Concrete Jungle Where Dreams Are Made Of

We are off to the Big Apple October 12-16. Where "these streets will make you feel brand new big lights will inspire you"...that what Alicia Keys says. Yes, I've had this Alicia Keys song on repeat today. And, maybe I even know the words.

I'm a funny trip person. For some reason, I don't get excited about trips until I'm on them. What?! Europe, Costa Rica, Hawaii....were all that way. That's weird...I know.

But, this trip is a little different. Brent is being recognized for his graphic design skills (ha! that sounds funny). I'm so happy for him and excited for the experience. And, it's his first time to visit NYC. We also have a handful of friends to visit which will be fun! Plus, how can you not be excited after listening to Alicia Keys New York song?

Brent's favorite original joke about NYC is that he can't wait to have some Sbarro pizza there. Isn't he funny!

I was also thinking...

If anyone is looking for an SF vacation that weekend and would like to stay at our place...let me know.

World's Greatest Sandbox

Here it is open:

And here it is closed:

I think I will need to buy this someday...first, it looks like a lot of fun! Even for adults:). Second, the neighborhood cats are not drawn to the seemingly giant litter box.

In my childhood house we had a giant litter box. Of course it began as a sandbox but once the neighborhood strays desecrated our precious sandbox there was no turning back....THEY owned it!

Our house backed up to a bayou, and let me tell you, these were not your average strays. I still have nightmares of them. They were a cat gang. I was afraid to go in our backyard. All of the cats were haggard looking in their own ways; but they ALL had crazy eyes. One had only one eye. Another had three legs (or did I make that one up?).

Once the cat gang had claimed our backyard they turned it into a brothel. And they weren't quiet about it. Everynight we could hear their...well you get the picture. In an effort to reclaim our backyard my mom rented a cat trapper. Once each cat was trapped mom moved the trapper to the garage, with the cat inside of it, to wait for animal control.

Every morning I had to pass THE CAT on my way to the car. They were not happy to be in the cage and they made sure you knew it. I am sure that I rushed passed their cage and hopped in the car as quickly as possible. One particular cat had gone so crazy in the trapper that he had rubbed off big patches of his hair and was bleeding. This was traumatic to me...I actually had a nightmare about that cat the other night.

So, this sandbox seems like a nice alternative to the traditional sandbox.

And, while we're on the subject of cats...

My family is not a cat loving family. Really how can you be when they desecrate your sandbox and you're afraid to go in your own backyard AND garage? So, my dad made up this original joke. I think it's funny but after hearing it so many time, watching him crack up might be the funniest part of the joke. Anyways, here it is:

"The worst thing about running over a cat is that sometimes you have to go way up in the yard to get them"...hahahhahaha

Ok, there you have it. That is where I get my sick sense of humor.

RIP childhood sandbox.

SF Top 10

I'm putting this out there for all you friends who can't wait to come visit me and want to know what to do when you come. My Top 10 list of things to do in San Francisco. Tourist tip #1 use "SF" or "San Francisco"...not San Fran:). 

1a. Hang out with Brent and Linds

1b. The Marin Headlands

On a clear day this is the most beautiful drive. It has ocean and bay views, beaches, an old military structure to explore, and a must see lighthouse thats open Sat, Sun, Mon from 12:30-3:30pm.

2. Bike ride across the GGB to Sausalito. If you want an easy bike ride, rent an electric bike. You will love going up hills without breaking a sweat! My favorite Sausalito restaurant is The Spinnaker. 

3. The Golden Gate Park. I love this place. It is practically in our backyard so maybe I'm biased but it's beautiful and deserves more attention than it gets as it is often overshadowed by the more popular sf attractions. 

• My favorite walk is from 11th Ave to Ocean Beach. The walk takes about 1 1/2 hrs down and back.
• Stroll through the Japanese Tea Garden. Its free M, W, F if you enter between 9-10am
• Bring a picnic lunch to Stow Lake. Walk around the lake and cross the bridge to the island in the middle. Beautiful views of the city at the top of the island. You can rent bikes and paddle boats too!
• It has lots to offer like the De Young and California Academy of Science Museum's (both have nice cafe's), botanical gardens, Conservatory of Flowers, a windmill, a carousel, and bison. 

4. Picnic in Delores Park. If you want to experience the culture of sf this is a great park to people watch. Also one of the sunniest parts of the city and great views of the city from the top of the park.

• Grab sandwiches at Rhea's Deli (11am-5pm) and walk to the park
• Get some Bi-rite ice cream afterward and you can thank me later!
• Great shops in the area. Start on 19th and Valencia and see where that takes you. 

5. Shopping

• Union Square has all the big stores.
• Haight St has the hippiest shops also Valencia in the Mission. 
• If you like flea markets or antique stores Alameda Point Antique Fair is a MUST. It's the first Sunday of every month. Get there right at 6am to get the best stuff. $15/person

6. Take in the views at Alamo Square Park (aka the Full House Park). On a nice day, bring a blanket and stay awhile. Head to Divisadero St (just a few blocks away) for shopping and food. Ice cream or groceries at Bi-Rite, dinner at Nopa (make reservations), toast and coffee at The Mill. Shopping faves are Rare Device (art gallery and boutique) and The Parish Trust (art, antiques, amusement, warby parker).

7. Bonfire at Ocean Beach (#7 & #8 are in the same vicinity)

At ocean beach there are pits. All you have to do is stop by the Safeway a few blocks away to get your wood, food, and other supplies. Claim your pit early or they might all be taken...especially on the weekend. And, it will probably be cold and windy so bring jackets and blankets.

8. Watch the Sunset from Land's End. You can also take a nice hike from here towards the GG Bridge. If you do end up at Land's End or the Ocean Beach area and have time, check out Mollusk Surf Shop (cool merch and beautifully designed shop), good eats at Outerlands (it usually has a very long wait so make reservations or maybe going early would help), and The General Store which is located next to Outerlands. 

9. Chilaxing at Crissy Field or Aquatic Park. Great places to sit and take it all in. Especially on a warm, clear day

10. Museums

My favorite is The Walt Disney Family Museum. But, I'm not a big museum person so you're on your own with this one. Just FYI...there is a bowling alley next to the WDFM. Bowling is cool in any city!

Food Recommendations
Here's a google map of our favorite places. You can also check out The 38 Essential SF Restaurants & The SF Chronicle Top 100.


Classic SF attractions that I like but not my top 10. 
Cable Car Ride. Stop by the Cable Car Museum(it's free and very interesting to learn how they run)
Alcatraz
Hyde Street Pier (old antique boats)

Important Stuff to Know

• Fisherman's Wharf is lame. Don't waste your time. 
• Bring some warm clothes and LAYER. Otherwise you will be stuck buying a poorly designed San Francisco sweatshirt at Fisherman's Wharf and the Bush Man will scare you. It is ALWAYS chilly at night and usually chilly at some point in the day.
• September and October are typically the best months to visit. Less crowds and better weather. The summers are typically foggier and colder. Late fall/early winter is rainier. 

Good Times

Oh man, I am wayyyy behind here. Back in May, yes May, we got to host the Henley's. I cannot even begin to tell you what a great time we had and how I didn't want them to leave. So much that I skipped work on Monday (their last day with us) to buy myself a few more hours with them.

Cassie has some great posts on her blog with lots of great stories and details from their trip. I have read and reread them many times. Check them out:

Back in the Saddle

San Fran, Day One, Part 1

San Fran, Day One, Part 2

San Fran, Day Two, Part 1

San Fran, Day Two, Part 2

San Fran, Day Three

San Fran, Day Four (hopefully coming soon:)

On our first day with the Henley's we went to Alcatraz. This was a controversial trip (Austin wanted to go and Cassie didn't want to tour a prison), but I think everyone enjoyed it in the end. It had beautiful views of the bay, the city, and Alcatraz itself is very beautiful. It's definitely a trip worth taking at least once in you're life. Or twice or more if you're like Austin and love the place.

We did the audio tour which is included in the price of admission and I learned lots of interesting history.

The ferry ride, which is also included in the price of admission, offers nice views as well. And, luckily no one got sea sick.

We had some extra time one day so we decided to stop by Brent's office.

My favorite part of Hatch is the rooftop views like this one of the TransAmerica Building.

We also got to check out this restaurant I've been eyeing for a while. Everyday on my way to work I drive by Straw. It's colorful storefront caught my eye and the idea of a restaurant that serves carnival food was very intriguing to me. My only hesitation was that the food would be too heavy.

What we ordered was not heavy. We got the mini corn dogs, corn on the cob with some fun stuff on it, Brent split the monte cristo with Austin, and I split the chicken salad (with apples, bacon bits, etc on it). It was all very delicious to me!

As a tour guide :), I am always getting requests to see the Full House park. So, here it is. Alamo Square is the correct name though. Cassie took some amazing pictures of the place (in fact she took all these pictures). There are so many great parks in San Francisco to visit!

We were so, so happy to have the Henley's visit. The other day my mom asked me what makes my heart sing? I wasn't really sure how to answer that. It's kinda a deep question. But, among other things, my heart sang to have four days of great company with the Henley's, good conversation, lots of laughing, and sharing old stories and making new memories.

I miss our friends dearly. One of the hardest things about living in CA is being so far away from family and friends. Luckily, we live in a beautiful city that motivates our sweet friends and family to visit us!

Sweet Memories...

One of my favorite pastimes is lunch with Brent back in the day when we worked a few blocks away from each other. We were just out of college and newly married....and broke. Everyday for lunch I would pick him up from work and we would eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in a bank parking lot and talk about our day. The food wasn't very good but it was my favorite part of the day.

Today, I picked Brent up from work a we drove to the beach and had homemade tacos (a bit of an upgrade from peanut butter and jelly) and talked about our day. It was just like the good 'ole days!

Renegade Craft Fair

Some friends of ours had a booth at Renegade Craft Fair and came down for the weekend and stayed with us. We tried to go to the last Renegade but Brent got sick:(...so I was excited to go to this one. For all you Texans, they have one in Austin, but I heard it's newer and not that good yet.

We don't make too many crafty type purchases. But, I did find some keepers.

I got one of these headbands from Cookie and the Dude.

And, I LOVE petitcollage! My biggest problem is that we don't have kids for me to buy this stuff for. I tried to buy this mobile but Brent wouldn't let me. I love it, and it better be available when we have kids or someone will be in trouble!

I also like their ABC posters and prints on wood.

But, I settled for these...to give as gifts of course!

This puzzle is one of my favorites! The blocks make 6 different pictures! Not only is it a cool puzzle but that's a lot of bang for you buck.

Lil' Mama Visits!

It was so exciting to have Katy (Lil' Mama) visit me (Big Mama) in San Francisco! These were are nicknames for each other in high school. We grew up in Houston what else can I say...

We had a great time seeing the city, biking the bridge (on electric bikes of course), driving through the Marin Headlands, mani/pedi's, walking in the park, and shopping. I guess the last time we saw each other was Christmas!

The weather was pretty nice for Katy's trip. Which is a big deal! Lately the weather stinks! Yesterday it was foggy, misting, completely overcast, and probably in the 50's. What is wrong with this place?!

So, we checked out Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands.

We had a little time to kill one day and decided to check out the Cable Car Museum. I thought it'd be an easy 10 block walk from where we were but we had to walk 10 blocks up and down a hill or two. Whoops! I'd say it was worth the 10 blocks there and 10 blocks back though. But, only because the museum is free.

The museum explains how the cable cars work and the history of the cable cars. It requires a bit of reading but it's pretty interesting. Especially the part about how the cable cars work.

You can stand on an observation deck above these huge wheels that turn the cables. Above the wheels you can see the names of the streets that particular wheel is turning the cable for. The cable runs underground and the cars latch onto this cable. Probably not in my top ten list of favorite things to do in SF but interesting.

And, of course, we ate a bunch of good food. I was so excited to take Katy to my favorite pie shop, Mission Pie. She loves apple pie. But, those jokers don't make apple pie?! I was very disappointed but she got to try the mixed berry pie (my favorite). I refrained from eating because I'm on a diet. Jk...she took the last piece...jerk! So, I stared at her eating each bite....she shared though!

Katy, so glad you came! Come back!!