I started my trip off by stopping at Starbucks with my boyfriend, Avery, who was dropping me off at the Philadelphia Airport. At Starbucks, I got a strawberry acai refresher and a spinach feta wrap. I had an early flight leaving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 9:30 AM to arrive at my layover in Phoenix, Arizona at 11:30 AM with my final destination of San Francisco, California set for 4 PM. During my layover, I ate lunch at Four Peaks. I sat at the bar counter expecting to eat alone but then a girl around my age sat next to me and we chatted the entire time. She was lovely and she made the time fly by. I ordered the Southwest Burger (premium beef patty, pepper jack, whole roasted green chiles, lettuce, tomato, and sweet jalapeno dressing on brioche) for $19 and the Peach Beer which was a golden ale with fruit for $13. I was certainly nervous for the chiles and jalapeno, but I wanted to get in as much of an authentic Arizona trip as possible within my short layover. My nerves cooled as I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. I am a huge advocate for stepping outside of your comfort zone and trying new things. Flying solo across the country, connecting with strangers, and trying local cuisine are just some of the things that get me out of my comfort zone and have me feeling truly alive.
After a day full of travel, I finally made it to San Francisco, California. I was picked up at the airport by my dear friend Heather, who I would be visiting for the next day and a half. She picked me up with her dog, James, and we yapped all the way back to her family's home in San Jose. We ventured out together and walked through downtown San Jose where we walked through San Pedro Square Market, saw the Zoom and Adobe buildings, and saw the SAP Center (GO SHARKS!). We ate dinner at Serious Dumpling where we shared the Cucumber Salad for $8.30, Pork and Shrimp XLB XIAO Long Bao for $15.60, and Slow-Cooked Beef Noodle Soup for $16.50. The food complimented each other well, the salad was refreshing but the beef was too dry for me. After spending some time downtown and catching up, Heather and I decided to call it a night as we had a full day planned for tomorrow in San Francisco. Stay tuned to read all about our big city adventure.
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