Day 1 - California Academy of Sciences
We had heard that the Academy has a new aquarium exhibit and thought that would be a fun place to explore.
The shark and ray tank is very open. You basically walk along a boardwalk and they are swimming right under you. Literally. The windows in the floor let you watch them as they glide under the decking. Downstairs, there are huge tanks full of fish of all sizes and colors. Zachary and the alligator gar were checking each other out.
They have a great toddler play room with a tree house, garden shed, fishing boat, and lots of puzzles and games for the younger set to enjoy. Both boys had a blast exploring the area. The boat was definitely their favorite. Alex enjoyed hanging out in the cabin area and driving, while Zachary took his turn driving and helping out in the galley.
There is also a penguin tank. We watched a feeding and then went back later to get a better view of the penguins swimming around. Most of my pictures captured the top/black side of the penguins, and just as designed, they were camouflaged. So here is one of the penguin, but not really the boys. Oh well, you can't have it all.
Day 2 - Ferry Building/Trolley/Ghirardelli Square
As we were boarding the ferry for the ride across the bay to SF, we saw the USCGC Bertholf getting underway. It was nice for the boys to see the boat moving after our "tour" a couple of weeks ago. (Not the same cutter, but the same cutter class as the Waeschae.) Once on the other side, we had a nice lunch at the Embarcadero Center and played around the fountain before heading to the trolley stop for a ride down the waterfront.
The end of the line for the trolley is a few blocks away from Ghirardelli Square, and who can pass that up?
After the boys and I shared a hot fudge sundae and everyone else enjoyed a yummy mocha, we rode the trolley back to the ferry building, missing our ferry by 1/2 hour. With time to waste until the next ferry, we explored this new rocket sculpture and got the boys a snack of celery (a random, new favorite).
Day 3 - 6 Flags Discovery Kingdom
As you may know from prior posts, Zachary is a bit short to ride the rides at the zoo and it is always very sad when we have to tell him no. But, there were many rides for him at 6 Flags. Sure we had to ride too (I'm not sure how much safer it is for him for me to be in the backseat, but oh well) but Zachary loved them all! There was of course a carousel, and as is their habit, Zachary picked the panda and Alex picked the zebra. There is also a Thomas Town with a small Thomas train, Harold the Helicopter, and Bertie the Bus. They rode them all.
Zachary's big favorite was the Frog Hopper. It actually hopped and he and Alex laughed the whole time. When the ride was finished, Zachary ran up to me and yelled "That's my favorite! I want to ride again!" They did. While they were waiting in line, they did their gym exercises and hung from the railing and Daddy helped them do pull-ups.
There are also a bunch of wild animals at the park. Lions, tigers, cheetahs, cougars, giraffes, dolphins, and I think there is an Orca, but we didn't see it. We had fun watching the dolphin from an underwater window. She (?) was doing some great swim-bys.
Day 4 - Fisherman's Wharf and Beyond
Today was Grammy's birthday and she wanted to eat at Fisherman's Wharf. We enjoyed a yummy lunch at Bubba Gump's and rode the carousel (shocker!). There was also a random piece of macaroni.
Grandpa had forgotten his hat, so we stopped at the sports gear store and Jeff Barnes of the Oakland/LA Raiders was signing autographs. I missed exactly what foundation he was donating proceeds to, but it was a good cause. Grammy decided to get a picture and ended up wearing his Super Bowl ring!
Our next adventure was a city tour on one of the double decker buses. Alex didn't like being up on the top, and I didn't want to be on top when the bus crossed the Golden Gate, so I decided to sit inside with him. We really didn't get to see very much from inside, but the tour recording sure sounded comprehensive! It was a beautiful day, but it got pretty chilly up top too.
Zachary was getting sleepy, but still waving to the people. And here's an interior view of crossing the Golden Gate bridge.
Day 5 - a bit more low-key
We stayed around the house today, everyone but me wandered to the neighborhood park to play. I stayed home to bake belated birthday cake. The boys played and played and still wanted to go for a walk in the afternoon. They have too much energy! And yet, as Grandpa pointed out, they were riding in the wagon and the rest of us were walking.
Whew! What an adventure. Thanks for all the fun Grammy and Grandpa!
