What Do You Like to Do during Summer Vacation?

San Francisco's Aquatic Park
by Rose Gao

Ah! Right after the finals, the ultimate freedom comes. Summer is when all teenagers break out from the crazy teachers, staggering home works, gut busting tests, and the evil, back breaking, posture deforming (probably electric) chairs of school-dom. The sudden release of teenagers in the working world creates a population boom in many parts of the city. You, also a teenager probably wants to take part in these excavations. A question comes into mind. Which money guzzling, "fun" packed, head bobbing place should we go and spend our freedom days at?

And the answer is here, my friend, the beach right next to the Aquatic Park that is right next to the Pier 39 . It is that beach in which which the waves comes in and laps the burn-if-you-don't-wear-your-flip-flops sand. That same place where the wind blows in the natural smell of the sea and the salt in the water as well as fish breath. That beachy-sandy place where the sun shines the brightest and you see a boat says MCG and not MSG. Despite all these it remains a great place.

The sun always tempts you to lie on the sand and start a nice day dream. The wind brings in the coolness that cools us from the hot sun. The water making these lulling sounds that makes you forget about all the evil AP tests, SAT's, ACT's and finals.

If you stare up and away from the sun, interesting cloud formations are sure to bring back good memories and some humor (like the time I saw an elephant and big shoes.) Interesting people, like the balloon lady, come in once in a while to make animals balloons and speak to you in rhymes. Oh! How I hope to see that lady with the crazy hula hoop tricks with her pet retriever.

And of course you can't miss out on the actual fun of swimming in the waters. Of course for those people who will die in touching salt water, the beach is really close to the North Beach public pool. For those who are allergic to hyperactive-children-in-the-pool, you are on your own, man.

If you feel like shopping, you can always get up, pat off the sand, and max out your credit cards in souvenir shops, candy shops, ice cream parlors, clam-chowders, mini-dough nuts, uber-stuffy stuffed animals, decorative sea salt and pieces of cloth that wraps around your body called clothes. Did I mention there are street artists there too who paints Marilyn Monroe, Superman, and maybe even Mickey Mouse. You can meet the bush-man occasionally and even the metal, tin-man with his kid, the tin-boy.

If you don't know, Ghirardelli Square is also there with its high class, fancy-shmancy café (and that's café with an é), nice chocolate gelato, or just plain sugar-hyperactivity-induced chocolate.

So have fun and rebel against all things that make your summer dude-I-just-slept-the-whole-summer boring.