SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA; FEAT. LOS ANGELES

In October 2020, I escaped the craziness of Nashville’s host of the 2020 Presidential Debate. I hadn’t really traveled anywhere new due to the pandemic’s chokehold on everyone’s travel life. It was time! And it was a time that four, FOUR of my pals from Thailand found themselves living in Southern California.

Jon Nyquist ©2020

I’d never been to the west coast until this trip, and boy was it an introduction. In-N-Out, PCH trip, our car getting broken into and robbed, and generally the best sunsets I’ve ever seen at a beach. Woes aside, traveling with photographers is the way to go: if your camera is stolen–like mine was, you’ll still have some high quality memories! So, please enjoy this small glimpse of a Thailand reunion, via my friends Scotty, Casey, Emily and Jon, and some mobile shots of mine that I didn’t totally hate. Heading back to the west coast soon, Portland on the agenda as well as a brief stopover to remind California that it does *not* own me, but the score is Alli: 0, SF: 1.

After exploring L.A. and a little bit around Riverside, we headed up the coast to SF. Honestly I was really looking forward to stopping to gawk at Big Sur, but there was so much fog, the below image was even doctored up to show… well, anything. We kept on, stopping for views, sleeps, ER visits (you read that right). The best parts consisted of quoting every movie I’ve ever seen with Jon, walking barefoot on “dunes” by the coast, and everything else that goes along with a fall road trip: snacks, Fleet Foxes, fighting over who had to sit on the b*tch seat, and who controlled Spotify. You know. Mature adult things.

Emily Gallina ©2020
Emily Gallina ©2020

We finally made it to San Francisco, swinging through redwood forests and basking in beams of light, emerging from the sun roof of Em’s car to get what we could of Lombard street from the actual drive down (failure, on all accounts). We laid in the grass at a park, walked way too much, and picked up tacos to eat at the beach (Marshall’s Beach was the greatest place I went this entire trip, maybe all of 2020). Then our car got its windows smashed and my backpack was stolen (thankfully that’s all, all of our luggage was in the back, safe and sound when we returned. The thieves got a beloved world-trekking anorak, my prescription glasses that really don’t help anyone, my camera, and an EXTREMELY nerdy C.S. Lewis book. Have fun with that? Either way, I’m thrilled that all of the professional photographers in our group had kept their gear on them while we were down at the shore.

For a first time in California, I wasn’t too disappointed (glaring circumstances aside). I saw six long lost Thailand pals, walked a lot, and I can sorta understand why people like the west coast (…sorta). Can’t wait to go back to explore now that I have more friends living in the PNW! If my layovers take me through California, which they will, I’m sure, I wouldn’t mind. I still need to prove myself to San Francisco.

Most photos Emily Gallina, Scott McCollum, Casey McCollum, Jon Nyquist ©2020

PORTLAND, MAINE

Truth be told, I did not expect to love Portland as much as I did. It was brisk, quaint, colorful, and worn all at once. Anna (no surprise here) found us a barn loft to call home while we explored a place I only new about because of Donovan Woods. A year after returning, here’s my take on this lovely city, akin to my love, Boston, if I may be so bold.

Our first thought after driving from Bar Harbor and dropping our bags was: food. Though the drive is less than three hours, we stopped, explored, dawdled, and took a few wrong turns. Can’t remember where we’d stopped for a delicious brunch what seemed days ago, but I do remember I bought the best coat I’ve ever owned and will ever own while we were in Brunswick.

We had read over and over about the amazing fare at Empire Chinese Kitchen , and we were not disappointed. Gyoza, spring rolls, white ginger bok choy, crab rangoons and local kombucha. This place was casual but striking, and if you’re an Asian food fanatic like me, you’d have been in heaven.

Our first full day in the city started slow, our sweet hosts left us a pair of doughnuts from The Holy Donut, a Portland staple. We made an occasion of it, plates and all, before heading out for the day. Peaks Island called us onward, a round trip boasting beautiful views (though difficult to capture via camera in the fog) from the ferry, a ghost town island with one little coffee shop/deli combo. It was quiet and eerie n the best way, and the sun came out to warm us before we took the return trip.

Couldn’t stay away from a coast for long, so we headed down to Cape Elizabeth, a bit of a drive away from Portland. The waves were enormous, the rock shore keeping them away. Didn’t really keep us from getting wet, but it made for some glorious sitting and reading moments. We took the scenic route around greater Portland afterwards to visit a favorite of ours: Allagash Brewing. Like all breweries it was a fun and lively place, but unlike all breweries, Allagash White holds good memories for both Anna and me. Read: I don’t buy merchandise from most breweries but you better believe I have already worn out the shirt I bought and Anna’s dog may or may not have an Allagash collar.

Portland showed us enough for want of another visit. It treated us well. I put the camera away for a lot of this city, which is only a testament to how many moments I spent loving what was happening right then and not even considering how to tell someone else about it. We sipped a rosé that our server said was “tiptoeing toward a red,” at More & Co. We sampled multiple flights of kombucha at Urban Farm Fermentory. Lived our fanciest foie gras life at Central Provisions. After arriving late and meeting new friends at a Portland Comedy Co-Op show (where we were pointed out for coming late and when we laughed, “Oh good! The tewnty-year-olds think I’m funny!”) we got late night quail eggs and Pad Thai at Boda.

The day we said goodbye was a wonder: thrifting, antiquing, best biscuit of my life at Tandem Coffee Roasters, etc. We finished stopped for oysters and Asian bowls (what a combination) at Eventide Oyster Co., a perfect farewell to the port town that turned us into Maine believers if Acadia hadn’t already.

BAR HARBOR, MAINE

Coastal Maine has got to be the dreariest place I’ve ever vacationed, but also one of the most beautiful. April, we’d hoped, would replace “too cold” with “somewhat sunny and lively.” We were mistaken, but the sharp edges of the New England coast were soft and welcoming to us, rock hoppers that we are.

Anna and I met up at the airport in Charlotte for the long weekend excursion, landing in Maine before driving our rental to Bar Harbor for the weekend. We rented a little sedan from Turo, and if you’re not into renting from total strangers instead of established car rental places, you need to reconsider. Our host was kind and knowledgable, and our experience smooth and flawless, we were even able to extend our time with the car without an issue.

Anna’s spiritual gift is selecting the best Airbnbs in existence, so while the details of our sweet studio came as no surprise to me, they were no less exciting and charming. We stayed smack in the middle of tiny Bar Harbor, and in the morning found the only open breakfast place we could see, a pizza joint called Epi’s. No one thinks a pizza place would have a great breakfast, but let me tell you I was fat and happy at the end of this one.

Because it was still off season, Acadia was mostly closed to visitors. The first few miles of the park were available to hop and hike around, and that was enough for us. We got soaked from the spray, slunk down in caverns we swore we’d never be able to extract ourselves from, and generally dawdled around. Once we couldn’t go any further, we headed back into what quickly became our new favorite place. Bar Harbor is small enough to memorize after one night, and we had two.

Though there wasn’t much to choose from in the off-season, we enjoyed incredible meals at Side Street Café and Galyn’s (no joke, the best seafood dinner I’ve ever had), sipped some Maine brews at The Barnacle, and ended all of our frigid Acadia frolics with A Slice of Eden.

Highly, highly recommend Bar Harbor, but also highly recommend Bar Harbor in the Spring. May, honestly, two weeks after we went, would have made a world of difference. Either way, we fell in sad, moody love with this coastal town.