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.
