Adventures with George and Jane : Stuck in San Francisco Part 1- The inner children come out to play

We arrived in San Francisco eager to take in the new city. Our first order of business was to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge on our way to Golden Gate Park, which was not only beautiful but MASSIVE. -Insert from Daniel -We went skating around the park, or at least Kim did. She's had her skates for years but I just rented a pair that weren't too comfortable. I roller wobbled and at times she roller towed and tugged me. Thankfully, my limbs and skin remained attached my body, though there were several close calls. Our first lesson: San Francisco is hilly and rollerblading is NOT recommended for beginners. We only had about an hour before our dinner plans so we just got a little tease about the treasures inside the Golden Gate Park. Here are a few things we knew we wanted to further explore.

It was quickly getting dark and we were supposed to meet friends for dinner. Some of you might recognize the ladies below. Great to see you, Jess! Our friend Glen was there too but he is too famous to allow photography.

We stayed out later than expected and everyone was wiped. I went to brush my teeth and when returned bed, I found this!!! I'm glad they left me a corner!

While everyone else was asleep, I did some quick research about getting good deals in San Francisco. We already knew we wanted to go under the Golden Gate Bridge,check out Ghiardelli, go to Chinatown, check out the Academy of Science, the Exploratorium, pier 39, the Fisherman's Wharf and a few other San Franciscan treats. What we didn't know is that the San Francisco Go Card was about to give us 5 jam packed days. We called this Stuck in San Francisco because we originally planned on spending two nights and wound up deciding to stay for 5. We started scheduling a lightning quick tour of the city to squeeze in as much as possible each day. Here comes the Daniel and Kim whirlwind!

Our first stop was the Academy of Science. They had several unique environments under one roof that was alive!! Along with the living roof,they had the best planetarium we had ever seen. Unfortunately, no photography was allowed but suffice it to say it was a fully immersive program that left both of our heads (and the room) spinning. They had an amazing walk through rainforest that spanned 4 floors and went all the way up to the living roof. They also had a swamp and an aquarium. What a cool place!!! Some of the highlights are pictured below.

Rainforest

Aquarium

Swamp

Next, it was time to explore the Exploratorium. We slightly panicked when we realized that most of the crowd was under 10, but we soon got over our discomfort and took turns with all the kids. I won't lie. This place was one of our trip highlights. Our favorite thing was the tactile dome, a completely dark maze like path with all different textures on the walls, ceilings, and floors plus the added challenges of ramps, cargo nets, steps, tunnels and slides. They even had a bean pit at the end (like a ball pit but with beans)!! Some of our other fun moments are below.

Our first view of the Golden Gate Bridge from a distance out the window of the Exploratorium

Our first view of the San Francisco skyline from the Exploratorium

Human kaleidoscope!!!

The sky is falling!!

We decided to check out the Aquarium on the Bay since it was included on our pass and located on Pier 39 where we wanted to go. It was a quick walk through with only a few points of interest. We got to pet stingrays. It turns out they are quite friendly and enjoy the affection. The jellyfish were cool as was the walk through shark tank. They had a cute looking river otter but he was sleeping the whole time were there (15 min)

After a long day of exploring our new playground, we thought that a cruise would be the perfect break in the action. We sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge, past Alcatraz, and under the Bay Bridge while listening to an audio tour that gave us some interesting background information and history. Below are some of our favorite pics from the boat.

Alcatraz Island--- The Rock