C A L I F O R N I A

Our first trip to California was both a success and a disappointment. We had a good time, but the weather wasn't always cooperative. The sun didn't break out until the day we left, which meant we didn't even bother going to some places meant to give us a nice view. Still, we already knew that San Francisco's weather can be tricky. We just made the best of it and enjoyed the places we did go.

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San Francisco ( see Kids' POV )

We have to be honest.  Within a few minutes of walking out the hotel in Embarcadero Center, we were looking around wondering where the smell was coming from. No kidding, it smelled like garbage. Also, there were several homeless people wandering around and digging in the trash. [Note: we don't want to sound heartless; we're just describing what we saw] We have been told that other parts of the city are nicer and cleaner. We're willing to give the place another try, but next time we're staying somewhere else.

We didn't get a chance to see some of the downtown area, but we did manage to pass by Chinatown on our way to catching a streetcar. By the way, the streetcars (famous as they may be) aren't much fun: they're crowded, noisy, and rough-riding. We went to the Fisherman's Wharf area (also crowded) and saw Alcatraz. We walked to Alamo Square and saw the famous Postcard Row a.k.a. the Painted Ladies (the Victorian houses seen at the beginning of 'Full House', if you were able to stomach the show). We spent some time in Golden Gate park, checking out the Japanese Tea Garden.

A note on public transportation: Use it! San Francisco has a pretty good network of buses and cablecars and trains. There are some neighborhoods that are a bit worrisome to walk through, as we found out when going to see Postcard Row. We rode the bus from there to Golden Gate park, then rode a cablecar back to our hotel. We avoided walking after that.

Here are just a few photos to whet your appetite.

Muir Woods National Monument ( see Kids' POV )

We wanted to see redwoods, but we didn't have time to make a separate visit to see them in northern California. Luckily, San Francisco has just the thing.

A reasonably short distance from the city, after following a few high and very twisty roads, you come to Muir Woods. It's a stand of redwoods reserved from logging years ago and now a popular scenic park. Parking can be a little hassle, as the small lot fills up quickly, but there are overflow lots a short walking distance away. The trees are not quite like we'd seen in pictures, but they are impressive nonetheless. A trail wanders up one side of a creek and down the other side. There are definitely some imposing trees in this park.

Artesa Winery, Napa Valley

Wine and art meet at the Artesa Winery, one of many wineries found in Napa Valley and nearby Sonoma Valley. Artesa is a new winery but is already gathering praise for its quality wines. And it's a pretty cool place to visit, too. The winery is visually stunning, designed to blend with the hills in the valley. Architectural accents can be found outside (a sculptural fountain) and inside (a central courtyard), and there's even antique wine-making equipment hundreds of years old. The bathroom is very nice, too.

We tried a wine-tasting and went on the tour. It's a fascinating business, really, and the guide gave us lots of interesting tidbits about making fine wine. The kids liked the landscaped grounds, but they were a bit bored with everything else.

San Francisco
The city has lots to do for kids, of course. There are way too many things to do to mention here. Let's just say that families can find lots of different activities here, some expensive, some not. We would guess that out of everything we saw, the kids enjoyed the U.S.S. Pampanito submarine the best. They got to climb aboard, enter at the rear, and walk all the way through to the forward section. They even got to ask questions to real submariners, war veterans who help bring the experience to a more personal level.

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Muir Woods
The trees. They're big. Very big. The kids were even able to go inside a tree for a photo op. They always love nature anyway, but giant trees make it that much more interesting. They did say, "Wow!" several times.

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