by JiaYing

9 best things to do in San Diego

We snuck away for a few glorious days in San Diego, and slunk back to Seattle wondering why aren't we living in a place we could be in the ocean every day.

La Jolla Shores, water you can actually swim in!

San Diego was unreal. There are the beaches, which look like movie sets with white sand and palm trees. Then there's LegoLand, the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, all of Balboa Park... So jealous of my friends who live in San Diego.

All this was story research, of course, and here's a link to Seattle's Child.

The airport is weirdly in the middle of the city, so there are low-flying planes overhead all the time.
The flight deck of the USS Midway. Even if you're not super into military stuff, touring this aircraft carrier is really interesting.
The view from our room on 24th floor of the Hilton Bayside. We saw concerts in the bandshell every night, the SeaWorld fireworks and even a Padres game from up here. Remember nightlife? Yeah, me neither.

The San Diego Safari Park was so gorgeous, like a botanical garden with large enclosures for animals to roam.

At the San Diego Zoo, we got to see the newly arrived pair of giant pandas. And whoa, now I understand why some people come to San Diego just for the zoo.

The pair of pandas are kept separate, because they're solitary animals. This is Xin Bao, and the one okay picture I got through the plexi.
by JiaYing

Family-friendly San Francisco

One last photo dump from beautiful San Francisco, a city as maligned as Seattle. School starting means major travel withdrawal, so for now I just look at pictures — I take a lot of them!

View from our room at Hotel Zoe

Here's a link to my story for Seattle's Child: family-friendly adventures in San Francisco.

The Painted Ladies
Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl at Boudin
How cute are these carbs??
Antique arcade games at Musee Mecanique.
Rainbow steps at Ghirardelli Square
For some reason I thought Ghirardelli would be an actual chocolate factory! I was expecting Oompa Loompas, not a shopping mall. SO VERY DISAPPOINTED.
It's nuts how these things stop in the MIDDLE of an intersection.
Obligatory cable car ride. We were so squished, with butts in our faces most of the trip!
View from the top of Lombard Street
Lombard Street
Billionaire's Row
Palace of Fine Arts
Lappert's ice cream
Cookies by the pound at Victoria's in Little Italy
So relieved to see the finish line
Coit Tower, despite hurrying by many times, we never made it up there. So much we missed. Next time…
Evening smores at Hotel Zoe
by JiaYing

Golden Gate Bridge

I hadn't seen the Golden Gate Bridge since I was maybe 7? This trip I made up for lost time: we biked, bused AND walked across it.

Ferry from Sausalito
Big Bus tour
Highly recommend this middle grade book about a kid who lived on Alcatraz: "Al Capone does my shirts."
10/10 do not recommend biking across a super windy bridge with a dSLR in one hand!
Loved seeing pelicans
Kite surfers, I think? Looks incredible.

Here's a link to my story for Seattle's Child: family-friendly adventures in San Francisco.

by JiaYing

New(ish) SF park with stunning Golden Gate Bridge views

Tunnel Tops is a new public park, opened in 2022, that reminded me a lot of our Olympic Sculpture Park. Both are extraordinarily beautiful spaces with unbelievable views that replaced an eyesore. Also, free!

When the highway leading to the Golden Gate Bridge was damaged in an earthquake, San Francisco rebuilt the highway in a tunnel, then created this incredible park on top.

There is a nature-based playground, a hands-on field station with friendly staff, tons of space for picnics and hanging out. We explored one teeny tiny corner of the Presidio, then headed to Crissy Field to watch people wing foiling.

Here's a link to my story for Seattle's Child: family-friendly adventures in San Francisco.

by JiaYing

Modern Chinese cuisine at SF’s China Live

Verrrrrry suspicious ordering 滷肉飯 from a nice young man named Jorge but the food at China Live turned out to be authentically delicious. The chef is Taiwanese, the menu is pan-Asia Chinese, and care was put into every last design detail of the space. They're trying to be the Eataly of Chinese food, which I appreciate, even if the prices are a bit high.

Here's a link to my story for Seattle's Child: family-friendly adventures in San Francisco.

by JiaYing

Fun finds at SF’s Ferry Building

Shopping used to be one of my hobbies, but I'd get in this cycle of buying and purging, and who's got time for that with kids?? I still love shopping, only now it's (mostly) window shopping. Some things that caught my eye:

Do I need a donut hair clip?
A pencil shaped like a hand, for only $97.
These fishy pencil bags!
by JiaYing

Salesforce Park: A public park in the sky

Let's make a public park, but put it in the SKY.

Agave

Salesforce Park sits on the roof of the transit center and runs 4 blocks long. There's security 24/7 and the park is immaculate.

Aloe

The free gondola was sadly out of order, but the kids loved the bus fountain, which shoots up water when a bus passes underneath.

Agaves, one of 13 different ecosystems in the park

Here's a link to my story for Seattle's Child: family-friendly adventures in San Francisco.

by JiaYing

SF’s iconic Palace Hotel: Turn-of-the-century elegance

Even if you're one of those insufferable minimalists, you can't help being wowed by the garden court at the Palace Hotel. Marble columns, Austrian chandeliers, 115-year-old glass dome... We ordered room service because it's just easier with kids, but stopped by the garden court to have a good look.

The hotel survived the 1906 earthquake but burned down in the ensuing great fire. It was rebuilt in 1909.

I've always wanted to live above a chocolate store! Our incredible suite at the Palace Hotel was directly above the Ghirardelli store.

Our suite is inside those windows directly above the Ghirardelli store.
Beautiful molding, soaring ceilings. And a white sofa!?
Those coffered walls, that four poster bed. Paul immediately claimed this room.
The kids loved that curved corner window.
So elegant. I kept expecting a governess to pop out at some point.

Here's a link to my story for Seattle's Child: family-friendly adventures in San Francisco.

by JiaYing

Alcatraz and Angel Island

I sometimes fantasize about going to prison, where I'd have my own cell and no one to take care of. That is, until I went to an actual prison and it seems not super hygienic in there!

Cell house audio tour
Ruins of the officer's club.
Cot, toilet, sink. Everything you need.
Now a seabird nesting site. If the wind blew just right, prisoners could hear laughter and music from San Francisco parties.

I was surprised by the public access on the Alcatraz tour. We even tried out the solitary confinement cell.

Solitary confinement. It was small and dark.
Prisoners and guard families planted gardens on the island.

Our ferry also took us to Angel Island, the Ellis Island for Chinese Americans. There are no rabbits or squirrels on the island, but there are a lot of harbor seals.

Angel Island building where Chinese immigrants were detained.
Harbor seals living their best life.
Sausalito
Is the boat supposed to lean like that??!

Here's a link to my story for Seattle's Child: family-friendly adventures in San Francisco.

Wildly expensive houses on Belvedere Island