Today I’m going to begin a short series of posts about my trip with the boys to the Bay Area last week. Like I mentioned, it was a renewing trip for all of us. I was prepared for a whole lot of madness, with two kids by myself traveling, and then with Cassi and her two kids by ourselves exploring! It ended up being wonderful, with only a few little moments of craziness (you know, a potty accident here, a starving child without snacks incident there. Nothing we don’t go through as moms anyway!)
I thought the easiest way to break up the trip would be in categories, like I did for my last trip to San Francisco. This first one highlights some of the fun things that we did with the kiddos. Since it was a mom’s trip, we tried to do things the boys and babies would enjoy. Hope this comes in handy if you’re ever looking for something to do in the Bay Area!
Watch Curious George
Okay, this isn’t a real activity, and it doesn’t only happen in the Bay Area, but I thought the photo was too cute to skip. And that little monkey did come in handy a couple times to keep the busy boys occupied while we finished packing diaper bags (or at 5 am when Milo decided it he was awake for the day…)
Romp around at Stanford
The Stanford campus in Palo Alto is spectacular. It’s just minutes from Cassi’s house, so it made for a perfect late-afternoon adventure.
The main quad is beautiful, and the boys chased each other down the columned paths and in and out of the planters. There is so much to see, you could wander for hours and be entertained.
Looking up from the scrambling boys we caught a bit of the beautiful architecture and history. No one seemed to mind our rambunctious crew, and they were able to spend their afternoon energy.
They also got the space to be a little silly:) Beckham thought this would be a fun way to walk back to the car. And Milo threw his garbage truck toy INTO the garbage after I told him I would not fish it out if he did. He’s still asking “where’s my garbage truck?” and I say “in the garbage can at Stanford, remember?” Instead of taking home a souvenir, we left one:)
Visit the Half-Moon Bay Pumpkin Farms
We were looking forward to this one since the idea came up a few weeks ago. Cassi had visited both of the two big farms, and preferred the one “on the Left” so that’s where we went. The parking lot was empty, and the place like a ghost town. Turns out the festival had ended the day before! That didn’t stop the boys from having a great time!
In fact, it was probably better, because there was not a crowd to deal with! Beckham found the smallest pumpkin and Milo found a bunch of fun things to throw (pumpkins, hay, dirt…such a boy.)
I managed to get one or two okay (obligatory) pumpkin patch photos of my babies.
Since we were long on time, we crossed the street to the farm “on the Right” and found some goats to pet. For being closed, we sure had a great time!
Cross the Golden Gate Bridge and head to Muir Woods
I have to give myself a pat on the back for beginning to overcome my fear of driving over bridges this trip. I made it over the Golden Gate Bridge without hyperventilating (I prepped myself by raising my blood sugar with a fun sized milky way and distracted myself by taking photos with my phone as I drove. Not safe, but neither is passing out en route:)
Once across the bridge, we wound along a hilly lane for a couple miles and found ourselves at the edge of the Redwood Forest.
Muir woods has a paved trail through the towering trees, so it is a nice easy walk for strollers. The boys hopped in and out of them as we wandered down the path.
The trees at Muir Woods are thousands of years old and hundreds of feet tall. It was spectacular and peaceful.
Here’s Milo growing “tall, tall, tall” like a Redwood.
I don’t think kids ever have as much fun as when they are running around outside in nature. And the beauty of nature sure helps me connect to those things that are real and important, too.
Slide and Swing at the Washington Square Playground
This little playground is a perfect morning stop (after grabbing some breakfast and cocoa at nearby Liguria, Mama’s or La Boulange). We visited on a morning that I took my boys into the city on my own, and it was a great, easy stop. There is metered parking all around the square, and we just walked over to the bakery and back.
There is a small playground with some swings, monkey bars, slides, and some benches for watching parents.
Or jumping kiddos.
Little Eliot and I enjoyed watching Milo play and snuggling in the brisk morning air. I think we’d be here often if I lived closer.
Drive “DOWN! DOWN! DOWN” the steep city streets.
Milo couldn’t get enough of the hilly San Francisco streets! He kept yelling “Down! Again Mama!” We could have just driven around for an hour. Oh wait, we did. A few times:)
Driving around in the city is fun for mom, too. There is so much cool stuff to see!
The buildings and homes are so unique. And almost all slanted on their hills.
And, I was entertained by a few business I passed and had to take quick snapshots of. Like “Get Thee to the Nunnery” clothing in Inner Richmond. What? Apparently it’s really cool, I’ll have to check it out on my next trip.
And what about Donuts and Chinese? Sound like a likely pair? Nope. This one I’ll pass on.
Ride the Golden Gate Carrousel
We stumbled upon the carrousel after a late morning playing at the children’s quarter playground in Golden Gate Park. Both the playground and the carrousel were amazing! The playground area is sprawling, with several different play areas, some ride-on sculpture and some sand (milo’s favorite.)
The various different types of animals are all beautiful. Milo and Bex enjoyed picking a different one each time they rode.
I love the nostalgia of merry-go-round music. Makes you feel like a kid at a carnival. And sort of give you a hankering for some funnel cake and cotton candy:) Milo has ridden before, but this was his first time really enjoying it thoroughly. I did too.
The carrousel is one of the top 5 historic carrousels in the world, and was like taking a ride through history!
Blow bubbles outside with the babysitter.
The last evening of the trip, Cassi and I left the kids (except Eliot) with a sitter at home, and we headed out for a girls night. It was so fun to entertain them all week with kid-centered activities, and it was also so fun to leave them playing at home while we got a break.
