My sister, Heather, is in college, which means she gets a week off from her scholarly duties for Spring Break. I don't get a spring break anymore, but I do get annual leave and have a flexible job that allows me to get up and go whenever the need arises. So when Heather said she wanted to do something fun during spring break, she didn't need to ask me twice whether I wanted in on it. Neither of us had ever been to San Francisco, and since it was within driving distance and seemed kid-friendly enough, we decided this was the perfect time to check SanFran off our bucket list. Lucky for us, our parents have the same priorities we do, so they worked their schedules out so that they could come with us! It was so awesome. Seriously, SO awesome.
It took us 12 hours to get there.We drove eight hours on Saturday, and stayed just outside of Reno, Nevada. Then we drove a short 4 hours on Sunday, arriving in beautiful San Francisco by 1pm. We checked into our hotel at the Holiday Inn Express at Fisherman's Wharf, which ended up being an itty bitty room with one king bed...for 4 adults, and two children. It sounds comical, but it actually turned out just fine.
After a zillion dead-ends and one wild goose chase on airbnb.com in trying to find our little group a vacation rental, Heather and I decided to take a gamble and just book a hotel on Priceline.com, through their Express Deals...you don't know exactly what hotel you're going to get, only the area location, review rating, star rating, and price. Exciting right!? The price was $150 per night, which for Fisherman's Wharf area during spring break, was a steal. We were thrilled that we got the Holiday Inn Express, which we would have paid over $200/night had we booked it straight up, but we were subject to whatever room they had available...which ended up being king. Bummer. We spent two nights with Heather, my mom, and I sharing the king bed, with my dad on an air mattress, Sullivan on his child travel cot, and the baby in the pack and play. We were packed like Sardines, but we were in San Francisco, having a great time, so we could have cared less!? We all fit, there were plenty of towels, the room was spotless, the hotel was lovely, the free breakfast was amazing, and the location was to die for. And on our third night there, they were able to move us to a double room, which totally made us feel like we were living like kings.
So anyway, onto the sights. After checking into our hotel, we walked a mere two blocks to Fisherman's Wharf where we enjoyed an amazing lunch of clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls and a seafood platter. Delicious. Then we wandered down the pier and explored an old Navy sea vessel, the Jeremiah O'Brien, which my mother got us into for free after bragging about Heather's military status. My mom comes in so handy sometimes!? :)
Then it was down to Pier 39 where we found stores, smoothies, popcorn, carousels, seals, and Rocket Boat, which Sullivan wouldn't let us hear the end of for the next three days. Curse you Rocket Boat! We saw one take off from the pier, and for the next three days he couldn't stop talking about the ra-ra boat. You had to be 40 inches to ride, and he was only 36. Try telling that to a 3-year-old.
Then it was up to Ghiradelli Square for some chocolate sampling. We purchased a hand-picked medley of chocolate squares, and I fell in love with the dark chocolate and salted caramel one...which I ate for the next three days. What I wouldn't give for a square of that right now...
And Heather carried sweet Eliza around all afternoon in the Baby Bjorn, gathering compliments from everyone who passed by about how cute her baby was, to which she'd smile and say, "thank you!" So typical...taking all the credit for my cute baby. :) And once that owl hat was purchased, she was absolutely irresistible. Strangers couldn't get enough. And neither could we. She was the cutest...
It was a great first day. We were so happy to be in San Francisco, experiencing all the famous sights we had always merely heard about. We had more clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls for dinner, while Sullivan had a hot dog from a street vendor while falling asleep on the way home. We had worn him right out. Sullivan's culinary experience in San Francisco would go on to consist of fruit loops for breakfast and severely overpriced $5 hot dogs from street vendors for lunch and dinner...every single day. Not exactly fine cuisine, but hey, at least he was eating!?
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