Doing San Francisco, CA with Toddlers

 

A VICIOUS CATCH-22 FOR PARENTS, to go on “vacation” with little ones. Our youngest is still cruising and not impressed with trolleys, Victorian and Edwardian architecture, and island prisons. She did, however, find the sand at multiple beaches quite eatable. Our oldest is close to four and did thoroughly enjoy San Francisco. We stayed at Fisherman’s Wharf, an ultra-touristy district with ultra touristy prices. We were fortunate to have comp nights to spend at a hotel within a ten-minute easy walk to sea lions, but if you don’t have a pool of those lying around, I’d recommend searching further out and then take advantage of the excellent public transit. The BART’s public electric train system had such a good reputation that we mulled taking it all the way from the airport, but ended up reserving a pay-up-front taxi ride through http://airporttaxicabservices.com/ on account of our mountain of luggage (easy to book, driver communicated with us via text within minutes of landing). 

Yes, there were the notorious driverless Taxis every few blocks as well, predominantly Waymo, an empty one of which eerily turned its wipers on in the rain. However, not something we'd take a chance on with kids.

Ghiradelli Square Fountain

Pier 39 at Fisherman's Wharf

You could wander the waterfront at Fisherman’s Wharf for hours. Savor views of Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and Bay Bridge among harbors bobbing with eccentric vessels. Ripley’s Believe It or Not, a Ferris Wheel with wonderful views, Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory, and fresh hot sourdough in the shape of animals at Boudin Bakery make it a family-friendly delight, although be prepared to spend an arm and a leg for those Dungeness crab melts ($92 for 3 Lobster Rolls).

Aquatic Park by Ghirardelli Square

Chocolate Sundaes at Ghirardelli's

Boudin Factory for fresh sourdough in the shape of animals at Fisherman's Wharf

Fisherman's Wharf

Hopping aboard the easy-to-use bus system with a Clipper card gets you even more access to excitement like the Exploratorium and the Palace of the Fine Arts (the buses come frequently and prepare to be immersed in a melting pot of languages). Our one disappointment was we ran out of time to take a bus down to Chinatown for some noodles and dumplings, but Palette Tea House next to Ghirardelli’s was a mouth-watering delight.

You can see what people fall in love with San Francisco. It has a youthful, artsy energy swirling through the bones of these charming vintage houses, their detailed furnishings down to the doorknobs a treat, like you’re walking through a living museum on architecture.

Palace of the Fine Arts was a delight to walk through

A homage to Europe - even the ceilings were ornate

I highly recommend NO RENTAL CAR until you’re about to head out of the city metropolis to avoid being taken to the cleaners for parking (public transit quite easy with kids and no dealing with car seats!). We did a big circle over Bay Bridge to visit the Hayward/Pleasanton area, went up to Mendocino, and came back by way of Golden Gate Bridge.

Golden Gate Bridge in the background of Crissy Field East Beach, within walking distance from the Palace of the Fine Arts

View of Coit Tower in downtown San Francisco

Every bit worth the hype, there is tons to do surrounding Golden Gate Bridge, from the Bay Area Discovery Museum for children, to old forts and lighthouses. The Baker Beach  and Ocean Beach area on the west coast of San Francisco had astounding views and jaw-dropping mansions (and the unique historical Sutro Baths remnant). We even were able to catch a glimpse of the urban bison in Golden Gate Park near Spreckels Lake. That gorgeously verdant park alone you could explore for days. Sight we ran out of time for but looked extremely intriguing: California Academy of the Sciences (had me at living roof).  

Ferris Wheel on Fisherman's Wharf

Pit stop where you can pose with a trolley car

We stayed at the Grand Hyatt our last night adjacent to San Francisco International Airport. Heavily recommended – soundproof building, the freshly squeezed orange juice is heavenly, and there is an air train that connects directly from the hotel to the airport, making it a stress-free morning to catch our return flight with plenty of memories to savor (when the kids give us time). It felt like catching a glimpse of just one mini-nation out of a multitude of diverse neighborhoods, embraced by the crowning glory of sunset dancing across the mighty Pacific.

 

Fisherman's Wharf at Sunset

The above is depicted as fiction, not fact