Life

The Sather Tower: Time, Legacy, and a Secret Inside

August 21, 2016ByteSizeberkeley, blogger, Blogging, California, campus, clocktower, culture, destinations, education, fossils, History, instapassport, instatravel, Life, Love, Metaphor, ordinary, peopleoftheworld, sanfransisco, story, traveladdict, travelblogger, travelinsights, traveller, traveltheworld, ucal, USA, visittheusa, wanderlust

Every great campus has an icon, and at the University of California, Berkeley, the Sather Tower is impossible to miss. It dominates the sky, commands attention, and quietly watches over generations of bright minds passing through.

At 307 feet, it’s the third tallest clock tower in the world, but its real significance isn’t just its height—it’s the aspiration it represents. For decades, students have walked beneath it, dreamed beyond it, and carried its legacy forward.

And here’s a twist—it’s not just a timekeeper, it’s a time capsule. Hidden inside? A fossil collection from Berkeley’s Department of Biology, preserving life from long before 1914, when the tower was built.

It tells time. It stores time. And for many, it shapes lifetimes.

Harvard’s Most Famous Statue—That Isn’t John Harvard!

August 19, 2016ByteSizeblogger, Blogging, boston, college, culture, destinations, education, harvard, harvarduniversity, instapassport, instatravel, Life, Love, Metaphor, ordinary, peopleoftheworld, statue, story, traveladdict, travelblogger, travelinsights, traveller, traveltheworld, USA, visittheusa, wanderlust

John Harvard sits pretty in Harvard Yard, watching over students and tourists alike. His left shoe gleams, polished by thousands of hopeful hands rubbing it for luck.

But behind the statue lies a story of mistaken identity—actually, two.

First, John Harvard wasn’t the founder of Harvard University, just its most generous early benefactor. And second, when the time came to build the statue, no one knew what he looked like. So, they used the face of another man!

Despite this, the statue is said to be the third most photographed in the US, after the Lincoln Memorial and the Statue of Liberty.

Now that’s an impressive legacy—to become iconic, even when history got the details wrong!

#JohnHarvard #HarvardLegends #StatueWithAStory

Skyline Illusions: San Francisco’s Double Act

August 17, 2016ByteSizeblogger, Blogging, character, culture, destinations, Happiness, instapassport, instatravel, Life, Love, Metaphor, ordinary, peopleoftheworld, sanfransisco, skyline, soul, story, traveladdict, travelblogger, travelinsights, traveller, traveltheworld, USA, visittheusa, wanderlust

A city’s skyline can feel like a carbon copy of ambition—jagged concrete dreams reaching upward, standing in silent competition. From afar, they all seem the same.

But look closer. No two skylines are alike. The details whisper—the polished glass facades, the murmurs in the air, the street music shaping the mood. These are the signatures of a city, the pulse beneath the architecture.

San Francisco’s skyline plays a game. Business-like. No-nonsense. A stiff upper lip. But let the Pacific breeze brush past you, step beyond the steel towers, and descend into the valleys of the city—that’s when the façade fades. The real San Francisco isn’t just in its skyline. It’s in the hills, the streets, the unexpected turns.

Some cities invite you in. San Francisco? It teases, then surprises.

Love on the Move: A Man, A Woman, and a San Francisco Morning

August 11, 2016ByteSizeblogger, Blogging, boys, culture, destinations, girls, instapassport, instatravel, Life, Love, men, Metaphor, ordinary, peopleoftheworld, sanfransisco, story, traveladdict, travelblogger, travelinsights, traveller, traveltheworld, USA, visittheusa, wanderlust, women

They appeared suddenly—a burst of laughter, love, and lightness on a crisp San Francisco morning. Heading toward the Ferry Building, but in no ordinary way.

He walked. She didn’t.

She floated through the streets in his arms, carried effortlessly, their joy filling the road as if love alone could lift them.

After a while, she slipped down, feet finally touching the pavement. Hand in hand, they ambled along, unhurried, unbothered.

People nodded, smiled, shook their heads. Some in disbelief, others with a smirk, and a few with quiet delight.

The moment—the act and its reactions—felt uniquely San Francisco. A city where the unexpected isn’t odd, just part of the scenery.

What do you think? Would you smile, stare, or simply walk on?

Markets, Masks, and Identity: The Soul of San Francisco

August 5, 2016ByteSizeblogger, Blogging, buy, culture, destinations, instapassport, instatravel, kids, Life, Love, markets, masks, Metaphor, ordinary, peopleoftheworld, sanfransisco, sell, story, toys, traveladdict, travelblogger, travelinsights, traveller, traveltheworld, USA, wanderlust

A city’s character isn’t found in its skyscrapers or postcard views. It’s in what is sold, what is bought, and who walks its streets. Its markets, its chaos, its colours—these are where a city’s soul truly rests.

San Francisco wears many faces—quite literally, in the form of masks for sale. Mickey Mouse, superheroes, nameless grins and exaggerated expressions. Playful? Yes. But also a quiet reflection of the city itself. Inclusive. Plural. Always shifting.

No single mask defines it. No single story captures it. But together, they form a place that welcomes all, wears change effortlessly, and lets you be whoever you choose to be.

That’s San Francisco. A city of many faces, all of them its own.

Bay Bridge: The Underrated Icon of San Francisco

August 2, 2016ByteSizebaybridge, blogger, Blogging, bridge, California, culture, destinations, instapassport, instatravel, Life, Love, Metaphor, ordinary, pacific, peopleoftheworld, sanfransisco, story, traveladdict, travelblogger, travelinsights, traveller, traveltheworld, USA, wanderlust

There are bridges. And then there are bridges like the Bay Bridge—a quiet giant, standing tall, strong, and purposeful.

With two layers of traffic, it has carried the weight of San Francisco’s rhythm since the 1930s—even before the much-photographed Golden Gate Bridge. Yet, it doesn’t seek attention. It simply delivers.

Its stature doesn’t come from fame, but from function. It serves, connects, and holds up the flow of a city that never slows down.

The Bay Bridge is one to be absorbed—not just by the eye, but by all it represents beyond what is seen.

The Romance of Clouds and Peaks: A Lesson in Perspective

July 30, 2016ByteSizeblogger, Blogging, clouds, conversation, culture, destinations, disrupt, frames, fun, instapassport, instatravel, Life, Love, Metaphor, mtwashington, Nature, ordinary, peace, romance, Stories, traveladdict, travelblogger, travelinsights, traveller, traveltheworld, unity, USA, wanderlust

Mountains don’t just stand—they stretch. They invite, they teach, they expand your sense of what’s possible.

When the clouds kiss the peaks, and the ground beneath hums with quiet excitement, your eyes drift—not just to the heights, but to the horizon.

And there, beyond the first set of peaks, another set awaits—wrapped in their own clouded embrace, whispering the same story.

You smile. You understand expanse. Not just of the mountains, but of perspective, possibility, and wonder.

Because some lessons can’t be taught. Only experienced.

The Chase for the Sky: Reflections in Glass and Ambition

July 30, 2016ByteSizeblogger, Blogging, boston, commerce, conversation, culture, destinations, disrupt, entrepreneur, frames, fun, instapassport, instatravel, Life, Love, Metaphor, ordinary, peace, peopleoftheworld, startup, story, trade, traveladdict, travelblogger, travelinsights, traveller, traveltheworld, unity, USA, wanderlust

The searing rush to the top—mirrored perfectly by the dark glass façade that reflects everything but reveals nothing.

Standing on the street below, neck craned, you can’t help but admit—it’s beautiful. Not in a warm, familiar way, but in a way that speaks of ambition, precision, and power.

The light dances, the shadows shift, and the building transforms with every passing cloud.

The interplay of light and dark always has this effect. It hides, reveals, and reminds—that beauty isn’t just in what you see, but in what you perceive.

Born to Run: The Effortless Beauty of a True Runner

July 30, 2016ByteSizeanimals, blogger, Blogging, conversation, culture, destinations, disrupt, dogs, entrepreneur, fun, greyhoundsofinstagram, instapassport, instatravel, Life, Love, Metaphor, ordinary, peopleoftheworld, pets, Running, startup, sunset, trade, traveladdict, travelblogger, travelinsights, traveller, traveltheworld, USA, wanderlust

A runner stands apart. You don’t need to look twice. The lean muscles, the poised stance, the effortless readiness—it’s all there, waiting for the next burst of speed.

And when the open space calls, they don’t just run. They glide.

Watching a greyhound take off is pure joy. The stretch, the arc, the rhythm—it’s movement at its most natural, most beautiful.

And when the sun begins to set, framing the runner in gold, it’s more than just a sight. It’s a moment.

More Than Monuments: Washington DC’s Metro and Movement

July 28, 2016ByteSizeblogger, Blogging, conversation, culture, destinations, disrupt, entrepreneur, fun, infrastructure, instapassport, instatravel, latergram, Life, Love, markets, Metaphor, metro, ordinary, peopleoftheworld, startup, story, trade, traveladdict, travelblogger, travelinsights, traveller, traveltheworld, USA, wanderlust, washingtondc

A city is more than just its buildings and roads. It’s the character of its infrastructure and the twinkle in the eyes of those who move through it.

Washington DC stands tall. A city of power, history, and movement. But beyond the monuments and politics, it has something else—a metro that works.

At Dupont Circle Station, the sleek tunnels and quiet efficiency tell their own story. A system that keeps the city moving, connects the stories, and makes the everyday a little smoother.

Sometimes, a city’s soul isn’t just in what it stands for—but in how it moves.