This morning I checked off a little bucket list item: running across the Golden Gate Bridge. I woke up before the family and drove alone to the Battery East parking lot (there was only one other car there) for a 6:30 am start. It was chilly and windy, as expected, but I was hoping it would be sunny. Unfortunately I would not see the sun because of the famous San Francisco fog. Oh well, it was more appropriate this way I suppose!

The distance is not very far (only a couple miles each way) and the total round-trip run from the parking lot to the lookout parking lot on the Marin side (including picture-taking) took less than an hour. The east side sidewalk is reserved for pedestrians while the west side is bicyclists only. I saw only one other runner on my way across to the Marin side of the bridge, but on the way back I saw maybe 6 runners and 6 walkers. There were many more cyclists, though… I’d estimate about 25 total, including a poor family of tourists who appeared to be dragged out by their father to brave the cold, wet, wind. It didn’t look fun for them. I smiled as I thought of my family who were sleeping warm and snug in their hotel beds at that moment.

With the run finished, it was time to get down to business and visit a couple college campuses! First on the list was UC Berkeley. Because of COVID-19, the buildings are closed and campus tours have been cancelled but the campus grounds are still open so we walked around the campus and got a good feel for the area. The sun was shining bright, but the temperature was a very nice 76° F / 24° C. The UC Berkeley campus is really cool and the store was open so Koa bought a Cal hat.

Next, we grabbed some lunch at Berkeley Bowl and then headed over to Palo Alto to visit Stanford. Koa really liked the campus and he bought another hat at the store.

Next on today’s agenda was a visit to a friend’s place to pick up some cooking materials for Mariko, and then ramen at Orenchi Beyond. It was delicious! Definitely recommend. And a perfect way to end another long day in the Bay Area.

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