Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Well, we had our first rough day today. We had planned to get up and swim for awhile, and then go back to Golden Gate Park to hit the Japanese Tea Garden & Shakespeare's Garden, which we missed yesterday because the museum was so utterly engaging, and be back by five to meet Uncle Buddy for dinner. But we overslept, again, and got to the pool about an hour and a half after we had been planning to be there. Raven stayed in the room and slept, and by the time we got back to the room and then back out the door to head for the park, we were running nearly three hours behind the plan. We made it to the park by three, but we got off at the wrong stop--about 4 stops early--and had to walk through the park to get to the Gardens we were planning to visit, which wouldn't have been sooo bad, except that it was particularly cold today, we were wearing shorts, and everybody had low blood-sugar because we got up so late that we skipped breakfast in order to try and get to the Park earlier.
We saw the Conservatory of Flowers on the way, and I was able to take a few pictures with Za Boo's camera, but unfortunately, we were too cold to really appreciate it. They were advertising the carnivorous plant exhibit there as well, but we had neither the time nor the money to visit it, unfortunately.
We had what would otherwise have been a nice stroll through the park, though, on our way to find the Gardens of our focus.
When we came to the Japanese Tea Garden it was adjacent to the park amphitheater, and we settled for a picture of the kids on the amphitheater stage, although we would have enjoyed the chance to see a performance there.
Just outside the Japanese Tea Garden was a Waffle stand, and we were hungry, but were waiting to eat at the restaurant inside the Tea Garden.
Well, at this point the boys were cold, the girls and I were freezing, all of us were hungry, and cranky because of it, and I had sprained my toe when we were getting off the bus, so when it turned out that the Japanese Tea Garden now charges for admission (either it didn't when I went there years ago, or no one told me we had had to pay to get in), we almost didn't go in.
However, I have had my heart set on sharing the Japanese Tea Garden with the kids since the beginning of the PLANNING of the trip, so I made a quick decision, ponied up the funds, and in we did ultimately go!
And, in the end, everyone had a good time!
We had hot cocoa and fortune cookies in the Tea House (they were out of nearly EVERYTHING we wanted to order to actually eat), and cheered when we heard (via text from Amazing Husband) that Prop 8 was overturned today!
We had waffles from the Waffle Cart on the way out of the Tea Garden, and they were delicious! We caught the bus back to the hotel (and it didn't break down this time!) and arrived with enough time to get warmed up and changed for dinner by the time Uncle Buddy arrived.
We headed out to find 'The Stinking Rose" (They season their garlic with food!), and had the opportunity to explore Little Italy, and, inadvertently, the red light district on the way. We had an amazing and delectable dinner--Ender, Monkey Boy & Za Boo ate 'Vampire Fare' (minimal garlic), while Uncle Buddy, Raven and I all indulged in the full menu of the pungent house specialty. It was delicious!
We went to a chocolate, gelato and candy specialty shop across the way for a fitting dessert (Courtesy of Uncle Buddy).
We had taken the bus to little Italy (well, actually we had taken the bus to the end of Chinatown, and walked into Little Italy from there, which is how we ended up on our inadvertent tour of the red light district), and we walked back to the hotel through the dark and quiet business buildings, which was an adventure all in itself. Za Boo LOVED being in the business area of town! Uncle Buddy lived in the city for a number of years, so he had all kinds of information and trivia that we enjoyed hearing.
We visited for a bit back at the hotel, and The Papa was able to talk to Uncle Buddy on the phone and catch up.
We are headed to bed now, because we have to be up early to check out, and we are off to Vallejo via the Ferry tomorrow! Happy dreaming!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
The Train Trip - Day 4
So, we SERIOUSLY overslept today-- 1PM in the afternoon overslept!--and we got up and around rather slow, so we didn't get going until nearly three! But, we were planning on Chinatown for the day, and luckily it was just a few (relatively) short blocks away, so we were able to spend enough time there to enjoy our visit, have enough time to stop off for dinner, and have a swim back at the hotel before an (un)reasonable bedtime (unreasonable as in 1AM unreasonable!). Well, perhaps not unreasonable on a vacation, but definitely unreasonable when we are planning an early morning the next day!
We had lunch at a combination of a street-side hot dog vendor (hot dog for Za Boo, soft pretzel for Monkey Boy) and a lunch stand at the Station-The Cable Car Cafe- which was made out of a cable car-(really good sandwiches for Ender, Raven and I). After lunch we walked to Chinatown, where we bought a large number of Xmas gifts and a few souvenirs. We had dinner at a fun 50's diner called Lori's, which we has noticed the day before. Decent burger, good fries, great shakes, neat decor, retro-atmosphere, all good. We were able to get a couple of 49ers gifts for Trina and Ben--actually from SF!--and a little Steelers something for The Papa, at a tiny little sports shop we caught on the way back.
Raven stayed in the room and took a hot bath, and the rest of us went for a bit of a swim. We all headed back to the room, where Raven had just finished her bath, and settled in to bed and watched a movie. And now, g'night!
We had lunch at a combination of a street-side hot dog vendor (hot dog for Za Boo, soft pretzel for Monkey Boy) and a lunch stand at the Station-The Cable Car Cafe- which was made out of a cable car-(really good sandwiches for Ender, Raven and I). After lunch we walked to Chinatown, where we bought a large number of Xmas gifts and a few souvenirs. We had dinner at a fun 50's diner called Lori's, which we has noticed the day before. Decent burger, good fries, great shakes, neat decor, retro-atmosphere, all good. We were able to get a couple of 49ers gifts for Trina and Ben--actually from SF!--and a little Steelers something for The Papa, at a tiny little sports shop we caught on the way back.
Raven stayed in the room and took a hot bath, and the rest of us went for a bit of a swim. We all headed back to the room, where Raven had just finished her bath, and settled in to bed and watched a movie. And now, g'night!
The Train Trip - Day 3
Today was all about Fisherman's Wharf, and, the holy grail, Ghirardelli Square! Having decided to surprise them as a plan with Papa, I woke the girls a bit early, and took the three of us for manicures at the in-house Salon: "Bliss". After our nails were done (and Natalie, one of our delightful attendants, had fixed the one I jacked up while trying to pay!), we headed back to our room, and woke up the Boys. We were a bit slow to get moving, and there were a couple of cranky incidents, but we got out the door reasonably early, and headed for the Visitor's Center. We stopped on the way for a hot drink and a dab of free Wi-Fi at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, and then found the street vendor we had missed the day before, and bought Raven's kitty hat. We hit the Visitor's Center next, and found EVERYTHING we need to navigate the City during our stay here! Maps, guidebooks, schedules, and all of it complimentary! We are digging SF!!! I was able to purchase transportation passes good for unlimited use on all public transportation options (bus, subway, cable cars, and trolleys) for the entire time we are here.
Getting on a trolley to head down to Fisherman's Wharf proved a bit tricky at first, it's pretty dog-eat-dog when it comes to--literally--grabbing a spot on one, and we missed two while figuring out the local system. Third time's the charm, though, and we elbowed and pushed our way on to the third one successfully.
Riding the trolley was interesting, uncomfortable, and kind-of laborious, frankly. We got where we were headed ultimately, though, and that was the goal!
We meandered through the vendors and shops, and looked into the tourist-y tours and attractions (way too expensive for this trip, unfortunately) and finally made it to Fisherman's Wharf, proper, after an hour or so.
Sadly, the Wharf was a bit anti-climactic for the kids. It smells of fish, is very crowded, is all about seafood (no one eats fish but me), and is VERY expensive. We did see the Ripley's Believe It Or Not, and we all were fascinated by the amazing people and feats preserved there, but the Holy Grail of Ghirardelli awaited, and was what got them through a VERY chill and windy walk along the Wharf to The Square.
Ghirardelli was everything everyone hoped it would be, and delivered on it's promise of chocolate beyond the dreams of all the kids! We purchased delectable treats to take home, and set out looking for a nice= sit-down restaurant for dinner. I had hoped to enjoy sundaes at Ghirardelli Square as part of our visit, but it was just too cold this time around. We may try to go back before we leave, we'll see.
We found a place to eat called "The Pub BBQ at Ghirardelli Square" and had an absolutely DELICIOUS meal. Full and happy we headed back to the trolley stop, and waited-semi-patiently for a trolley to get a back to the hotel. The boys were able to achieve their goal of riding on the outside of the Trolley car--holding on like an old Rice-A-Roni commercial--all the way to the hotel!
We picked up a couple of movies at the Welcome Desk on our way back up to our room, and then settled in to watch a movie and eat Ghirardelli chocolate before bed! Goodnight!
Getting on a trolley to head down to Fisherman's Wharf proved a bit tricky at first, it's pretty dog-eat-dog when it comes to--literally--grabbing a spot on one, and we missed two while figuring out the local system. Third time's the charm, though, and we elbowed and pushed our way on to the third one successfully.
Riding the trolley was interesting, uncomfortable, and kind-of laborious, frankly. We got where we were headed ultimately, though, and that was the goal!
We meandered through the vendors and shops, and looked into the tourist-y tours and attractions (way too expensive for this trip, unfortunately) and finally made it to Fisherman's Wharf, proper, after an hour or so.
Sadly, the Wharf was a bit anti-climactic for the kids. It smells of fish, is very crowded, is all about seafood (no one eats fish but me), and is VERY expensive. We did see the Ripley's Believe It Or Not, and we all were fascinated by the amazing people and feats preserved there, but the Holy Grail of Ghirardelli awaited, and was what got them through a VERY chill and windy walk along the Wharf to The Square.
Ghirardelli was everything everyone hoped it would be, and delivered on it's promise of chocolate beyond the dreams of all the kids! We purchased delectable treats to take home, and set out looking for a nice= sit-down restaurant for dinner. I had hoped to enjoy sundaes at Ghirardelli Square as part of our visit, but it was just too cold this time around. We may try to go back before we leave, we'll see.
We found a place to eat called "The Pub BBQ at Ghirardelli Square" and had an absolutely DELICIOUS meal. Full and happy we headed back to the trolley stop, and waited-semi-patiently for a trolley to get a back to the hotel. The boys were able to achieve their goal of riding on the outside of the Trolley car--holding on like an old Rice-A-Roni commercial--all the way to the hotel!
We picked up a couple of movies at the Welcome Desk on our way back up to our room, and then settled in to watch a movie and eat Ghirardelli chocolate before bed! Goodnight!
The Train Trip - Day 2
We woke up late, relaxed, organized the room, got everybody showered and headed out to get a bite, and our bearings. We had lunch at Jamba Juice, Subway, and ended with Starbucks (free Wi-Fi was needed to help in the "getting our bearings" aspect of our excursion). Not exactly a flavor of the local scene, which we generally prefer to visit when traveling, but it was necessary and appropriate for the circumstances at that point. We saw awesome street vendors, many performers, some significantly overweight pigeons, and finally made our way to the Powell Street Transit Station, which was where we had set out to go in the beginning. We inadvertently found the Visitor's Center, which was just what we needed, but was already closed, and made plans to go back again tomorrow. We explored the station a bit, picked up a transit schedule, and headed back to the hotel by way of the street vendor area. We stopped at a Walgreen's (of which there was one on nearly every corner -there are more of them than there are Starbucks!) and in the attempt to purchase a few inadvertently forgotten sundries, had an injury incident with Bekka; she accidentally pulled the shopping cart over and landed on the ground, hitting her head on the floor, while the cart landed on top of her, and hit her face, causing a cut and a fat lip where her braces and her lip briefly became one. We managed to get her lip and braces separated, and all the blood cleaned up with the help of a kind fellow shampoo purchaser, all the kids, and a box of "we'll just use it now, and I'll pay for it when we check out" tissues. We finished the shopping and headed back to the hotel. We discovered a variety of local cafes and restaurants to try during the rest of the trip throughout the course of the day, and enjoyed getting the lay of the land. We finished the day with a good swim, dinner in our room, and a movie on the hotel network. Goodnight!
The Train Trip - Day 1
Friday, July 30, 2010
We made it! Mainly a smooth trip. The train was wonderful (delightful 81 year old man who used to work the mail car on the same route before they took the mail out of the trains, and who had some amazing stories to tell, as a seat mate, AND I treated the kids to dinner in the Dining Car because I can still remember what a luxury that was when I was a kid), we connected to the bus just fine, we had a bit of trouble when we needed to get a cab, but after nearly an hour and a half, numerous phone calls and a huge tip, we made it to the hotel!
And we have to talk about the hotel! By far the NICEST place we have ever stayed! We have a King room, with a roll away bed for Jacob, and Andrew has taken the window seat for a bed. I am snuggled up in bed with the girls, and ready for a good night's sleep. My babies (who are still my babies whether they want to be or not, no matter how old they get;)), are still so young looking when they sleep. I can hardly believe how big they are!
We made it! Mainly a smooth trip. The train was wonderful (delightful 81 year old man who used to work the mail car on the same route before they took the mail out of the trains, and who had some amazing stories to tell, as a seat mate, AND I treated the kids to dinner in the Dining Car because I can still remember what a luxury that was when I was a kid), we connected to the bus just fine, we had a bit of trouble when we needed to get a cab, but after nearly an hour and a half, numerous phone calls and a huge tip, we made it to the hotel!
And we have to talk about the hotel! By far the NICEST place we have ever stayed! We have a King room, with a roll away bed for Jacob, and Andrew has taken the window seat for a bed. I am snuggled up in bed with the girls, and ready for a good night's sleep. My babies (who are still my babies whether they want to be or not, no matter how old they get;)), are still so young looking when they sleep. I can hardly believe how big they are!
The Epic Adventure Log Begins!
Today is the first real opportunity I have had to log on to a computer and upload the chronicles of our adventure to date. In fact, we only have three more days before we are homeward bound, however, I HAVE been keeping a journal nearly every day of our adventure, and THAT, in-and-of-itself, is an accomplishment!
As predicted, the entries are all over the place grammatically, stylistically, and probably any other adverb (ly) we can think of, and I have not proofed them for typos, spelling or grammar. All that notwithstanding however (again, *major cringe*), I DID ACTUALLY DO IT, just like I promised my self I would! I am weirdly excited, despite my apprehension regarding publishing something potentially less than perfect, to have done an amazing thing (keep the journal), and to actually publish it (even more amazing)! I would probably set a record of some kind if anyone knew the number of blogs I actually write, and then hide in the draft folder (theoretically in order to edit and publish later), rather than getting them posted. Ay-yi-yi!
As predicted, the entries are all over the place grammatically, stylistically, and probably any other adverb (ly) we can think of, and I have not proofed them for typos, spelling or grammar. All that notwithstanding however (again, *major cringe*), I DID ACTUALLY DO IT, just like I promised my self I would! I am weirdly excited, despite my apprehension regarding publishing something potentially less than perfect, to have done an amazing thing (keep the journal), and to actually publish it (even more amazing)! I would probably set a record of some kind if anyone knew the number of blogs I actually write, and then hide in the draft folder (theoretically in order to edit and publish later), rather than getting them posted. Ay-yi-yi!
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