03-03-2025, 09:55 AM
Sat - Shannon and I took our friend and her smart/precocious 5 yo to the Exploratoreum. (It was our Xmas gift to him)
They came up from Marina, picked me up. We stopped at the Fisherman's Wharf Hyatt and dropped off our stuff, then drove up the embarcadero to the museum. Got there around noon.
It was expected, by 5yo boys are challenging. Not much interest in what each exhibit was about, just what buttons can I push, what can I bang on. We took a break and got some food on the back patio at Pier 23. It was nice to sit. Food was decent. Staff was particularly unfriendly in general, except an older man who said he'd only been there two months, but though the other staff's behavior was terrible. He made up for it.
Got thru the meal, but was completely stuffed. Waddled back to the Exploratoreum for round two. Lots of other kids having breakdowns. Screaming, siblings battling. We did as well, if not better. We were on the upstairs back deck checking out the camera obscura pointed at the Bay Bridge and Treasure Island when they started shutting things down.
Took the long way back to the hotel to do some sight seeing. Parked next to Grace Cathedral, across from the Masonic. Went to the Top of the Mark. Took some pix right at sunset, but opted to not stay. Instead, we went back down and over to the Fairmont, but at this point we were really on the edge of small person breakdown. Went to the Tonga Room downstairs where they let us all hang out at the bar. Got some NA beverages, went over to the pool deck and watched the rain/lightning/thunder show. (it's like being next to the produce in the grocery isle).
We were spent at that point. Went back to the hotel and crashed.
Sun - brunch at the hotel (we had a credit which was the whole reason for staying there...redeeming it was challenging). After brunch, we walked around the corner and caught a cable car to the cable car museum. We thought it was going to be a rainy or at least overcast day, but it was lovely. On the way there, our friend discovered that she had left her cell phone in the lobby. While the 5yo and I looked around the museum, she and Shannon tried to recover her phone.
Phone finally recovered after an hour or so (the valet found it). We caught the Hyde St cable car over to Fisherman's Wharf. Walked to the maritime museum where I asked the staff for contacts to see if they might have interest is a ship model collection. Got some good leads. Then we walked over to Ghiradelli Square. Got a mocha, checked out the fountain and then walked all the way back to the hotel (not that far actually) to check out. We had a late checkout (2pm) and got to the door right at 2pm which meant our keys stopped working. Shannon resolved that at the desk, we gathered up our stuff and then headed out. Drove past the Marina, past the Palace of Fine Arts, over the Tunnel Tops, thru the Presidio and into traffic on 19th Ave.
Finally got thru all that and took 280 back. Shannon was getting hungry and still had to drive all the way back to Marina (no, not The Marina, the city Marina). So we stopped in Los Altos for some early dinner. Most everything was closed, but we found a Mexican place and had a nice meal. Back on the road, too Foothill all the way back to Cupertino. Stopped at McClellan Ranch Park to see the goats (and chickens, ducks, alpacas, etc). Then they dropped me off at home.
Fun but exhausting weekend.
--tg
They came up from Marina, picked me up. We stopped at the Fisherman's Wharf Hyatt and dropped off our stuff, then drove up the embarcadero to the museum. Got there around noon.
It was expected, by 5yo boys are challenging. Not much interest in what each exhibit was about, just what buttons can I push, what can I bang on. We took a break and got some food on the back patio at Pier 23. It was nice to sit. Food was decent. Staff was particularly unfriendly in general, except an older man who said he'd only been there two months, but though the other staff's behavior was terrible. He made up for it.
Got thru the meal, but was completely stuffed. Waddled back to the Exploratoreum for round two. Lots of other kids having breakdowns. Screaming, siblings battling. We did as well, if not better. We were on the upstairs back deck checking out the camera obscura pointed at the Bay Bridge and Treasure Island when they started shutting things down.
Took the long way back to the hotel to do some sight seeing. Parked next to Grace Cathedral, across from the Masonic. Went to the Top of the Mark. Took some pix right at sunset, but opted to not stay. Instead, we went back down and over to the Fairmont, but at this point we were really on the edge of small person breakdown. Went to the Tonga Room downstairs where they let us all hang out at the bar. Got some NA beverages, went over to the pool deck and watched the rain/lightning/thunder show. (it's like being next to the produce in the grocery isle).
We were spent at that point. Went back to the hotel and crashed.
Sun - brunch at the hotel (we had a credit which was the whole reason for staying there...redeeming it was challenging). After brunch, we walked around the corner and caught a cable car to the cable car museum. We thought it was going to be a rainy or at least overcast day, but it was lovely. On the way there, our friend discovered that she had left her cell phone in the lobby. While the 5yo and I looked around the museum, she and Shannon tried to recover her phone.
Phone finally recovered after an hour or so (the valet found it). We caught the Hyde St cable car over to Fisherman's Wharf. Walked to the maritime museum where I asked the staff for contacts to see if they might have interest is a ship model collection. Got some good leads. Then we walked over to Ghiradelli Square. Got a mocha, checked out the fountain and then walked all the way back to the hotel (not that far actually) to check out. We had a late checkout (2pm) and got to the door right at 2pm which meant our keys stopped working. Shannon resolved that at the desk, we gathered up our stuff and then headed out. Drove past the Marina, past the Palace of Fine Arts, over the Tunnel Tops, thru the Presidio and into traffic on 19th Ave.
Finally got thru all that and took 280 back. Shannon was getting hungry and still had to drive all the way back to Marina (no, not The Marina, the city Marina). So we stopped in Los Altos for some early dinner. Most everything was closed, but we found a Mexican place and had a nice meal. Back on the road, too Foothill all the way back to Cupertino. Stopped at McClellan Ranch Park to see the goats (and chickens, ducks, alpacas, etc). Then they dropped me off at home.
Fun but exhausting weekend.
--tg