February FUN!

 After having a low key January, we hit the ground running in February. I was itching to get out and explore. This happens every few months, haha. Preston teases me that I'm pretty consistent with needing a get away around every three months. This month we decided to explore the two big cities in California. One we frequent often, and the other was a new adventure as a family. 

First we hit San Francisco. We LOVE SF! We venture there every other month it seems. We love the farmers market, the incredible food, and the scenery. It's such a wonderful place to get away for the day. This time I went with the intent to practice my photography skills. We ventured to some of our favorite places as well as go to spots for any tourist coming to town. 

Enjoy a little tour of one of our favorite cities in the U.S.A.!

First stop was the Wharf. 

We grabbed some delicious food from The Codmother Fish & Chips before walking the piers. It was a really cute food truck with dining outside. We could not have picked a better day to spend in San Francisco. It was GORGEOUS! I had some of the best fish and chips from that truck. Cannon Beach is still my number one, but dang, these guys were close. 

Palm trees, blue skies, and 70* weather in February. Yes, I'll take it. 

Down by the Wharf, there are restaurants that line the street. I ate some clam chowder from one of these Ma & Pa shops years ago. It was SO good! It was great seeing so many people out and about. It felt the most "normal" since the pandemic began. 

Quinn and the pigeons...

This is how she sneaks on them. I love the hands behind the back, haha. 

She walks slowly up until they notice her and then she tries to scare them. 

Success! One happy girl!

Trying to climb on the painted seal :)

Seagulls everywhere, and they are HUGE!

Alcatraz

Pier 43 Ferry Arch

This pier was built in 1914 to load and unload railcars off of ferries onto trains. 

We saw a street performer on our walk. 

The kids were mesmerized. He'd do a dance and then stick to a position like a statue.  

So many tables and tents with merch to sell.

One table had a bubble making machine. We danced in the bubbles for a few minutes :)

Jack and bubbles.

One more shot of Pier 43 Ferry Arch. You can see the rails that the trains used to use. 

More merch!

The famous Pier 39

Sea lion fans 

This area is usually jam packed with people and their cameras. This is where you have the chance to get a glimpse of the famous Pier 39 sea lions. The pandemic has been nice in the sense that we don't have to push through crowds any more. It's much more laid back and easy going. It's a really nice feeling. We can be tourists in our cities.

A glimpse at what you can find on Pier 39.

Tons of little shops and restaurants. 

Stars of the pier.

There were surprisingly few sea lions. On a typical day, you would see several of these docks filled with these cool looking creatures. On this particular day, there was only one dock filled with these guys and a handful of them in the water swimming around.  

San Francisco from Pier 39

These two had their very own dock :)

A look at Sausalito from SF.

I loved this view. The mountains, the boat getting fixed, the sea lions on the dock, this is San Francisco.

All of the buildings and housing seem to be right on top of each other. It follows the flow of the mountains and hills. 

One more look at Alcatraz before we head to the market.

Tall buildings and cables everywhere. 

The cables are for the trolley cars and buses that move through the city.

I loved this little brick building. It sat among the giants yet it stood proud and beautiful.

One of my favorite places in San Francisco! The Ferry Building. Every Saturday there is a massive market throughout the building and outside. We love perusing and buying local goodies. 

We come down on Saturdays just to be able to partake of all of this goodness. 

San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge

Waiting patiently while Dad grabs some pecan pie to share....YUM!

Jack wearing my glasses because it was just too bright ;)

One of our favorite stops! We stop here every single time to grab a chocolate croissant and bread. SO GOOD!

Inside the ferry building there are several shops. I thought the ceiling was cool.

Cute little flower cart.

Everything was decorated for Valentine's Day. My little loves.

A cool church that we found.

Baker's Beach

Such a cool location. We listened to the waves crash on the shore while checking out this sweet view!

The kids had an absolute BLAST in the waves.

A view of the city as we headed out. We really enjoy the Bay. The kids will even ask us to go back if we haven't been in a while. I couldn't have picked a better day to take pictures and work on some of my photography skills. I am very much still learning but it has been so fun practicing different techniques. Next is to learn editing. That has never been one of my strengths. San Francisco was a perfect and needed get a way for this family of five. The food was delicious, the family time invaluable, and the memories will forever be cherished.