Our first stop when we arrived on Friday was the Palace of Fine Arts. Pictures of this place just don't do it justice. It really is beautiful and huge. Fun fact: it's one of the few remaining structures from the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. We had to look it up because we had no idea what it was. On our way back to the hotel, we walked down Union Street and stopped in some shops. My favorite baby stores were Giggle and Sprout. California baby boutiques are all full of green toys and gadgets and extremely overpriced strollers and cribs. I could spend hours perusing. We like to try to find the most outrageous items in the stores...one time Carson found a car push toy that could fit in your palm for about $60. For dinner that night, we split some tapas, paella and a pitcher of sangria at a Spanish restaurant by our hotel.
Saturday morning we woke up and rode the trolley to the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market. It was hands down the best farmer's market we've ever been to. We probably should have bought breakfast but instead we started the day with an Aztec Spiced Chocolate Macaron from Tout Sweet and it was literally one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted. I wish we would have gotten a dozen to snack on for the rest of the trip...or day. The produce for sale looked wonderful and all of the food smelled delicious. The next vendor that caught our attention was Little Apple Granola. Seriously the best granola I've ever had...and the caramels they make are so so so good. Be prepared family...there's a chance you'll get some of this for Christmas.
After the Farmer's Market, we headed to the Exploratorium at Pier 15. I would not recommend the Exploratorium unless you have small children. We actually got a discount when we mentioned we were visiting for our anniversary, but we still didn't particularly enjoy it. It was PACKED with children and strollers but the concept was kind of cool. All of the exhibits are made by people who are trying to make science very visual, hands on and easy to understand for children. Carson probably enjoyed it more than I did because that's what he's into science-y/engineer-y gadgets and whatnot. I did enjoy the light exhibits. If you do go, make sure you pack snacks because granola bars cost $3. Learned that one the hard way.
Next stop was Union Square to do some shopping. It was packed and we had a difficult time maneuvering around with the stroller. Shopping with a stroller means lots of elevators and lots of time spent searching for elevators. We eventually hopped on a bus and headed to The Mission District...a very "transitional" neighborhood. There was a lot more activity and a lot less tourists in that part of town. The restaurants and bars we passed were packed and it was mid-afternoon. If we didn't have Allie, we probably would have hung out a bit longer and had a beer. Instead we got some boba tea and started heading back. We made a quick pit stop at the Boudin by Fisherman's Wharf and split a clam chowder bread bowl. They totally charge more if you eat in the restaurant rather than the downstairs cafe.
Sunday morning, we left the hotel at 7 AM and began the 3 mile walk to the Golden Gate Bridge (it didn't cross our minds to drive). We ran across the bridge through the wind and rain and then walked all the way back to the hotel. It was drizzling at least a little bit the whole time and after 3 hours of those conditions, we were drenched. We ran/walked over 9 miles that morning and I'm still feeling it days later. When we got back to the hotel, we all took warm showers--even little Allie Faye.
It was so good to get away for a little bit. Sometimes I wonder if I could handle living in a big city like that. It definitely has a certain appeal to it...but weekend trips to experience it is totally fine by me for now. I would say the only thing that we did differently because we had Allie was less walking through neighborhoods (because pushing the strollers through the hills did not sound appealing) and obviously much less alcohol.
Tips for San Francisco:
It was so good to get away for a little bit. Sometimes I wonder if I could handle living in a big city like that. It definitely has a certain appeal to it...but weekend trips to experience it is totally fine by me for now. I would say the only thing that we did differently because we had Allie was less walking through neighborhoods (because pushing the strollers through the hills did not sound appealing) and obviously much less alcohol.
Tips for San Francisco:
- Wear comfy shoes! I'm finally figuring this out. I wore tennis shoes the whole weekend and still ended up with blisters just because of the amount of walking we did. It never fails. But, I was much better off than I was in Seattle last year.
- Just buy a rain jacket if you think it might rain. It will. And you might as well be prepared.
- Beware of the homeless people-- they're a lot bolder in San Francisco. I heard one woman blatantly ask a man to buy her some food in Union Square. One morning, I walked out of the hotel lobby with an extra donut on my plate and a homeless man very nicely asked for it. I let him have it...otherwise I would have felt like a fatty. In Chipotle we saw a petite Asian man throw a homeless man out who walked in, grabbed a cup out of the trash, and started filling it up with soda from the fountain.
- Fisherman's Wharf is overrated. Go explore the neighborhoods!
- Walk/Run/Drive over the Golden Gate Bridge. SOOO many people offered to take our picture for us! They were so nice on the bridge.
- Dress in layers. The weather can be nuts. Saturday was our craziest day. Overcast and chilly in the morning, sunny and hot at noon, rainy mid-afternoon. We typically had Allie in 3 layers but we still got judge-y looks from passersby. Whatevs...
- Buy a pass for public transit. It's not terribly sketchy and it's good to use to see more of the city if you're pressed for time.
No comments:
Post a Comment