summer adventuring: golden gate park

Though we live just outside San Francisco (nearer to San Jose, but still very close to the city by the bay), since moving here, we've spent an appallingly small amount of time in the city. We're not sure why, exactly, but we figure it's some combination of Jim's busy class schedule and our littles' dueling nap schedules and the basic chaos that comes of running this circus. Still, a few weeks ago we decided it was high time we started exploring San Francisco.

So, we called up some friends who live in SoMa, and we met them for a scrumptious breakfast near their loft.  The restaurant our friends recommended did not disappoint.  Jim and I loved our eggs and the kids devoured their crepes with bananas and nutella. (But then, who wouldn't?) In addition to great company, we were surprised by great weather. Though the forecast had been for weather in the low 60s, we enjoyed our breakfast on a warm and sunny patio. It was a delicious morning.

Around midday we left our friends to their own Saturday plans and headed for Golden Gate Park. We snagged a great parking spot and set about exploring the Japanese Tea Gardens. I'd remembered loving the gardens as a child, and I thought our children might like them, too. Happily, I was right.

The girls loved "exploring" the meandering pathways.  They felt like true adventurers.

The koi were a big hit, too.

And I'm sure you can imagine how excited everyone was about climbing up the arched bridge.  Kathleen led the way; she was quite proud of how she did it "all by herself."

John David and I hung out on the ground so I could take photos (and since even jogging strollers aren't exactly made for bridges like that!).   Here's a very representative photo of how Indy feels about being left to languish in the jogger while his sisters go adventuring.

Afterwards I attempted a few more photos.  Some of those worked better than others...

About then we decided that, as much as we'd loved them, we'd had enough of the tea gardens (and trying to keep John David from howling and reminding the girls to walk calmly).  Our people needed a place to run off some steam.  And what better place to do that than Koret Children's Quarter -- often known simply as Children's Playground?

The playground -- which was supposedly one of the first in the country -- features nice, big play structures, plenty of room to run, and lots of sand.  But John David was most interested in the pigeons...

Eventually, though, he and his sisters found plenty to entertain them on the play structures.  Everyone climbed and explored and slid.

John David caused a bit of a stir in the toddler section when he climbed up and then slid down the slide alone (on his stomach).  he's practically unstoppable.

Kathleen sometimes needs a bit more encouragement to try new things...

there's no holding back Madeline...

honestly, someone forgot to tell that kid he's only one year old.  he thinks he can climb like the big kids.

Finally, just as we were about to leave, Kathleen asked to try the activity that we'd been carefully ignoring the whole time we were there: the cement slides.  They're long and steep and practically a San Francisco rite of passage.  Generations of kids (including yours truly) have played on them, whizzing down the hillside on pieces of cardboard.  We'd thought that Kathleen was probably just a bit too small and too timid for the slides.  We were wrong.

She was so pleased with herself!  And then -- predictably -- just after we'd told Kathleen "last slide, honey," Madeline asked to try, too.  Mama was reluctant, but Daddy said okay.  Madeline may be smaller, but she's bolder, too.  And I think she was terrified, but she'll tell you she loved it.

And then -- before John David could insist on his turn, too -- we packed up our circus and headed home.    It had been a great day.  We're already looking forward to our next trip into the City... before the circus gets that much more, well, circus-y.