{"id":286642,"date":"2026-04-26T08:31:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T08:31:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/286642\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T08:31:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T08:31:34","slug":"california-questionnaire-olympian-alysa-liu-awards-the-bay-area-a-gold-medal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/286642\/","title":{"rendered":"California Questionnaire: Olympian Alysa Liu Awards the Bay Area a Gold Medal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Figure-skating sensation\u00a0Alysa Liu<\/a>\u00a0is no stranger to excellence: At 13, the\u00a0Clovis<\/a>-born Olympian became the youngest U.S. national champion ever, and she went on to become the first American to land a quadruple jump in international competition in 2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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After retiring from skating in 2022, she mounted an epic comeback in 2024: She won the World Championship women\u2019s title in 2025, then earned two gold medals at the 2026 Olympic Games\u2014one as part of Team USA in the group event as well as the first individual win for a U.S. woman in more than 20 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Bringing that gold back to the West Coast was an honor for the young athlete and\u00a0UCLA<\/a>\u00a0student, who revels in the award-worthy culture, food, shopping, and natural wonders that are always just outside her window. Here, Alysa\u00a0shares her own California loves and winners.<\/p>\n

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Where do you live?\u00a0In\u00a0Oakland<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Why there?\u00a0I was raised in the Bay Area<\/a>, and I continue to live here because I feel such a strong sense of community. The scene is so diverse, and rich in culture. The people here are so creative, and there\u2019s a melting pot of ideas and\u00a0art<\/a>. I\u2019ve found my people in the Bay Area, and that\u2019s what truly made it my home.<\/p>\n

Who or what is your greatest California love?\u00a0It\u2019s got to be all the\u00a0beaches<\/a> along\u00a0San Francisco<\/a>. I love taking night walks on the sand with my friends. I also love the trails and views on\u00a0Mount Tamalpais<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What is the biggest misperception about Californians?\u00a0The biggest I\u2019ve heard is that everyone\u00a0surfs<\/a> and goes to the beach 24\/7. I can disprove this because I\u2019ve never surfed in my life, and I don\u2019t know anyone in the bay that surfs.<\/p>\n

What is the stereotype that most holds true?\u00a0I\u2019d say the stereotype that holds most true is that there\u2019s a \u201cCalifornia accent.\u201d There definitely are different accents depending on where in the state you are, and there\u2019s definitely a \u201cBay Area accent.\u201d We use certain words and phrases a lot more than other people. We do say \u201chella.\u201d<\/p>\n

What is your favorite Golden State splurge?\u00a0Universal Studios Hollywood<\/a>, for sure.<\/p>\n

Time for a road trip\u2014where are you going?\u00a0I\u2019d go to\u00a0Lake Tahoe<\/a> and enjoy a whole day\u00a0skiing or snowboarding<\/a>. Another option would be a day trip to\u00a0Santa Cruz<\/a> to enjoy the beach and\u00a0boardwalk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you could decree an official state culinary experience, what would it be? Our Chinese food is so amazing. There are so many great authentic Chinese restaurants around California, but my go-tos are all in Oakland\u2019s\u00a0Chinatown<\/a>. Specifically\u00a0Spices 3 \u8fa3\u59b9\u5b50<\/a> and\u00a0Shandong<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What is your favorite way to play in California?\u00a0On a typical day, I love just going to a park and playing\u00a0tennis<\/a> with my siblings. We have so many parks in California and my favorites always have tennis, basketball, and volleyball courts for the community to use.<\/p>\n

Where would you go for the ultimate shopping spree in California?\u00a0My shopping sprees usually happen on\u00a0Haight Street<\/a> in San Francisco. The shops are so cute and endless. The store I visit the most is called\u00a02nd Street<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Best California song? There\u2019s this song by Beabadoobee called\u00a0\u201cCalifornia,\u201d<\/a> so I would say that one just because it\u2019s in the title. And because it\u2019s a sensational song.<\/p>\n

How would your California dream day unfold? My perfect day would start with first waking up before sunrise and driving with friends to the\u00a0Golden Gate Bridge<\/a> Vista Point to watch the sunrise.<\/p>\n

Then we would go to a caf\u00e9 none of us have been to and eat some breakfast. Maybe spend some time in the\u00a0botanical garden<\/a> and the\u00a0Japanese Tea Garden<\/a>. We would then drive back over the bridge and chill at home for a bit.<\/p>\n

In the afternoon we\u2019d go on a hike in the\u00a0Oakland Redwoods<\/a> and maybe plan a photo shoot. Lastly, we\u2019d end the day with a movie at the\u00a0Piedmont Theatre<\/a>.<\/p>\n