When the lights go down in the city... (Part 1)

This summer we took what has probably been my most favorite trip to date. It was all around wonderful, beautiful and fun! One reason we had such a great time was our tried and true traveling buddies, Team Matthews, joined us and another is that it was a tres-destination trip. We got to go to three amazing American places, none of which I had been to before.
(Note: there are a lot of details, for my memory's sake, so bear with)
Here's the long version...
Part 1
We met my parents in Waco the evening before and dropped the boys off with them. Trisha had the great idea to make "packets" to use each day when they needed to help distract the kiddos and hopefully keep them from meltdown point. I loved this idea and threw together "theme days" that included "Puzzle & Game Day", "CARS (Disney) Day", "Space Day", "Art Day" and "Pirate Day". My hope was these might help make Nana and Papa's job a little bit easier. The boys were in great hands though, so I had no worries. The next morning, Ross and I flew into San Jose (cheaper flights) and picked up the rental car (Traverse...nice!). The second we stepped out of the airport stress was stripped away from us. The weather was AMAZING! After intense heat in Texas, it was literally a breath of fresh air that was clean and cool. (I miss it soo much). We stopped and had lunch at In & Out Burger. This was our first time to eat there, even though they just opened one in Allen. However, there wasn't a line like ours. The ruling was pretty good...but the fries were not my favorite. After lunch we were headed to San Fran to meet up with Marc and Trisha who had flown in earlier that day. Since we were in San Jose (I felt so much like Felicity, who I related very much to in college...don't ask me why), we decided to stop at Stanford.

We wanted to go up in the tower, but the line was too long and it cost $$$...we moved on.

Ross really enjoys seeing different University stadiums, and I enjoy the beautiful campuses. This one did not disappoint. Not only is it surrounded by oak trees, the buildings are old mission style. It created such a calm atmosphere (perfect for a school), and made me want to go build a new house.

I loved this tree, probably because it was my favorite color!

We headed North to San Fran and I was amazed at the houses...everywhere! They were so tightly packed in it was crazy. As we approached our hotel the roads really started the up and down pattern and I started getting really nervous. At each stop sign I knew we were going to start rolling back either into the intersection behind us or into someones car. Ross gunned it each time and we made it through them. I know I drove him crazy with my screams, but I was a little panicked. We got to the Hotel Drisco and it did not disappoint. I love old buildings that have been restored and taken care of and that's exactly what this Hotel was. It was charming and quaint and I could have stayed there a month. For me, it's a great bed, a clean hotel and the "little touches" that make it a five star for me. They are a five star hotel in my book. The citrus water they set out everyday in the sitting room, the breakfast they served (very European) and the wine and cheese hour made it the perfect destination. Plus they were walking distance from the Promenade and nestled around some fabulous homes.

A house in the Prominade (which was a military base at one point).

We settled in and then rented bikes to ride through Golden Gate park which is 1000 acres of pine trees and lush green meadows. It was breathtaking and chilly enough that we needed sweatshirts. Trisha and I thought that our choice of bikes was nostalgic and fun, but quickly realized the gear bikes would have been a better choice with all the hills. Noted.

They really were cute bikes, just not functional.

I think he wishes he was an Aggie. ;)

That evening we drove over the bridge (which is huge and a little intimidating) to Tiberon on the other side of the bay. We had an amazing dinner on the bay with a great view of the bridge and San Fran. Day one was fantastic!!

The ladies...

...and gents.

I want to live here.

The next day we headed over to Fishermans wharf for our ferry ride to Alcatraz Island. It was much colder and foggy that day, and we all bundled up for our windy ride. Thankfully the skies cleared and we had a great tour of the island.

The fog had definitely rolled in.

Little did I know that Alcatraz was originally a military prison, then converted to a federal penitentiary for not-so-nice men. You would think it might not be such a bad place to be seeing as it's an island in the middle of a beautiful city, but it actually could get pretty chilly and stayed obviously damp. Plus, it was almost torturous for the prisoners to be so close to freedom and society that was going on without them. There were several break out attempts (clever ones too), but the only one that was possibly successful they don't know for sure. The prisoners were never seen or heard from, so they either drowned or made it.

This was part of the military prison.

The wives of the officers that lived on the island worked to spruce it up. There was beautiful foliage everywhere.

Living in here...
...might make you do this.

Which in turn, gets you sent here (solitary confinement).

And after that you definitely would need to stop here. (Rumor is that the men got to take hot showers so they couldn't acclimate themselves to cold water in case they were thinking about making a break for it in the chilly bay.)

We spent the rest of the day going to see the famous trolleys (thankfully next to a Starbucks, because I needed a hot drink) and then napping. I love naps and thankfully they were included on the trip itinerary. Dinner was at a great little dive near the hotel and Irish Coffees afterwards at Buena Vistas. Then it was off for one last night sleep in our grand hotel before part 2 of Tres Destination...

*A picture for Luke...a Wall-e robot.