Adventures in SF

Last weekend, 2/11 through 2/15, E and I went to San Francisco (or SF as the locals call it) with Gma and Gpa Miller.  We had a blast and E had a lot of fun taking in all of the sights, sounds and fun of SF. 

Saturday we drove up from LA taking the scenic route along CA-1 or the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH).  I did get us lost and we missed a section and took a long route through the mountains but we had fun looking for those "happy California cows" and the county cows game started.  I am not sure who won in the end but Gpa and I had great fun counting cows to see who could count to 100 cows on their side of the car first.  We got to SF in the early evening and had dinner at Joe's Crab Shack because we thought it would be quick, it was not, and E was fit to be tied by the time we got back to the hotel.  She slept great that night and actually slept through the night, which was also great for me.

Sunday was our driving day.  We drove up and over the Golden Gate Bridge (GGB) and then took a scenic route through the hills behind the GGB that provided some beautiful views of the bridge and the old forts that were built to protect the SF harbor and we got to walk out on a black sand beach.  Then we drove up and over the top of the SF bay and down into Oakland to see the Oakland Temple.  It is a beautiful temple and we also got to see the visitors center.  Then we headed back into downtown SF for dinner.  E had been in the car again a lot so Gma and Gpa walked out and bought us soup and sour dough bread bowls and we at at the hotel and E got to roll around on the fully bed, playing with her toys, and stretching her legs.

Monday was our trip to Alcatraz.  It was overcast and rainy but we had a great time anyway.  We took a boat ride out the island, hiked up the island to the main cell block, took the audio tour which was very interesting, and then walked around a little bit but since it was so wet and windy we tried to stay indoors as much as possible.  Many people do not know but families, women, and children lived on the island and didn't even lock their doors at night.  They were the families of the prison workers and lived on the island rent free as part of their compensation for working at the prison.  The children road the ferry into SF every day for school and then back to the island at the end of the day.  They said they never even saw the prisoners because they were always back inside by the time they came home from school.  There is a whole little community on the island and they brought flowers and vegetation from all over the world. We were pretty tired when we got back from Alcatraz so we went back to the hotel.  We rode a vintage trolly back to the hotel and I tried to get E to sleep for a nap but she wanted to play and stretch out so we played and Gma and Gpa fell asleep and then when E fell asleep Gma and Gpa woke up.  LOL, so it wasn't until late that we were out on the town again.  We went to Ghirardelli Chocolate place and had dinner a at nice little pub and had Ghiradrdelli ice cream and then back to the hotel.

Tuesday, Valentines Day, we took the Open Top Bus tour and went all around The City, we even got to go over the GGB again but this time on the top of the open top bus.  It was very windy but lots and lots of fun.  We had lunch in China Town and ate Dim Sum, it was good , but I decided I like my Americanized Chinese food better, can't beat Crab Rangoons!  Then we rode the cable cars the entire length of the line and then jumped back on an Open Top bus to get back to Fisherman's Wharf.  We went to a little Italian place at the end of Pier 39 and ate a pizza for dinner and then went back to the hotel for some Coldstone and warmth.  We watched a little TV, ate our ice cream, and then once E was in bed we decided we should all have an early night since we had to wake up early to drive back to LA on Wednesday morning.

Wednesday morning E woke up at 3:30a and then Gma and Gpa got up at 4a.  We hit the road back to LA around 5am and took the fast route down interstate 5.  E was really fussy for most of the trip but Gma did a good job in the back playing with her and helping her sleep while Gpa and I took turns driving.  We made it to LAX just in time for Gma and Gpa to check in and check their bag.  While we were waiting I noticed that E had a top tooth cute through, no wonder she was so fussy in the car and had a sleepless night that night!  I think she is getting a couple of her top teeth in now.  It looks like two are cutting through.  We said good bye to Gma and Gpa and made sure they were all checked in and at security and then E and I went home.  E was happy to see her Daddy and I had to rush to unpack the car, shower, and then get into work.

Life is now back to normal, or as normal as it gets with a 7 month, 3 week old baby.  :)

Here are a few pictures I took from our adventure and I'll post more when I get them from Gma.  She took most of the pictures. :)

E playing a big drum with Gpa in China Town, she loved it!

The GGB from Pier 39

E looking at the Sea Lions at Pier 39

Gma using her new Camera

I liked this photo of Gma and Gpa at Pier 39 and Alcatraz in the background

E eating "something", how bad is that, I am not even sure what this is! :)

E with her apple slices at Wendy's

Yummy apple slices!

E stretching out on the bed after a long time in the car

She's crawling all over now!

Happy to be out of the car

Hello Camera, can I chew on you?