San Francisco 2012

Cheryl, Annabel and I arrived in San Francisco at about 5:30 in the evening.  Traffic wasn't too bad coming in into the city but we were cautioned to steer clear of the Bay Bridge during the holiday weekend due to some construction.  

Annabel was having fun singing with mommy in the back seat.

Once we got to the house, we had a little problem.  My key didn't open the front gate! Thankfully, we had called Jim, the unofficial supervisor of the San Francisco house, to let him know we would be in the city this weekend. We gave him another call and within 15 minutes he had come over to give us an extra set of keys. Cheryl's dad Tom visits San Francisco one weekend a month to race sailboats with a friend of his and this weekend happened to fall on a race weekend - so he met us at the house for some dinner.

Annabel is having a blast with Grandpa Tom.

The next morning, after a quick breakfast of cereal and bagels, we loaded up the car and followed Tom to the South Beach Harbor, right next to the AT&T ballpark. Since he was a crew member of the racing team, he was able to get us a three day pass to park at the harbor. Very convenient! Before he prepped the boat, he showed us around the Marina and gave us a tour of the sailboat he spends the night on during his weekend trips to the bay. 

A beautiful shot leading out of the Marina.

Tom's weekend hangout.

The boat had such character.

The boat he showed us was a beautiful 45 foot sailboat that needed a little TLC but had a very spacious interior - no wonder people have no problem living on a boat. Considering how expensive it is to live in the city, a $300 per month slip rent doesn't sound too bad – all you need is a boat. While Tom prep the boat for the race, Cheryl, Annabel and I headed down the Embarcadero and grab some brunch at the South Beach Café. After a quick bite, we headed back to the starting point of the race which was located in McCovey Cove. There we met Jack's wife, Sylvia. I should mention, Jack is the owner and Skipper of the boats that Tom both sails and sleeps on. That's right, Jack has two sailboats. Sylvia was a very sweet Brazilian lady who loves sailing and Carnivàle – the Brazilian celebration that just so happen to be going on this same weekend. She had brought a cute outfit for Annabel as a gift - how thoughtful. 

Jack, Tom, and the rest of the crew starting the race.

After watching the start of the race, we said goodbye and hopped on the muni into the city towards Union Square. After walking around the Westfield Mall (formerly known as the Emporium) we grabbed a delicious treat - a vanilla cream filled cream-puff éclair from Beard Papas – absolutely delicious! 

Make sure to set the brakes babe.

All bundled up for the San Francisco weather.

Mmmmmm Cream-Puff.  Even Annabel is licking her lips.

After the race, Tom's team got second place, he met us at Union Square or we did a little people watching and picture taking. 

From there, we decided it was time for some dinner. We headed over to Les Jeoulins Jazz Bistro for some delicious food and live classical jazz. Cheryl and I had been here before and enjoyed the food and atmosphere, but we didn't know how would be with a four month old. The maître d  ‘gave us a nice table towards the back, just in case, and Annabel did exactly as we thought she would and was a perfect little girl. She listened, and even danced a little bit, to the music and fell asleep just before our dinner arrived. With full bellies we counted today as a success and headed home.

Since Cheryl had woken up twice to feed and change Annabel during the night, I took the morning shift. At 6:30 AM on the dot, the little miss woke up bright-eyed and bushy-taled. We bundled up and headed towards the big window facing the city to watch the sunrise together. 

What a wonderful moment to see the wonder and amazement in her eyes as the sky turned from grey, to purple, orange, pink and finally yellow. The whole time she sat on my lap and in udder silence – something she hasn't done since she found her voice a few weeks ago. 

Sunday's plan was to head to Sausalito. We were planning on taking the ferry, but with a $9.50 charge each way, we decided it would be best just to drive there ourselves. This way we could enjoy the view of the Golden gate bridge our way back. While in Sausalito, we enjoyed walking around the quaint little seaside town and had a delicious lunch at Winship's restaurant. Their burgers were amazing, I had the crabmeat burger and Tom had the Sonoma burger. Tom's burger had a beef patty, fried egg, cheese, and hash brown. It was like the ultimate breakfast burger– amazing! 

Cool shot towards San Francisco.

Taffy anyone?

Nice Photo-Bomb Tom!

After lunch we did some window shopping and then headed back to San Francisco. Along the

way we took a quick side trip up Bunker Road into Golden Gate National Recreation area. There we had an incredible photo op of both the golden gate bridge towards the city, and a beautiful view of Rodeo Cove and the Pacific Ocean. 

Out of all the views and angles of the bridge and city, I liked this the  most.

Family shot taken towards Rodeo Cove.

On of my favorite shots of the trip.

Taking it all in...

Shamlian Family San Francisco 2012

 We got home and just rested for a bit while Tom packed up and headed back up north to Redbluff. Later in the evening Cheryl, Annabel and I got ready and headed out towards the wharf. A trip to San Francisco wouldn't be the same without an evening spent as tourists on Pier 39.  We got some delicious chili and clam chowder bread bowls for dinner from Boudin bakery and walked the pier while taking in the sights, sounds, and smells. The crisp San Francisco air was getting to our ears and noses, so we ducked into Trish's donut shop and grabbed a bag full of delicious mini donuts... And then went back and got some more. Talk about a sugar high! Looking at Cheryl and I, you would think somebody spiked our morning coffee with an extra couple shots of espresso. Before we got too crazy, we headed back to the car and left the hustle and bustle of the waterfront behind us.  Even though we were amped-up on sugar, Annabel had crashed. Hard.

Out for the count.

A kiss goodnight at the end of a long weekend.

Annabel had a blast at Great Gandma Roxie's house.

On our way back home we stopped by Casa de Fruita.  I have many fond childhood memories from time spent here on family trips coming back from San Francisco.  Now I can continue the tradition with my family.

Candy?

More Candy!

Fun times at the CASA DE FRUITA!

We had an incredible time and we look forward to the next opportunity we have to spend a little time in the city by the bay.