San Francisco [Day 3]

Now that I think about it, there wasn't a single day of this mini-vacation that we didn't hit the ground running. Day three's itinerary included the Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands, and Little Italy.

We started off with a big breakfast at Home Plate upon the recommendation of one of the locals. It was excellent fueled us up for what was to come. We then went to catch a bus that would take us across the Golden Gate to the Marin Headlands. We sat there. And sat there. And finally asked a passing bus driver who informed us that the bus that goes across the bridge only runs on the weekends.

Great.

So we hopped on a different bus that would at least take us to the Golden Gate Bridge. When we arrived, we decided that, hey, let's walk this thing! It's not that long. I mean, we can see the other side. Well, it was quite the trek. 1.7 miles each way, not to mention the hike up to Battery Spencer once we got across. It was beautiful though. And we felt very accomplished once we finally arrived back. 

Golden Gate from the Marin Headlands

Aaron at the Marin Headlands

Golden Gate from Battery Spencer

Kids playing at Battery Spencer--it's like a giant playhouse!

Aaron, Abby, & Carson at the Marin Headlands

Sea lion playing in the water looking down from the bridge

The afternoon led us to Little Italy/North Beach for pizza at Tony's, play time at the park, and a trip to an Italian bakery. This was probably one of the only times where we really just sat with no agenda, and it was nice. Aaron and I sat on a bench at the park and watched the kids play with a sweet dog they met for probably an hour. The view was beautiful and so was the weather. And the kids were in need of some time to run and be loud without us hushing them.

The kids loved playing with the dogs at this park

By the evening, the exhaustion had caught up with Carson, so he and I stayed back a the hotel and watched a movie while Abby and Aaron went souvenir shopping and to Ghiradelli Square.

All in all, I was really amazed and happy with all that we were able to fit into our three days in San Francisco! It is a fun and unique city with so many experiences to offer. This was probably the first "urban" vacation we'd done as a family, but our kids enjoyed it and handled it like rock stars. They were great with public transportation. They really appreciated all the food, architecture, and the people. And I do need to just give a shout out to the people of San Francisco--they were so incredibly friendly. I can't tell you how many times people stopped to help or give advice or to recommend good places to eat--sometimes without us even asking. The people made us feel right at home here, and it made a huge difference. We will definitely be back, San Francisco!