Wednesday, August 29, 2012

The Mother Of All Road Trips, Day 3

Yep, it's true.

I left my heart in San Francisco.  

What is it about that city?  I love it, like really, really love it and even in the kinda cold/kinda windy/kinda foggy weather that we experience that day, I still loved it.   The streets and hills.  The flowers.  The smells and sounds and crisp ocean air. The bridge that stands tall and immovable.   It's breathtaking. 


We were given the standard Ken Soares tour (that's my dad!) which started with a drive down Lombard street.  Here's the thing: my dad had oh-so-thoughtfully rented a 12 passenger van so we could all ride together and because I get car sick if I look down for more than 10 seconds, I was the lucky driver.  I've driven down Lombard before but not in a white van that rivals a moving truck.  Brad was my co-pilot and while I might have scared him a titch, we all survived.  I think the hill leading up to Lombard is the worst part of the entire stretch of road because man!  That sucker is STEEP.   The kids loved it, craning out the windows to see every twist and turn.  I tried to keep my eyes on the road but do you see that climbing bouganvillea up there?  It was gorg.  I loved it all.  

From there we climbed the steps of Coit Tower and then made our way down to infamous Pier 39.  We ate a delicious lunch where Spence ate his first of many batches of Fish & Chips.  When in Rome, right?  We wandered around the pier, stopping to watch a magic show for a bit, riding on a double decker carousel, and then looking for some sea lions.  Sadly, it was mating season for the sea lions and we only saw three lounging around on the docks.  

Leaving Pier 39, we drove through the city, down past Ghiradelli Square and took in all the sights and sounds.  The kids were so excited to see The Golden Gate Bridge and while the weather was less than ideal, they jumped at the chance to explore the bridge.  We walked out onto it for a bit and stood in awe of the gorgeous city below.  A final stop at Golden Gate Park and the beach and I turned the big white van around and we headed back to the ranch.  

I love that city.  I loved showing my kids that city and their excitement at every new thing we saw and did.  It was only Day 3 of our trip and I felt like we made enough memories to last a lifetime. 





4 comments:

Cathy said...

Sounds like a perfect tour! SF is the city of my childhood and I love it. My sister got to live in the cutest apartment right in the city for 5 years. So fun.

Kelly said...

I so wish I could have been hiding in the trunk of the van while you were navigating down that street. I'm sure the conversations you were having were hilarious! I love hearing about the details of your trip... Sounds like a blast!

Melanie said...

sounds dreamy. really, cold and fog and all.

Tracy said...

Such a fantastic picture of your dad and the kids. :)