Like everyone else, getting through the last three months has been interesting…or uninteresting, depending on your view. Here in San Francisco, our reopening has moved slower than most places. Starting this weekend, outdoor dining – which is not common here – has started with restrictions, however many elements of the city remain shuttered: the subway, offices, hotels are all still closed.
Leigh and I returned home from our South Africa trip exactly three months ago today, which is crazy! We’re both still working (thankfully), and frankly, have been busier than ever. Like many, we had a to cancel a trip we had planned around Memorial Day (to Paris), and really don’t have any trips planned for the rest of the year. If we do travel, it’ll likely be last minute.
One of things that’s struck me about the last three months is how quickly time moves by when there’s nothing concrete to look forward to. The pace at which the weeks have gone by really has been dizzying, and the most depressing part is that we have very little to “show” for that time. I don’t mean that in any material sense, but rather the human interactions with friends and family, milestones, and other events that have fallen by the wayside. I know our situation is light compared others, especially those that have lost loved ones through the pandemic.
At first, I remember documenting a city that overnight became a ghost town and trying to memorialize all of the times I waited 20 minutes just to buy groceries or plywood over our favorite haunts. Like many, we started to try new things, but eventually, the newness of the situation wore off and our life adjustments became routine (although I still forget my mask at least half of the time). We don’t own a car and our families live on the east coast, both of which has exacerbated the feeling of isolation during this time.
We already cooked 90% of our meals at home pre-COVID, however I tried my hand at baking, which was fun (yes I made a sourdough starter, which I subsequently forgot about only to find it in the back of the fridge two weeks ago, now black). As renters, our house projects are somewhat limited, however we did convert our office/guest room into a dining room and built a new dining room table!
I also installed a pull-up bar in our garage and my awesome (formerly) CrossFit gym was awesome enough to let me borrow some equipment, so between having gear and attending virtual classes, staying in shape hasn’t been the struggle I thought it might. In fact, I’ve lost 7 lbs since quarantine started. 😉 We make it a point to take long walks now with our dog, with a goal of at least 4 miles a day.
Black Lives Matter and racial justice
I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the massive protests that have been occurring through the country in the name of George Floyd and racial justice. As a product of Alabama, I can say that I wish I’d done more as a student and young person while I lived there. I never witnessed explicit racism, but I heard crude remarks and witness systemic racism that in hindsight, I wish I’d done more to stop.
Leigh and I marched last week, but that isn’t enough. Systemic racism is pervasive in our country and the only way that we can change things is to build a better system. That starts at the ballot box and electing leaders, at ALL levels that look like the population of the United States. Local elections are hugely consequential when it comes policing and the criminal justice system.
I’m so inspired by the black and youth activists of today, but none that enthusiasm doesn’t matter if we all don’t do our civic duty: vote.
Protests start change. Voting is change.
I also want to seek out and hear more black voices in the travel industry. A great story is Jessica Nabongo from Detroit, the first black woman to visit every country in the world. I would love to hear other recommendations of who to follow!
What about travel?
This is the longest stretch I’ve gone without getting on a plane in 8 or 9 years and I truly don’t know when my next flight will be. We are planning travel as we find availability into spring of 2021, including Hong Kong, Morocco, and Kenya. Booking refundable awards is a nice temporary escape from the routine, however most of our planning is spent on exploring the west coast in outdoor environments. I’m also enjoying the peace-of-mind that my statuses are all extended into 2022, which really has put a damper on my desire to travel, which is a good thing (kudos to the airlines and hotel chains).
In the Bay Area, we’re spoiled with options for things to do, many of which don’t even require an overnight. Just last weekend, we woke up early and drove to Pinnacles National Park outside of Salinas and did 13 mile of strenuous hiking.
As for overnight trips, we did go to Pismo Beach over Memorial Day weekend, and that was a nice break, although the “we’re not doing this due to COVID” excuses at the Marriott Autograph Collection hotel where we stayed got a little tiresome. I’ll detail more of that later and what I think it signals for the travel industry.
We are also planning a camping trip to Lassen National Park, an overnight near wine country (wineries are open with ample outdoor space for distancing), and maybe a trip down to Big Sur (I’ve had my reservation canceled at the Ventana Big Sur three times so far and now there is zero award availability the rest of the summer 🙁 )
So what’s next?
I don’t know, but something different. I hope. Despite our suburban (southern) roots, we are both city slickers. We love being able to walk, bike, or take public transit to anywhere we need to, not to mention the cultural advantages of a city like San Francisco. When you take all of those things away, cities start to look much different and less-appealing, although this city is a one of the best ones to be stuck in given our climate and amount of outdoor activities within the city limits. Now that we can work anywhere, so we’re now asking “why do I live here?“
As I write this, first wave of COVID is still aggressively ongoing, with new hotspots in 20+ states, including California. Experts are warning of a second wave in the fall, so our thought now is where do we want to be when the music stops: an urban environment that could be ghost town in a matter of days, or somewhere that offers outdoor activities regardless of a pandemic? We know the answer to the question, the where and the action are still TBD.
How have you dealt with the pandemic? Are you questioning where you live?
