the san francisco treat... ding ding...

The Lindbergh Line, San Francisco, California Art Print
The Lindbergh Line,  San Francisco, California
by Kerne Erickson


matthew's brother and his girlfriend (not matthews girlfriend, patricks girlfriend) live in the san francisco bay area.

they have been there for several years, and we had planned to take the time to go see them in 2010.  i got pregnant instead.  so...

this year we are going to try our darnedest to make it to california.  i have never been.  matthew hasn't been since he was just a wee thing.  we would love to see patrick and shelby.  and the city.  and napa.  we would love to take a real vacation.  we took a real vacation once.  on our honeymoon. we drove to san antonio and stayed in 4 star hotel on the river walk.  it was lovely.  we would like to take another vacation someday before we die.  in fact, we would like to take a vacation every year until we die.

the thing is, we are kind of poor.  poor people don't take vacations for a reason.  there ain't no money, honey.  we are thrifty.  i think we can make it happen.  with all of your help, of course! 

we want to experience the bay area at it's fullest. we want to experience the culture and atmosphere of the area.  we want to eat good food.  we want to do fun things.  we also have a baby boy now, who might want to do some kid things.  we like the outdoors.  we like food (did i mention that already?).  we like booze.  we want to see napa, and the big trees, and alcatraz.  i like art, matthew likes sports, we both like food (did i mention that already?)  we want to see lombard st, and the parrots of telegraph hill (well actually just telegraph hill would be enough for me)  we want to spend time at fishermans wharf.  we ant to see the beach, and of course the golden gate bridge.  we want to experience life there.  and we want to do it for close to free.

so i need to know... give me all your advice about traveling inexpensively.  give me all your advice about traveling with young children. 

anyone live in the bay area?  anyone visit there?  how about napa?  anywhere else close by we should go?  i want to know what things we should not miss, what things are overrated.  i want to know what things we can do for free.  i want to know good cheap places to eat, and good cheap places to go.

help matthew and asher and i take a real vacation.  help us out and myabe, just maybe, someday soon you will see one of these in your mailbox...
Greetings from San Francisco, California Premium Poster

Comments

  1. Sarah Anne20:22

    You might find some help here:

    http://www.wejustgotback.com/

    Love you!

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  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. I haven't been to San Francisco in almost 20 years, but you'll love it even if all you do is admire the scenery! Maybe this site will have some good ideas:

    http://sf.funcheap.com/

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  4. go see the big trees that is free or just a small park fee. They are breathtaking.
    you may not like this but traveling with a one year old is difficult, I might consider leaving him at home as he wont remember a thing anyway. Make it a 2nd honeymoon.

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  5. I've never been to San Francisco....but as a young married couple with a small child, my piece of advice is to take the baby to Grandma's and you and Matthew go alone and enjoy each other!
    I love my children and can't wait to take them places, but my husband and I were able to go to Kauai on the super cheap a couple years ago and we had a ball! It was just what we needed for our marriage.
    You'll have years to take Asher on vacation....just don't go when he's still needing to nap.
    Have a wonderful vacation!

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  6. We've never travelled just the two of us without our kids. 'we' are 'us'. We just aren't babysitter people - not even date nights. I'd be consumed with wondering how they're doing to the point of not enjoying the trip. And we won't fly on the same plane. Do what will make it most enjoyable for you. :)

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  7. I'm only 1 1/2 hours from San Francisco. And honestly...I maybe get to the city once every 2 years or so. I like my simple country living. :) Golden Gate Park is always a fun place to visit (zoo, muesums, etc.), you can get costs online. Visit the Ferry Building, it's pretty cool, then you can walk (or hike) to where you take the ferry to Alcatraz, or go further down to Pier 39, then a little further to Fishermen's Wharf, and I think Ghiradelli Square is right near there too. If you're going to Napa I agree with ThatChickErin, eat at Taylor's. The burgers are huge, the sweet potato fries are delicious and their shakes are out of this world! (And take her up on the tastings offer, no joke some wineries charge $15 for a tasking fee...). You guys will love the Bay Area!

    ReplyDelete
  8. if you use http://www.restaurant.com
    you can get gift certificates for next to nothing and its free to join

    ReplyDelete
  9. I live there. I've been online acquaintances with your MIL for several years now. (just for context)

    I have grown up here. Lived in Texas while my husband was in seminary and then worked there for a few more years. Lived in Canada for 7 years. And now we are back home in the Bay Area (my home, not his. He is from So. Cal.) We were "poor" for a long time (poor in "" only because I know that we are better off than most of the world). And we currently work a bunch of PT jobs to make ends meet.

    You can do a lot for free!

    First, stay with friends. (If you are not afraid of strangers you can stay with us.) :^) We're nice. We are loud and have a lot of boys though. And a dog and a cat.

    Second, do not go to Muir Woods on a day like Saturday or any kind of holiday because it is nuts. Personally, while I'd love to go there, there are lots of Redwood Forests. One that is wonderful, beautiful and almost always QUIET and free if you park outside the gate which is really no big deal as it's not a tremendous hike in, is Henry Cowell near Santa Cruz so you could easily do half-a-day at the forest (which is also very near the wonderful Christian Conference Center where my husband and I met) and then half a day at the beach. There is of course the boardwalk but there are several other (also quieter) beaches that are more popular with locals because they are not so crowded. And actually if you can arrange it that way, you can take an old open-air train through the Redwoods that drops you off directly at the boardwalk and takes you back several hours later (this only runs during the summer months). Going in the off-season would make that less of a problem of course but it would also mean that the water (which is cold on a good day) would be even colder.

    As for Napa and other wineries, there are a ton of them that do free tours and tastings. Google and Yelp will get you far on that score. Mumm is one, Beringer is another (forgive me if I've spelled them wrong). I'm sure you could mix it up and throw a few brewery tours in as well. :^)

    SF is easy to cover in a day or two if you really want to just see some of the major sights and not spend a ton of time there. You really can't do Alcatraz for free... personally, I went there as a kid and it was as you'd imagine, dark, dank and stinky. I'm sure it was a great historical lesson but it was really tiring and I don't feel like being on the island itself would quite match up with say, the thrill of Ellis Island or the Statue of Liberty. ;^P Fisherman's Wharf is lovely but again, off season. It's a MAD HOUSE and parking is difficult during the summer. And in the evenings (except on very hot days) it is just as cold as it can be in the Fall or even winter. [see Mark Twain's famous quote about Summer in SF and you will have it right). Off season, you can find parking a plenty and the atmostphere is much calmer... also you are less likely to run into naked bike-riders which I consider a plus. Really.

    I completely relate on the vacation desires and needs. We have been on ONE family vacation in our almost 15 years of marriage (not counting our honeymoon to Lake Tahoe).

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