We've actually been wanting to visit the city and talked about it Friday night. Then we woke up in the middle of the night to torrential downpours, thunder, and lightning and thought our plans were ruined. But when I got up at 6:00, I checked the weather and it was going to be a lovely day. So we went ahead and continued on with our impromptu plans.
Our first stop was to Dolores Park. My first time here was during the Avon Walk in 2008. The park provides an amazing view of the city and has so much space to explore. Plus, the park is awesome. And that's why we went; the park.
We spent a good hour and a half playing on everything, going up and down the slides, avoiding a woman who was Skyping with someone and trying to show the person on the other end what Doodlebug looked like (she was literally following me around the park and I asked her if she was taping him. She replied with "I don't speak English."), avoiding the strange man who was also taping children (but didn't have any of his own), getting misted on by the fog, asking kids who were speaking German if they spoke German and having them tell us no, and just plain enjoying ourselves.
We worked up quite the appetite and decided it was time for lunch. It just so happened that our favorite barbecue spot was in between Mission Dolores and our next stop. When we walked in the door, the smell brought back so many memories! The original owner suddenly passed away last year but we were thrilled to see that the place was exactly like Bob ran it. The food was just as good as we remembered and the service was top notch. We aren't going to wait years before we go back.
A five minute drive took us by the Painted Ladies and to the address where my great grandparents lived almost 100 years ago. There wasn't an actual number on the building, but based on the houses surrounding it, I'm almost certain this was the building they lived in. I would love to know what San Francisco, and specifically that neighborhood, was like while they lived there.
Wherever we go, we try to take a picture of The Lime with a fire truck. After one of the Avon Walks, we ran into some firefighters at Safeway and they invited us to their station. Since we were in the same neighborhood yesterday, we swung by to take another picture for The Lime's collection. While I was taking his picture outside, the captain came out and struck up a conversation. Before we knew it, two other firefighters joined us and invited us in. We bought a shirt (and are hoping it'll drastically shrink in hot water) but they gave The Lime a plastic helmet and a station patch. Not a surprise, but the guys were all so nice and gracious and made our quick stop worth it. As a side note, San Francisco is one of the last cities that still uses wooden ladders! The city owns the company that makes them, as well as the trees that they make the ladders from. The tallest ladder they make is 50 feet!
Down the street from the station was one of the entrances to the Presidio. Gosh, such a gorgeous part of the city! Again, I'd love to know what it was like 50-100 years ago.
We stopped in at the Visitor Center and got some good advice from the park rangers. In fact, I got a photo of a pretty cute ranger myself.
We followed the map the rangers gave us to the San Francisco National Cemetery. Holy cow! The spirit you feel as soon as you enter the grounds is amazing. With as many times as I've been to San Francisco, I have no clue how I've never been to the cemetery. So many headstones honoring the selfless men and women who served our country. What an amazing place.
Unfortunately, a crabby Doodlebug cut our visit to the cemetery short. We couldn't take his screaming any longer so we continued on to the playground the Rangers recommended. Once there, the boys had a grand time playing and digging in the sand. LaVor and I also tried our hand at one of the rides and I thought I was going to die. I hate things that spin.
The Lime really wanted to go to the beach so after about an hour of playing, we drove across the way to Crissy Field. We landed a perfect spot on the beach and the boys went wild again in the sand. The Lime especially loved teasing the waves but they ended up winning. The look of pure joy on The Lime's face brings me to happy tears. He was having so much fun.
It was beginning to get a little chilly and we wanted to grab a bite to eat before heading home. Since pizza is our usual weekend meal, it only made sense to stop by Tony's for a slice, or six.
On the way to Tony's from our car, Doodlebug insisted on walking without holding my hand and ended up taking a nosedive into the disgusting San Francisco ground. He initially just fell on his knees but the decline of the sidewalk caused him to fall completely forward, onto his face. I thought he bonked his teeth, because his mouth was open (and there was gravel in his mouth from the sidewalk...yuck!) but then his nose started to bleed. His nose progressively got more and more red throughout dinner and eventually turned into this.
On a happier note, once the two little guys fell asleep, the drive home was a breeze and we all crashed when we walked in the door. It was a great day and thankfully, there was no earthquake.
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