I have realized it is the middle of summer vacation and I promised Rhiannon and her BFF Amelia we'd do some little day trips. So far, we haven't. I also noticed I've had a total of 3 days off since March. I have a lot of work to do, StagersLIST.com is taking up a lot of time, and so are my other clients.
So I made a bit of a compromise for this Friday. My daughter is in a summer program that gets out at noon. I'm going to take Amelia with me to pick her up, then we'll head over to San Francisco. First stop... Well, an appointment with one of my clients... BUT that won't take long AND there is an Italian restaurant a few doors down (the kids love spaghetti), so we can start with lunch after my appointment!
Also, my client, Mark Peterson-Estrada does Reiki treatments and has offered Rhiannon and I a free treatment. It will be nice for her to meet him in person and decide if she's interested in that (I'm pretty sure she will be). Mark participates in/sponors some wonderful, healing community support programs. See, it's a good Stop 1!
Once websites have been discussed and our tummies are full of spaghetti, we will head off to the Fisherman's Wharf area, "San Francisco's Most Popular Destination". We are planning our day trips so that we only have to park once or twice, since parking is a big deal in San Francisco, as I'm sure it is in other busy cities.
Rhiannon was at Pier 39 on a "grandpa day" a few weeks ago and noticed the Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum, which they didn't have time to visit. Also in this area we have chosen to visit the Wax Museum and the Aquarium. Big bonus, I've found coupons for admission on all three (click a link to print the coupon).
There's plenty more to do in the Fisherman's Wharf area, but we only have from about 2:30 or 3pm until closing time at 11pm (hopefully we'll be done before then), and I think we'll wrap it up at the Hard Rock Cafe (most restaurants validate 1-2 hours of parking). You could also take a dinner cruise, visit Alcatraz, shop till you drop, walk to Ghiradelli Square and get some chocolate... it could easily be a full day or weekend trip. You can also look at the sea lions, who have their own webcam, which is one of my favorite things. They're very cute as they sun themselves on the pier. There are too many things to list. Don't forget your "Escaped from Alcatraz" or "I Heart San Francisco" t-shirt.
Some things to remember when you visit Fisherman's Wharf:
- Chris
More links, in case you didn't get enough, here are the websites for the attractions we are visiting:
Aquarium of the Bay
Ripley's Believe it or Not! Museum
Wax Museum
I have been building and refreshing websites for Realtors and Home Stagers and love it. I get to work for StagersLIST.com, which is a lot of fun.
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Chris, Fisherman's Wharf and sea lions - it doesn't get much better than that in a day trip to San Fran. Plus a nice lunch meal to boot. Sounded like great fun for you, Rhiannon, and Amelia.
Chris, I did leave part of my heart in San Francisco, I've been there 5 or 6 times and never tire of it! What a fun and beautiful city and thanks for the link for the seals, it will certainly bring back some wonderful memories.
Chris, busy is a great thing to be. With that said, spending time with our loved ones is also something that is great. And from the sounds of it, you have a half-a-day well planned. Wish I was tagging along, I love Italian. We have a place here called Naples and it is to die for.
Spent a lot of time at Fisherman's Wharf growing up in "The City". Still a fun place for kids and adults alike. Glad you both had a great time.
Gary - It will be a fun day, and we get to meet our friend Mark for the first time in person. That's the thing with doing websites... I'm all email and sometimes phone! I've been updating his site for months now without meeting him face to face.
Carole - I feel lucky to live so close to San Francisco, and then so lazy for not going more often! I think the next trip will center around the "new" Asian Art museum and the Freda Kahlo exhibit. I like for the girls to learn about interesting women. I just have to remember to make the time.
Danny - If you're ever out this way, we'd love to show off some of our favorite places in the city. We love Italian food too. I told the girls we should save up for a trip to Italy when they're older. Rhiannon really wants to see Venice (thank you Magic Tree House series!).
Kim - must have been fun growing up in the city. There is always something interesting going on!
Chris - good for you, schedule a day off - and I am so jealous - SF was one of my favorite day trips when I lived in Fairfield. Have a great time, and take some pics for us.
Chris, great post, I'm going to check out all of your links. I haven't been to San Francisco in over twenty years but going to Fisherman's Wharf is one of many fond memories I have of the area.
Virginia - I will try to get some pix. I'll borrow my mom's digital. I don't even have one! lol Rhiannon does but never charges it.
Debbie -I love San Francisco, glad I could bring back some happy memories. If you are ever back this way, look us up!
Sounds great - can I come? San Francisco is definitely a fun city to see, especially for kids. I remember being there as a 10-year old and getting a huge kick out of driving down (or up?) the crookedest street in the world. Have a great time!
Of course - We're leaving here about 11:30am! Just hop on in the car. : ) Not sure they let you drive down Lombard Street anymore, they were thinking about banning that. Which is too bad, but I can see how that would be a pain for the residents. Probably get people driving through their bushes all the time.
Chris - Great post. I lived in San Francisco for several years. There's so much to do and see there.
Tom - San Francisco is a great city. We decided to bring my grandma along, so it should be fun for all of us.
Sounds like everyone had a funky good time. A close friend of mine just relocated to the SF area from Seattle and they absolutely love it there.
Chris - Seems by just reading this, I was there. What a wonderful way to highlight some of the more intriguing parts of San Fran! Personally, I've always wanted to visit Alcatraz and drop down and do 50 push-ups ... just for effect:-)
Robert - I love both Seattle and San Francisco. Guess I'm really a city girl at heart. Glad your friend is happy with the move.
Jason - that would be appropriate. It is very eerie there, maybe just because it's so cold but I think it's all the experiences. I've only gone a couple times but I would like to go on Halloween when they do a midnight tour. That would be interesting.
What a fun trip! I would love to be there with you all! I have never been to San Francisco but my sister and her husband went a few years ago and told me that if they ever hit the Lotto, they would buy me a Painted Lady! Seems like a lot of fun and Reiki to boot!
Chris, all I want to know is can I squeeze in one of the travel bags?
Rich - I do have very nice clients. Always getting the perks. One of my clients, who referred the Reiki client to me, gave me a free card reading. The Painted Ladies are gorgeous. If you ever visit let me know, I'll give you a tour.
Danny - hop a flight, you'll be here by morning, you can come along!
Chris: What an awesome post. It sounds like you, Rhiannon and Amelia had a great day. I am so pleased that you included so many links to share with us all the fun stuff you did. I can't waitto explore them. Thanks so much for sharing.
Oh, you brought back some wonderful memories for me! I used to live in Southern Cal, so it was quite a trip up for us. But, we made it at least once a year with my grandmother along too. I moved from CA at age 11, so the memories have faded a bit -- but you've brought some of them back vividly! The sealions! My grandmother loved the Chinatown area -- and we always got these cookies that were shaped like butterflies -- hot irons dipped in batter, deep fried, then covered in powdered sugar. Yum!! Thanks for bringing it all back!
Karen Anne - we went today and it was a lot of fun. Got to meet my client for the first time, he was very nice. My feet are tired! We took my grandma along. We managed to switch the wax museum for the sour dough bread factory to save our feet. Of course the bread factory was torture for me because bread doesn't agree with my stomach, but MAN it smells GOOD!
Dawn - We love Chinatown too. I had a favorite vegetarian restaurant there & I used to just get a couple of spring rolls every now and then. I'm sad they're gone now. Those cookies sound delicious, I'll have to look for those next time. We'll be doing the Yerba Buena area next trip, as the girls really wanted Buca di Beppo. Parking is so expensive! I had to limit our trip to two areas a day! Glad I could refresh your memories, it's a great city.
Hey Chris!
Those cookies were at least 35 years ago -- maybe they're not around any more? My grandma even bought the cookie iron and made them at home for me. They were great, but not the same as getting them in Chinatown. I remember Yerba Buena, too. You're lucky to be so close to it all!
Dawn - Any excuse to wander around Chinatown!
Chris - I have yet to get there! It looks like fun!
It was fun. In fact, I've been twice in the last week or so. First with Rhiannon, Amelia and grandma, then with Rhiannon and Lucas, our friend from Canada. My feet are sore! : )
Chris
Chris, to awesome, looks like a fun day!