Today was the day we planned to visit the Golden Gate Bridge from Baker Beach. Baby J was a bit fussy on the way there but calmed down once we got on the beach. She LOVED the sound of the waves crashing ashore. The sand was cool and silky smooth to walk on and it was the most perfect day to view the bridge. No fog!! We absolutely loved this nature aspect of San Francisco.
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Baker Beach with the Golden Gate Bridge off in the distance.
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These were taken towards the end of our excursion and Miss J was tired.
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Thumb in the mouth. . .
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No pictures please!!
The BEST part of our Golden Gate Bridge/Baker Beach activity was that I booked a family portrait session with Ed of Ed Pingol Photography! We love his work and feel so lucky that he was able to take our first family pictures. A few sneak peeks:
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After our portrait session, Ed and Bryan drove us around and we got the chance to visit the Palace of Fine Arts.
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Then we decided it was time to introduce Baby J to In-n-Out!
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No trip to California is complete unless you've had In-n-Out - too bad Miss J is a bit too young. Her Mommy and Daddy enjoyed it immensely!
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After lunch, it was time for hubby to check-in to the conference.
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While he was doing that Miss J and I checked out the room where he would be speaking on Friday. The room was huge and I was thanking my lucky stars that he would be the one giving a speech - not me!
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I am not the type to hang around the hotel room waiting so while Hubby attended platform sessions Baby J and I headed on out to explore San Fran!
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I decided that we would hop onto a cable car and explore Chinatown and Union Square. I used the heck out of our Muni Passport which allowed for unlimited rides on the street car, cable cars, buses and underground lines. It more than paid for itself by the end of our trip.
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The weather during our stay was absolutely beautiful! I was expecting cold, foggy weather that changed at the drop of a hat and was met with the complete opposite. It was cool in the shade and warm in the sun - just the way I like it!
Miss J and I spent the afternoon strolling around Chinatown and Union Square. I am so glad I did not take the stroller with me. There are a few hills in Chinatown that nearly did me in - I can only imagine what it would have been like had I had the stroller. Chinatown was what I expected - cheap souvenir shops and electronic stores interspersed with restaurants.
Union Square was all shopping and was a relatively flat, easy walk though I felt like all the stores were stores I could shop at home. Baby J and I did wander into the Paul Frank store - they have the cutest baby stuff! We walked out with a couple of burp cloths and a onesie.
The gate to Chinatown - I had no idea Baby J was asleep when I asked someone to take the picture.
After our walks through Chinatown and Union Square, we took the Powell-Hyde Cable car down the hill to the side of Fisherman's wharf we did not explore yesterday. This cable car is CROWDED with tourists and it's a great way to see San Francisco if you don't mind the crowds. Because I had Miss J in the carrier I was required to sit - not stand - inside the cable car. Well when I got on no one would get up! Not even able-bodied teenagers! The cable car operator had to yell out, "Mom and baby on board!!! Give up your seat!!!" Nothing like Baby J and I creating a scene (yet again) but his yelling worked and someone finally gave me their seat.
After we got off the cable car we explored Fisherman's wharf a bit more and found the Bush Man!!
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This guy sits in front of a trash can behind some foliage and scares the beejeezus out of tourists. It's HILARIOUS to watch!
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After our long day we ordered dinner from North Beach Pizza and crashed!
*image taken with Canon Powershot SD1000 point and shoot
**image taken with Nikon D70 SLR camera using 17-55mm f/2.8 lens
Questions? Comments? e-mail theworldaccordingtomissj@gmail.com
