We got to spend almost a week in California in late October. I had the honor of being inducted as a Fellow in the American College of Surgeons, so we took the opportunity to go to part of the ACS annual meeting and then take a family vacation on the Coast of Northern California.
Getting ready to do laundry prior to packing... Brian got this picture of Holton and I just think it's so adorable (I'm not biased or anything!) - really captures his personality!
Traveling with kids is such a different experience. On one hand, I love including our kids in all of our adventures and watching them take in and experience new places! On the other hand, so much more preparation, planning, and modifications are required - flexibility is key...
We really wanted to ride the cable cars in San Fran, but realized (luckily in advance) that they are not stroller friendly... so we set out Sunday morning with Holton in the baby carrier and Adelyn on foot. Here we are waiting at the turn around by Union Square.
Such a fun tradition!
There was already a line, even on Sunday morning, but it moved quickly...
A group of European tourists was kind enough to let us get on first once we got near the front of the line, so we scored prime seats outside with a great view of the streets...
We took the Powell-Mason line and ended up at Fisherman's Wharf.
It was a beautiful sunny day with great views of Alcatraz and the Bay.
We headed next to see the resident sea lion colony at Pier 39.
When we first arrived, only one was one the docks... many more were in the water.
As we watched, more and more joined the party on the docks.
Addy loved watching them jump up and fight for position.
Beautiful view of the Golden Gate Bridge
Addy posing while we took a short break to feed Holton
Sticking out her belly!
Contemplating the Bay off to her right...
We then rode a streetcar around the edge of the Bay to the Ferry House - a fun place for shopping, people watching, and eating.
We arrived just before opening and were able to have lunch at one of our favorite San Francisco restaurants - Slanted Door http://www.slanteddoor.com. It is a Vietnamese restaurant that uses organic produce and ecologically farmed meat... I knew Brian really wanted to eat there, but I wasn't sure we could do it with the kids and our short time in the city. However, we sat outside to enjoy the beautiful day, and it worked out well, both kids behaved, and we had a super yummy lunch!
Later that day, after naps - or attempted naps - I don't remember if anyone actually slept... we checked out Yerba Buena Gardens. They have a nice childrens' "garden"/park, and although it was a little warm, we enjoyed exploring and riding the carousel. Addy did NOT want to ride on a horse, although she has been talking about carousels and horses ever since, so luckily there was a "sleigh" you could sit in and she was much more comfortable with that!
Then, we headed to my induction ceremony...
There was a lot of waiting time to explore the huge convention center...
Unfortunately, the ceremony didn't start until 6PM (8PM Texas time) and was two hours long, so we were asking a lot of the kids to even have them there... Brian was awesome and somehow managed to entertain two very tired kiddos for most of it, and then I was able to sneak out toward the end so we could head back to the hotel to get them to bed!
Two nights all in one hotel room with two cribs and two little kids was also a new adventure... unfortunately, the one thing we did not do on the trip was get much uninterrupted sleep! Luckily, we planned the second part of the trip to include a house with a kitchen and laundry room (rented from homeaway.com) and lot of down time for spontaneity, adventure, and exploring! Here is a preview for my next blog - the view from our house at Dillon Beach, CA Map of Dillon Beach
