Tag: Exploratorium

Travel with mamawolfe to San Francisco’s Exploratorium and Golden Gate Bridge Bike Ride

Posted on September 15, 2013 by

Living in northern California, there’s never a shortage of places to go or things to do. As a ‘last gasp of summer’ fling, we headed off to San Francisco for a day of exploring. It’s an easy drive from our house, and when we’re sweltering in triple digit heat, a little fog and drizzle is perfect!

travel with mamawolfe to San Francisco

English: Ferry Building in San Francisco, Cali...

English: Ferry Building in San Francisco, California in 2010 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

travel with mamawolfe to San Francisco

Recently relocated on the Embarcadero near the Ferry Building, the San Francisco Exploratorium is full of intriguing exhibits and activities to twist your brain and move your body.

travel with mamawolfe to San Francisco

Kids and grown ups are equally entertained!

travel with mamawolfe to San Francisco

And if there’s too much stimuli inside, a quick step out onto the deck provides a gorgeous view of the ‘old’ Bay Bridge span.travel with mamawolfe to San Francisco

We even got to experience a real-life fire evacuation…fortunately, it was a false alarm.travel with mamawolfe to San Francisco

Inside, we were right back exploring for several hours.

travel with mamawolfe to San Francisco

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you haven’t – I loved creating these digital images of us!

travel with mamawolfe to San Francisco travel with mamawolfe to San Francisco

Finally, hunger won over curiosity and we headed to our second stop – The Slanted Door in the Ferry Building.travel with mamawolfe to San Francisco

The Slanted Door came highly recommended, so we were excited to get a table easily. The modern Vietnamese menu was impressive, as was the view from the dining room. Personally, I liked my view of my boys!

travel with mamawolfe to San Francisco

Cam was adventurous and tried the “Slanted Door Spring Rolls” – an interesting combination of shrimp, mint, and pork, with a delicious peanut dipping sauce. He was so adept with the chopsticks!

travel with mamawolfe to San FranciscoWe all agreed that this dish was our favorite – lemongrass chicken with red onion, roasted jalapeno, roasted chili paste, and roasted peanut, served with brown rice. Yum! travel with mamawolfe to San Francisco

The carmelized wild gulf shrimp ere pretty tasty, too – I liked the yellow onion and garlic sauteed in a caramel chili sauce.travel with mamawolfe to San Francisco

Unbelieveably, he still had room for dessert – couldn’t resist the soft snickerdoodle ice cream cookie sandwiches.travel with mamawolfe to San Francisco

The next activity involved getting outside – and getting on bikes. Most people wouldn’t think about riding bikes in a city known for eyepopping hills, but in reality, San Francisco is an awesome place to ride. travel with mamawolfe to San Francisco

Starting at the Ferry Building, we followed the water. Past Peir 39, Ghiradelli Square, alongside the tourists we rode. Pretty nice views!travel with mamawolfe to San Francisco travel with mamawolfe to San Francisco

Riding through Fort Mason offers some spectacular vistas of the San Francisco Bay.travel with mamawolfe to San Francisco

We decided to go for it, and ride across the Golden Gate Bridge!travel with mamawolfe to San Francisco

Eventually, we made it to the other side!

travel with mamawolfe to San Francisco

I have to admit – riding across the bridge was kind of creepy. It was misty, and while there is a nice barrier between the bikes and the cars, the outside edge is surprisingly exposed to the water. I decided to just put my head down and ride straight across. I stopped once, but quickly realized that if I looked down too much I might not have the fortitude to keep going. I was relieved to make it to the large, concrete exit on the Sausalito side, but like my Nicaraguan zip lining adventure, I felt a sense of great accomplishment that I did it.

I felt the same way about our adventure to San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge – so glad that we took the day to go. Time goes by so fast.

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Jennifer Wolfe

Jennifer Wolfe, a writer-teacher-mom, is dedicated to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life by thinking deeply, loving fiercely, and teaching audaciously. Jennifer is a Google Certified Educator, Hyperdoc fanatic, and a voracious reader. Read her stories on her blog, mamawolfe, and grab free copies of her teaching and parenting resources.

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