San Francisco: Day 2

We were very much tourists for the day today. After our breakfast and preparations for the day, we headed over to Fisherman's Wharf. While the forecast called for rain, it was surprisingly nice out, which was perfect for the amount of walking we did. We walked around Pier 39 for a while, admiring the steep hills and the great view of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. There were plenty of opportunities for photos around the area, especially when we stopped to admire the sea lions, who were basking in the sun. The main source of excitement was right after we crossed the street, and were terrified by a man hiding behind a branch of leaves. After Fisherman's Wharf, we drove closer to the Golden Gate Bridge and sat by the Bay for a while, watching many dogs play in the sand. Later we headed to Chinatown and walked up and down the hills, stopping in some shops to see some very interesting and peculiar items--including many cooked animals in the windows. Kang stopped in a couple of stores and got supposedly the best strawberries ever. After a day full of walking, we drove back to the hostel.

As everyone relaxed in the rooms, Kristen and I made a delicious pasta dinner, and I narrowly avoided disaster in the process. Regardless, the end result was successful. Afterwards in our reflection, we delved into the topic of our trip: criminal justice. We discussed who we thought was affected by the criminal justice system, and the impact of the racial disparity of the criminal justice system on families and communities. Other than some iffy works of art, we shared many opinions on the subject and learned some interesting statistics. This was good preparation for the rest of the week, when we'll go even deeper into subject, continuing to share and learn.

-David Kramer