Summer Date Ideas Including Open Houses

7/20/2019

Summer is in full swing and I hope you are experiencing it fully! I’ve been enjoying some special dates with my favorite people including a day and night at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. https://beachboardwalk.com/ The day before we checked out Los Altos History Museum https://www.losaltoshistory.org/exhibits/j-gilbert-smith-house/ which has a great ranch house you can explore to really see what life was life before Silicon Valley was a place. We also toured Winchester Mystery House https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/ which I hadn’t seen since I was their age.

Today my dad took my son to the Giants game- they are on a roll! Whenever we head to a part of the City where I am not certain of parking, I use Parking Panda to find, reserve and pay for an ideal parking spot before we even leave home. https://www.parkingpanda.com/ If you head that way check out the Coin-Op, a pub and game room, however this establishment is closed to those under 21 years old all day. http://coinopsf.com/ Or grab an an Uber and head to Union Square to Golden Gate Tap Room http://www.ggtaproom.com/ where you will find many large screen TV’s to watch every sports game while playing shuffleboard and other arcade games. Walk 3 blocks to the Fairmont to the Tonga Room http://www.tongaroom.com/

Our other favorite trips to San Francisco include:

Golden Gate Park- park at Children’s Koret Park and Carousel to enjoy the DeYoung Museum http://sfrecpark.org/destination/golden-gate-park/de-young-museum/ , picnic at Koret park http://sfrecpark.org/destination/golden-gate-park/koret-childrens-quarter/ (where you will want to bring some cardboard to sit on and slide down the concrete slides built into the hill and some cash for the carousel) and spend the rest of the day at California Academy of Sciences.

https://www.calacademy.org/

Japantown http://sfjapantown.org/ - easy parking in Japantown’s clean parking garages at Japan Center Garage. Peruse the many shops, enjoy a fun crepe or other Japanese treats. In the mood for amazing Indian Food and cocktails? DOSA on Fillmore https://www.dosasf.com/ is our favorite and is just across the street. Walk a couple of blocks to Van Ness and take a city bus down to Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39 and Ghiradhelli square before grabbing a bus or Uber back to your

car.

Chinatown- Take the ferry over to San Francisco’s Ferry Building. Walk to California St. to take a cable car straight up to Chinatown (be sure to have cash to pay for your ride once on board). Our favorite Dim Sum in Hang Ah http://www.hangah1920.com/, also the oldest Dim Sum in Chinatown. You can let the kids play at the YMCA park next door right after you eat and then walk back downhill through the financial district to the Ferry Building to make the journey home. While in Chinatown, visit the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory https://www.yelp.com/biz/golden-gate-fortune-cookies-san-francisco, an Eastern Medicine store, grocery store, or expand your horizons and seek out an upstairs Buddhist temple or visit Old St. Mary’s Cathedral https://www.oldsaintmarys.org/ . Once back at the Ferry Building, the Exploratorium is only a few blocks away if you would like to extend the day https://www.exploratorium.edu/ .