Coming home during school vacations is always special.
Northeastern University’s spring break was March 13-23. This was
going to be one of the most unique holidays for me since I started
school back east: I was going to spend my vacation playing tour
guide for two of my closest friends from Boston: Andy, who is from
Massachusetts, and Jenna, who is from Connecticut.
Coming home during school vacations is always special. Northeastern University’s spring break was March 13-23. This was going to be one of the most unique holidays for me since I started school back east: I was going to spend my vacation playing tour guide for two of my closest friends from Boston: Andy, who is from Massachusetts, and Jenna, who is from Connecticut.
Since starting my freshman year, I have been telling stories of my life in Morgan Hill and sunny California. Mostly I started doing this during the freezing snowstorms of last month hoping the warm thought of home would take the chill off my bones.
Our vacation gave us one week to try and fit everything in that we wanted to do. Having my two best friends in my home and having just a relaxed time was what I had planned. But my friends had sunny Hollywood and Disneyland in their plans. So with just a single night at home, we kicked off our vacation with a drive down to Los Angeles via Highway 101 and Highway 1. We stopped in Santa Barbara for lunch, and spent an hour or so walking down the beach and dipping our feet into the icy waves. It was a beautiful day and we watched the sun set as we walked down the Santa Monica Pier.
Thanks to the generosity of my friend Maribel who goes to Fullerton State, (and whose roommate was going to be out of town) we had a free place to stay for a couple of days. She made us maps and gave us directions to every place we wanted to go, and was available to call when I got lost (which happened frequently).
We had planned on going to Disneyland the next day, but we awoke to the sound of pouring rain outside. The liquid California sunshine joke didn’t go over very well, but we decided to extend our stay in LA for one more sunny day, and spent a rainy afternoon in Hollywood. Andy, Jenna and I walked up and down Hollywood Blvd. being typical tourists. The rain stopped when we arrived at the Mann’s Chinese Theater to see the hand and footprints. And exciting news: My hands are the same size as Marilyn Monroe’s.
One thing we learned, though, was to wait until the last possible moment to buy gifts. We blew our money at the first tourist shop we came across, and ended up finding better things later in the day after we had spent all our money.
The next day dawned the usual California beautiful way and we set off for Disneyland to spend our last day in Southern California. Andy has been to Disney World in Florida 36 times (!), but had never been to Disneyland. It was a great experience for all three of us. It was a relaxing day of waiting in line, hugging huge Disney characters, and purchasing ridiculously expensive presents. In other words we got to be big kids without our parents and we didn’t have to worry one time we weren’t tall enough to ride the rides!
We left LA that night, around 8 p.m., and I drove all night to get us home so we wouldn’t waste another vacation day on the road. The next three days were spent exploring different aspects of Northern California and the area I’ve grown up in. I took them around Morgan Hill so they could see where I grew up. What surprised them the most were the mountains surrounding our little town.
While the east coast has mountains too, my friends and I had become accustomed to seeing the sun set behind Boston’s skyline. I was happy to be home again, and Andy and Jenna were able to see what it’s like to be from a small town, but close enough to every type of geographic location imaginable: beaches, mountains, lakes and big city excitement. I took them to San Jose for dinner one night, San Francisco to see Pier 39 and the seals (Andy’s favorite part), and Monterey and Carmel’s 17 mile drive (Jenna’s favorite).
I had never driven to Los Angeles or San Francisco by myself before. I was always the passenger, and had never paid much attention to the roads we took or the area we were in. With maps in one hand, and the cell phone in the other (I’m not the best driver in the world), I found myself lost quite often with two people who didn’t have a clue where they were either (but they had a good excuse – they don’t live here!).
On numerous occasions I had my parents finding maps on the Internet to help me find my way. I found that getting lost in La La land and in San Francisco is a great way to explore these areas, at least that’s what I told my friends. My mother used to tell me that getting lost is the best way to discover America.
By the time you read this, I’ll be back in Boston with Jenna and Andy. Bringing my two best friends to my home and being able to show them a part of the world they had never experienced before brought us closer together.
This trip has also made me appreciate my California home a lot more, seeing how happy Jenna was to see the crashing waves in Monterey, or the smile on Andy’s face when he saw the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time in person. I had become accustomed to these sights, taking for granted all that California is, but being with my friends allowed me to enjoy the beautiful area we live in with a fresh new outlook. I can’t wait to come back myself.
Lacey Green is a freshman at Northeastern University in Boston. Readers may contact her at La********@*ol.com
