It’s not going to last forever. So I take a moment to look around. I watch the waves crash against one another. My girls play in the sand, knowing I’ll fully regret it later because sand is disgustingly messy. There’s Kobe he is experiencing playing with another dog for the first time. My husband is trying to figure out how to put the $2.00 kites I got from Walmart together. He says he knows what he’s doing..he secretly doesn’t. Here we are, here at the beach in San Francisco.
San Francisco.
Back in October both of the girls had an entire week off from school, fall break. I knew that I wanted to do something as a family since it had been a while. So I talked to Dayjhan and we planned a trip to San Francisco for us, the kiddos, and of course Kobe. It was our very first time traveling with a pet so we were a little nervous. When I say we I mean me and I may or may not overpacked for a 4lb Yorkie. But better safe than sorry right? All the bags in our trunk, the girls equipped with their DVDs, a ton of snacks, a full tank of gas it was time to go!
The little turquoise beach house.
We arrived at a little turquoise beach house. Dayjhan found on Airbnb for a cool price. For the next 3 days and 3 nights, we would call it home. It was cuter than the photos and so close to the beach you could smell the ocean. Our host was so sweet and his home was so clean. Bonus it was also located close by shopping centers, the zoo, and a pumpkin patch! We immediately dropped off our bags and headed for the beach. But.. silly me, I forgot to pack swimsuits..sigh. Luckily when you’re 4 and 6 you don’t need a swimsuit to have fun at the beach. We spent hours on the beach relaxing together as a family, eating, taking photos doing absolutely nothing and it felt damn good. When it was time to leave we ordered food for delivery at a local restaurant, hopped our sandy butts in the car, and day one was complete.
Pier 39.
The next morning we decided to head to Pier 39. But not before we had breakfast at one of our favorite spots Sears. Their mini pancakes oh gosh don’t get me started I won’t stop. So freaking good! After breakfast, the ride to the pier was only around 13-minute and traffic wasn’t too bad. Plus we loved seeing all the unique colorful homes in the city. Parking was simple and the pier wasn’t super crowded it was nice though. We shopped around and hit up some of our favorite stores, ate ice cream, nachos, and cookies. You know all the vacation appropriate food groups. The girls got to visit Build A Bear (first time for Ari). We grabbed enough saltwater taffy from the candy store for a basketball team and we taught the girls about the history of Alcatraz and now we have to take them on a tour one day very soon we hope.
One of the highlights of the day was our trip to the Aquarium of the bay. The girls had never been and loved it. I think we spent forever watching the otters swim back and forth. I mean they were so stinking cute who could blame us? The day wasn’t over yet though because the pumpkin patch was calling our names. We visited the sweetest little pumpkin patch right in the back of the zoo’s parking lot. The girls and I left with baby-sized pumpkins, Dayjhan left with less money.
San Francisco Zoo day.
A super huge thank you to our incredible friends over at the San Franciso zoo who allowed us to visit them for a second time. San Francisco has one of the best zoo’s and staff. They were great in making sure everything, everyone, and every animal was protected due to Covid19. Plus every visitor was by appointment only. Allowing only a certain amount of people in at once which made for no crowds that were awesome.
The girls had a list of animals they wanted to see and we made it to see every one of em. Except for one little guy the beloved seal Henry. Henry was a seal at the zoo and we were lucky enough to visit him during our last trip. Unfortunately, Henry passed away this summer, and when we found an empty exhibit and a sign explaining it all. The girls were devastated. It’s always hard when things you love go. But nevertheless, they still enjoyed the rest of their time. Lunchtime, a trip to the gift shop, and many animals later it was time to go exploring.
Dayjhan had done some research about this spot towards the end of the beach. The hike was exhausting, the views were beautiful, and the beach felt like home. I’m telling you guys now I. NEED. TO. LIVE. ON. THE. BEACH. Heaven on earth. We visited a cave, climbed over rocks, watched big boats floats by, and laughed a lot. It was literally the best part of the entire trip hands down. I’m so glad I took so many photos and videos to remember everything. Seriously such a special evening. Did I mention we ate ice cream afterward?
Home sweet home.
On our last day in the city we took a trip to the mall hit up stores like H&M, Footlocker, Lego, and Disney. That day was short we were tired. On the road home, we stopped by Sonic. The drive back to our own city was quick, glad to be home but missing San Francisco. Missing those cozy Airbnb beds, time away from school, work, social media, responsibilities. Missing staying up late and waking up later. Our girls are young but I hope they will always remember at least a little piece of our trip.
My favorite city away from home. A place that makes my heart happy. I’m not exactly sure why I love the city so much. Maybe it’s because some of my own good childhood memories are tied into trips there. Maybe it’s the feel of being so close to strangers who feel like neighbors, the food, the views? I don’t know and I don’t care. But whatever the reason I’m counting down the minutes until we meet again.
Thank you San Francisco for the trip our family needed.
