Over the past few days, I’ve been diving deep into a fascinating project while exploring different study spots across San Francisco. The project involves fetching information from various media sources and transforming it into vectors for embedding and semantic search to feed into LLMs. I’m also working on a page rank algorithm for ranking users and identifying relevant users within specific Twitter niches.

During this development journey, I’ve discovered some interesting spots around the city. I spent a day at Capital One Cafe, which was productive but just the beginning of my exploration. The next day proved to be quite eventful, starting at the SF Main Library across from City Hall, where I stayed until around 5 PM. While there, I witnessed an interesting scene of pro-life marchers and pro-choice protesters (apparently Batman is pro-choice). It made me reflect on how when we take sides on any cause, we inherently sacrifice objectivity since morality plays such a role in subjectivity. What struck me was how unpopular opinions often have fewer supporters, not necessarily due to their merit, but because people tend to avoid vulnerability and seek belonging through hive mentality. It’s easier to join the majority than to stand alone with an unpopular view.

After my library session, I decided to discover what would become the real gem of my exploration: Alamo Square Park.

Getting to Alamo Square Park was an adventure in itself. I grabbed a Bay Wheels bike, and to my surprise (and slight dismay), it wasn’t motorized. The uphill pedaling turned into an unexpected endurance test. By the time I reached the park, I was completely out of breath. While bikes aren’t technically allowed in the park, I walked it in - not riding, just keeping it by my side.

As I sat down next to my bike, exhausted from the climb, I realized how worthwhile the journey had been. The view was absolutely spectacular - you can see the entire city of San Francisco sprawled out before you. The park’s atmosphere was equally captivating. Couples were scattered across the grass, each in their own personal bubble, creating this peaceful, romantic ambiance. In this state of tranquility, my mind wandered to profound questions about existence itself. I found myself contemplating the very origins of everything - how did something like the universe come to be without any help? The notion that everything emerged from nothing seems almost ridiculous when you really think about it. What created everything that science studies?

These past few days have been quite the experience. There’s something special about balancing development work with exploring San Francisco. The contrast between diving into code and discovering new corners of the city creates a perfect blend of mental and physical engagement. Sometimes the best ideas come when you’re not stuck behind a screen, but rather taking in the city’s unique energy and views.

I should note that as a newcomer to SF, I’ve had to adapt to a concerning reality. This became particularly apparent after returning home from Alamo Square. After getting some work done, we headed to Whole Foods for groceries and used Waymo to grab food, but had to walk through homeless encampments to get home. While people often showboat about SF being the epicenter of tech scenes, hacker houses, and startups, there’s a stark contrast that can’t be ignored. The city grapples with a severe homelessness crisis alongside a fentanyl epidemic that makes it feel almost dystopian at times - a jarring juxtaposition between super elites and those who lack support and are instead enabled. Coming from NYC, I’ve had to develop a new kind of street awareness, doing due diligence before visiting new areas to check for homeless encampments, which can be unpleasant to navigate. My friends and I have learned to keep our heads down while staying vigilant, avoiding any actions or comments that might attract unwanted attention.