We sure lucked out and had sunny skies for the 4 days we spent in San Francisco for spring break.
I warned the kids that there would be no whining about all the picture-taking on this trip.
This was our first and probably last trip with just our own family.
We stayed in what used to be the old Ghiradelli cocoa factory.
We weren't expecting our room to have such a great view.
On our first morning we awoke to see Alcatraz shrouded in fog.
Fog and prisons just fit.
Fog and prisons just fit.
The first thing on our agenda was a 5 hour bike tour, to get a feel for the city.
Our kids have never been here.
Our kids have never been here.
The Wiggle is a one mile, zig-zagging bicycle route from Market Street to
Golden Gate Park that helps riders avoid all the hills.
We were sure grateful to the genius that came up with this idea.
Our favorite part was the ride through Golden Gate Park
De Young Museum of American Art
This crack in the pavement leading up to the De Young Museum is
actually a piece of art.
actually a piece of art.
It is called "Faultline" (fitting for San Francisco)
It leads into the courtyard of the museum.
One of the many unique things found in Koret Childrens Playground, is this slide.
You grab a piece of cardboard, throw a little sand in front of you, and slide down.
Posing with the "painted ladies"
We learned a little about the craziness
that happened in "The Haight" during the summer of love in 1967.
This led to a long discussion with our kids after the ride.
We had a great day riding all over this beautiful city with our native tour guide-Josh
and Aerial & Min-seo from Singapore.
Later that night we went to a show at the Marrakech Magic Theater.
It had great reviews on Tripadvisor, so I thought we should give it a try.
When we first arrived and descended the darkened stairway into a second-rate Moroccan
building lined with creepy candles, I was a little afraid of what I got us into.
The magician came out into the waiting room and visited with everyone before the show.
He seemed normal and we liked him, so we decided to stay.
We entered a very small and nicer theater where the magician, Peter Morrison,
seated each group individually.
We happened to be seated on the first row, so guess who was called up to assist.
Tom loves the stage...hee hee
We all gave the show a big thumbs up and were so glad we went.
The magician, is quite the entertainer and his show is
very family-friendly. If you're in San Francisco it is a fun one!
The next day was Sunday. We found an LDS ward just a few blocks away.
We ran into a few friends from home and even convinced them to join us for lunch.
Jordan, Ali and darling Livy are living here while Jordan attends dental school.
Later that night we walked around Chinatown
Later that night we went to a show at the Marrakech Magic Theater.
It had great reviews on Tripadvisor, so I thought we should give it a try.
When we first arrived and descended the darkened stairway into a second-rate Moroccan
building lined with creepy candles, I was a little afraid of what I got us into.
The magician came out into the waiting room and visited with everyone before the show.
He seemed normal and we liked him, so we decided to stay.
We entered a very small and nicer theater where the magician, Peter Morrison,
seated each group individually.
We happened to be seated on the first row, so guess who was called up to assist.
Tom loves the stage...hee hee
We all gave the show a big thumbs up and were so glad we went.
The magician, is quite the entertainer and his show is
very family-friendly. If you're in San Francisco it is a fun one!
The next day was Sunday. We found an LDS ward just a few blocks away.
We ran into a few friends from home and even convinced them to join us for lunch.
Jordan, Ali and darling Livy are living here while Jordan attends dental school.
Later that night we walked around Chinatown
We were told that we had to eat at the House of Nanking.
By far the best Chinese food that we have ever had.
There is nothing special or particularly friendly about the atmosphere, but
the food makes up for it. In fact, we didn't even need to order. The lady who sat us at our table, just
told us that she would take care of ordering our dishes and she would make everything with cornstarch instead of flour for Cole and Summer.
I loved her assertiveness and everything she brought to our table was so yummy.
On Monday we took a tour to Muir National Monument to see the Redwoods.
This has been on our bucket list.
I loved seeing how hard some of these trees fight for their own light.
As soon as we entered the woods, the temperature dropped about 15-20 degrees.
The air felt so clean and fresh and smelled like rain.
The redwoods were grand and beautiful but the best part of that day was
meeting a new friend, Amanda from New Zealand. We noticed she
was traveling alone and so we asked her if she wanted to join our rowdy crew.
Amanda was attending a conference in San Francisco.
She is a manager at the Wellington Zoo.
Amanda was attending a conference in San Francisco.
She is a manager at the Wellington Zoo.
Later that day we took a harbor cruise around Alcatraz and through the Golden Gate Bridge.
My one regret is that we didn't take the Alcatraz tour.
On our last day, we went on a beautiful hike.
We were trying to get to Lands End but couldn't find the trailhead.
However, this area was stunning and we wish we had more time to explore.
There are some amazing views of the west side of the bridge.
Before our flight that evening, the kids really wanted to check out the Exploratorium.
I am so glad we stopped in and wished we had more time to explore this huge place.
Tom and I felt like geeky science kids again.
Could you do it? I couldn't.