City weekend

This past weekend, we decided we needed a mini-vacation/staycation, so we headed to the city for a little getaway.  I had Friday afternoon off (woot) and Stevo did not have to work at all on Friday, so we were able to get out of town around lunch time.

Our first stop was Tennessee Valley in the Marin Headlands.  There is a nice, relatively flat and stroller-friendly trail there that leads to a stunning beach with crashing waves and cliffs on either side.  The history buffs among you may also remember that this was the site of Stevo's proposal. OVER FIVE YEARS AGO.  We told Wessy this, but he remained unimpressed. 




Wessy was mesmerized by the ocean.  He just stared at it.  He has seen the Pacific before (a number of times, actually, between Point Reyes and Ocean Beach), and he has even seen the Atlantic, but I think that he really was able to enjoy/appreciate it for the first time given his growing sentience.  He also loved digging his bare feet into the sand and, of course, tried to eat/lick the sand as well. 


After that gorgeous walk, we headed over the Golden Gate and into the city.  We didn't have to go very far because we were staying at the Inn at the Presidio.  This is a swanked-up former Army barracks in the middle of the Presidio.  We were just in time for wine and cheese hour! 

Strolling in luxury at the Inn at the Presidio

After wine and cheese, we decided to push our luck with a no-nap Wessy and loaded up the stroller to head up Lovers' Lane to Pizzeria Delfina in the Fillmore.  He fell asleep on the way there and stayed that way briefly, but awoke just in time to force mommy to put down her wine glass and PAY ATTENTION TO HIM.  Luckily, we were seated at the only table in the establishment (an outside table away from the others) where it was possible to dine with an over-tired and grabby baby making pterodactyl noises and not be thrown out.  Ultimately Wessy was placated by a breadstick, and later a pizza crust, and we were able to call the expedition a mild success.

Wessy fell easily asleep in his stroller on the way back to the hotel, and once back there, we deposited our disruptive little sweetie directly into his crib.  He slept wonderfully until 7:30am. 

The next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel (amazing!) and then had a little siesta in the room.  After that, we headed out to see the city.  It was a warm, glorious day with temps in the 70s and no clouds.  We hit up b Patisserie (the last time we were there Wessy was 5 weeks old and smiled for the first time) and then picnicked in Alta Plaza Park. 

In Alta Plaza park, a smiley Wessy enjoyed the swings and then enjoyed climbing all over Daddy.  It was such a joy to take him to the playground there and see him actually be able play.  We have walked by that park so many times in the last few years, including a few times when Wessy was a brand-new grub, and this was the first time that he was able to actually play. 

Then it was time for some window shopping on Fillmore, followed by a quick trip to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Japan town, which was mobbed.  We left and went to Sacramento St to look at the baby boutiques.  We got Wessy this silicone mat thingy for his high chair.  Also, because I'm a SUCKA I also bought him a plastic set of keys after he picked them up off the shelf and started gleefully shaking them. 

After that, we stumbled upon munchkin paradise:  A playground built just for babies and very small children.  The place was full of toys and helicopter parents.  We gave Wessy a turn on the swings again and also let him lurch around and try to put some things in his mouth.  This is a picture of Stevo taking Wessy back to the stroller after we finished playing in the munchkin playground:

 playground just for munchkins!

After the munchkin playground, we headed back to the Presidio to get our stuff and our car.  We made a last-minute decision to go to Pizzetta for dinner on the way out of town.  Again, we sat outside, and again, Wessy was placated with pizza crusts.  High end but casual pizza places apparently hit the sweet spot in terms of passing as a night out for adults but still being kid-friendly.  Again, Pizzetta was one of mommy and daddy's old haunts--we first went there in 2006.  I never imagined that we would come back TEN YEARS later with our little towhead in tow. 

After a lovely dinner, we headed back to Santa Rosa.  Cap'n Pampers aka Wessy cried heartily (poor baby got almost no naps and we dragged him all over) but ultimately fell asleep. We returned home on a post-trip high...it was such a lovely weekend.  We had so much fun as a family in the city!