By Jeanelle Wu
Welcome back from fall break! Did you miss school? I sure didn’t.
I was too busy eating like King Henry VIII and migrating as if I was living through Westward expansion (I returned home to California). Oct. 9 through 14 was not just fall break for me — it was a mission and I was Tom Cruise. My assignment? To escape from Ithaca and bask in doing all the things I can't do here at Cornell. I think I did pretty well, but you could be the final judge of that.
Thursday
Since my professors were thoughtful enough to cancel my two classes on Friday, my fall break started a bit early. Every day counts when you live across the country and are trying to squeeze the most value out of your long distance journey. Having packed my carry-on suitcase the night before, I was ready to go to the airport after my two morning classes on Thursday. Being the responsible student I am, I had reserved an Uber to take me to Syracuse airport at noon for my 3:22 p.m. flight.
Before I knew it, I was on a small plane to Philadelphia. An hour and 15 minutes later, I was fighting for my life trying to make my connecting flight. During the 5 hour and 45 minute flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, I watched two episodes of “Love is Blind,” three episodes of “Friends” and ate an overpriced burrito bowl.
My dad picking me up from the airport and us getting In-and-Out on the way back home was the highlight of the long journey. I cannot stress how much I was looking forward to the iconic cheeseburger, fries and chocolate milkshake. As someone who grew up in Southern California, In-and-Out is the epitome of fast food and a solid burger. That meal was a reward for my long travels and filled my stomach with nostalgia.
Friday
After having homemade chicken soup for breakfast (what I begged my dad to make for me), I drove one and a half hours from my house to San Diego. I forgot how much I loved to drive. Driving down the coast with the ocean to my right and my favorite music surrounding me in the car was incredibly peaceful (another thing I can’t do in Ithaca). Once I picked up my boyfriend from UC San Diego, we headed to my favorite restaurant: Din Tai Fung. Since there are only select locations in major cities, I have been having Din Tai Fung withdrawals. Knowing exactly what I wanted to order before sitting down, I devoured their pork xiao long bao, spicy shrimp and pork wontons, kale with garlic, braised beef noodle soup, passion fruit green tea with boba and taro xiao long bao with sea salt cream for dessert. Delicious is an understatement. I wanted to be full enough to last till the next time I could go back.
Next up was shopping. Although Ithaca has cute stores here and there, it is definitely lacking in department stores and clothing chains. So, at Westfield UTC, an outdoor shopping center in La Jolla, I hit all my favorite stores including Aritzia, Hollister, Pacsun and Garage. I didn’t go too crazy and ended up walking out with a cute butter-yellow sweater and black puffer.
I think the best part of Southern California is the beaches, so it would be criminal not to take a walk on the shore. I looked out to the coastline to see people surfing, adventurers paragliding and birds chirping. I lost track of time staring at and listening to the waves; I wanted to absorb the view and beachy weather for as long as I could.
For dinner, some friends from high school and I went to get Shake Shack. (Yes, burgers again. Don’t judge me.) I got a SmokeShack burger, parmesan fries and a strawberry lemonade to wash it all down. I knew Shake Shack originated in New York, so I was disappointed when discovering there is no Shake Shack in Ithaca. After hanging out with my friends for a few hours, I headed back home — doing carpool karaoke with my friends in the car — at around 11:30 p.m.
Saturday
Tired from the long day I had on Friday, I allowed myself to sleep in until noon — a luxury I appreciate as someone with 8:40 a.m. classes. Three of my friends from home and I went to the Wingstop in our town, and I got the hot honey chicken tenders with lemon pepper fries and a Dr. Pepper. I know this isn’t exactly the healthiest meal, but I think it is fine considering it is a break from dining hall foods.
Overall, it was a chill day. We went to buy Pokemon cards and blind boxes (I personally don’t gamble with these but I support my friends who do). After they opened the cards and boxes and realized they wasted their money, we played some friendly games of mahjong to continue testing our luck. Then, I picked my mom up from the airport and drove to a Korean restaurant called Young Dong Tofu House.
Sunday
Waking up on Sunday I had an urge to make something. Driving to Whole Foods, I picked up ingredients to make soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies from scratch, along with salad and steak to make it a complete meal. An hour in the kitchen later, my boyfriend had cooked two ribeyes to perfection, and my chocolate chip cookies were in the oven. There’s nothing like a home cooked meal and freshly baked cookies to feel at home.
I then decided to take advantage of the sunny weather by swimming in the pool. Jealous? Only in California is it warm enough outside to jump into a pool in the middle of October. In the evening, my sister came over, and I spent the rest of the day playing games and goofing around with two of my nephews.
Monday
A not so fun part of my day was going to the dentist at noon. Luckily, I had no cavities and left with a clean set of teeth, so I guess it wasn’t that bad. Then, my mom and I had a girls’ spa day where we went to get massages and relax at the spa. Feeling refreshed and tension-free, we headed to the mall where we walked around and ate cinnamon pretzel bites.
For dinner, I dressed up to go out to a nice family dinner at a restaurant called Farmhouse at Roger’s Garden. Not only was the short rib entree and chocolate truffle cake I ate amazing, but the atmosphere of the restaurant was calming and joyful. I spent hours catching up with my family and coloring with my other nephew and niece.
Tuesday
My journey back to Ithaca started with driving to Los Angeles Airport for my 1:00 p.m. flight. On my five hour flight from LA to Washington, D.C., I watched five episodes of “Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE” and ate a Cinnabon I had bought before the flight. I had a one and a half hour layover in Washington, D.C. and arrived in Ithaca at around 12:30 a.m. Getting back to my dorm around 1:00 a.m., I was exhausted but fulfilled from my trip.
Clearly, I ate a lot of good food, caught up on sleep and kept myself busy throughout the break, but quality time with my family and friends undoubtedly takes the trophy for best part. The hours spent on planes and in airports was worth being able to escape from Ithaca to do things I haven’t been able to do, even if it was just for a few days
Jeanelle Wu is a jkw98 is a sophomore in the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management. She can be reached at jkw98@cornell.edu.
