Road Trip: Day 2

This was our second day away from home -- and it was a GREAT one!



Our group went into San Francisco for a DAY OF FIRSTS for many of us...


We started out the day by waking up in a hotel room. Going to bed in the hotel was quite the experience -- very difficult to sleep because it was so exciting; waking up and eating breakfast by a swimming pool was even better!

Next, we drove off (not into the sunset) and ended up in a mall because I wanted to buy a purse with a long strap; the type of bag I normally carry would have hurt my shoulders if I had to hang onto it all day. Of course, the bonus of finding a bracelet that I have been admiring for a long time ON SALE for 1/2 OFF was the cats meow!


THEN, we got on the 101 and drove THROUGH A TUNNEL (another first for the young ones) which eventually led us onto the THE SAN FRANCISCO GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE. This was SO EXCITING for them -- especially because they knew that later on we would take a boat UNDER the bridge! It was too bad that we couldn't see the top of the bridge due to the fog...


We drove up and down some of the very steep hills and found a parking place.


First destination: Fisherman's Wharf.
The excitement; the sounds; the people; the smells! What a great memory we made today... We stopped at the toy museum at Pier 39 and piled into one of those old-fashioned photo booths to take a group picture. (IT WAS CLASSIC!) We played a few coin machines (non gambling). We walked and walked and walked, then walked some more. We also stopped at McDonald's for lunch for the younger people because of course, we have to try the pukey food from every McDonald's that they pass (just kidding, but not really) then my husband and I ate at Boudin's... I had the BEST clam chowder with sourdough bread. I wish they would open a store in my town -- it was THAT good!

We boarded one of the Gold and Blue boats for an hour long and VERY COLD trip across the water -- under the bridge and around the Alcatraz Island. This was such a fun experience for the young ones because it was the FIRST time they had been on a boat. They took my husband all over the boat to discover every possible vantage point. I was so glad we all had jackets for this particular trip -- it made the experience much more enjoyable because on land it was 57 degrees with a "feel" of 48 due to the wind-chill. BRR!


After that, we took the little people over to see the AQUARIUM BY THE BAY and I honestly think that was the highlight of the day! My small guy has LOVED sharks and sting rays and fish in general for AS LONG as I can remember and this was truly amazing for him because not only did he get to see some of these animals float in the aquarium above our heads, he also got to TOUCH one! He was in sea heaven! And of course, he talked us into buying the toy shark that is nearly as big as him... Okay, let me rephrase that... He talked his DAD into buying the toy shark because his MOM said no. LOL


We also had a SUPER FUN time riding the trolley cars. Going up and down the steep hills was amazing to the young ones, despite the late hour.



One of the highlights of my day was watching people. There were people in all sizes, shapes, colors, ages, countries. It was really AWESOME! I personally thought the guy dressed in a teal mini skirt with with tennis shoes and bobby socks, a faux fur jacket, horned rim glasses, red scarf tied around his head AND matching red lipstick was the best! I wish I would have had the guts to ask him if I could take a close-up picture of his face with that matching scarf -- not to make fun of him, but because of the contrasts that he and the colors represented. He truly appealed to the small artist in me... We noticed him dancing to the music of the guitar player who was trying his best to entertain everyone in the long line for a ride on the trolley car. One of the younger people in our group was so cute -- she asked me what "that girl" was doing and I told her that I was pretty sure it was a man; she didn't believe me because "he can't be a man" -- he was "wearing a skirt." I assured her that there are people of all types in this world and some men just plain "like" to dress up like a girl.


We drove through town afterward in the fog and in the dark -- it was pretty late and we were trying to rely on the GPS system on my cellphone. It was a good thing that I read the disclaimer about being careful where the GPS system would lead us because we got lost. We saw quite a few things that we didn't plan on (LOL). It was pretty funny, but everything is funny when you hit that "slap happy stage" when you are so tired.



I just can't wait to see what DAY 3 will bring!