Weekend in the City
This past weekend was epic for SF as a city. It could have been our very own Carmageddon but luckily we have public transportation that actually works well enough to accommodate. This past weekend, the following events were happening at the same time: Fleet Week (Blue Angels Air Show), America’s Cup Challenger’s Series, Giants game, 49ers game, Rarely Strictly Blue Grass Festival, Italian American Parade, and the Castro Street Festival. Crazy, right?! Well, we were part of that record-breaking crowd on Saturday and it wasn’t all the bad as long as we weren’t in a hurry and were committed to a full day of activity.
The three of us packed up the stroller around noon and rode the special E Embarcadero service that went back and forth between CalTrain and Pier 39. They ran the old trolleys along this line and we were able to get a seat since we got on by our house. It was nice to just roll by all the car traffic and we had a nice window seat that gave us a good view of the activity along the waterfront.
Then at Pier 39, we got off and walked through Fisherman’s Wharf and Aquatic Park to watch part of the Air Show that featured a bunch of different aircraft showing off their best moves in the sky.
After a climb over the Fort Mason hill, we were treated to a gorgeous view of the GG Bridge and stopped at Off the Grid for lunch.
They had a circle of food trucks and plenty of chairs to sit and eat while watching the 747 fly by along with the F22 that is crazy fast and nimble.
After lunch, we walked over to Marina Green to watch the Blue Angels do their stuff. We usually watch them from our rooftop each year but this year we saw them up close along the water.
They were super loud as they zoomed over us and surprisingly Kumquat didn’t even flinch and slept through part of the show.
Next was the America’s Cup race. Once the crowd thinned out, we found a spot along the water to sit and watch. Unfortunately, most the official viewing area had moved a bit farther out so we weren’t able to hear the play-by-play over the speakers. After the first race, we headed home on the bus and then the light rail along with thousands of other people who were headed our way to get to the baseball game. Our train was CROWDED but we managed to get home in one piece. Phew, that was fun.
We came prepared with something to read and a bottle for the baby so it wasn’t so bad. Once the doors opened at 11, we got in right away.
Once we got in, we headed downstairs for the aquarium and Amazon rainforest. Kumquat loved all the fish and it was fun to watch her follow the fish back and forth.
I especially enjoyed their newest exhibit, which featured baby ostriches. There was a whole flock of them running around on the grass and they were so cute! Here’s a 
On Saturday we took BART to Livermore to do some wine tasting. It was a belated birthday celebration for Steph and Nicole, whose bdays were in August.
Michelle and Matt met up with us at Steph’s house and we went to two different wineries just on the other side of the freeway. The first one was called Boa Ventura de Caires, which had 7 different reds to try. Kumquat wanted to try the wine but we only let her sniff it. 😉 
They also had a bocce ball court so we played boys vs. girls and the girls ended up winning in the end.
Here’s a family photo that Stephanie had taken. Thanks, Steph!
The second winery was called Bent Creek Winery and they gave us a free tasting. Yes! We sat out on the patio and enjoyed another 7 different wines.
Afterward we stopped at BevMo for their 5-cent wine sale. Jes and I didn’t buy any wine but picked up some smoked mozzarella.
For dinner, we headed back to Steph’s house and we all hung out in their backyard. It was so nice and warm out and I felt like we were back in Orange County.
Steph cooked us a big dinner and we spent the rest of the evening making fun of each other and playing Imaginiff.
Congratulations to Eleen and Jimmy on their new arrival! Her name is Zoe and she was born on the evening of September 4th. She weighed 6 lbs, 3 oz and measured 19.29 inches.
They’re home now so we went to visit them this afternoon. Eleen’s looking great and Jimmy is dealing with his weak stomach for poop and all other bodily fluids. We even witnessed his first super poopy diaper change, which was pretty entertaining. I got some photos but I’ll spare you all the grossness.
Kumquat also met her new little playmate and seeing them next to each other made me realize how much she’s grown.
On Saturday we took Koa to Fort Funston. It was nice and sunny so it was the perfect day to go. Koa hadn’t been there in a while and he looked so happy to be running free.
On Friday evening (9/7), we went to the Exploratorium for a corporate event. We got in free with Jes’ badge and brought in the Sokol-Juns too. The place was packed and since it was a corporate-sponsored event they had some free sandwiches (really small ones) on the floor level and free wine/beer upstairs. Woo!
It was interesting for me and Jes but Kumquat was way too young for most of the exhibits but she still enjoyed all the lights and sounds. This is a model of “Curiosity” the Mars rover that’s up in space right now. Looked like Kumquat was curious herself and I couldn’t get her attention for this photo.
It was fun to hang out with the Sokol-Juns that night and it looks like Jack and Reese had a good time.
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