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We just got back from our week-long family vacation to San Francisco. We wanted to take Toby on his own babymoon trip, so he could enjoy tons of center-of-attention time before the new baby turns his world upside down. San Francisco is truly amazing, and we had the best time. Here are a few photos, if you’d like to see…
We rented a great apartment in the Castro, just a few blocks from Dolores Park’s crazy new playground. The slides are so tall that even I felt a little jittery sitting at the top. As my friend said, “Sometimes your kids are playing and you’re like, Wait, are they going to die? But it’s awesome.”
We couldn’t resist going to Bi-Rite Creamery one sunny afternoon. Toby devoured chocolate in a cone, and my sister and I split this ridiculous combination of salted caramel, rubarb cheesecake, chocolate sauce and spiced pecans, no big deal.
We then walked over to Paxton Gate’s Curiosities for Kids, the fantastic toy store filled with old-school toys, like wooden instruments, puzzles and yo-yos.
One afternoon, Alex took Toby to a Giants game—complete with hot dogs and mustard—and they both came home totally buzzing.
We also headed to the zoo, where our friend hooked us up with a behind-the-scenes tour!!! It was insane: We got to feed lettuce and bananas to a sweet, black-tongued giraffe named Kristen. Of course, true to form, Toby’s favorite part of the experience was the golf cart we got to drive around in.
Another morning, on 8,000 people’s recommendations, we went to the Exploratorium, an enormous warehouse-like museum filled with interactive exhibits. Alex and I got so into it ourselves that we wondered, half-seriously, if we should hire a babysitter and come back on our own. (It would be an awesome place for a grown-up date!) In the photos above, I was seeing which colors affected my moods, Toby was drumming, and Alex was seeing if yawns were truly contagious.
San Francisco has delicious food, needless to say. Here, we hit up Tacolicious for lunch, and Toby ate a croissant the size of his head at Tartine Bakery.
In the evenings, when Toby was asleep, Alex and I secretly snuck off to a couple dinners on our own, and I was thrilled to join my sister and her friends for a screening of Before Midnight. Julie Delpy and the director Richard Linklater did a Q&A!! (The film was much darker than the first two films, but the honest portrait of a marriage was incredibly compelling. I’d give it two thumbs up, if you’re in the mood for a more dramatic film.)
Finally, at the end of the trip, we got this reassurance from a fortune cookie. Thank goodness. This trip was fantastic, and we’re so, so excited to meet the new baby, but it will be nice to have some calmer days ahead. Alex put it in his pocket to bring home:)
Hope you had a great week, and thank you again for your amazing tips! We miss you, San Francisco!! xoxo
P.S. San Francisco apartment tour.
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