CA Trip - Golden Gate Park

On our last day in San Francisco, we were able to meet up with Steve's brother Ian for the day.  We took the morning slow and made our way to our meeting spot.  We had quite the experience on the bus ride there involving a homeless man bumming a ride and upsetting the bus driver.  He refused to move the bus until the man was off, but the man wasn't all there and eventually another bus rider paid for the man. The driver didn't really care about the money, he was upset that the man had been doing it all week.

Before meeting with Ian, we jumped off the bus at Alamo Square Park to see the famous painted ladies.  We thought we had about 15 minutes until the next bus came, but it came in half the time and we couldn't get to it in time.  Since we missed that bus, we had to wait almost 20 minutes for the next bus.  Sorry Ian :)

(These are the most famous painted ladies in San Francisco!  A painted lady is just a Victorian house that is painted in bold colors.)

(It was around this time that we looked over at the bus stop and realized we were missing the bus, oops!  We are standing up on the hill in Alamo Square Park that is featured on the opening to Full House)

We met up with Ian and began our day meandering around Golden Gate Park.  We had anticipated the weather to be warmer than it was and wished we had brought more layers with us (Ian was in shorts!).  It was really overcast and foggy in the park which made it seem much cooler.  While walking around the park, we came across a yo-yo competition and watched a few of the competitors.  We continued walking and hit different areas of the park - the buffalo paddock, dutch windmill, walking trail around a pond, and even had to walk through a frisbee golf course.  In the middle of all that walking, we walked to a Chinese restaurant and warmed up with some yummy food (I had some raspberry sweet and sour chicken, and it was amazing!).

(We debated on going through this flower garden, but were too cheap to pay the price.  We just enjoyed the pretty flowers in the landscaping instead.)

(Being shoobs and watching the yo-yo competition.)

(Pretty bridge by the pond we walked around.  You could rent paddle boats and go around the water, but we decided it'd be too hard to balance Bean in her stroller on a boat, haha, I kid.)

(Uncle Ian pushing Bean!  Check out those socks!  Those are the ones that are like knee-highs and hard for her to get off.  We had to keep her pretty bundled in the cold weather!  This was probably our coldest day.)

(The one thing I wanted to see in the park -- the buffalo! And what a disappointment. Haha.  I had it in my head they would be roaming around and I could see them up close.  I guess they could walk around that whole pasture but they were all just staying up in their stalls, lame-o.)

(The sun was finally starting to come out and we were warming up.  Poor Ian was in the middle of moving and didn't have access to anything other than shorts.  He claimed it wasn't that bad, but looking at him made me cold!)

(Checking out a dutch windmill in the middle of San Francisco, no big deal.  Ha)

Halfway through the day, the sun came out and it finally warmed up.  After we finished up the Golden Gate Park, we walked to Lands End.  From there, we were able to see a good view of the Golden Gate Bridge and walk part of the coastal Trail.  We debated on walking all the way to the bridge (5ish miles), but it was late afternoon and we were getting hungry and tired.  Okay, Steve and I were getting tired and we were slowing Ian down, ha!  We ended up taking a bus back to the area where we had eaten lunch and found a pizza place for dinner.  The place just picked one kind of pizza each day and cranked it out.  We happened to get the last pizza of the day!  They closed as we were eating, so we took the pizza outside and ate.

(This area used to have a huge bath house that was privately owned but opened to the public right before the turn of the century.  The Sutro Baths ended up being unprofitable and was rumored to have been set on fire for insurance profit.  Now you can only see the foundation of the building.)

(Another view of the Sutro Baths at Lands End)

(We had to stop and take a sunscreen break.  Bean enjoyed bonding with Uncle Ian and Steve caught one of their moments in this picture.)

(Christmas Card Photo)

(Ian did most of the stroller pushing while walking the coastal trail.  At some points, he and Bean were a ways ahead of us slow pokes.)

(It sometimes gets awkward walking behind the stroller because your feet will hit the under part of the stroller, so when going downhill, it's easier to have two people hold it and walk down.  Well, it should have been easier, but we weren't communicating well and the stroller kept veering off in one direction.  Ian kept yelling at me that it was my fault, but I plead the 5th.)

It worked out that we needed the same train as Ian to get back to our apartment.  We rode it to a BART station together where we said our goodbyes and he traveled out of the city.  We left the station and caught a bus to get back to our apartment -- our last bus of the trip! We got back to the apartment in time for Bean's bedtime routine and for me to start packing!  Bean really fought going to sleep and was pretty needy.  I finally signed her off to her daddy at 9:30, because I had to pack! We had to be ready for pickup at 4:30am!

(And this is why Bean fought going to bed so much -- she completely zonked for the short bus ride home.  We did our hardest to entertain her and keep her awake, but when this girl is tired and on a moving vehicle, it's nearly impossible to keep her awake.  How can we be upset with this cute girl?!)

CA Trip - Chinatown & Off The Grid

All week long, our bus rides would take us through Chinatown, but it wasn't on our itinerary to experience until Friday morning.  We headed towards the main entrance - Dragon Gate - and started a walking tour.  The tour just pointed out a couple different shops, the public square and its history, and the history of some of the buildings.  Our favorite stop in Chinatown was at a fortune cookie factory!  We got to see the cookies being folded, got to taste them warm & fresh, and even purchased a bag of "adult" cookies.

(Dragon Gate marking the official entrance into Chinatown)

(Chinatown Lanterns)

(Bean slept the whole first half of our Chinatown walk.  I just carried her in the carrier while she slept.  Then we transferred her to the stroller until it was time to head back to our apartment.)

We headed to lunch at a deli and then headed over to Grace Cathedral.  The Cathedral is home to many mosaics, stained glass windows, and two labyrinths -one inside and one outside.  Many come to meditate as they walk the labyrinth mazes.

(Grace Cathedral, the outdoor labyrinth is located at the top of the stairs to the right.)

(Inside the cathedral)

(Posing inside the Cathedral -- notice the un-socked feet.  Keeping socks on was a constant battle all week.  I discovered she had one pair of knee high socks with us that it took her a long time to work off.  She pretty much wore those all week, but I'd let her take them off when the sun was out.)

(Looking up at the stained glass window)

(Outdoor labyrinth.  You can see the starting point right in the middle on the edge.  You just walk the path as it winds around itself until you reach the center.  At a leisurely pace, it takes 5-10 min to complete.)

After visiting the church, we walked downhill to go visit the Cable Car Museum.  It was sort of a hole in the wall kind of set up, but it was pretty neat!  They had some old style cable cars and equipment on display.  But the really neat part was seeing the cables in motion.  The whole basement was open and you could look down and view the cables moving and read about how the cables run and move the cars.

(Cable Car Museum)

(Looking down into "the basement" at the cables.  The cables wound around those big wheels in a figure 8 pattern before circling back under the street.  It's crazy to think that as we were watching the cables, cars were attaching and detaching and moving along the road.)

(How the cable cars originally looked.  There was a front car that had all the equipment and pulled a passenger car with it.)

We could definitely tell that our trip was nearing its end by how worn out we felt by mid afternoon.  We headed back to the apartment to rest and recuperate for the evening.  Steve laid down and took a nap while Bean and I ventured down the block to a little mini-mart for some snacks.  After relaxing, we headed out just before dinner to travel to the Fort Mason area and go to an even bigger Off The Grid event.  There were around 30 food trucks, tons of people, and even some game tents set up.

We felt like such locals knowing about the food truck organization and being able to experience it.  The tamales stand that we ate at on Wednesday night was there, and I had been eyeing a Parmesan corn on the cob from it.  I pulled the trigger and got it Friday night.  My corn on the cob should have been free from all the advertising I did for the stand, haha.  I had at least 6 people come up and ask me where I got the corn.  It was delicious!  And I will admit, since being home, I have tried to duplicate that corn on the cob (sour cream, Parmesan, and a little hot sauce), but it's just not the same.

(Off The Grid @ Fort Mason.  Off The Grid is the organization that helps organize the food truck events.  They have a website that explains the rotation of the trucks and locations according to each night.)

(There was a dj playing music while we there, but there was a stage set up for a live band to perform later.  We didn't last that long to see the band.  We had to leave for "baby's" bedtime.)

(MMMmmmmm, finally got my corn on the cob.  I didn't realize there would be hot sauce on it, or I would have asked them to leave it off.  The tacos we had just eaten were pretty spicy and I didn't want to push the spicy limit.  I did scrape a little off, but it still tasted oh so good.)

(This by far was our favorite - a warm, fresh, strawberry glazed donut.  MMmmmmmm)

On Friday night alone, we ate authentic tacos, Parmesan corn on the cob, strawberry glazed donut, and a Japanese strawberry shortcake crepe dessert.  Add that to the Korean pork, and the pork and chicken tamales from Wednesday night, and I'd say we really enjoyed the food trucks -- yum!  There were some others that we wanted to try, but didn't want to wait in the long lines or pay the prices.  There was a cotton candy stand, crème brûlée stand, and an ice cream taco stand that we were eyeing, but we figured our donut and crepe was sufficient.

We went home full and happy and prepared for our last day in San Francisco.

CA Trip - Victorian Houses

On Thursday morning, we were supposed to wake up early and go out to eat for breakfast at a nearby restaurant.  However, we decided it was better to let Bean take a morning nap (okay, really she woke up early and I wasn't ready to start my day) and make it a lazy morning.

We had a designated time and location to meet up with a tour guide to go on a walking tour of the Victorian houses.  We weren't sure what to expect as far as how many people would be on the tour.  Our tour guide was from the area and has been doing these tours for 15 years.  He was very knowledgeable and had a fun sense of humor.  It ended up being around 12 or so people who were on the tour, which was a great size group.  We started by all taking a bus ride to the starting point - a girls' school turned hotel named after its architectural style - Queen Anne.

(Here is the Queen Anne Hotel.  You can tell it's in the Queen Anne style for several reasons: its over the top details - hard to see in the picture; the slanted peaks of the roof; and the turret on the right side.  There should be a "hat" on that turret, but it was probably removed due to damage.)

(We got to go inside the hotel and see its decor.  We were able to look on the first floor which was once a gymnasium, now turned lobby; as well as go upstairs and see one of the rooms in the hotel, which would have been the girls' dormitories.)

From there, we just walked around and saw the different style of Victorian homes - Queen Anne, Italian, and Eastlake Stick.  Bean did absolutely great and just hung out in the stroller as we walked all around.  Towards the end she was getting hungry and I was trying to figure out how I was going to feed her while we continued the walk.  However, it was nearing the end of the tour and I was able to hold her off with some little dried yogurt bites.  Once the tour ended, we hopped on a bus to head a restaurant to meet back up with Steve's family.  While we had been in San Francisco since the graduation, the rest of the crew had gone up to Yosemite to do some hiking.  It just happened to work out that we could meet back up with them for lunch and hanging out in the afternoon before their flights to head back home.

(Italian style architecture.  Notice all the faux fronts??  The crowns of the buildings are all fake fronts to make them appear much taller and more elegant.)

(As a bonus on the tour, we got to see some "celebrity" houses. This was the house from Mrs. Doubtfire!)

(This was the last house on the tour.  It is entirely made out of wood - even that light pole is wood! - and is one of the few surviving wood houses prior to the 1906 earthquake/fire. The two palm trees - you can only see the trunks in the picture - were transplanted from the 1915 World's Fair in San Francisco to this home's landscaping.  At the end of the fair, they were giving away all the plants for free.)

(Steve and Bean listening intently about the white wood house.  This was the last house mentioned on the tour, and this is when Bean was getting pretty hungry and fed up of the tour.  We resorted to tactics like holding her to distract her long enough to be in a situation to feed her.)

We hung out at the restaurant (some burger & shake place) for quite awhile, before deciding to walk towards a big public square.  It was nice to have the nice to be able to hang out with Steve's family again and have a little down time in our schedule!  After we said our goodbyes and they left, we switched Bean into the carrier and headed for a bus to get us to the Palace of Fine Arts.  We needed the 30 line and noticed there were two different "30" buses with different "Loop" names.  We weren't sure about that, but got on the first one.

We were supposed to ride it almost all the way to our destination, but about 7 stops earlier, the bus driver declared it was the end of the line and we had to get off.  We were baffled that the line had stopped (we were relying on gps/google telling us which bus to get on about the stops, and it kept telling us to stay on the bus).  The bus stop we were dropped off at didn't have 30 even listed on it, so we knew we couldn't pick up another 30 bus there and there were a bunch of people standing there getting frustrated about waiting for buses.  We decided to walk down to the next stop and figure out what to do from there.  I was starting to panic and shut down (when I get stressed or upset, I pretty much go into my shell and can't function, sorry Steve). I remember seeing something at the previous station about certain lines running at certain times.  I was beginning to imagine being stranded at the bus stop with no buses returning for the evening, Steve getting a taxi and having to go back to the apartment to get the car seat and come back for Bean and I, or us simply just walking the hour+ back to the apartment.  Just after I had a small meltdown and stating 'I want to go home!', a mysterious 30 bus popped up (it was the other loop that we should have taken from the get-go) and we hopped on it!  It got us where we needed and we finally got to the Palace of Fine Arts!

(The Palace of Fine Arts was also built for the 1915 world's fair to be an exhibition and house works of art.  This is the only structure that remains in its original location from that world's fair.)

(We were thrilled to finally reach our destination and to still be alive after the whole bus confusion.  We are only slightly cold by this point.)

By this time, it was getting close to dinner time, it was getting pretty cold, we were tired, and I needed to go to the bathroom. All of this was recipe for another meltdown.  I did my best to keep myself pulled together as we walked through the Palace of Fine Arts and then to some supposed "boardwalk" and somewhere to get pizza for dinner.  I had it in my head it was going to be something like the Jersey boardwalk and that pizza would be at that location, when in fact it was just a sandy trail along some water and dinner was going to be another bus ride.  The wind was coming off the water, and I was getting hungry and colder, and I knew Bean had to be pretty cold.  I finally cracked and had a real meltdown right there in the middle of San Francisco.  I would like to at least point out the fact that this meltdown happened over halfway into our trip.  Usually, I have a freakout at least on day one.  Steve quickly realized I had reached my limit for the day and switched gears to get us back to the apartment.

(This was the "boardwalk" that we were going to spend some time on.  It was way too cold by the time the wind hit you from off the water.  Notice how there is No One else out!? I think that's supposed to be the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance, but you wouldn't know that from the fog.  Sheesh!)

(Bean and I huddled behind a little cement ledge to try to block the wind.  This photo was taken minutes before my meltdown.  I think I got myself composed just enough for this picture, then we went out in the open wind and I lost it.  Steve stopped by a building to block the wind and to switch gears from going to find dinner to just getting back to the apartment. Have a mentioned how amazing Steve is for dealing with my crazies?)

We found a bus stop that would take us to another bus stop that would take us to the bus we need to get back.  When we went to step on the first bus, the driver almost didn't let us on.  He thought we were lost and didn't understand he only had 2 more stops on the line.  We needed his last stop and once that was clear, things went smoothly from then on.  We hadn't had any dinner, but Steve's plan was to get us home then decide from there what to do.  We got back to our little neighborhood and was walking up the hill to the apartment, when we discovered a little pizza place on the corner.  We got a few slices, took them back to our apartment, and had a very enjoyable dinner at home!

CA Trip - Alcatraz

Alcatraz was probably the one thing I was looking forward to the most and it did not disappoint.  I am a history nut and absolutely love stuff that has controversy or mystery around it.  The fact that Alcatraz was supposed to be 'inescapable' and yet 5 prisoners are listed as "missing and presumed drowned", just gets me all excited.

We had a reservation time to get on the ferry to go over to Alcatraz.  They only let so many people go a day, and you have a specific ferry time to go over, but can take any ferry back.  We got there a little early, and just waited and people watched until it was time to line up for the ferry.  The ride was quick - less than 15 minutes, and Bean did fine on it.  I had to focus up ahead, otherwise, it would have messed with me.  We got to the island and made our way up to the cell house to do the audio tour.  We really enjoyed listening to the audio tour and soaking up all that the old penitentiary had to offer.  While we were taking pictures of the jail, I would have several tourists come and check out Bean!  She became a little attraction, and some tourists even asked to take pictures of her.  Ha!

(Bean contemplating what life in Alcatraz was like.)

(Confined to D-Block - solitary confinement!)

(This cell was left like it was discovered on June 11, 1962.  The officer discovered the dummy head made from soap, toilet paper, and real hair from the barber shop during night-time bed checks.  Frank Morris along with the Anglin brothers had been chiseling away at the air vent for over a year.  They fashioned a raft out of rain jackets and made their escape.  It is unknown whether the raft worked or if they made it to freedom.  Some of their supplies were found on nearby Angel Island, but it is unknown if it just washed up.)

(In the kitchen, there were shadows of the knives in the knife case so that it would be easily seen if a knife was missing.)

(View across the bay to the mainland)

Bean lasted in the stroller for awhile, but eventually started to get bored and losing it.  I switched her to the carrier, and she ended up sleeping the rest of the time we were looking around.  After finishing up at the cell house, we were going to walk one of the roads that promised great views of the bay, but it was super windy and Bean was having none of it.  We were getting pretty hungry and had brought our lunch with us, but you were only allowed to eat at the dock.  So we decided to head back to the dock, eat, and ferry over back to the mainland.  It ended up that there was a ferry loading, so we hopped on it and just ate our lunch on the mainland.

From there, we walked over to the Ferry Building.  I thought we were going to see some more ferries or visit some sort of museum, but it ended up just being like a station terminal with a lot of shops.  I was really confused and tired and was having none of it.  But then Steve bought me ice cream and quickly forgot my woes.  We had built in time in the afternoon to go see Pier 39, but since we did it the night before, we just headed back to the apartment for the afternoon.  Bean was able to lay down and take a little nap, although she would only take it laying next to Daddy.  Perks for him as he got a nap in too!  Poor momma really needed the nap as Bean had decided that 5am was a good start to the day, but I couldn't get comfortable on the couch, so I just read and watched tv.

Once they woke up, we got our stuff together and headed out to find dinner -- food trucks!  San Francisco is lucky in that it has food trucks that are scheduled by an organization called Off The Grid.  The trucks move around the city and can be found at different locations at different times on different days.  Luckily, there was a location near our house that we got to visit.  We felt like such locals (and even got confused as locals) as we ate the delicious food and hung out.  After eating, we walked up to Coit tower before heading to the apartment for the evening.

(Off the Grid! There were like 9 food trucks at this event.)

(We started off with some tamales and then got a Korean meat dinner.  Both were absolutely delicious!)

(We could see Coit tower from the front window of our apartment.  It was nice to finally get up close to it and check it out.  We could have paid to go in and all the way to the top, but we decided this view was good enough.  We had hoped to be able to see other sites from around the base of the tower, but there were trees all around that blocked the view.)

(Checking out the tower, while Bean is thinking, "Hey Mom & Dad, I'm cold and tired.  Let's go to bed!" Even though she fought sleep when we did get back.  Silly girl!)