9/23/15

Visit San Francisco (with Kids)

This summer we took a trip to San Francisco. We were in the Northern California area for an entire week- our trip took us from San Fran to Sonoma to Sacramento and back to San Francisco. I am excited to finally share the photos, places, we stayed and food we ate :) Links to these places are included in the post- just in case you are planning to visit this area too! My husband spent almost a year planning this trip, and I have to say it was my favorite "Conner Family adventure" so far!




We started our trip with a direct flight from DFW to San San Francisco. After renting a car, we meandered through the city until we reached Mel's Diner. Maisy and I had a sour dough grilled cheese with fries and a vanilla shake. And Jeff and Afton got a burger and fries. The girls were excited about their souvenir cars :) 



The first leg of our trip was Sonoma. We stayed at The Lodge. It had a great pool where spent a lot of time.



And the rest of our time we spent in downtown Sonoma.  I want to live in Sonoma. Beautiful weather, wine, parks, wine. Did I mention the wine?


We ate breakfast twice at the Sunflower Caffe. Loved the pizza at The Red Grape. And were pretty impressed with the Mexican food at the Maya.





Since we were in Sonoma... we took the girls to The Benziger Family Winery for some 'in the vine' training. It was like a science lesson- they learned about dry farming and grapes. It was family friendly with a playground and lots of opportunities to run around.






 We grabbed lunch at the Fremont Diner. Everything in Sonoma was so fresh. And the temperature for being outside was perfect.



 We also spent some time in Sonoma's famous "Train Town". It was like stepping back in time. The girls loved the rides and we loved the 'old school' music.



After Sonoma, our next stop was Sacramento to visit the Patton Family. We started with lunch at CFA :)


And then we spent a lot of time playing outside!


We had dinner in downtown Sacramento. (Where Maisy lost a tooth!) We ate at Paesano's- they make a good pizza!


That night, the girls got to spend the night at my sister's house. They were thrilled. They had popcorn and watched a movie. In the morning, they ate pancakes on the driveway and then walked to the River. 


After we picked them up from my sister's house, we were on our way again! This time headed to Muir Woods. We could not find a parking spot. Isn't that weird?! There was no parking at a forest - a "National Park" forest. People were parking as far as a mile away and then walking to the woods, so they could walk in the woods. We decided to admire the woods from our car. And take a selfie....


We spent the remainder of the trip in San Fran. Our hotel- the Marriot Marquis- had a really cool rooftop bar, full of really cool working professionals--- and us! 


We spent time down at Pier 39 and rode on the carousel, watched a magic show and shopped. 


Plus there were sea lions! Our favorite restaurants down there were the Boudin Bakery (the sour dough bread!) and Cioppino's for Itallian.


We did a lot of walking. It is such a neat city. 



We also rode in a pedicab. (We are such hipsters! Lol)




And soaked in the sunshine at the San Fran Bay. 



 One of our favorite parts of San Fran was the cruise to Alcatraz! I was surprised at how much we ALL liked this tour. The girls listened to the 'audio tour' and followed along as we heard stories of criminals behind bars. (Stay in school kids!) If you are planning to go, buy tickets now. They sell out months in advance.







We spent a lot of time riding around in cabs. The girls never got tired of this! Cab drivers have some interesting stories. Our favorite was a man who immigrated here from Russia. He loves the USA! 


And although this a 'family trip'- we had fun too! The girls are at a great age for traveling. And those cool temps made it even better. Wearing jeans in August-- that is unheard of in Dallas!


No trip to San Fran would be complete without a trolley ride. (or two)



Everywhere we looked we saw something amazing.  And there were places to play- so many places to play! 

Turns out San Fran has really good pizza. And if you are friendly enough, you can negotiate a 3 hour wait down to 45 minutes. Tony's Pizza- trust me- the best! 


Our big 'bucket list' item was biking the San Francisco Bridge over to Sausalito. This is not for the faint of heart. So impressed that Afton and Maisy did it! We rented our bikes from Blazing Saddles.



After crossing the bridge, the ride down into Sausalito is fast! We shopped and ate the best turkey burger at Napa Valley Burger Co. (Be sure to order their waffle fries!) 



We took a ferry back to San Francisco and these two crazies swam in the bay. It was freezing! 


On our last night,  Maisy really wanted to take a photo with the doorman, who she decided was actually a "Royal Duke". I think the girls liked the excitement of the city.



And just like that- it was all over. We headed back to Texas. Until next time California!


If you have a favorite place to visit or eat in the Sonoma, San Fran, Sacramento or Sausalito- tell me about it in the comments below!
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