San Francisco ~ 2010

Wade's annual conference was in San Francisco this year, so Will & I tagged along. Last year, it was me and Tate (Will was wombing it at the time) in San Diego, so it was only fair Will got to go this year. Tate had several fun days with friends and Mo Mere & Poppy. Pretty sure he barely missed us. :) But as we were driving to the airport at 5:00 a.m., I was really second guessing it I should even be going. Several different reasons why, but that's not a fun way to start the trip at all. But in the end, I was so glad I went and none of my worries were anything to worry about. :)

For Will's first time to fly, he did outstanding. We lucked out on both flights getting a free extra seat for him, so both times we timed it well and he slept a good portion of the flight.

The first night we arrived, we had some serious business to take care of. Watching the Texas Rangers play in the game that would get them to the World Series. We found a sports bar that was baby friendly and camped out to watch the game. There were probably 20 screens with the game on, but I'm pretty sure we were the only ones paying attention. Will did good for about two hours, but then he needed a change of scenery. We hurried back to the hotel to watch the end of the game. And there in our little hotel room in San Francisco, the three of us (with a certain 35-year-old male being the loudest) celebrated the win and the first time for the Rangers in the World Series. Pretty fun memory.

So back to the trip. A big reason for my nerves was that I had no idea how Will would do since we haven't traveled with him at all yet. I should've known better than doubt my go-with-the-flow-baby. He did great. As long as he got at least one good nap in the room, he handled coming and going really well. Now the time change was a different story. The first two mornings, he was wide awake at 4:45 a.m. Good times there.

The conference was at The Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. Wow that is a beautiful hotel. Breathtakingly beautiful. I loved walking around and reading about all of the hotel's history. My favorite part of the entire hotel was the little rooftop garden that overlooked the city. Will & I frequented there several times a day. This kiddo loves being outside, so he was often bundled up and happy in the stroller as I enjoyed my morning croissant. Yes I had a morning croissant (and Diet Coke) out on my rooftop garden. Clearly I was on vacation, because it doesn't sound like my"normal" morning at all. Some pics from the view and our daily hangout.

We had one day with Wade before his conference began, so we headed across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito. I love that place. Pretty sure I couldn't afford to rent a parking space there, but I still love it. It was cold and dreary that day, but we enjoyed walking around and taking in the view. And this cutie did great napping in the stroller.

We also went to one sight I had never seen in real life. "The Painted Ladies." Or what my generation calls the "the houses from Full House." So now I've seen the Brady Bunch house AND the Full House house. My life is complete. They really are pretty cute, and the park across the street is great. I can't imagine living on that street as cars were stopping everywhere to take a picture. And half of one street was blocked off for a Saucony TV commercial shoot. But definitely a neat sight to check off the San Francisco list.

Now San Francisco has got some great restaurants. We did, however, scale back our list of fancy restaurants for the ones that wouldn't be completely annoyed that we lugged in the baby carrier. Will did great, and honestly, it was such a special time for us. His life as child #2 is sometimes overshadowed by big brother, so both Wade & I enjoyed our time focusing on Will. And thanks to Lynette who was also at the conference, Wade & I got a night out by ourselves. Only the 2nd night we've had since Will was born! No pictures from Scoma's, but it was delicious as always!

For the last 3 days, it was pretty much just me & Will during the day ready to conquer the city. I had no idea what we would do, and I have to say, that was kind of fun.

The hotel was right in the middle of a residential area called Nob Hill. Every morning, I would go across the street to the adorable little park and walk around. Wow, a city park there is nothing like our big suburban parks. I LOVED the people watching. You really can't see them from this picture, but every single morning, I saw the same elderly couple doing exercise/Tai Chi moves. SO cute! I also a guy practicing what had to be a Broadway-style chorus dance routine. And I saw a super-cool guy in purple Keds practicing some serious ninja moves. Oh I loved that place!

We made a required quick trip to the CAL campus to give Will a little glimpse. GO BEARS!
And one morning, I had a couple of free hours to myself and went across the street to the Grace Cathedral and attended the Choral Eucharist service. I loved it! The music from the boy's choir was absolutely beautiful and I found myself appreciating and enjoying the heritage and sanctity of the words. Very moving and memorable experience.
My last day I ventured to Chinatown to do some shopping. So much fun!
And so much walking! I turned on the wrong street at one point and ended up walking UP this street. While pushing a 6-month-old in a stroller. I'm sure I looked hysterical. This picture does not do it justice. My legs were ON FIRE, and I was sweating like crazy. Not sure how people do that regularly. But I'm pretty sure they make a point not to walk up that street.
And we got one quick visit in with Aunt Barbara, Amy, Paul, & sweet Baby Audrey out in Oakland. These (2nd cousins??) are six months apart. The funny part of our visit was that any time Audrey cried, Will would start crying as well. Cute.That day I was pretty proud of myself. Being a total suburbia girl who has never lived in the big city, I think I did pretty good. Taxi to the financial district downtown. Found the BART station. Figured out the BART ticketing (halfway at least...I did forget to slide when I was leaving). Arrived in Walnut Creek on time. And did it all again to get back to the hotel that evening. All by myself with a baby. Go me! :)

And there was a fun surprise with this trip. One morning I had the news on and heard that Michelle Obama would be at The Fairmont hotel that day for a political fundraiser. I wasn't sure if I heard it right until I got in the elevator with two men who were clearly Secret Service agents. Will & I played it cool. The entire hotel was buzzing with activity all day long. I had nowhere to be, so I loved just watching everyone else in a frenzy. Secret Service was everywhere. And since I wasn't on the guest list, this was the closest I got to seeing FLOTUS.

And even though it was 11:00 p.m. Texas time and we just "watched" using the airplane wifi the Rangers lose the first game of the World Series, I had to be the last one off the plane to get a pic of Will and the pilot who flew the last leg of his first flight.

It was a great trip for all of us. One that did cause some pause as I realized I wouldn't have any new memories with either of my Enright grandparents in this city anymore. I'm thankful for the many memories I have with them growing up that are connected to San Francisco. And I'm looking forward to many more as we take our boys back in years to come.