high society London, and afforded us some extra privileges. There was a portrait station where our photos were transformed into an electronic version of what an old painted portrait would have looked like. The characters (or staff) were incredibly interactive and stayed in character with their accents, language, etc. the entire time.

There was dancing, a forbidden love story, the Queen named a Diamond, and more. We had a front row seat for most of the festivities, then got on the dance floor towards the end. It was an amazing experience.

Our last day in the city included breakfast, walking through the shopping area, and an amazing tour of the city in a vintage VW van. The van took us through several different neighborhoods with a few photo stops throughout the tour. Our guide was amazing, knowledgeable, and entertaining.

I really enjoyed learning about the history of the city and how much culture is present in San Francisco, including the changes the city has seen. He even added music to the tour that tied into the people, time, places, and stories he was sharing.

After the tour we had to grab my friend’s car and head back toward Sacramento so we could fly back home. The trip was quick, but packed with so many experiences and memories. We agreed to make it a regular thing to visit Stevi, as well as to meet in other places to explore and enjoy some more adventures together.

Traveling with friends who have varied interests allows me to see more, do more, experience more, and live better. I used to dream of a life like the one I’m living today, and sometimes it feels surreal that I’m actually living it now.

Don’t get me wrong, I am incredibly intentional about what I do, how I do it, and what my goal is for why I’m doing it. I still have some mishaps and slipups, but there’s nowhere else I’d rather be right now than where I am. This allows me to reflect on my past, enjoy my present, and make choices today to create the life I want to live tomorrow.

If you could be anywhere right now, doing anything, what would it be?

Think about that. Then think about one small thing you can do today to take a step in that direction. I do believe that we can all have what we truly desire in this life because our actions will reflect what we desire.