JailbreakCon 2014: A 4 Day Journal Chronicling This Incredible Jailbreak Community Experience [PART 2]

JailbreakCon 2014 Part 2: Sightseeing

Friday morning I woke to a message from Thientam asking if I wanted to join the house for breakfast, so I made my way back up the hill to join the crew. In the living room, Melissa and Kevin were already up and dressed though I had heard they'd been up till 4:30 the night before! Wow, have they got energy! Kevin already had a beer cracked open in his hand as Craig tidied up around the apartment.

Missed Part One? Check it out here! JailbreakCon 2014: A 4 Day Journal Chronicling This Incredible Jailbreak Community Experience [PART 1]

A group of us got tired of waiting for everyone to get out of bed so we headed down the street to grab a cup of Starbucks coffee and then rejoin the rest for breakfast. It was a gorgeous morning as we walked down to the cafe. Once we arrived at the coffee shop, the hunger became too strong I suppose and so the group of us grabbed a breakfast sandwich — well, all but me. I was holding out for something better. Later, Sebastien admitted I had made a wise choice. The sandwiches offered were little more than "food product" as Ryan called them. While waiting for our coffee, we talked about our kids, our homes, our work and the regular things friends discuss, but all the while I felt this underlying sense of amazement that these people I have admired and considered friends online, were actually becoming my "in real life" friends.

We walked back to the house and everyone was ready to go. Since some had eaten already, they decided to head out for sight seeing at the Redwood Forest, later to meet back up with us at the Golden Gate Bridge. Those of us who hadn't eaten decided we would head into the city for breakfast at a place Craig swore was the best food on earth — Mama's on Washington Street. Filippo and Sebastien needed a ride to the Apple headquarters, so eight of us crammed into a space intended for six and we were on our way.

Dropping the guys off was not a simple task, however. Everyone in the back had to get out to let Filippo and Sebastien out and there were no parking spaces available. The people in the cars behind Melissa — who was driving us — were getting a little irate as we looked like we were performing a Chinese fire drill of sorts. So, with my foot halfway in the door, Melissa told Kevin and Ryan we were headed around the block and would pick them back up. Unfortunately, in San Francisco, going around the block was not as straightforward as it would seem. There were one-way streets everywhere and at lunchtime, heavy traffic all over. We finally got stuck in such a long flow of traffic, Melissa texted the guys our location and told them to walk towards us. 20 minutes later, we all realized that, while Kevin may be able to hack an Apple TV, he wasn't the best at walking navigation. We were not more than two blocks apart and yet the guys had still failed to find us. Just as we were about to send out a search party, they suddenly appeared.

But now there was the task of making it to the breakfast place and finding a parking spot. Wow, parking in San Francisco is almost impossible! Especially as one full street was being repaved. We drove around and around in circles hoping to find a spot when I noticed Ryan, who was sitting next to me in the back, beginning to look really unwell. At this point he suggested the two of us get out of the car for some fresh air. We would walk down to the restaurant and save the group a spot in line since Craig informed us Mama's always had a queue of folks waiting to get in. It was 1 pm and we were all wilting with hunger. No wonder Ryan was feeling a little carsick! We hopped out and walked in the direction of Mama's. On the way I asked him some questions about how he got into iOS development and the jailbreak community. He shared his story of wanting to develop, but the difficulty in doing so on the early carrier stores before the official app store launched. He then discussed the interest in the jailbreak community as it removed all restrictions of age and influence that came with trying to submit apps. His story was fascinating to listen to considering he's someone who developed most of the tweaks I consider absolutely essential on my iPhone.

We arrived at the restaurant and saw Shannon, Joshua and Ep0k already waiting in the queue. It was only a few moments later the rest of our lot joined and now the waiting game began. As we waited, we laughed and talked and Craig and Leon played tricks on unsuspecting passersby. After what seemed like an eternity, we finally made it to the front of the queue — but then there was waiting inside for a seat! At around 2 pm we were finally seated and most of us were so hungry we almost weren't any longer. When the food arrived, however, it was well worth the wait. We all devoured it appreciatively.

After paying the bill, we messaged Cyril and Surenix to see about meeting up at the Golden Gate Bridge, but breakfast took us so long, they'd already made their way there and to the Redwood Forest. We agreed to meet back at the house later for dinner, but for now, we were off to the Golden Gate Bridge.

We arrived at the site and boy was it windy! Melissa seemed terrified that she might actually fly right off the hill, and to be honest, there were a few times I felt myself losing my footing as well. We stayed long enough to get a few group photos and then headed back toward the Jailbreak house as Britta would be arriving soon. She was going to inspect what work everyone had completed on their presentations. Up to that point, I was fairly certain no one had even started working on them.

Click here for JailbreakCon 2014 Part Three: Preparations