City by the Bay

We started the day by driving into the city and going to Aquarium by the Bay.  This aquarium was not large, but it was nice.  They had a really cool glass underground tunnel where you could watch all the sea life in the bay.  The kids saw sharks and sting rays and giant fish.  There were also smaller tanks, including octopus.  When we got back upstairs, we saw the touch tanks.  The first tank had sting rays and a shark.  They were so friendly - every time a new group of people came up to the tank, the sting rays would come splash them.  Sophie and Zachary were up to their elbows in the tank, and would have probably jumped in had I let them.  In the other touch tank, there were hundreds of giant starfish that the kids enjoyed as well.

After the aquarium, we were joined by the Finns and Grandma and Grandpa Moroneso.  Lunch at Pier 39 was fun, and the kids enjoyed the street performers outside afterward.  We headed onto the pier to see the shops, ride the carousel, and see the sea lions.  It was VERY windy, so my kids got new sweatshirts (thank you Grandpa).  They also got to see a magic show!

On to the Boudin Bakery at Pier 41.  They have a window where you can watch the bread being formed into various shapes (they were working on turtles when we were there).

Grandma and Grandpa really wanted to take the kids for ice cream in Ghiradelli Square, so off we went again.  It was quite a trek (should have probably cabbed it), and I carried Zachary a good portion of the way.  Upside = Zero Guilt about Ice Cream!  We quite enjoyed the ice cream treats, and they had a display of the chocolate making process.  The boys enjoyed the fountain in the square, too!

Last stop - Cable Cars.  We ventured back down a hill to stand in line for the cable cars.  Halfway there, Sophie decided to throw a giant fit.  Thankfully it just looked like she was praying to Mecca, so at least we didn't look totally weird. haha

We finally got on the cable cars (with 35 of our closest friends - and they are not large cars), and Sophie decided to cry some more.  The boys enjoyed the trip and we got transported to China Town.  Our stop in China Town was colorful, and we decided the kids did not need to see the cultural opportunities in one direction, so we opted for the other.  Steve, Kaitlyn, Sophie and I took a cab back to the car, and the others, including Zachary, continued on with China Town.  They got to see a fortune cookie factory!

After a quick drive-by of a RadioShack 'situation' we headed back to our rental house and decided that we were a bit jealous about the Chinese food eating that the rest of the group was experiencing.  Thank goodness for GPS points of interest!  We had a great take out meal!

Tomorrow we head back home, and it has been such a fun week!  Cross your fingers for a better flight home!