We left our hearts in San Francisco
I have had an obsession with the city of San Francisco since my first visit there. It's so good to know that I feel the very same way I did the first time. I love everything. Maybe it reminds me of Moscow, Mother Russia, a bit.
We decided to take the boys for spring break and it was THE bestest decision ever. San Francisco is a little boy's paradise. The beach, the ocean, the sea shells, the animals, the rocks, the trees, the parks, the ships and the islands, the ice cream, the fresh air, their cousins - they loved it all. As a matter of fact, on the way out of the city, Kohen was crying because he had such a good time and didn't want to leave.
I have to say thank you, again, to my wonderful sis Hillary for being such a great host, and for having her sweet kids so that my boys could have cousins to play with, they were the best!
On the first evening, the kids were pretty tired of their car seats (since we drove 11h.), so Tony and I snuck a date to Pier 39 for fresh seafood. He, who doesn't eat sea food enjoyed a nice pasta. I, on the other hand, spent 1.5h. murdering an already dead dungeness crab. He was delicious. And, what a stunning sunset we enjoyed.
Since this was Tony's first time to San Fran, the following morning, we all embarked on a tour of the city. Doesn't this look like fun?
First photo op was with the Painted Ladies, the place where Full House family lived. Alamo square park is beautiful and surrounded by nothing, but beautiful homes. The giant hill serves as an overlook for the city.
Next we zig zagged down Lombard Street - the downhill or the very uphill zig zag street.
We stopped for a picnic at another stunning place in San Fran, Palace of the Arts. Although, I think, you can't go wrong with any place in San Francisco. The highlight of the day for me, was this (Korean?) lady, who'd come to San Fran on a visit with a group of friends, clearly not a resident, despite San Fran's large Asian population and not speaking English. So Hillary was on a bench with all the kids, eating their 'wonderbread' sandwiches. The woman proceeded to walk forward, got up close and was staring at them like you wouldn't believe. I mean, Hillary was the "woman with lots of kids and why would you ever" exhibit. She had her head tilted like you would in a museum and just stood there.... Tony and I thought it was beyond hilarious. It was so funny. She looked seriously tripped out. I am sure that the country she is from, 1 or 2 kids are the max - so we couldn't blame her for staring, I guess they are kind of cute.
After lunch, we headed by way of Marina Boulevard to this amazing fort, right under the Golden Gate Bridge. It's definitely another way to experience the bridge, but most importantly, the 'childrens' loved every single second of it.
The colors of the bricks are just amazing and you can feel the history of this place as you walk around what feels like hundreds of rooms.
On this same, gorgeous weather day, we headed to Baker Beach. Pretty much made the kids' lives. One of the things I love about northern California beaches is despite the fact that you don't want to swim in the freezing water, you can enjoy the clean air, free of that fishy smell that you find almost on every southern California beach.
It was windy at the beach, but warm enough to melt our hearts.
Fun wasn't over yet, though. The next day, Hill's family had some sporting events, so we hit the city just us 4. Oh, my most favorite place of all - Fisherman's Wharf. I could probably spend all day just writing about that. I highly recommend you go!
First, we got on the BART to take us into the city (because you really don't want to drive if you don't have to).
We rode that down to Powell/Market streets to experience something else new to our boys - the cable car! Ah, it was such a little treat. We ended up waiting in line for about 30-45 minutes, and it was a little chilly that day, but the boys made a friend and we had a great time going up and down hills, until the cable car dropped us off at Fisherman's Wharf. The coolest part about getting on the cable car at that intersection is that it's the turnaround point, where the workers scoot the car onto a turntable and spin it to face it one way (cause it only drives one way) and you get to see the whole thing - it was super fun for the boys.
We made this lovely video while waiting in line - cutest, ha?
Once we got off the cable car, we headed to Johnny Rockets for some delicious food. It wouldn't have been my first choice seeing how there is an abundance of sit down places all up an down the wharf, but Kohen only eats fries, and we had a full day ahead of us to we opted for a fast food option. It was a nice break from Mcd's for sure!
We walked mostly towards Pier 39 where all the action is, however if we had more time or maybe no kids, we would have done THE entire walk starting from Ghirardelli Square (which by the way, has amazing ice cream and DUH - chocolate!), all the way down to Pier 1. There are lovely museums all along the way, amazing art work to see, people to sing to you, views of the ocean and sounds of the waves to hear, it's basically little heaven.
The first thing we did is we took the boys to Pier 39 to see the sea lions, because, who doesn't love sea lions? Ok, so they are a little stinky - but they are too cute! I might be a little kid inside. The boys loved the whole walk there and were just taking everything in.
This place has the most stunning views!
After the sea lions, we decided to surprise the boys by taking them to the Aquarium of the Bay. They are suckers for the aquarium where we live, so why not broaden their horizons? The highlight of the whole thing was the stunning octopus, who unlike the one where we live, actually swam and moved around so much so, that we just had to get a video. It blew my socks off!
Because the aquarium was so great and all, we treated the boys to ice cream cones on the Pier. Ice cream there, somehow tastes more magical. So we ate ice cream, people watched, walked around some more and took great pics before our almost 2 mile walk to the nearest BART station to take us home to play with cousins.
This is what we call "ice cream drunk".
Happiest faces all around!
On Sunday, in between LDS Conference sessions, Hill and I took a small drive to Oakland to walk around the Oakland Temple grounds. Isn't it the cutest?
Thank you, Hills.
Our last day in San Fran was Monday and no one really wanted to leave. Better yet, no one wanted the 11h. drive home, although I am sure Hillary was happy to have her house back. So, for our last "hoorah" until next time, we decided to visit an island. Kohen is very intrigued by islands, who knows, you might find a treasure there.
One of the super fun activities off the wharf is just taking a ferry to one of the great islands around the bay. We didn't visit Alcatraz with the boys because they would have died of boredom (but it is a VERY cool tour for the adults), instead we headed off to Angel Island.
I died and went to Heaven, because the weather and the views were unreal. The 20 minute voyage was a little cold during this month, so we took some pictures downstairs the 3 level ferry because it was warmer. The highlight at the beginning was just the look on Kohen's face when he saw something so beautiful. The water, the sunshine and the lusciousness of the island were all breathtaking. How fun to experience that with our children.
Once we made it to Immigration Station, we walked through the gate and it was all downhill. Just kidding, but the walk down really was all downhill. Besides a classroom of 3rd graders, we were the only ones visiting this site, so we had plenty of space and time to look around. We read some of the history about immigration and Angel Island, checked out some of the buildings, played on the beach, collected seashells and of course, enjoyed the clean breezes of this magical island.
The boys' favorite part was exploring on the beach. Kohen even took up some photography.
On the way back to Ayala Cove, where the boat dropped us off.
We had intended on seeing the visiting center and maybe exploring a little more of the island because the cashier back at San Fran had told us to pack our own food and water due to the Island Cafe being closed. But, to our surprise, when we made it back down the 100 steps - there it was, open, in all its glory.
The fact that the cafe was open was very exciting because it's the only place to eat on the island, and snickers bars weren't gonna cut it. The kids decided they couldn't live on just juice and fruit snacks, either. We got some corn dogs, chips for Kohen, fruit, sandwiches, their grand nachos and my favorite elixir of life - diet Pepsi! We seriously, could not have asked for better weather and the lack of crowds on this island. We enjoyed the most magical, serene, and fun at the same time, lunch. These boys are so lucky!
On the way back to mainland, the boys were learning to read a map, and got pretty good at figuring out which way we were headed. Our plan was to head back for Utah after the island, but, I just had to make one more stop.
I simply could not leave beautiful San Francisco without indulging in the most delicious of foods, SUSHI................ Ah, fresh (er) fish, rolls made by the people who love what they do and where they live.
Good thing for cell phones, ha! Ordered right from the island and made ready for pick up.
So thank you very much for an amazing vacay, San Fran and my wonderful sis Hill, and her family. We are officially inviting ourselves back!
Oh, and just because I don't have enough excitement in my life - my 3 sissies and I are headed for South Africa to see my darling missionary parents (in just 10 short days). Aaaaaaah - so excited!
We decided to take the boys for spring break and it was THE bestest decision ever. San Francisco is a little boy's paradise. The beach, the ocean, the sea shells, the animals, the rocks, the trees, the parks, the ships and the islands, the ice cream, the fresh air, their cousins - they loved it all. As a matter of fact, on the way out of the city, Kohen was crying because he had such a good time and didn't want to leave.
I have to say thank you, again, to my wonderful sis Hillary for being such a great host, and for having her sweet kids so that my boys could have cousins to play with, they were the best!
On the first evening, the kids were pretty tired of their car seats (since we drove 11h.), so Tony and I snuck a date to Pier 39 for fresh seafood. He, who doesn't eat sea food enjoyed a nice pasta. I, on the other hand, spent 1.5h. murdering an already dead dungeness crab. He was delicious. And, what a stunning sunset we enjoyed.
Since this was Tony's first time to San Fran, the following morning, we all embarked on a tour of the city. Doesn't this look like fun?
First photo op was with the Painted Ladies, the place where Full House family lived. Alamo square park is beautiful and surrounded by nothing, but beautiful homes. The giant hill serves as an overlook for the city.
Next we zig zagged down Lombard Street - the downhill or the very uphill zig zag street.
We stopped for a picnic at another stunning place in San Fran, Palace of the Arts. Although, I think, you can't go wrong with any place in San Francisco. The highlight of the day for me, was this (Korean?) lady, who'd come to San Fran on a visit with a group of friends, clearly not a resident, despite San Fran's large Asian population and not speaking English. So Hillary was on a bench with all the kids, eating their 'wonderbread' sandwiches. The woman proceeded to walk forward, got up close and was staring at them like you wouldn't believe. I mean, Hillary was the "woman with lots of kids and why would you ever" exhibit. She had her head tilted like you would in a museum and just stood there.... Tony and I thought it was beyond hilarious. It was so funny. She looked seriously tripped out. I am sure that the country she is from, 1 or 2 kids are the max - so we couldn't blame her for staring, I guess they are kind of cute.
After lunch, we headed by way of Marina Boulevard to this amazing fort, right under the Golden Gate Bridge. It's definitely another way to experience the bridge, but most importantly, the 'childrens' loved every single second of it.
On this same, gorgeous weather day, we headed to Baker Beach. Pretty much made the kids' lives. One of the things I love about northern California beaches is despite the fact that you don't want to swim in the freezing water, you can enjoy the clean air, free of that fishy smell that you find almost on every southern California beach.
Fun wasn't over yet, though. The next day, Hill's family had some sporting events, so we hit the city just us 4. Oh, my most favorite place of all - Fisherman's Wharf. I could probably spend all day just writing about that. I highly recommend you go!
First, we got on the BART to take us into the city (because you really don't want to drive if you don't have to).
We rode that down to Powell/Market streets to experience something else new to our boys - the cable car! Ah, it was such a little treat. We ended up waiting in line for about 30-45 minutes, and it was a little chilly that day, but the boys made a friend and we had a great time going up and down hills, until the cable car dropped us off at Fisherman's Wharf. The coolest part about getting on the cable car at that intersection is that it's the turnaround point, where the workers scoot the car onto a turntable and spin it to face it one way (cause it only drives one way) and you get to see the whole thing - it was super fun for the boys.
We made this lovely video while waiting in line - cutest, ha?
Once we got off the cable car, we headed to Johnny Rockets for some delicious food. It wouldn't have been my first choice seeing how there is an abundance of sit down places all up an down the wharf, but Kohen only eats fries, and we had a full day ahead of us to we opted for a fast food option. It was a nice break from Mcd's for sure!
We walked mostly towards Pier 39 where all the action is, however if we had more time or maybe no kids, we would have done THE entire walk starting from Ghirardelli Square (which by the way, has amazing ice cream and DUH - chocolate!), all the way down to Pier 1. There are lovely museums all along the way, amazing art work to see, people to sing to you, views of the ocean and sounds of the waves to hear, it's basically little heaven.
The first thing we did is we took the boys to Pier 39 to see the sea lions, because, who doesn't love sea lions? Ok, so they are a little stinky - but they are too cute! I might be a little kid inside. The boys loved the whole walk there and were just taking everything in.
After the sea lions, we decided to surprise the boys by taking them to the Aquarium of the Bay. They are suckers for the aquarium where we live, so why not broaden their horizons? The highlight of the whole thing was the stunning octopus, who unlike the one where we live, actually swam and moved around so much so, that we just had to get a video. It blew my socks off!
Because the aquarium was so great and all, we treated the boys to ice cream cones on the Pier. Ice cream there, somehow tastes more magical. So we ate ice cream, people watched, walked around some more and took great pics before our almost 2 mile walk to the nearest BART station to take us home to play with cousins.
On Sunday, in between LDS Conference sessions, Hill and I took a small drive to Oakland to walk around the Oakland Temple grounds. Isn't it the cutest?
Our last day in San Fran was Monday and no one really wanted to leave. Better yet, no one wanted the 11h. drive home, although I am sure Hillary was happy to have her house back. So, for our last "hoorah" until next time, we decided to visit an island. Kohen is very intrigued by islands, who knows, you might find a treasure there.
One of the super fun activities off the wharf is just taking a ferry to one of the great islands around the bay. We didn't visit Alcatraz with the boys because they would have died of boredom (but it is a VERY cool tour for the adults), instead we headed off to Angel Island.
I died and went to Heaven, because the weather and the views were unreal. The 20 minute voyage was a little cold during this month, so we took some pictures downstairs the 3 level ferry because it was warmer. The highlight at the beginning was just the look on Kohen's face when he saw something so beautiful. The water, the sunshine and the lusciousness of the island were all breathtaking. How fun to experience that with our children.
Passing beautiful Tiburon.
Upon disembarking we received a map from the agent who worked on the island, seeing how it's also a state park, with a campground.....oooh, that would be fun someday! Since they don't rent golf carts due to safety reasons, and we didn't want to pay for a tram tour because it consists of just sitting there, we decided to do some hiking of our own.
Kohen didn't do too bad, Reese complained about his legs hurting after a while and wanted to be carried, but overall, it was progress from our previous hiking attempts with the children. The perimeter road around the island is actually paved, so that was great for walking. However, we found out that we were all out of shape after doing about 100 stairs built into the mountain to get up to that road (oh wait, I already knew that I would have to take a breather, ha ha ha).
Since the perimeter road is about 6 miles, we knew that we couldn't possibly walk around with the kids that far, plus the last ferry back to San Fran left at 3 30 pm, so we wouldn't have the time to see all the sights on foot anyway. We decided to walk to Immigration station and back, and possibly stop at the visitor center and maybe play on the beach. We didn't get to do all of that, but we did have THE most amazing time!
The walk to Immigration station took about 20 minutes, and on the way there, we had these stunning views the entire time.
Once we made it to Immigration Station, we walked through the gate and it was all downhill. Just kidding, but the walk down really was all downhill. Besides a classroom of 3rd graders, we were the only ones visiting this site, so we had plenty of space and time to look around. We read some of the history about immigration and Angel Island, checked out some of the buildings, played on the beach, collected seashells and of course, enjoyed the clean breezes of this magical island.
The boys' favorite part was exploring on the beach. Kohen even took up some photography.
On the way back to Ayala Cove, where the boat dropped us off.
We had intended on seeing the visiting center and maybe exploring a little more of the island because the cashier back at San Fran had told us to pack our own food and water due to the Island Cafe being closed. But, to our surprise, when we made it back down the 100 steps - there it was, open, in all its glory.
The fact that the cafe was open was very exciting because it's the only place to eat on the island, and snickers bars weren't gonna cut it. The kids decided they couldn't live on just juice and fruit snacks, either. We got some corn dogs, chips for Kohen, fruit, sandwiches, their grand nachos and my favorite elixir of life - diet Pepsi! We seriously, could not have asked for better weather and the lack of crowds on this island. We enjoyed the most magical, serene, and fun at the same time, lunch. These boys are so lucky!
On the way back to mainland, the boys were learning to read a map, and got pretty good at figuring out which way we were headed. Our plan was to head back for Utah after the island, but, I just had to make one more stop.
I simply could not leave beautiful San Francisco without indulging in the most delicious of foods, SUSHI................ Ah, fresh (er) fish, rolls made by the people who love what they do and where they live.
Good thing for cell phones, ha! Ordered right from the island and made ready for pick up.
So thank you very much for an amazing vacay, San Fran and my wonderful sis Hill, and her family. We are officially inviting ourselves back!
Oh, and just because I don't have enough excitement in my life - my 3 sissies and I are headed for South Africa to see my darling missionary parents (in just 10 short days). Aaaaaaah - so excited!