It's family vacation time! This summer we decided to take a little visit to the West Coast to the heart of California. I kind of figured we needed a change of pace from our annual beach vaca. The kids are getting older and we're getting our fill of the water at the lake. So....San Fransisco hear we come!
Our week in San Fran and down the coast did not disappoint. We were Busy with a capital B. I'm all about getting the most out of a trip, so with a lot of help from an amazing trip planner, we were set with things to see and places to explore all week!
We arrived at the San Francisco airport after a very long flight. Actually our longest to date. The kids did great, but the time change was a doozie!
We checked into the Ghirardelli Square Fairmont. Yes, Ghirardelli, like the chocolate! Our hotel was home to the old factory and the square still stands with cute shops and the smell of chocolate everywhere. Our pillows were adorned with chocolate goodies every night.
We were all hungry, not sure what for. Was it dinner time or lunch time? But, we made our way down to the Wharf, which was within walking distance, and stopped at the famous Boudin Bakery & Cafe. And guess what they happen to famous for?
San FrancisicoSourdough bread!
The kids dined on sourdough pizza, while Clay and I enjoyed Sourdough bread bowls with clam chowder. Yum!
All the while, the kids were eyeing The San Fransisco Dungeon {a theatrical underground walk through the city's history} and Madame Tussaud's Wax museum across the street. Since our arrival day was agenda free, we caved.
We spent the rest of our evening {or was it afternoon?} wandering around the Wharf and doing lots of touristy things, such as...
We, of course, topped off our travel day with a Ghirardelli Chocolate Sundae. Then it was off to bed, with the sun still up, to prep for our big first day!
They were incredible and honestly, I could have spent the entire day there.
On our way back to the city were stopped and grabbed lunch with a beautiful view in Sausalito.
From there, we spent the rest of the day and into the evening, visiting every landmark San Fran has to offer.
The Full House house...
The Palace of Fine Arts...
The Yoda Fountain at The Presido...
The city Hearts...
The crookedest street, Lombard St.....
The Painted Ladies....
And of course The Golden Gate Bridge...
The next day was just as full of more sightseeing and being a Cali tourist. We started our morning with a trolley ride to China Town. Although it is not the most financially savvy way to travel, the kids loved it and is a must do.
We arrived in China Town and met our tour guide. Yes we had a tour planned and my sweet hubby is still questioning it, which I have to admit is kind of fair. But she did take us down a few alleys I may have otherwise avoided.
One of which held the Fortune Cookie Factory. It was actually quite intriguing to see how they are made...I would have never guessed!
We made a few other interesting stops, got fruit from the market, and even found a street in China Town named after my husband!
Our tour culminated with a Dim Sum lunch, in yet another alley I would have not visited otherwise. It was absolutely delish! Clay and I thoroughly enjoyed the meal, Lucy had seconds, and Jack and Maggie tolerated it.
We bid farewell to China Town and our tour guide and ramped up for the second part of our day. Our first stop was Pier 39 to see the sea lions. We strolled around, checked out the wild life, and snacked on popcorn and sodas.
From there we made the walk a couple piers down to catch our ferry boat to Alcatraz Island. The ferry was freezing! I spent most of the ride below deck, but the kids were all over the place enjoying the view.
This tour was definitely a family favorite. We all got the guided headsets and found the history and storytelling to be fascinating.
Although, it's not very pretty, it was an amazing afternoon.
From the ferry we headed back to Pier 39, grabbed a seafood dinner, pier dessert treats, and crashed hard. Shew....that was a busy day!
So now for our last morning in San Fran. On the agenda, this was our "driving down the coast" day. But, before we did that, we had two quick sights to see.
The first being Coit Tower. We made the quick elevator ride to the top, took in the stunning view of the city, and then we were off.
Nest stop, Japan Town. Somehow, the kids were really into getting a look at this part of the city before we departed.
I have to admit, it was a fun quick stop. We shopped at a few Japanese toy stores {which pretty much has all those little chotszkys that my girls love}, visited a selfie booth store {which is apparently the rage in Japan}, and snacked on Japanese crepes {who knew?}.
No comments:
Post a Comment