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fullregalia · 5 years ago

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chef’s kiss (from daddy).

Like a sad sack Kendall jonesing for something better than park coke, I am already missing the presence of Succession in my life and so blogging and discovering the Vanity Fair podcast will have to stave off my season finale withdrawal. Upon listening to Slate Money’s Succession podcast season finale episode with guest Tamar Adler, I felt like I wanted to think more about the role of food in the show in general. “Thank you for the chicken” may just be the most iconic Tom Wambsgans line Succession has had so far, and there are so many (uncut) gems to choose from (“Just checking the till here, Mark, and it seems you're short a few million,” and who could forget this poetry: “king of edible leaves--his majesty, the spinach.”) The way the show traffics in excess, while also showing us how the Roys eat, but are never truly nourished, is a fascinating lens through which to see how these characters live. [Ed. note: I started writing this all the way back in October, and got sidetracked with school--in the interim, Eater published a great article ranking the dinner scenes in the show.]

If you were to ask me what the stand out food scene in season one is, I’d immediately answer Tom and Greg’s dinner with the ortolan course. It’s such a nouveau riche flex (but maybe it’s an old money flex too? I don’t hang out with ortolan eaters of any socioeconomic status!) and a silly one at that, but it’s fitting that Tom and Greg--of “you can’t make a Tomlette without breaking some Greggs” fame--are the ones to make a big deal over an elaborate dinner, because they’re the outsiders. While many of the show’s episodes are centered on a grand meal as set piece, it shows how commonplace formal, catered dinners are for the Roys. When you’re a billionaire, going out to dinner is probably more of a nuisance if you could just eat something decadent prepared for you in your own home.

By season two, it’s almost as if every episode plays some sort of food-as-metaphor role as the grand meals function as plot points more frequently. From episode one, “Summer Palace,” we start off with Logan trashing an entire seafood feast to order a bunch of pizzas (that don’t even get touched) at their Hamptons house. To the Roys, this kind of waste doesn’t upset anyone, and what’s even more interesting is Logan is totally fine with the idea of ordering pizzas. This weird highbrow/lowbrow liminal space that the Roys occupy is so fascinating to me. Billionaires are out of touch and weird, sure, but they act so artificially chummy, like the way Nan Pierce presents herself, for instance. While rationally I understand Logan demanding that his staff order a bunch of pizzas, I also cannot imagine a billionaire being like, “order a bunch of pizza instead of this lobster!!” (Clearly this is a bit of shades of Warren Buffet garbage palate happening here, billionaires: they’re just like us! #wealthtax.)

But Logan is in no mood to waste neither food nor time in episode three, when they all go hunting and we are introduced to the world’s most insane Exterminating Angel cosplay also known as Boar! On! The! Floor! (!!!) No sausage gets left behind as this dinner party devolves into yet another opportunity for Logan to humiliate and belittle his family and colleagues. As Troy Patterson notes of Logan Roy, he’s carnivorous in every way. Lest you forget, though, the Roys love their beverages more than they appreciate food, and in this episode Connor introduces us to hyperdecanting and Logan views Roman out of touch with the common man because he can’t say how much a gallon of milk costs. Another highbrow/lowbrow moment: this season has made the clash of Logan’s upbringing with his children’s lifelong privilege much more of a thematic presence. (Do we think Shiv has ever ordered pizza delivery? She has worked on political campaigns, but strikes me as a “no thanks, I don’t have time for lunch” kind of staffer.)

Food waste runs in the Roy family, it seems. There’s this funny little moment when Roman goes to management training, picks up a sad looking danish, takes a bite, is disgusted, and puts it back. Oh Romulus, you are such a jerk, but I love your weird ways. One of the things I noticed this season about Roman on his “leadership journey” was that he seemed to teetotal more and more--perhaps as a result of witnessing his brother’s substance abuse issues--it seems as though as he becomes increasingly serious about taking over the job of CEO, he’s been drinking more Perrier and green juice.

As the season continues, the meals keep coming: when the Roys dine with the Pierces at Tern Haven, Nan has this bizarre moment of performative hostess mode when she presents a roast her housekeeper made to the guests as her own? It was such a weird scene, and so telling of who Nan Pierce is: she loves to appear as a homespun, generous person, but clearly is not just a “simple billionaire” who gets her hands dirty in the kitchen. The façades continue to crumble as the evening goes on as the Roys snap at one another, though somehow the disastrous dinner isn’t enough to halt the deal from happening (yet). It takes a weekend in Argestes, with lunches not eaten and dinners walked out on, for that deal to fall apart.

While the big set pieces of season two’s grand dinners reveal to us the cruel and illusory tendencies of our characters, the most revealing--and effective--use of food (or lack thereof) was Shiv and Roman’s visit to their mother in “Return.” We know that the younger Roys’ mother is cold, but in this episode we see just how withholding she is. Before we get to Lady Caroline’s, Roman makes a joke about eating muddy trout and filling up on mustard; on the plus side, we have a funny scene at a convenience store with Roman and Shiv looking completely confused by how normal people snack. It’s clear that Caroline does not have a healthy relationship with food--Harriet Walter says that was part of her backstory for the character--and she serves them pigeon with shot and feather not cleaned off. She cannot nourish her children, literally or emotionally. (lol at my *extremely incisive* commentary and psychoanalysis.) Later in the evening, while talking to Kendall in the kitchen, she cannot bring herself to have a heart-to-heart with him. In the New York Times’ review of the episode, Noel Murray says: “That’s one powerful symbol for life as a Roy. One parent hollers for protein. The other serves inedible meat.” These rich kids just can’t catch a break from their parental nightmares!

Succession shows its characters’ damage through their total lack of intimacy or vulnerability. It is not your usual HBO show with gratuitous nudity; besides Roman and Gerri’s .... situation, there’s not really sex on this show. The only way that the Roys derive pleasure is from money and the flashy status symbols that come with it (hello, mega yacht!). The scenes with food become the most emotional because it’s the closest they get to physical or emotional closeness in many ways. But the Roys don’t do emotional closeness; I think one of the cruelest--and funniest--examples of this is when Shiv, Tom, Roman, and Tabitha have dinner together and all Shiv and Roman can do is dunk on Tom for his bad suits (Roman: “You look like a divorce attorney from the Twin Cities,” and: “I’m sorry but like, what the fuck? You look like a Transformer. What’s wrong with your body, man?”).

All this brings me to the denouement of Season 2, in which we also reach the apex of Tom’s frustration with his terrible in-laws mistreatment of him, and the aforementioned “thank you for the chicken” line. First: Logan Roy is out here on a MEGA YACHT eating a chicken wing with some big Ricky Rozay wingstop energy. Second: Tom cannot bring himself to confront Logan, even if he finally vented his frustrations to Shiv; all he can do is stuff his face (it’s not love, Tom!! I learned the hard way!!!) and walk away. Third: all the yacht meal scenes are great--just a complete pile-on of courtiers backstabbing and badmouthing each other (Tom calling Karl a “sausage thief”) with a few genuine moments of emotional honesty. Connor drinks wine at breakfast. Greg, accustomed to quaffing rosé, fears he will be sprinkles on the sundae of a Tom sacrifice. Roman defends Gerri! The look Roman and Kendall exchange when the sacrifice is made. Roman, who is “widely known as a terrible person,” in general becoming the MVP of the latter half of the season, even asks to talk to his siblings “normally.” A request that they summarily mock him for. Succession season finales have major “Water, water, every where / Nor any drop to drink” vibes.

We end the season with Kendall giving daddy Roy a (Judas) kiss after a figurative last supper on the boat, and what’s next is ripe for further scenes of familial drama. Let’s hope there’s similarly rich protein for us in Season 3, I’m already hungry for more.

#succession #food #lol #tv #demi you genius #kiss from daddy

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arktic-boi · 6 years ago

Photo

Ayyyy it me :3

(I had to compress the file a bit so if it’s a lil blurry that’s why o o f)

I posted this on my other account too @oktic-oof

————————————

I’ve been wanting to do one of these for a while, but I’ve had a lot of trouble accurately drawing myself for a long time… I really like how this came out :3 (Also I was making my sona so I decided to create a normal version as well and post it as a meet the artist lmao) Anywho lemme elaborate on some stufff here~

Likes:

YeE I love coffee, I can’t really go a day w/o it because then I start to get headaches :’D (ALso, I don’t like black coffee, I like my coffee w/ creamer and stuff :3 )

I love the mario series it’s been there essentially throughout my childhood. Undertale is a goood game, although I never got to play it myself I watched a crap ton of playthroughs and shtuff so I might as well have (Also I LOVE it’s soundtrack like it has such good music in it). Deltarune is rlly fun; I actually got to play it unlike Undertale! I genuinely think Minecraft is a good game like honestly it makes me really sad that cringe culture has destroyed the game to the point where servers I play on have like half, maybe less, of the players they used to :c

FSGDDFHSGFDJHGSFJHGF I LOVE HOODIES!!! I find them so comfy and shit like bless the person who invented them. I absolutely hate tight clothing (Or even just fitted clothing, really). I don’t like anything that clings to me it makes me feel like a sausage in saran wrap. Also ye I like beanie bois.

… I like cheese… a lot…

I love the show a lot because it promotes equality and love and gosh it’s just beautiful.

AGDHAKGDHGDHKSA SNORTY WRINKLY BABY BISCUITS I LOVE THEM

I love me some backypacks my guy. I have two backpacks that I use: One for school (Seen in pic) and one for other stuff (Ironically this one was given to me by the school lol).

Although I tend to say I don’t have a favorite color, I will say that blue and green together is my favorite combination :3

Considering an old username of mine was “Thoreo” … Yea (In all honesty I feel like i haven’t had them in forever ;-; )

I like to read :>

I LIKE COLD WEATHER BECAUSE I CAN ACTUALLY WEAR LIKE 90% OF WHAT I OWN >:C Living in the south sucks, it’s almost always hot and it’s only just now starting to actually feel like fall and it’s NOVEMBER

Dislikes:

If you discriminate against someone based on their race, gender, sexuality, age, etc. what the hell is wrong with you!? We are all just people goddammit, why can’t we just treat each other like that!? It makes me sick how such disrespect towards other people has been and is literally becoming engraved in our government and law system.

I don’t even wanna elaborate on this because every time i watch/read a story of art theft or somethign I just get rlly mad >:’D

I just don’t like it lol :/

Too bitter o o f

Stuff like fish just never really clicked with me, y'know? I just don’t like how most sea food tastes… (I think I tried king crab [or something like that] when I was little and I liked it, but idk if I woud now… Also I’ve never tried lobster lol)

My white-boi-ass self can’t handle spicy stuff very well :’)

fsgdfhgsfgdfgghsf ew no.

My. God. I. Hate. Hot. Weather. WHICH SUCKS BECAUSE I LIVE IN TEXAS JHFSLJHFLJKHFLJKHSFJLKHLKJSHSLJHF. ALso I hate sweating. I will literally sweat in a cold room it sucks :c

I won’t hate if you like country music, it just isn’t for me. (There’s other genres of music I don’t like [like rap], but country just has a special place in my… heart? I wouldn’t necessarily say heart since I hate it but whatever I guess)

—————-

woo ye that me!!

#persona #it me

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oktic-oof-blog · 6 years ago

Photo

Ayyyy it me :3

(I had to compress the file a bit so if it’s a lil blurry that’s why o o f)

hey I posted this on my art blog :D

@arkticoof

------------------------------------

I've been wanting to do one of these for a while, but I've had a lot of trouble accurately drawing myself for a long time... I really like how this came out :3 (Also I was making my sona so I decided to create a normal version as well and post it as a meet the artist lmao) Anywho lemme elaborate on some stufff here~

Likes:

Coffee:

YeE I love coffee, I can't really go a day w/o it because then I start to get headaches :'D (ALso, I don't like black coffee, I like my coffee w/ creamer and stuff :3 )

Games like Mario, Undertale/Deltarune and Minecraft:

I love the mario series it's been there essentially throughout my childhood. Undertale is a goood game, although I never got to play it myself I watched a crap ton of playthroughs and shtuff so I might as well have (Also I LOVE it's soundtrack like it has such good music in it). Deltarune is rlly fun; I actually got to play it unlike Undertale! I genuinely think Minecraft is a good game like honestly it makes me really sad that cringe culture has destroyed the game to the point where servers I play on have like half, maybe less, of the players they used to :c

Hoodies / Oversized clothes / Beanies:

FSGDDFHSGFDJHGSFJHGF I LOVE HOODIES!!! I find them so comfy and shit like bless the person who invented them. I absolutely hate tight clothing (Or even just fitted clothing, really). I don't like anything that clings to me it makes me feel like a sausage in saran wrap. Also ye I like beanie bois.

Cheese:

... I like cheese... a lot...

Steven Universe:

I love the show a lot because it promotes equality and love and gosh it's just beautiful.

Bulldogs & Pugs:

AGDHAKGDHGDHKSA SNORTY WRINKLY BABY BISCUITS I LOVE THEM

Backpacks:

I love me some backypacks my guy. I have two backpacks that I use: One for school (Seen in pic) and one for other stuff (Ironically this one was given to me by the school lol).

Blue and Green:

Although I tend to say I don't have a favorite color, I will say that blue and green together is my favorite combination :3

Oreos:

Considering an old username of mine was "Thoreo" ... Yea (In all honesty I feel like i haven't had them in forever ;-; )

Books:

I like to read :>

Cold Weather:

I LIKE COLD WEATHER BECAUSE I CAN ACTUALLY WEAR LIKE 90% OF WHAT I OWN >:C Living in the south sucks, it's almost always hot and it's only just now starting to actually feel like fall and it's NOVEMBER

Dislikes:

Discrimination (Racism, Sexism, Homophobia, etc.):

If you discriminate against someone based on their race, gender, sexuality, age, etc. what the hell is wrong with you!? We are all just people goddammit, why can't we just treat each other like that!? It makes me sick how such disrespect towards other people has been and is literally becoming engraved in our government and law system.

Art Theft / Other Copyright Infringement:

I don't even wanna elaborate on this because every time i watch/read a story of art theft or somethign I just get rlly mad >:'D

Caramel:

I just don't like it lol :/

Dark Chocolate:

Too bitter o o f

Seafood (besides shrimp)(I love shrimp):

Stuff like fish just never really clicked with me, y'know? I just don't like how most sea food tastes... (I think I tried king crab [or something like that] when I was little and I liked it, but idk if I woud now... Also I've never tried lobster lol)

Spicy Stuff:

My white-boi-ass self can't handle spicy stuff very well :')

Sleeveless Shirts & Shorts:

fsgdfhgsfgdfgghsf ew no.

Hot Weather & Sweating:

My. God. I. Hate. Hot. Weather. WHICH SUCKS BECAUSE I LIVE IN TEXAS JHFSLJHFLJKHFLJKHSFJLKHLKJSHSLJHF. ALso I hate sweating. I will literally sweat in a cold room it sucks :c

Country Music:

I won't hate if you like country music, it just isn't for me. (There's other genres of music I don't like [like rap], but country just has a special place in my... heart? I wouldn't necessarily say heart since I hate it but whatever I guess)

----------------

woo ye that me!!

#persona #it me #my art

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thisfamilylifewelive · 4 years ago

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Family Travel Itinerary: A Long Weekend in San Francisco

Last June 2019, our family spent my birthday weekend in San Francisco. In this post I share our long weekend itinerary exploring the City By The Bay.

Family Itinerary: A Long Weekend In San Francisco | This Family Life We Live

Day 1

We arrived on a Friday at about 11:00 am. Went to pick-up our rental car (Got a free upgrade to a Nissan Armada. Wohoo!) and was finally able to get out of the airport by 1:00 pm.

Jollibee

Since hotel check-in was not until 2:00 pm, we decided to have lunch first. First meal in SanFo, Jollibee. #Priorities Born and raised in the Philippines, it brings back good childhood memories.

There are a lot of good restaurants close to the airport though. In my original itinerary we were supposed to have lunch at New England Lobster Market and Eatery.

After lunch, we headed to our hotel to check in. We chose a hotel closer to the airport because they are way cheaper compared to hotels in San Francisco City proper. However, I won’t mention which hotel we stayed at as they didn’t fulfill my expectations. Yes, I matched my expectations to my price point affordability. Yet this hotel still did not manage to get to that level.

Once we we’re checked in and freshened up, we headed back out, this time driving towards San Francisco City proper.

Painted Ladies

First touristy stop, the Painted Ladies. A row of painted Victorian houses, also known as Postcard Row, popularized by the sitcom Full House. The painted ladies are right across Alamo Park where there is a nice playground. So after a couple of pictures, the kids had about an hour playing in the playground. Then a couple more pictures before we headed to Lombard Street.

Lombard Street

This is the most crooked road in North America. Marc parked the car on top of the street and we walked up and down Lombard street for photo ops.

It was the NBA finals at the time we visited, next game is being held in the Chase Centre. There was a red mustang convertible driving down Lombard Street bearing the Raptors flag as we we’re walking back up. I couldn’t help but yell, “Go Raptors!” #CanadianPride The occupants of the car yelled “Go Raptors!” back at least.

Marc wanted to experience driving down Lombard Street, so we piled ourselves back into the car. He drove from the top of the street all the way down. Then it was time to visit the Palace of Fine Arts.

Coit Tower

Another SanFo touristy landmark is the Coit Tower. Anybody watch the movie San Andreas Fault? Yes, that’s The Rock.

We chose to skip this place because I read a recent TripAdvisor review written by a mom, that says she doesn’t feel it was safe for young kids. Marc and I have actually been in the tower before, and yes, I wouldn’t feel comfortable taking Kaeden and Kenzie up there based on previous experience.

I did however take photos of the kids on Lombard Street with the Coit Tower in the background.

Palace of Fine Arts

By the time we got to the Palace of Fine Arts, the kids were already tired from our adventure. Kaeden had a power nap in the car while Kenzie had an extended 30 minute nap on the stroller.

We took a lot of photos while walking around the Palace of Fine Arts. I think this was my favorite part of the trip because we were just having quality time with family while taking in the sights.

Alioto’s Restaurant

For dinner that night, we had reservations at Alioto’s Restaurant, in Fisherman’s Wharf. I made the reservations online about a week before our visit.

Dinner was superb! Nothing can beat eating fresh seafood with a view of the bay in front of you.

Although, in all honestly, Marc and I still had a nightcap of Jollibee Chicken Joy. LOL

Day 2

Another reason we chose the hotel we stayed at was because breakfast was included. Nothing fancy, just your typical continental breakfast buffet spread. It prepared us for the day’s adventure.

Golden Gate Bridge

First stop of the day was Golden Gate Bridge. We left the car in the lower level parking lot and walked all the way up to the bridge. Obviously, also took a lot of pictures along the way.

You can cross to the other side of the bridge through the walkway underneath. The kids had a good time looking at the underside of the bridge. There was also an exhibit explaining the history of the bridge and the engineering design utilized for it.

No tourist tour is complete without visiting at least one gift shop. LOL We browsed but didn’t buy anything. My mom and Dad ended up buying some souvenirs. Did I mention that my mom, dad and brother were with us on this trip?

Barrel House Tavern

After spending almost half the day at the Golden Gate Bridge, we drove to Saulsalito for lunch.

On my original itinerary we were supposed to eat at Scoma’s. I mistakenly did not make reservations, and we didn’t want to wait 45 minutes for a table. So we walked up to Barrel House Tavern and had lunch there instead.

Food and drinks were excellent. Calamari and mussels hit the spot. And the kids had fun sitting on a bar-height table.

Sausalito

After lunch, we walked around this beautiful sea-side town. Marc and I had been here back in 2012. We both remember it being smaller and quaint. Fast forward several years later, it has grown a lot, possibly due to the fact that it accommodates tourists from all over the world.

Lappert’s Ice Cream

A visit to Sausalito would not be complete without trying Lappert’s Ice Cream. We treated ourselves to scoops of ice cream in waffle cones.

I love that they have different flavors inspired by places around the world. The kids definitely enjoyed their scoop of ice cream while looking out to the ocean.

After enjoying our ice cream and a long walk, we piled ourselves back into our Nissan Armada and headed back to San Francisco. The kids enjoyed nap time while in the car.

Ghirardelli Town Square

Since dinner was still a couple of hours away, we spent some time in Ghirardelli Town Square.

There are a lot of things to do here. Several stores have interactive play for kids outside. And did I mention that the Ghirardelli chocolate shop gives generous samples?!

I think the kids went back a couple of times for chocolate. LOL. Marc and I may have also gone back for seconds, we won’t confirm.

After buying some Ghirardelli chocolate packs to take home, it was time to start walking towards Fisherman’s Wharf for dinner.

Parking Tip

Since our rental SUV was quite tall, it was too high for the underground parking at Ghirardelli Town Square. So we opted to park near the park to the left of the square. There are a few spots there. However, parking is only for 2 hours. So just before we headed to dinner, Marc moved the car several spots down. There were more spots open then because our dinner reservation was booked for 7:00 pm.

Cioppino’s

For my actual birthday dinner, I made a reservation at Cioppino’s, an Italian Seafood restaurant. Because seafood and pasta, how can you go wrong?

The service was great but the food was okay. It wasn’t mind-blowingly good. Also the restaurant is slightly dated in appearance.

But the servings are massive. All of us had to take about half of our meals back to the hotel. LOL. But in all honesty the service was excellent. I wish I can remember the name of our server.

Family Itinerary: A Long Weekend In San Francisco | This Family Life We Live

Day 3

We woke up bright and early on Sunday for our day 3 adventure. We were first in line at the breakfast buffet.

Chase Centre

Marc wanted to watch an NBA finals game but ticket prices were ridiculous. So he just opted to drive up to Chase Centre for a photo op.

Security was tight though because of the NBA finals so he didn’t even have a nice photo. But at least he saw the arena. While the kids and I had some time to catch some sleep before we started the day’s adventure.

Cable Car

After we parked the car again in the same area near Ghirardelli Square, we walked over to the Cable Car station. Tickets for a 1-way trip cost $7 per adult.

We rode the cable car down to the downtown area. Kaeden and Kenzie at first were terrified, thinking they would fall off. But then they got the hang of it and enjoyed.

Downtown San Francisco

Once in the downtown area, we stopped by Starbucks for drinks. We walked around a tiny bit. There was a huge event happening, so there were too many people, and we are just not into that.

We took a few pictures and decided to head back to Fisherman’s Wharf. We lined up to take the cable car back. The line up was so long!

Senor Sisig

Luckily we spotted the Senor Sisig food truck near the line up. This is one of the most popular food trucks in San Francisco. Bonus that it’s Filipino cuisine based.

We purchased a couple of orders of sisig and happily ate lunch while lined up. The kids had Burger King chicken nuggets and fries. Everyone was full by the time we boarded the cable car.

Fisherman’s Wharf

We got off the cable car at a different spot where we initially boarded. So we left the kids with my mom & dad in Starbucks, while we walked to the car.

This time we parked the car underground in the building where Ross is. It was a $10 parking fee, but it was a hot day and the fee was for the entire day.

After we met up with my parents and the kids at Starbucks, we headed down to the pier. At the pier we purchased tickets for the Bay Cruise, this is what we plan to do in the afternoon.

Originally we wanted to go on the catamaran cruise, but with the kids, we thought the boat cruise would be less stressful for us adults. LOL.

Since our cruise time was not until 3:30 pm, we decided to walk around the Fisherman’s Wharf area, take some photos, and try the famous fish and chips from The Cod Mother’s Fish and Chips. It’s our linner! The meal between lunch and dinner when you’re on holidays. LOL.

Bay Cruise

At 3:30 pm we lined up for our Bay Cruise. It took us around the bay area, near Alcatraz, under the Golden Gate Bridge and then back to the pier. We took A LOT of photos. Like really a lot!

It was fun to just sit back, relax, and have the boat tour us around. A nice break from all the walking we’ve done so far. The kids certainly enjoyed it!

Note that we specifically did not go to Alcatraz because Kaeden and Kenzie will not appreciate it. They’d probably just be scared if we go in there. The Bay Cruise went close enough that they can see it and we can touch on the subject but not delve too deep into it.

Shopping

After getting off the boat, we headed back to the car and drove to Red Ribbon. This is a famous bakery for Filipino people. We bought a lot of pastries to take back home. There is no Red Ribbon in Canada yet.

Next stop, Target and Trader Joes. We stocked up on Trader Joe spices – Everything But The Bagel, Chilli Lime, 21 Seasoning Salute, and the coffee rub.

All of us got stopped at airport security, our baggage checked, because it was just full of spice blends. LOL

The kids were allowed to buy a $10 item in Target as a souvenir, obviously they each chose a toy.

Isla Restaurant

For dinner on our last day, we decided to try a popular local Filipino restaurant. We chose Isla Restaurant through a recommendation by my Mom’s friend.

Dinner was excellent! Definitely satisfied my Filipino taste buds. And they gave us a free dish because it was still my birthday week. Gotta love that!

Day 4

Our flight back home was at 12 pm. As usual we had breakfast at the hotel. Did a rejig of our luggage – each of us only brought one carry-on suitcase and a back pack, including the kids. So we had to distribute the pastries and spices accordingly.

Dropped off the rental car and was surprised that there was no line up at security.

We were relaxing inside the airport about an hour and a half before boarding time. So we had time to eat a mini-lunch and let the kids burn off some energy before flying back home.

I hope you enjoyed and picked up a thing or two from our long weekend family itinerary in San Francisco. If you want to see photos of our trip, head on over to our Instagram (@this.family.life.we.live). If you like what you see there, please follow us. We always appreciate new tribe members!

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thisfamilylifewelive · 5 years ago

Text

Family Itinerary: A Long Weekend in San Francisco

Last June, our family spent my birthday weekend in San Francisco. In this post I share our long weekend itinerary exploring the City By The Bay.

Day 1

We arrived on a Friday at about 11:00 am. Went to pick-up our rental car (Got a free upgrade to a Nissan Armada. Wohoo!) and was finally able to get out of the airport by 1:00 pm.

Jollibee

Since hotel check-in was not until 2:00 pm, we decided to have lunch first. First meal in SanFo, Jollibee. #Priorities Born and raised in the Philippines, it brings back good childhood memories.

There are a lot of good restaurants close to the airport though. In my original itinerary we were supposed to have lunch at New England Lobster Market and Eatery.

Once we we’re checked in and freshened up, we headed back out, this time driving towards San Francisco City proper.

Painted Ladies

Lombard Street

This is the most crooked road in North America. Marc parked the car on top of the street and we walked up and down Lombard street for photo ops.

Coit Tower

Another SanFo touristy landmark is the Coit Tower. Anybody watch the movie San Andreas Fault? Yes, that’s The Rock.

I did however take photos of the kids on Lombard Street with the Coit Tower in the background.

Palace of Fine Arts

By the time we got to the Palace of Fine Arts, the kids were already tired from our adventure. Kaeden had a power nap in the car while Kenzie had an extended 30 minute nap on the stroller.

We took a lot of photos while walking around the Palace of Fine Arts. I think this was my favorite part of the trip because we were just having quality time with family while taking in the sights.

Alioto’s Restaurant

For dinner that night, we had reservations at Alioto’s Restaurant, in Fisherman’s Wharf. I made the reservations online about a week before our visit.

Dinner was superb! Nothing can beat eating fresh seafood with a view of the bay in front of you.

Although, in all honestly, Marc and I still had a nightcap of Jollibee Chicken Joy. LOL

Day 2

Another reason we chose the hotel we stayed at was because breakfast was included. Nothing fancy, just your typical continental breakfast buffet spread. It prepared us for the day’s adventure.

Golden Gate Bridge

First stop of the day was Golden Gate Bridge. We left the car in the lower level parking lot and walked all the way up to the bridge. Obviously, also took a lot of pictures along the way.

Barrel House Tavern

After spending almost half the day at the Golden Gate Bridge, we drove to Saulsalito for lunch.

Food and drinks were excellent. Calamari and mussels hit the spot. And the kids had fun sitting on a bar-height table.

Sausalito

Lappert’s Ice Cream

You can’t visit Sausalito and not make your way to Lappert’s Ice Cream Shop. We treated ourselves to scoops of ice cream in waffle cones.

I love that they have different flavors inspired by places around the world. The kids definitely enjoyed their scoop of ice cream while looking out to the ocean.

After enjoying our ice cream and a long walk, we piled ourselves back into our Nissan Armada and headed back to San Francisco. The kids enjoyed nap time while in the car.

Ghirardelli Town Square

Since dinner was still a couple of hours away, we spent some time in Ghirardelli Town Square.

There are a lot of things to do here. Several stores have interactive play for kids outside. And did I mention that the Ghirardelli chocolate shop gives generous samples?!

I think the kids went back a couple of times for chocolate. LOL. Marc and I may have also gone back for seconds, we won’t confirm.

After buying some Ghirardelli chocolate packs to take home, it was time to start walking towards Fisherman’s Wharf for dinner.

Parking Tip: Since our rental SUV was quite tall, it was too high for the underground parking at Ghirardelli Town Square. So we opted to park near the park to the left of the square. There are a few spots there. However, parking is only for 2 hours. So just before we headed to dinner, Marc moved the car several spots down. There were more spots open then because our dinner reservation was booked for 7:00 pm.

Cioppino’s

For my actual birthday dinner, I made a reservation at Cioppino’s, an Italian Seafood restaurant. Because seafood and pasta, how can you go wrong?

The service was great but the food was okay. It wasn’t mind-blowingly good. Also the restaurant is slightly dated in appearance.

But the servings are massive. All of us had to take about half of our meals back to the hotel. LOL. But in all honesty the service was excellent. I wish I can remember the name of our server.

Day 3

We woke up bright and early on Sunday for our day 3 adventure. We were first in line at the breakfast buffet.

Chase Centre

Marc wanted to watch an NBA finals game but ticket prices were ridiculous. So he just opted to drive up to Chase Centre for a photo op.

Cable Car

After we parked the car again in the same area near Ghirardelli Square, we walked over to the Cable Car station. Tickets for a 1-way trip cost $7 per adult.

We rode the cable car down to the downtown area. Kaeden and Kenzie at first were terrified, thinking they would fall off. But then they got the hang of it and enjoyed.

Downtown San Francisco

Once in the downtown area, we stopped by Starbucks for drinks. We walked around a tiny bit. There was a huge event happening, so there were too many people, and we are just not into that.

We took a few pictures and decided to head back to Fisherman’s Wharf. We lined up to take the cable car back. The line up was so long!

Senor Sisig

Luckily we spotted the Senor Sisig food truck near the line up. This is one of the most popular food trucks in San Francisco. Bonus that it’s Filipino cuisine based.

We purchased a couple of orders of sisig and happily ate lunch while lined up. The kids had Burger King chicken nuggets and fries. Everyone was full by the time we boarded the cable car.

Fisherman’s Wharf

We got off the cable car at a different spot where we initially boarded. So we left the kids with my mom & dad in Starbucks, while we walked to the car.

This time we parked the car underground in the building where Ross is. It was a $10 parking fee, but it was a hot day and the fee was for the entire day.

After we met up with my parents and the kids at Starbucks, we headed down to the pier. At the pier we purchased tickets for the Bay Cruise, this is what we plan to do in the afternoon.

Originally we wanted to go on the catamaran cruise, but with the kids, we thought the boat cruise would be less stressful for us adults. LOL.

Bay Cruise

At 3:30 pm we lined up for our Bay Cruise. It took us around the bay area, near Alcatraz, under the Golden Gate Bridge and then back to the pier. We took A LOT of photos. Like really a lot!

It was fun to just sit back, relax, and have the boat tour us around. A nice break from all the walking we’ve done so far. The kids certainly enjoyed it!

Shopping

Next stop, Target and Trader Joes. We stocked up on Trader Joe spices – Everything But The Bagel, Chilli Lime, 21 Seasoning Salute, and the coffee rub.

All of us got stopped at airport security, our baggage checked, because it was just full of spice blends. LOL

The kids were allowed to buy a $10 item in Target as a souvenir, obviously they chose a toy.

Isla Restaurant

For dinner on our last day, we decided to try a popular local Filipino restaurant. We chose Isla Restaurant through a recommendation by my Mom’s friend.

Dinner was excellent! Definitely satisfied my Filipino taste buds. And they gave us a free dish because it was still my birthday week. Gotta love that!

Day 4

Dropped off the rental car and was surprised that there was no line up at security.

We were relaxing inside the airport about an hour and a half before boarding time. So we had time to eat a mini-lunch and let the kids burn off some energy before flying back home.

The post Family Itinerary: A Long Weekend in San Francisco appeared first on This Family Life We Live.

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