Day 3 - All the Sights!

We were up early again but Scott was struggling with sinus pressure so Sammy and I walked to Starbucks to let the meds kick in.  We left around 9:00 am and headed out in search of breakfast.  We had saw an advertisement for a Cafe, with an all-day breakfast that's just around the corner so we decided to check it out. By first glance, it didn't look promising.  It was a retail store front advertising Teriyaki Chicken and rice but the posted menu offered a lot of breakfast options so we decided to give it a try.

The service was so quick and the food was amazing!  We all raved about the breakfast here and hope to go back again tomorrow.  Who would have guessed!

We had some time to kill this morning so we walked along the Embarcadero and enjoyed the views.

We stopped at Pier 39 to check out the local wild life.  We spent at least 15 minutes observing the sea lions and pretending to know what they were thinking.

Then we grabbed an Uber and headed over to Blazing Saddles to meet our tour guide for our bike ride.  Tyler and I met Mark McHugh on a similar tour in 2023.  We had such a great day with him we wanted to do it again!  So off we went on our bike-riding adventure!

Just over an hour into the tour, I ran into some mechanical issues.  Riding any bike through the hills of San Francisco would be difficult but riding a much heavier E-bike without any motor assistance was next to impossible.  I kept up with the group while trying to troubleshoot until the base of the next hill.  I called out and Scott and Mark came back to help.  We tried to reset the little processor with no luck, called back to the rental company and they agreed to bring me a new one.  Just as I was to start walking my bike to the meeting point, I noticed a little wire that was hanging down and once we got it plugged back in, we were back in business!  Phew.

The Palace of the Theater of the Arts which was the site of the 1915 World Fair.  The space is beautiful and hardly seems real when you ride up on it in the middle of the city.

We visited a George Lucas studio and design space with the famous Yoda fountain.  Then peaked into the windows to see C3PO, R2D2 and Darth Vader himself in the lobby.

There was so much more... Stops to hear history of the city, point out famous residences and homes featured in movies, military barracks, cemeteries, etc.  

Then we took one last stop for a final picture and began the ride across the bridge.  

We were on the Pacific side of the bridge and it was super loud and windy.  It was exhilarating for everyone and maybe a bit too overwhelming for some.  

 

We stopped just past the halfway point for photos and then continued on to the small quaint town of Sausalito for lunch.  To get across the highway traffic, we had to take this small switch-back filled road down and then under the bridge.  There weren't any cars allowed for the better part and we paused at this beautiful lookout for this photo.

Lunch was at the Joinery.  It was excellent food and since it was already after 3:00 pm, we were all getting quite hungry!  Mark stayed and enjoyed the meal with us and then brought us over to the ferry dock.  We decided the ferry would be a better route home since the temps have been falling since we started this morning the ride over the bridge was pretty chilly.  There we parted ways with Mark!

The ferry ride back was likely only 20-30 minutes but was a quiet and relaxing way to reset after a busy day.  

We weren't trying but also found a perfect view of the bridge as we rode back across the bay.

It was a 10 minute ride from the ferry dock back to the bike rental shop but it was far busier than it had been this morning.  We dropped off the bikes and headed over to Ghirardelli Square for some ice cream.

(Don't mind the hair - honestly we were in helmets all day!)

Then we sat on a bench in a little park and marveled at all the sounds of people enjoying the city.  It was a little after 5:30 pm but already dark out when the kids headed back to the hotel.  Scott and I circled the block again to check out some tricked out cars that we had seen gathered along the water.  

Once we got back, we all decided it would be best to stay in tonight and just relax after such a big day.  We ordered some appetizers from Applebees and had a picnic in our room.  Then it was time to relax. 

Scott's already snoring and I'm heading there soon!  It was a great day today! 

Day 2 - A Full Day of Firsts!

I woke up and couldn’t believe the alarm clock said 5:00 am.  I watched some TV on my ipad trying not to wake Scott but shortly after 6:00, he was up too!  We got ready for the day and walked a few blocks to Starbucks to grab a coffee / chai.  It was around 7:00 am when we returned so we brought some drinks to the kids and woke them up.  We talked about the day and made a plan for how to pack / dress and were heading to breakfast in no time.

Scott found a restaurant called the Blue Mermaid so we walked over there.  It is a fun chowder bar by night with a lot of cool wood working on the interior.  We had a great breakfast and a riveting game of Ticket to Ride.  Then walked a block over to the Hyde/Powell cable car.

We rode the trolley through Chinatown and over to the shopping district.  Everyone seemed to really enjoy the ride.  It’s fun to see how homes and buildings have to be built so differently to accommodate the steep hills.  It’s also incredibly interesting to watch the driver work.  And maybe the most fun is standing on the running board while you are going down the road - both kids really enjoyed that!

We got off at the end of the line and waited for a return trolley.  When we were almost back, we got off at the Lombard St stop.  Lombard Street is the steepest and most crooked street in the country.  Its is literally a zipzag of switchbacks all the way up.  We grabbed some pictures and then walked down. The sidewalk is literally a super-long flight of stairs.  It was fun watching the cars drive down as well.  

We were close to the hotel, so we made a quick bathroom break and then called an Uber.  We had a reservation at the Disney Family Museum at 10:40 am.  We got right in and enjoyed learning about the history and legacy of Walt Disney.  This museum focused on Walt’s personal life, his contributions personally and through the business toward the war effort, the early years of starting the motion picture business and the planning of Disneyland.  It was super interesting and we spent more time here than I had expected.  

After the museum we checked out some food trucks for lunch but ultimately decided on a restaurant nearby called Il Parco.  We all ate well and just as we were finishing the Uber driver from earlier arrived to drive us to Muir Woods.  

It worked out perfectly.  We took the 30 minute drive over the Golden Gate Bridge and headed to the National Monument.  When he dropped us, we agreed on a meeting time since we didn’t have cell coverage in the tall trees.

The park was incredible.  The trees are HUGE.  Some as tall as 23 stories!  Some over 1000 years old.  It was beautiful and super peaceful even with the additional people on the path.  The main trail follows a small stream and it was magical to see the towering trees, the lush undergrowth all while listening to the trickle of the water.  I honestly cannot do it justice in my description.

At the end of the line, we left the main manicured trail and took a hiking trail that followed a ridge above the creek.  It was a fun change with far fewer people.  But we had to watch for roots and tripping hazards as the cliff on the left side was quite a doozy.

Our Uber driver Phil was right on time picking us up and was fun to talk with on the 40 minute drive back to our hotel.  We went inside for just a beat before deciding on dinner and once again found an early reservation… so it was shoes back on and out we went to Scoma’s, a restaurant just a few blocks away, on the water, that Phil had recommended.

Again, it was a great meal!  Sour dough bread, sea food, steak for me and the kids had burgers - which looked incredible!  We headed out and decided on some ice cream sandwiches from a permanent food vendor on the walk back to the hotel.  

Just before turning to the hotel, we saw a Walgreens so Scott and I headed over to pick up a few things while the kids headed back to their room.  I love travelling with older kids!  So much fun and so independent!!

We are back in our rooms now.  It’s just after 7:00 pm and if I’m honest, we are all already in bed.  It was a big day with lots of walking but so much fun!  Cannot wait for tomorrow.

Day 1 - Happy Thanksgiving San Francisco!

We had a relaxing morning at home before needed to leave for the airport.  We left around 10:00am for our noon departure.  I wasn’t sure what to expect traveling on Thanksgiving but it proved super smooth.  The flights were full but overall the airports weren’t too busy. We figure most people have already arrived where they needed to go.  But for us, it worked out perfectly.  We flew through Chicago with only a 40 minute layover so the travel day went quickly.  

We touched down in California ahead of schedule around 3:20 pm.  The driver was waiting on the curb for us when we grabbed the bags.

It’s about a 30 minute drive from the San Francisco Airport to the Fisherman’s Wharf area, where we have a couple rooms at the Holiday Inn Express.  It’s a great moderate hotel that has a breakfast included and is in walking distance to most of the attractions we hope to see.

Tyler and I were here just last year in March as part of our cross-country train trip.  And we are both super excited to share the experiences with Scott and Sammy.

We checked into the hotel, dropped the bags and went out to explore the Embarcadero before dinner. It’s relatively early, but with the time change we are pretty hungry, so I bumped our reservation to 5:15 pm and we got right in to Boudin’s Bistro.  A famous bakery in town that specializes in Sour Dough Bread.  

We had a fabulous meal.  Scott had sea food, the kids and I shared steak and pizza.  We all were full as we headed back to the hotel room.

We were all pretty tuckered out so we headed to our rooms to rest.  Scott and I were sound asleep by 8:00 pm which is CRAZY!  I can’t say for sure about the kids… I suspect they made it later than us… but I assume they fell asleep earlier than usual as well!