Like many tech enthusiasts (and Apple fanboys), it's been a lifelong dream of mine to attend an Apple Event live at Apple Park. Ever since offering public invites again, I've entered my name with the thought that there was no chance. Well, in 2025, I was invited to Apple Park to attend WWDC 2025. The entire experience was an absolute dream come true, made even better by my two best friends.
Important Context
In 2009, a different friend and I wanted to release iOS games using the name Games Galore. That never happened, but ever since, building an app has been a personal goal. In 2024, I released Bit Buddy, a personal device logger designed specifically for content creators and creative professionals. I then released Quick Link, a YOURLS client for iPhone (macOS coming soon 👀).
On the flip side, my friends and I have had a long history of making these grandiose plans and not following through with them. This marked the first time we finally "got it out of group chat," which, for anyone with a large friend group, is a feat in and of itself.
Lastly, leading up to the trip, I had been feeling like I'd maybe stop making videos. I didn't know if it was because of capturing the same stuff over and over again, or if there was something else lurking in the background. So, this trip became, on top of everything else, a test to see if that so-called "spark" for creating videos and movies was still there.
Part 1: San Francisco
Our first stop in California was to, you guessed it, San Francisco. We ended up making it a longer trip, spending three days in San Francisco. Our first night was fairly simple. Once we landed, we got situated at the hotel and walked around Fisherman's Wharf a bit before finding a little beach behind the Palace of Fine Arts. A brief stroll led us to a nice street side restaurant, but not before an unexpected (and slightly terrifying) encounter with a man pleading for our blood. The real fun began the next day.
We woke up at 4:00 AM (7:00 AM EST) to catch the sunrise at the Golden Gate Bridge. We lucked out and got some pretty incredible views, but unfortunately for me, there wasn't any sunrise to capture. Just doom and gloom. We explored a cool fort that had the makings of a found footage film, and encountered some people that I wish would have just left us alone.
After that was the Botanical Garden and Japanese Tea Garden. The Botanical Garden was certainly a let down compared to what we thought it was, but the tea garden was nice. Except for the dude who stared me down as he walked by. I tried some of their Jasmine Tea and, afterwards, began offloading all of the footage.
We also caught a San Francisco Giants game at Oracle Park, which was incredible. Oracle Park is, without a doubt, the most beautiful ballpark I've ever been to. Absolutely incredible. We also toured Alcatraz and visited Chinatown, along with various parks and other touristy things. All in all, it was a very fun trip, made even better by my buddies being there.
Part 2: Cupertino
Despite the fun we were having in San Francisco, I was growing more and more nervous as our travel to Cupertino grew closer. I'm a nervous guy, and going to an entirely new area by myself was not something I was looking forward to. In Cupertino, we checked into the hotel and relaxed for a bit before heading to Infinite Loop for WWDC check-in. Thinking back now, I was so nervous. Somehow, however, I managed to get out of the car and get in line - and I'm so glad I did.
The check in event was a lot of fun. There was food, music, the App Store Awards winner/nominees, and a lot of mingling. I mostly wandered and took everything in, just trying to absorb it all. It was a pretty surreal feeling, thinking back on it now. The weather was beautiful, the energy was alive and joyous, and, in a weird way, I was happy.
I didn't stay at the check in long. I texted my buddies that I was ready and we ventured back to our hotel for a few minutes before rushing out to catch Wes Anderson's The Phoenician Scheme. I was the only one who managed to stay awake, somehow. The movie was pretty good!
The next morning I was a nervous wreck. I was excited too, but mostly nervous. My buddies, again, dropped me off, this time at the Apple Park Visitor Center, a building I never thought I'd ever see in person, let alone enter. A little bit of waiting later, and I was next in line to be welcomed into Apple Park. Then, it was my turn.
Walking into Apple Park was an experience I'll never forget. The silence, the scale, and the excitement were awe-inspiring. I'm not kidding, walking into Apple Park, seeing the spaceship, you could hear a pin drop. It was beautiful. The rest of the day was, as you'd expect from an Apple fanboy, amazing. I was even able to talk to an actual Apple employee! They just came up to me and asked to sit down! How awesome is that?!
The event itself was a lot of fun. I got a makeshift tour of Apple Park, and by that I mean I walked around and looked at stuff. I took some photos with the car from the F1 movie, and, somehow, worked up the courage to speak with an Apple Engineer about Moneyminder! Look, I know it doesn't sound like much, but I normally show up and leave whenever possible...so this a major win for me.
Rounding out the day was a stop back to the Apple Park Visitor Center to charge my phone and buy some goodies before taking one last lap around Apple Park. I called an Uber and went back to the hotel, my trip complete. The only thing that was left on our itinerary was a dinner to cap off the trip. A dinner which was fantastic and worth every penny (it was a lot of them).
And Just Like That
The rest of the trip was as you'd expect. A lot of packing, traveling, delays, and reminiscing on the past six days as if it were our "glory days" in high school. Once we landed back on the east coast, it was a few short car rides before I found myself back in my neck of the woods, surrounded by familiar landscapes and houses. An entirely different world.
This entire trip, beyond anything, has shown me that just because something is new or uncomfortable, doesn't make it bad. I'm normally someone who shuts everything down, and I mean everything. This trip, I forced myself to say yes to a lot of things I normally refuse, and I'm glad I did. This trip wouldn't have been possible, obviously, without Apple, so thank you. You helped a kid from Delaware live out one of his dreams. And to my friends, the best friends, who immediately said yes to coming with me across the country. You guys are the best.
I mentioned at the top that I had been thinking about stopping making videos. This trip was meant to see if that spark is still there or not. I did make a film recapping our trip.
Milestone No. 3, available now on YouTube and Sparrow Films.