Ah, yes! Patience and careful planning has its rewards! We finally were able to take our long anticipated trip to California! My son Greg works in Hollywood, and we wanted to see and also visit San Francisco. After much planning and saving, cashing in tons of Capital One rewards points, and me earning an extra three vacation days a year after fifteen years at the CPA firm I work at, we were able to make the trip!
This was the view from our room in San Francisco. The tall tower is Coit Tower, and the island in the Bay is Alcatraz, one of two famous rocks we were to see our trip. We could also see Fisherman's Wharf and Chinatown.
Although we had a full week for our trip, it was still not enough time to see a redwood forest, so this was as close as we got. This was in the Exploratorium, a huge hands on children's science museum on the pier in San Francisco. Alison got us the Citipass, which entitled us to unlimited public transportation and four attractions.
Alison and Benjamin are fascinated by this sculpture of a an intricate ship, made entirely out of toothpicks.
The Exploratorium was huge, the largest hands on museum I had ever seen. We spent way more time than we expected in it, and Benjamin's mind was overwhelmed by it. There were a lot of people in the museum as well. Many, many very excited children, and a very helpful staff.
Another great first day experience was the City Lights Bookstore. This was a popular hangout for beat authors like Allen Ginsberg and Ken Kesey in the 50s and 60s. There were three floors to it, including one floor devoted solely to poetry and beat literature. There was not a Rushy Limbaugh or Bill O'Liely book in sight. I had never seen so many progressive books in one place before. It about made me weep for joy. Even the science fiction and mystery sections were filled with fiction writers of progressive backgrounds.
And that's just the first day, folks! More to come! This is the modern equivalent of my Dad's vacation slide shows!
Bring popcorn!
I love San Francisco; only been twice, but I love Chinatown, Muir Woods, Science museum and Japanese garden. And Fisherman's Wharf,, Pier 38(9?), and pretty much everything! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteIt was awesome beyond belief. Loved the weather, the sights and the people.
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