Winter Brrrrreak

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When:Dec 19th - Jan 5th

Where: winter in sunny San Francisco

Highlights: Living in the Marina area of The City & exploring places we had left out earlier



We braced the elements in the wee hours of morning to board this flight to sunny San Francisco. The weather was at its worst last week of school and we were more than happy to compromise home for a sunny New Year😊

We left Calgary @ -30 C to land in a balmy +15 C SFO.

Thanks to the winds, it was a quick 2 hour journey.

It was very interesting to pick a cab and drive North. S was intently listening to all the places I was detailing. She was excited to be in the place she was born. It was sort of weird to her that she did not remember any of it. 😊

I was filled with a strange sense of familiarity.



Once we reached home, we had a hearty meal and decided to beat the tiredness by heading out. G had to work, so it was business as usual. Team S and M!

Obviously, we headed to the Marina library first. After making a mental note to motivate G to get the inevitable library card, we headed out to Marina blvd. We walked until we hit bay trail near Crissy Field. That was a long walk in itself for S, so we turned back to relax at the Palace of Fine Arts! It was interesting to note that the scenery hadn't changed in 4 years.

We still had a mile to go back home. Thanking the existence of google maps, we reached Moscone recreation center. They had a Winter Carnival with Santa, cookie decoration, bouncers, kids crafts etc. S had a blast! I had to literally haul her out of the place as we reached closing time. Assuring her of a long stay(in the near future) at the nearby awesome kids playground, we returned home. First day in SF was sure exhaustive!

Mileage ~ 3 miles.



Over the next 10 days, we averaged at least 2-3 miles every day. There were special days when we might have done up to 5 miles. But then again, those are special and rare. 😊

Our second day was special and rare. We did 5 miles! We walked alive & aimlessly. We came into Fort Mason meadows where I showed her the spot I last came before S was born. Then we walked on a pier jutting out of Ghirardelli Square. I had never walked it either and it was there we spotted a jelly fish in the water. Interestingly, it is the swimming spot in the area. We saw Pelicans, the heavily-human-immune California gulls, snowy egrets and some unknown birds in addition to the famous sea lions that are everywhere. S was always excited to go near the water.

S enjoyed the Fisherman's Wharf area shopping and sight seeing center.

We had a library card in the next day or two. Once we made a reading spot for S, it is hard to articulate who was relieved, her or us? 😊



San Francisco library gives free museum passes to its residents. Once I was aware of this, we started utilizing this huge opportunity to the most.

The following are the places we visited:

1. Conservatory of Flowers

The best time to visit is when they have some specific shows or themes going on. They had the "Trip to the tropics" for the Winter. S had so much fun checking out the butterflies and doing their activity page. It is good to spend an hour or so.

We waited enough to see butterflies coming out of pupa and waiting for their wings to dry up. It was a surreal experience for me at least. 😊 S seemed to know and recognize most species and so badly wanted to catch them in her hands. Well, there are enough signs to warn you. So knows to read! No worries there.




2. S S Jeremiah O Brien

IMO, a must visit. It took us 7 decades ago to the times of War and cry.

The whole ship is living history! It is conveniently anchored in not so visible and popular Pier 45. Nearby Fisherman's Wharf takes all the glory and crowd.

If you are a mechanical person, there are volunteers who can answer your questions about engines, wars & ships.



3. Children's Creativity Museum

A decent place to visit with a kid in hand and time to spare. You could spend a good 2-3 hours here.

It is like a mini science center only tending more for younger kids. Their classes/camps seemed interesting.




4. Academy of Sciences

BY far the best! We had visited it 4 years ago when they just remodeled and reopened. But S enjoyed it better now. Admission is steep for $35 but there is so much to do from open to close. S enjoyed the Rainforest canopy the most. The adults would enjoy the planetarium. Their shows were very well made. It successfully transported us to outer space. They had many talks and shows that if you have all day, you might still miss out on some.

Their cafe prices are steep again! Its probably smart to bring your own, specially when you have kids.



New year was special as we spent it with friends. S had friends too and was super happy. The awesome cable car ride on New Year's eve was absolutely mind-blowing. It was so much fun.

We had a quiet New Year's night though I could hear the fireworks from our living room.



We also made a most-wanted trip to Alcatraz. Despite topping the touristy places in San Francisco, we found it very informative and interesting. It was like one whole museum on an island. A short film introduced us to the island, prison and its inmates. We then walked up to the Prison and took the audio tour. The tour is very well made and can keep you busy for the greater part of a day.

It seemed scary to have been inmate and the audio tour brought history back to life.

After a while, S had had enough of all the infamous inmates, the prison & the dark side of life. The only thing she enjoyed was the playground(which coincidentally was the favorite place for the inmates as well). Kids could easily get bored here as there is so much to read.

G & I agreed that a visit to the island should be a one day affair. G had an office to go to and we had some more sight-seeing to do. So, we took the ferry back to mainland. A warm sunny day found us on top tier of the ferry.




We walked our way to Golden Gate via Crissy field and it is one of the pleasant walks in the city. It is crowded but the bay trail gets close to nature. We sighted a few hummingbirds amongst other birds and sea animals. But I found a board that warned people to stay out of the water for recreation purpose as the water quality was bad in certain areas. And this was at the beginning of the bay.

This is probably the warmest winter I have seen in 10 years. Just a few hours N and Sun is not quarter as harsh.



California was going through a dry year second year consecutively and it definitely showed. 10 straight days of clear view of the Golden Gate was not common 4 years ago.



With the winter vacation coming to an end, we were glad to have visited our near & dear. I came back richer than I left. Joy filled our hearts. S had made some new friends too!

Jan 5th morning there was reaction among the passengers when the pilot announced the weather in Calgary as -18 C.😊 Edmonton was a tad on the chillier side with -35 C. 😊 Even S commented that Calgary was warmer.

No offense to the Americans(I actually had a very pleasant stay this time around) but I could see the stark difference in people's attitude this side of the border. So much more willing and helpful even in the airports, though I have to agree that it had a lot to do with the lesser traffic passing by. And that this is the West!

It is cold(er). It is harsh(er). No offense to the other side, but I am glad to be residing on this side of the border.

P.S: Most photos came out of a cellphone. 😞




-travelbuffs

Nothing ever becomes real till it is experienced. - John Keats

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Photos

war models
Museum, warship

snowy egret & S
first

Manta rays, shark tank
Academy of sciences

Union Square
Christmas eve