Category: Vacation

After our hikes we went to Lucha Libre for an early lunch.  We arrived less than ten minutes past eleven o’clock, but there was already a line out the door.  I wonder what percentage their business went up after being featured on Man v. Food?  I didn’t see that episode, but I used to enjoy that show when we had cable. 

The décor is *interesting*; a Mexican wrestling theme.  Let’s just say it would fit right in on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley. 

This booth must be reserved.

I knew what I wanted to order: two Surfin’ California burritos ($7.25 each).  They contain steak, shrimp, avocados, french fries and a special sauce.  That is a lot of goodness wrapped in one tortilla!

Bathroom shot…

Next we went to Balboa Park to check out the Natural History Museum and Reuben H. Fleet Science Center.  We were able to use our Discovery Science Museum passes to obtain free admission to both—another score!

First up was the Natural History Museum, aka theNAT.  The two special exhibits were about chocolate and horses.  The kids enjoyed the play area set up with tents.

Isn’t that soft campfire so cute?

Chocolate gift shop.

Cacao tree—the whole exhibit smelled like chocolate!

Right across the way is the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center.

This museum didn’t take us very long to explore.  As D noted, a lot of kids’ museums have the same types of exhibits.  I’m sure the IMAX movies are cool, but we didn’t pay extra—I think it may have been too much for the kids anyway.  Both museums provided some educational entertainment, but I’m glad we didn’t pay full price for them.

“Let the little children come unto me.”  There was a series of scenes depicting Jesus’ life in the Organ Pavilion. 

Balboa Park is amazing for what it is.  A vast park in the middle of an urban landscape with grand architecture, museums, cafes and open space.  Visiting made us daydream about whether the Great Park in Irvine will ever realize its full potential. 

For our last hurrah of 2012 we went to San Diego for an overnight trip.  Our first stop was Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve.  This place holds special memories for D and me because it is where D proposed just about 10 years ago.  We hadn’t been back since, so it was nice to return with k and n.  We were also able to use one of our state park parking passes, which saved us about $10 (normally $15)—score! 

There were a lot of people enjoying the nice weather and getting some exercise in the great outdoors.  On the advice of the park ranger, we went on the Razor Point trail and Guy Fleming trail, both of which she recommended for kids.

Torrey Pines—the rarest type of pine tree in the United States, according to the sign by the visitor center. 

Did you notice k has bangs now? 

These are agave, aka century plants, according to the person D asked on the trail.  She seemed quite knowledgeable and eager to share on the topic, so we’re trusting she’s correct. 

During my three years of living in SF, I never rode the cable car.  After waiting about an hour to board, my anticipation was high.  I was imagining D hanging off the side and feeling the wind in my face, the kids squealing in delight.  Unfortunately, because we had strollers and because I misunderstood the conductor’s directions, we were relegated to standing up in the inside of the crowded car—definitely not the ideal.  (Turns out that you have to store strollers in the back, but we were still free to sit on the outside.)

View from the top of Lombard.

n actually fell asleep.

Next we drove to the Exploratorium.  We were able to use our Discovery Science Center passes to get in for free ($25 value for adults!)

Yes, this was our third museum visit of our trip!  It is definitely the largest children’s museum I have been to.  There were tons of hands-on experiments/things to play with.

Just outside the Exploratorium is the Palace of Fine Arts.  Next year, the Exploratorium is moving to one of the piers.  Their current location will be difficult to top, though.

In addition, the museum is right across the street from Crissy Field. 

Seeing the Golden Gate bridge never gets old.

Next up was dinner at San Tung in the Sunset District.  We have become quite reliant on our GPS, but this time she let us down, leading us on a circuitous route that seemed like forever.  We did pass some nice views, however. 

Once we arrived, hungry and somewhat cranky, we found out that there was already a sign-in list, and it was not even 5 p.m.!

We had to wait, but cut our wait somewhat by agreeing to sit at a large circular “Chinese restaurant” table with another party. 

Of course we had to order the famous dry-fried chicken wings.  They look spicy, but k and n were able to eat them, no problem.

We also ordered chicken chow mein, potstickers (which turned out to be ginormous, but not very flavorful), and green beans (which turned out to be quite tasty—a little sweet and a little tangy).  D added the restaurant to this Chinese food category, mostly based on the chicken wings!  Our final adventure of the day was trying to leave SF to go to D’s parents’ house in Napa.  This could be deemed the high point of our stress level during the entire vacation.  D and I were reminded why, although visiting SF is fun, we would never want to live there.  Let’s just say I have never been so relieved to be on a freeway!

After checking out of our hotel, we walked to the Ferry Building for the Saturday morning Farmer’s Market. 

This gem is another addition that came along after I left SF.  We headed straight toward Cowgirl Creamery, because 1. I had neglected to have the kids drink milk for the past day! and 2. I wanted to try their famous Mt. Tam cheese.  D ordered one chocolate milk from Sidekick, their take away café while I ducked into the retail shop to buy a quarter pound of Mt. Tam.  There were some serious cheeseheads.  I overheard one guy order “the largest container, full to bursting” of x type of cheese and a worker explain that he tries not to buy too many clothes so he can buy more cheese.  Interesting. 

Pick up a pain epi from Acme bread right next door, and you’re good to go.  D noted this breakfast was the equivalent of the baguettes and butter he enjoyed so much in Paris.  Bon appetit!

This was our view during our al fresco breakfast.  Nice and overcast, just the way I like it.

Although we had a Blue Bottle coffee the night before, D had to order a latte from an actual Blue Bottle shop to make sure he had an authentic Blue Bottle experience. 

D added some brown sugar to the latte.  It really does deserve its high reputation!  Added that one to the List.

We debated about whether to get the porchetta sandwich from Roli Roti at around 9:45 a.m.  Just seemed wrong.  However, I’m glad we did because due to all of our walking we ended up not eating a real lunch and didn’t grab a snack until after 2 p.m.! 

Don’t let all the micro greens fool you—there is some serious pork happening in there.  Another one to add to the List!

We ended up walking from the Ferry Building to Pier 39 to Ghiradelli Square. 

While we were walking around Pier 39, D saw one of the Japanese executives from his work who was on vacation with his wife.  D talked to him a little bit and we marveled at the chances of bumping into each other so far away from home.

Alcatraz shrouded in fog.

Boudin Bakery had a window where you could interact with the bakers.

I was able to put a stamp in my passport for the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park.

Ghiradelli was a bit of a disppointment—too bad they moved the actual factory. 

D and I had a “study date” here on this lawn back in our undergrad days. Who knew that we would return with our two kids some 14 years later?

The Apple Farm gave us a $5 gift certificate that could be used at their bakery.  I stopped in at 7 a.m., right when it opened, to purchase three muffins for the road: blueberry, apple and bran raisin.  They were still warm from the oven and oh so good.  Then we drove a good four hours to San Francisco. 
Our first stop was El Farolito in the Mission District.  We shared a carne asada burrito.  The place is a bit sketch, but authentic, and a bargain at $6.75 for a burrito that could feed two. 

Our next stop was Ike’s Place, just because we were already in the Mission, so why not?  This time I got a Matt Cain sandwich on dutch crunch to go.  We ate it in Golden Gate Park, (which was freezing, by the way) in front of the DeYoung Museum.  Since we were semi-full from the burrito, I don’t think we fully appreciated the sandwich.  But it was definitely a solid sandwich, and I can see why it has garnered praise from thousands of Yelp reviews.

After our two part lunch, we went to the DeYoung museum.  This place was not as family friendly as I thought it would be.  The docents seemed to be in a grumpy mood.  Here are some highlights:





This is where we were chastised for being too loud.  Didn’t know that you are not allowed to talk while watching other people eat.

Next we went stopped by the Conservatory of Flowers. We didn’t pay to take the tour inside, but the grounds are beautiful.




There was a lovely dahlia garden.

Afterward we tried to check into our hotel room at the Union Square Marriott.  The room was not ready, so we walked around Union Square a bit.  It has changed a lot since I lived in SF ten years ago!  The square itself has been reconfigured, there are parklets on many of the streets, and there were a lot more double decker tourist buses.    

Waiting for D to browse at the Nike store. 
Then we checked into our hotel.  Parking prices in SF are crazytown.  Our hotel charged $54 plus a high parking tax.  We ended up parking 1 block away at the Sutter Stockton garage for $34 for 24 hours.  Still expensive, but a little better. 

By this time, n was beat.  On our way to dinner, he fell asleep in the stroller:

Don’t worry, I propped him back up in his stroller so he wouldn’t fall out.  I just had to snap a pic first.
n slept all the way through our dinner–part one at Freshroll.  It is a new place by the Metreon, and it is like Chipotle for Vietnamese food.  We had two orders of three spring rolls, one with lemongrass pork and one with chicken.  Both were fresh and tasty and it was fun to try the various dipping sauces. 

The Metreon seems to be going through some major renovations.  It is so much lighter and brighter now and there are quite a few new restaurants, a good number of them Asian.  Next we went to the Westfield shopping mall on Market St.  It to has undergone a major renovation, at least their basement food court.  It is SO much better now than when I lived there. 
We ended up getting a plate of BBQ chicken and chap chae at Sorabol, one of our favorite Northern California fast casual places. 

Chowing down.  I think n ate a record amount (for him) of chicken that night. 

We also could not resist ordering a New Orleans style iced coffee from one of the cafes that was selling Blue Bottle Coffee.

It stays light out longer in Northern California, so there was still plenty of daylight during our walk back to the hotel.

On the way back we stopped in at San Francisco Baking Company.  We enjoyed one cookies and cream cookie and one triple chocolate cookie.  A sweet way to end our first day in the city by the bay. 

SLO Children’s Museum was actually a last minute addition to our itinerary.  Normally, admission is $8 per person, but on the third Thursday of the month, it is free after 5 p.m.  Since it is right around the corner from the Farmer’s Market, which opens at 6 p.m., it worked out perfectly.
It is a fairly small museum, but it is well done.  This is a musical swing that counts to ten in different languages.



I had these “stilts” as a kid and forgot about them until now.

However, the one thing that the kids like most of all was this red spinning contraption. 


In fact, when asked about their favorite part of the trip, their answer was “the red spinning thing”.

This picture makes me smile because I think n was pretending to fall into the pot for some reason.
Then it was time for dinner.  We walked around a corner and came upon a long line for F. McLintock’s barbecue.

This was the line before the market even officially opened!  Embracing the herd mentality, we immediately got in line.  This many people can’t be wrong, right?  Meanwhile, The Rib Line, which was set up next door, had a guy taunting us for standing in line for F. McLintock’s!  He kept yelling, “Move your feet to the end of the street!”; “With Rib in our name, we must be good”; “Coming here will be the fastest move you’ve ever made from #2 to #1”.  We stood our ground and ended up with this:

#2 combo: Pork munchie, beef rib and chicken kabob; corn on the cob, garlic bread and a cup of lemonade on the side.  It was enough to feed all of us, especially since we had our fill of tri-tip for lunch.  The chicken kabob was surprisingly tasty and juicy—k and n were vying for the last pieces.  I’m still not quite sure what a pork munchie is, but it had quite a lot of meat.

F. McLintock’s is serious about their ‘cue.  The guy taking orders here was also quite loud and put on a show for the crowd.
After eating our dinner on the sidewalk, we walked up and down the street to see what the other booths had to offer.  n said he wanted “something sweet” so we stopped at the Éclair Bakery booth.  We bought a small bag of 6 freshly fried cinnamon donut holes.

Of course, we also had to try an éclair!

Wow, that was the best éclair I have ever had.  The custard was ample and the ganache was nice and smooth.  Next stop: SF!

After lunch we drove to Cal Poly to check out the campus.  D and I both like to visit college campuses for some reason.  There is just something about being surrounded by academia that appeals to us.  Cal Poly SLO has GPS units you can check out to take a self-guided tour.  When you walk by certain buildings, a semi-informative video message automatically pops up.

Nice rec center.

The kids were excited to check into our hotel.  D booked the Apple Farm through Hotwire.   

The Apple Farm is made up of a group of quaint country style buildings.  I have heard negative things about the motel-style building just off of Hwy 101, but luckily we were in the main building, which felt more like a B&B.

Wow, can we say floral overload??  The room reminded me of one of my favorite Gilmore Girls episodes where Lorelai and Rory are trapped in a B&B because they want to avoid small talk.  It was actually quite spacious, with a sitting area off to the side–the perfect place to enjoy the complimentary chocolate chunk cookies.

These were excellent cookies, too.  The chocolate chunks were still melty.  Better than Doubletree, in my opinion.

We appreciated the little “extras”.  D took full advantage of the robe and fireplace–haha.  There was a small basket with two small bottles of sparkling apple cider and Hershey’s kisses.  There were magazines in baskets in the hallway too.  I ended up with a Food + Wine issue circa 1996! 

After resting up for a bit we checked out the grounds.

Then we went to the cheese and wine reception.  There wasn’t really cheese, but they did have cheese/onion scones, apple bread, lemon cake and Chex Mix (homemade).  D had a glass of red wine from Paso Robles while the kids and I had sparkling apple cider.

We were ready for a night out on the town….

No car trip would be complete without someone getting carsick.  In this case, it was k, right about an hour into our trip.  I think this time the Dramamine actually caused her to get sick.  Luckily, I am a quick draw with the plastic bag, and the rest of our trip was carsick-free.

Our first stop was here:

Why did we stop here, in Arroyo Grande?  Because it is owned by my cousin and her husband and I haven’t seen her in years!

That’s Frank, their friendly dog.  It was a short stop, but it was nice to catch up a little.  Erin even gave the kids a few extra keys on a key ring which delighted them to no end.

Our next stop was lunch at Firestone Grill.  Apparently, this place is an institution in SLO.  Even my vegetarian cousin told us we had to try it.

We ordered a large tri-tip salad, side of onion rings and the famous tri-tip sandwich.

Wow, everything was so good.  The tri-tip was so succulent and I liked all the additional flavors in the salad—bacon and blue cheese with the crunchy vegetables (we had to ask for another container of vinaigrette).  D put the sandwich on his list!  It was an auspicious start to our food-filled weekend.

After eating our Hawaiian lunch we went to Snow Canyon State Park, which is not too far from St. George. There is a sand dune area that is like a giant sandbox. Unfortunately, it was too hot to be enjoyable. (It felt weird that just the day before we were hiking in snow!) D did manage to find a little bush that provided some shade so we played for a little bit. The sand was so fine it felt like silk. Although the top layer was hot, just an inch below it was quite cool. We drove around the rest of the park and stopped for some rock climbing. To cool ourselves down we went to Nielsen’s Frozen Custard in St. George. We had an oreo concrete (like a DQ blizzard) and something with bumbleberry but I can’t remember the name. I *think* n liked it! 😉 Could not resist taking a picture of this sign. For dinner we ate at Smashburger. I was happy because I hadn’t been able to use a coupon the entire vacation until now. I had registered online and received a BOGO coupon! The hamburger meat tasted fresh, rather than processed and the smashfries were sprinkled with rosemary, olive oil and garlic. I wonder if this chain will be in Southern California soon. This concludes our Utah trip recap. On the way home, k got carsick (again) so I’m really going to make sure she takes Dramamine for all our long road trips from now on. Also, our camera stopped working less than a week after we returned. Thankfully, I was able to get all of our pictures off the camera before it died. It is in the “shop” now, and the repairs should be paid for by our credit card company. I am reluctant to borrow my parents’ camera because last time I did that, I broke their camera too! So for now, our blogging will be taking a (hopefully) short hiatus.