Lombard Street

Next stop: Lombard Street! For those who don't know, this is the street in SF that is famous b/c it is so steep that it has switchbacks! Only tourists actually drive through the switchbacks, and the SF public transit is smart enough to avoid it completely, so we had a bit of a hike to get up there, but the street was really crazy, the landscaping was lovely and the views were breathtaking. Oh, and we also got to see some of the famous wild parrots! Really, there are wild parrots living in SF, and I promise that isn't a euphemism, although it probably could be! :)

The hill we had to walk up before getting to the steep part with the switchbacks. Apparently, in SF, this is not considered a steep hill!


The veiw from the top of the hill we walked up, and the bottom of the switchbacks.


Apparently it's more fun to go up hills when Daddy's the one doing all the legwork! Isn't he an adorable kid??


Lombard street!

The nice thing about going to a place that's crawling with tourists is that it's very easy to get a group photo taken. I personally think we're a pretty goodlooking crew!

North Beach

Our agenda on Sunday required Steve to do some masterful public transportation planning--I think it involved no less than five bus transfers! But I think after his initial dread of the idea of that many buses, he embraced the challenge and got us where we needed to go without a hitch; it was impressive!

We started our day by taking a bus through Chinatown to North Beach, which is the neighborhood that is famous as the home of the beatnik poets. We spent some time enjoying the gorgeous weather in Washington Square Park and had lunch at the Rogue brewpub before moving on to our next stop.

North Beach


Washington Square Park


The Rogue Brewpub

Delicious and interesting beer, including a Soba Ale (delightful!) and a Smoke Ale (sort of strange, tasted like smoked almonds)

Nathan had to try on some of the merchandise since he couldn't try out any of the beer!

Golden Gate Park

Golden Gate Park is huge and beautiful--we spent the entire afternoon wandering almost the entire length of it! It seemed like every few minutes we would come to a place in the park that had a totally different vibe; we saw a windmill, bison (yes, bison in the middle of a city park), a man-made pond where mini sailboats race, an open area where the locals were partying, lush woods and a waterfall, and even a rose garden! By the time we got to the area with several museums, we suddenly came to the realization that we had been walking ALL day, and it was time to find a bus and head back home for the evening.

We hung out for awhile underneath the windmill, relaxing and enjoying our farmers' market snacks.




Nathan was rolling all over the place!


Next time I go to SF, I'm going to bring a field guide to help me identify all of the cool plants, trees and flowers.

Walking along the main path

Bison!

I was quite restrained with the self-portraits on this trip, but I had to sneak at least one in!

Real turtles sunning themselves on a turtle sculpture in the boat racing pond.

Mini sailboats! We missed the race, but got to see the entire fleet--they are gorgeous vessels.

Cool tree roots and rocks

Posing in front of the waterfall

Joanna befriended a squirrel!

Joanna thought Nathan looked pretty cozy snuggling with Todd, so she tried out the technique on Steve! :)

Lounging on a blanket in the park on vacation!

Pacific Ocean

From the farmers' market we took the cable car all the way to the Pacific Ocean, which is the Western border of Golden Gate Park. The weather was windy and cool, so we only walked a short way down the beach before heading into the park, but it was so great to see the ocean!! I love the water and the sand--if it had been warmer I would have stayed all day.

Steve faking excitement about the ocean--he's not a big fan, but he humored his sister's desire to go. :)


Gorgeous!

Family portrait

Me and my new sister!!

Ferry Building Farmers' Market

We started off the morning on Saturday with a trip to the farmers' market at the Ferry Building, which is right on the bay in downtown. We had a great view of the Bay Bridge, and it was fun to poke around the different stands admiring all of the gorgeous produce. There was also a lot of prepared food there, and we enjoyed crab cake sandwiches and oyster po' boys. Then we stocked up on some goodies to provide sustenance for our afternoon in Golden Gate Park.

The Bay Bridge

The Bay!

Todd sampling some of the fare--delicious fresh peaches!


Mmmm... heirloom tomatoes!

The inside of the Ferry Building has a bunch of neat shops and stands that are open all week.

Hotel Emhof-Petrone

We stayed at Steve and Joanna's apartment, which they cheerfully allowed us to invade, and didn't seem at all perturbed when all of our stuff completely took over their living room! We rented a pack and play for Nathan to sleep in from http://www.travelbabees.com/, which was great. We didn't have to lug one more thing to and from the airport, and they delivered and set it up for us.

The apartment is in a neat old building, and has the classic San Francisco big bay windows looking out onto the street. It is decorated with books and cool handmade art (made by Joanna and many of the artists she knows from the fair circuit)--it's the perfect balance of lovely, interesting and comfy! We spent most of the time in their kitchen, which is really large and has an absolutely beautiful table made out of wood reclaimed from an old barn floor. Steve and Joanna cooked us delicious food (eggs, pancakes, coffee, chicken, burgers, potato salad, chard, kale--yum!) supplemented by some of the Mission's delectable desserts from the Bi-Rite Creamery (salted caramel ice cream), Mission Pie (fresh peach pie!) and Anthony's Cookies. In addition to the great food, we had many laughs and great conversations around that table. I am SO lucky to have an amazing brother, and that he has chosen to spend his life with a wonderful woman. They are fabulous as a couple and fantastic hosts and tour guides.

Uncle Steve and Aunt Joanna hanging out with Nathan.


Joanna's beautiful tattoo that she chose instead of an engagement ring--the person who designed it also does the artwork for the albums of one of their favorite bands, The Decemberists. I love that it is so meaningful as well as being beautiful.


Nathan hanging out with Uncle Steve. Nathan wearing a shirt that I bought for the trip, was so excited to put him in b/c it's so cute, and that he drenched with puke approximately 45 seconds after this photo was taken. Needless to say, he never wore it outside of the apartment! Sigh...

Nathan definitely approved of the kitchen table--bang, bang, bang!

Dinner time! I love that Joanna painted their kitchen cabinets bright blue.

A hilarious video--Nathan decided out of the blue that he needed to "chew" his food!

Ode to the Mission District Burrito

The Mission District is known for its delicious burritos, and I am known for my love of burritos. :) Ever since Steve sent me a newspaper write-up about how great the Mission burritos are, I have been dreaming of sampling the delectable offerings. Our tour of the Mission included a stop at El Matate, Steve's favorite burrito place. DELICIOUS!!!! On our last night in town, Joanna brought home burritos from her favorite spot, Pancho Villa. It was so fitting to have our vacation bookended with burritos!

Mmmm... pork chili verde

Beer from the local brewery Speakeasy is a delicious compliment to the Pancho Villa burrito.

Steve, you may have a future as a hand model!

While we were at El Matate, Nathan discovered that Aunt Joanna knows how to play the "bang on the table" game. I think this was when their friendship was cemented forever! :)

Tour of the Mission District

We kicked off our vacation with a tour through the Mission District, which is the neighborhood that Steve and Joanna live in. It's a residential area in the city that is an economic and ethnic melting pot--every block is a little different. There are lots of really great restaurants, bars, coffee shops and grocery stores. It was really great to get a sense for the neighborhood that S & J live in and love, especially since it isn't touristy and we probably wouldn't have visited otherwise.



All over the Mission District, the buildings are covered with murals. It is so cool to see this artwork incorporated into daily life. There is one alleyway in particular that is completely full of murals--so beautiful!

The Mission is also home to the world headquarters of Ach Ach Liebling, Joanna's art studio. It is located in a building that is full of artists and other small business owners. I loved seeing the space where Joanna creates her gorgeous jewelry!