In his junior year, current senior Eliot Hsu found his plate filled with seven classes. Without the time to leave school to eat out during lunch, he resolved to bring the food he wanted to school.
“I didn’t really have time to go out for lunch and all my friends stayed on campus,” Hsu said. “So, we would order pizza deliveries every Friday or every other Friday.”
Of the nearby pizza places, Hsu most prefers Pizza My Heart due to its taste and affordability. His favorite pizza at Pizza My Heart is the Big Sur, a loaded pizza with garlic, organic tomato sauce, pepperoni, sausage, portobello mushrooms, and green onions.
Hsu first began ordering pizzas just to try it out, but it soon evolved into a tradition. Almost every Friday at the end of brunch last year, he would call Pizza My Heart to request a delivery straight to the bus circle. For the occasional Pizza Hut lunch, he could order online Thursday night, since he and his friends planned their pizza lunches in advance.
This year, Hsu can drive to eat out since he has several free periods. Even with new openings such as Pieology, Hsu still stays loyal to Pizza My Heart because he finds Pieology too expensive despite preferring the taste of Pieology’s pizzas. In the end, Pizza My Heart is Hsu’s happy medium.
Wetsuits, calming water, Taco Bell and a Venus Flytrap named Fredrick Wilson III. Ever since her mother first brought her to Half Moon Bay in elementary school, senior Audrey Li has made day-visits to Half Moon Bay whenever school is on break and her mother is free to drive her there. Li, who plans to attend a college in landlocked Missouri, cherishes her final visits to the beach.
“I just like the sound of the waves,” Li said. “It’s nice to walk around with just my feet in the water.”
During the car ride, the smell of the surrounding forest relax Li and the various shops entertain her. One time, Li and her mother visited a greenhouse plant store on the way that boasted a line of carnivorous plants. Li and her mother left the store with a small pamphlet, a tiny pot, and a Venus Flytrap that would become Fredrick Wilson III.
At the beach itself, Li enjoys both the view and the atmosphere. Since her first visit, the site’s serenity has astounded her. Though there are many visitors, their presence does not detract from the clean air, sound of waves and expanses of sand. From ocean walks to shell collecting to beachhouse sightseeing, every second spent at Half Moon Bay, every time Li visits.
Senior Mariana Miranda has only attended MVHS for one year. She’s been visiting San Antonio Ranch for just as long, but her impressions of it are all the stronger.
Miranda first visited with her mother, father, two sisters, and brother. Together, they hiked to one of the highest points. Once there, Miranda was awed by the full view of Sunnyvale and all of the surrounding cities.
“I come from upstate New York, where there’s a lot of suburbs,” said Miranda. “Seeing all the cities from up there was like, ‘whoa, this is California.’ It opened my eyes to ‘this is where I’m living now.’”
Miranda and her family continue to visit San Antonio Ranch twice a month, but it’s not always for the view. They explore the park’s labyrinth of trails and show Miranda’s third grade sister — an avid animal lover — the various animals along the trail. During one of the first visits, they were able to watch a mother deer drinking from a stream with her baby fawn. Sometimes, they visit the farm to see the cows. Recently while hiking on the trails, Miranda’s friend heard a pecking sound. They followed the sound until Miranda’s friend pointed to the branches of a tree, and in that tree was the first woodpecker Miranda had ever seen, pecking at the tree.
“There’s always new things to look at,” Miranda said. “If you just keep an eye out, there’s just so many animals and things going on.”
The last time Miranda went to San Antonio Ranch, she and her friend saw a wild bunny. Because bunnies are a rare sight, they did not want to risk scaring it away. So they stood there quietly, and together, they watched until the bunny finally hopped away.
