Without the kids…..
So Mommy and Daddy have been talking about taking a short holiday for a while now, debating over a few locations that would be a short flight and could be done in a few days and then trying to figure out who and how the boys would be looked after. Sean and I both felt we needed some time for each other and the grandparents and Aunty Claudette were very supportive about helping out. How it started out….Sean received an email from the hotel we stayed at in San Francisco a few years ago (when Owen was just 4 month old), they were having a sale. Sean emailed me and said, what do you think? I think, I can’t leave my boys, not yet, so I’ll figure out the flights and show Sean it just won’t work. Wrong-o, the flights worked out and were quite a good deal, the weekend we picked happened to be free for everyone and our passports were still valid. So after much worry over Owen and Brandon and much reassurance from everyone that they would be just fine….probably more fine that us…we decided to do it, book the trip. So the day we went to book we received an email from WestJet Vacations. There was a sale on flights to San Francisco. Our flights were there and our hotel was there, for $600 less than we were going to originally book. Okay so I think this is where all the stars aligned, it was just suppose to happen!
The day came, we dropped the boys off at the day home, I held back my tears and we headed for the airport. I left numerous notes all over the house and bought way too many groceries but I wanted the grandparents and Aunty Claudette to not have to worry about anything but Owen and Brandon. The flight to San Francisco went smooth and we packed light, we took the BART from the airport to Union Square to our hotel, the Prescott Hotel. Imagine public transportation from the airport to the downtown core! What an idea!
We walked to our hotel; I forgot about the hills….so many hills….San Francisco! It was a very warm sunny day, warmer than we expected. The weather was outstanding the whole time we were there. The first day we were in San Fran we did some shopping and had dinner at California Pizza Kitchen – best pizza ever — and talked about how we wanted to fill our two days here.
Friday we saw Fisherman’s Wharf / Pier 39 and Alcatraz. We hopped on the cable car from Union Square and took up and down all the hills, some hills so steep you had to hold on tight, to Fisherman’s Wharf. It was another very warm day and so much to see. We even found a store just for me….Lefty’s. What a magical place, everything worked so well as soon as I picked it up….can openers, measuring cups, scissors, pens and notebooks…so much! We took a chance and bought a pair of left handed scissors, we are betting that out of the 4 kids (Owen, Brandon, Zoe and Baby Stamp) one of them would be left handed! Alcatraz was better than all the pictures you see and websites you read. It was unreal and awe-inspiring to think that it was actually used as a prison and held some of the most dangerous and notorious “bad guys”.
Dinner was at the Cheesecake Factory on top of Macy’s right in Union Square. The food is outstanding and completely worth the wait — you usually wait close to an hour at any given time of day for a table. Sean and I lucked out Friday night and got to sit outside on the balcony with a view of Union Square. Dinner was wonderful and so filling and we discovered their Bellini’s…oh yum! My feet were so sore and my legs so tired by the time we walked back to the hotel.
Saturday we decided to do the Open Top Sightseeing Tour of San Francisco. It was a great way to see the city and the sights without trying to figure it out through cable cars and walking. The city hall was beautiful with a green space in front and playgrounds for the children to use…I think I counted 3!! Coit Tower was very cool, we “hopped off” to see this sight. The painted ladies (beautiful Victorian homes) were quite a sight. We hopped off at Golden Gate Bridge and took in the sight….the sheer size of the Golden Gate Bridge is overwhelming. To think that it was built in the 1930’s and that there were people who had the “technology” and foresight to build something of this magnitude is awesome. We walked the bridge until we were right over the water, looking one way you could see the ocean and looking the other way you could see into the bay and see Alcatraz. It was really really windy and the wind was very very cool — imagine goosebumps but sweating in the heat all at the same time. After some pictures, I was ready to head back…traffic whizing past on one side and deep deep water on the other side…my stomach was not feeling quite right. We hopped back on the double decker bus and did one last trip over the Golden Gate Bridge and headed back to Union Square where we hopped off and had dinner…Cheesecake Factory. Yes again, the food and Bellini’s were so so good!
Sunday was home time. We packed up and headed to the BART back to the airport. It was a quite morning on the streets and promised to be another hot hot day. At the airport we ate pizza (another really really good pizza) and lounged around until boarding time….I read my book (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo — excellent book!!) and Sean worked on the laptop. After landing in Edmonton we were very surprised to see Owen and Brandon, Grandma K and Aunty Claudette and Grandma and Grandpa H waiting for us. The tears came and I wasn’t stopping them, what a wonderful surprise! The boys were very happy to see us but also a little thrown with all the other people around. The babysitters said the boys did exceptionally well, cooperating for everyone, eating a ton and making everyone laugh!
Excellent trip, much needed break, missed Owen and Brandon so much! Check out Sean’s blog for more pictures from our trip www.korsanstudios.com/blog