A teenager on a two-week family trip in the US writes about the experiences — excitement, disappointment, camping, boba, visits to Ivy League schools (and parental expectations) and more.
Day 1
San Francisco: Destination numero uno. After travelling for 23 hours, we finally touched down on American soil and headed towards my uncle’s house in El Cerrito, a tiny city just outside San Francisco. Once we entered his house, we were immediately greeted by Loopa, the house pet. At first, she was anxious, but once we got to know her, she turned out to be one of the most loving and energetic dogs I have ever met. She was the biggest highlight of my San Francisco trip.
Exploratorium, a museum of science, technology, and arts in San Francisco, California
Day 2
Our trip began with a ride on the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and walking around the city of San Francisco after some coffee. Having never had coffee before, I proudly sipped my iced latte feeling like a true American.
Next, we headed towards the Exploratorium and toggled around with different simulations and contraptions. The Exploratorium was fun and I got to learn many new things though I think we spent just too much time inside!
Once we were done, it was instantly made clear that it was time for the grown- ups to have their share of fun. So we went off to have lunch at a Spanish restaurant called Coqueta on Pier 5 by the sea — the food was delicious! We headed towards the Golden Gate Bridge, happy and full.
Golden Gate Bridge
When you search the Golden Gate Bridge on Google you get beautiful images, with its golden beams under the sunny San Francisco skies! The weather in San Francisco was pleasant, and we were expecting to see the Golden Gate Bridge in all its glory. But that changed quickly within the short Uber drive we took from the Pier to the bridge. As we slowly made our way towards this iconic landmark, the clouds began to thicken and fog began to roll in. The sky instantly changed from light blue to a depressing shade of grey! As we walked on the bridge, we were almost freezing. The cold, violent winds pierced through our skin. As we learnt quickly about the fickleness of San Francisco weather, we decided to head back home!
General Sherman, one the world’s largest trees at Sequoia National Park. It stands 275 feet tall and is over 2,200 years old
Days 3-5
We’re camping! I had never gone camping before, but I do love nature… to an extent. Five hours of driving, car sickness, and boredom was the price of coming to the Sequoia National Park. Here, we got to see some of the world’s largest trees — General Sherman and General Grant. General Sherman stands at 275 feet tall and is over 2,200 years old.
Camping is meant to reconnect you to nature and the beauty of our planet. It's meant to detach you from the stress of modern society, and I used to think these were just things parents made up in order to make you feel guilty about using your iPad for the entire day. But while that may be true, camping did help me solve my need to be entertained all the time. This experience helped me appreciate the little things in life, and find out more about camping, hiking, nature trails etc.
University of California, Berkeley
Day 6
Camping done, it’s time to move on… to University of California, Berkeley. Today was not a great day. We just found out that mom had caught COVID and had to cancel some activities that I was looking forward to on the trip. So, instead of sitting on the couch and watching Breaking Bad all day, my father, uncle and I went to try out some boba. I had never had boba before, and my friends were quite mad at me for not knowing what boba is. So, I decided to find out why boba took over the world so quickly. Boba is essentially a slimy, sticky, gooey ball which is slightly sweet and has a very fun texture. But if you are not careful you could choke on them. Next, we visited the Berkeley campus. We began by walking into the Berkeley library. Immediately, I felt the parental pressure of getting into this university. The look in my father’s eyes said it all! This is why I don’t like visiting Ivy league schools!
University of California, Berkeley
Day 7
More nature. More greenery. More bugs and animals. After camping I thought that I had had enough of nature on this trip, but apparently not. Today, we visited the California Academy of Sciences. Here we essentially saw different species of bugs, fish and a few dinosaurs. We learned quite a lot and saw multiple demonstrations of each species and their behaviour. We attended a planetarium show within the academy as well; it was about coral reefs. Originally, I wanted to see a planetarium show about space, so naturally, having to watch a 30-minute show about underwater plant life was “mildly” disappointing.
Santa Monica beach
Day 9
Finally! Santa Monica! I love beaches. Santa Monica is essentially one of the most famous beaches in the world. It’s known for its posh neighbourhoods and fancy hotels. But what I most loved about Santa Monica was the weather. It’s almost always sunny, and the wind there is embracing, and soothing. Today, we walked along the beach, and explored some of the restaurants near our hotel. We finally ate at a Japanese burger restaurant, which was quite delightful and delicious.
On skates at Santa Monica beach
Los Angeles
Day 10
Today was an interesting day. We went travelling throughout Los Angeles with my mother’s friend. We drove along the Pacific highway, with a spectacular view of the sea. We spent some time in Malibu, shopped at the Grove mall, ate at the famous and lively Farmers Market, and then drove around the surrounding hills. It was then I realised why this city was so famous. It had everything, a beach, giant hills, superb malls, and even golf courses.
Rodeo Drive
Day 11 & 12
We’re now at Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills! The famous shopping district, home to premium clothing brands such as Gucci, Michael Kors, Dior, Louis Vuitton, etc. In order to do justice to Beverly Hills, we decided to shop even if only a little bit by buying Onitsuka shoes for my parents. Next we headed to the Beverly Center mall to shop a little bit more for my mother, buy a MacBook (for school purposes), and look for the PRIME hydration drink. Currently, PRIME is not available in India and is incredibly famous, since it was launched by two of the most popular internet superstars on YouTube, Logan Paul and KSI. We ended the day with dinner at a fancy restaurant where my mother ordered a squid risotto, which was black in colour and tasted yuck!
Hogwarts Express at Universal Studio
Day 13
Universal Studio! The second-most famous theme/amusement park in the world. Let’s be real here, the main attraction in this park is the Harry Potter theme park. Being a massive Potterhead, I was desperate to get into all the rides and shows. I managed to get a wand for myself as well. But Universal Studios wasn’t all fun and games, it was a massive test of patience as well. In order to get to the roller coasters and simulators, you were required to stand in two-hour-long queues, which would hurt your legs, and your mind. But, in the end, it was completely worth it. In my opinion, the Harry Potter ride was the most fun. Not only because it somewhat created your own Wizarding World experience, but it was also the most creative ride in the theme park. For example, most of the rides were either simulations or normal roller coasters, but Harry Potter was a mix of the two. It managed to include an engaging virtual reality experience, and a thrilling roller coaster.
Day 14
It’s the second day at Universal Studios, and it's time to visit something other than Harry Potter. Today, I decided to conquer Jurassic World, Transformers, Revenge of the Mummy and more. My father and I are massive adrenaline junkies, and love roller coasters. So we decided to go on every single ride there was (in the park). It was great fun, and scary too. And after Harry Potter my favourite was the Transformers simulator!
At Warner Brothers Studio
Day 15
Warner Brothers! One of the largest production companies in the world. Home to some of the greatest TV shows, sitcoms, movies etc. We happened to go on a tour in the Warner Brothers Studio, and got to see the sets and costumes from hit TV shows and movies such as Friends, The Big Bang Theory, The Batman, Justice League, Harry Potter, etc. I’m a massive fan of many of these TV shows and movies, therefore making today a very special day. From Warner Bros we went to the university campus of UCLA and since I have already declared why I don’t like visiting Ivy League universities, I won’t repeat myself!
University of California, Los Angeles
Days 16 & 17
It was time to go. Vacation was over, but hopes were still high. This vacation did have a fair share of ups and downs. It posed challenges to us (take COVID for example), but in the end we still managed to make this a fun, and relaxing holiday. I have learned many things, the most important thing among them being discipline. When my mother was sick, I had to help around a lot more to clean up, pack, and take care of her and myself! Therefore, this vacation was a special one — it helped me grow up a little more!
“Vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you’re taking.”
– Earl Wilson
The author is in Grade 9 of Oberoi International School JVLR Campus, Mumbai
