Day Date: North Beach Food Tour

At the beginning of this month, Mark and I had our 8 year dating anniversary (we are not married) and decided we wanted to do a little day trip to celebrate. Since moving from Illinois, we don't get to go out much alone, so we were both pretty excited about it. We live 30ish minutes away from Napa and wine country, but I don't drink so, although probably romantic, it doesn't do much for me. There is also the beach, but we like to do that with Myles. So I convinced Mark to do something in the city (he hates crowds and traffic), but had not a clue what that something was going to be. Naturally, I popped on Groupon. I love Groupon not only for the deals, but in a city as big as San Francisco, a focused and narrowed list is a must. This time it was an easy choice for us... "Walking Food Tour".. duh!!! The company does tours in 3 different neighborhoods, but the only one that worked for us was North Beach. Now going into this, I had no idea what kind of neighborhood North Beach was, and I probably should have looked into it before booking, but hey, food is food!

When we arrived our guide talked a bit about himself, the history of the area, and gave us an overview of the tour. The tour would be three hours long, we would stop at 5 places, and get a bit (which was really a LOT) of history along the way. I would say the tour was about 1/4 eating, 1/4 walking, and 1/2 history. But overall, we both loved the tour, food, and learning a ton about North Beach, which we found out is basically the Little Italy of San Francisco. 

First we had a sandwich at Molinari's: salami, mozzarella, pesto, red peppers. It was simple, but the ingredients were so fresh and authentic; I even ate the red peppers on it! 

Next was meatballs in red sauce and gnocchi in pesto sauce from Original US Restaurant. I was dying inside when he said we would be trying gnocchi. It literally melted in my mouth. 

Their original menu: under $1 for sandwiches and $2 for entrees!

The neighborhood right next to North Beach is Chinatown. They meet right at this intersection. In front of us was North Beach and this was the view behind us:

Chinatown:

So much culture, history, and beauty in this city, it is truly incredible. 

Next next stop was a vegetarian Bolivian restaurant called Pena Pachamama. The owners are also Grammy winning Bolivian folk musicians, so we got to listen to some wonderful music while we sampled kale chips (out of this world), potatoes, and plantains.

Our last two stops were desserts. First we visited XOX Truffles to sample 100% handmade truffles. The owner and chef makes every single truffle by hand. He talked with us about his background and the process of making the truffles. He said that he could never trust anyone to even help in the process of making them, so all of the 50 dozen made daily are done exclusively by him. We each got to pick three truffles. Of course, I made sure Mark and I picked different ones so that I could get a bite of his as well. Sampling one bite of six is better than two bites of just three! 

This is peanut butter, hazelnut, and raspberry. The raspberry was the best by far!

 

We also walked by the famous St. Peter and Paul church where Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio took pictures after their civil ceremony (they weren't actually married here, they just took pictures for press and such).

Our last stop was cannolis at Cavalli Cafe. I have to be honest and let you all know that I have never eaten a cannoli prior to this. Because of that I have nothing to compare it to, but it was pretty good.

Before we found this walking food tour on Groupon, I didn't even know that such thing existed! And after talking with some other couples on the tour, apparently they are a thing all over the country! Now this is all I want to do in every place we travel to in the future! Learning about a new place, its history, experiencing the culture, and eating; winning all around!


Oh, and you can't leave San Francisco without some social commentary painted on a building:

Irony...

Have you ever taken a walking food tour?

{Bay Area Kids Fun} Exploratorium

This month's Bay Area Kids Fun post is one of the best yet!

Exploratorium

If you live in the San Fransisco Bay Area, then you most likely know about the Exploratorium. Opening in 1969, the Exploritorium was the brainchild of Frank Oppenheimer, who wanted a place where the general public could gain some knowledge and understanding of science through the exploration and testing of natural phenomena. 
 The Exploratorium houses 100s of hands-on exhibits for all ages and interests. The museum itself is divided into six galleries:
Osher West Gallery: Human Phenomena 

South Gallery: Tinkering

 Bechtel Central Gallery: Seeing and Listening 

East Gallery: Living Systems 

Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery: Observing Landscapes

North Gallery: Outdoor Exhibits
 
All ages are welcome. My son Myles, although on the younger side (3.5), was thoroughly engaged the whole 5+ hours we spent there. What I really love about this museum is the age versatility. The younger ones can tinker around and explore with the exhibits, learning through play and having fun; the older ones can read and experiment with each exhibit, learning through testing out the hypotheses and finding the answers. 

This place is a must-see in San Fransisco whether you're visiting or living, kids or not. It truly is the stand-out among all of the museums in the Bay Area, as well as others we've visited throughout the rest of U.S. It would be impossible for me to review every exhibit or even half of them, so I am going to share with you all our 14 favorites!

1. Tornado Simulator: Myles thought it was so cool to be inside a 'tornado'! 

2. This fun experiment was apart of the Human Phenomena exhibit. It's all about your personality and trust in others.  

3. Card tricks: this was something Myles and I equally loved. He sat all the way through 2 tricks and was totally enthralled. I'm sure he didn't quite get what was going on, but the workers were so awesome and they did some tricks that appealed more to his age group!

 
 4. Myles got to test his sense of touch with this fun box. You have to guess what the objects are only by feeling them. On the other side is a clear window, so someone can tell you if you are right or not. This would be something really fun to do at home too.

 5. So this is an actual human brain. I was totally creeped out, yet super fascinated by it. I could not walk away. It just blows my mind (pun intended), that something as plain and simple looking as this is the most complicated part of our bodies.

6. I had to take the time to try out this exhibit. It's purpose is to show that our faces aren't exactly symmetrical. You line your face up perfectly in the middle of the camera and once you picture is taken, the computer puts together 2 new pictures of yourself as your left side doubled and your right side doubled. Recently,  I have started to noticed more and more how different my eye shapes are, so I really wanted to see what my outcome would be. It is crazy to me how different each picture is. My whole face shape is completely different, and so are my eyes and nose!

 7. Do you dare take a drink from the drinking fountain guised as a toilet? I loved this social experiment! I tried it, Myles wouldn't!

 
8. This is one of the more famous exhibits in the museum. This structure is made entirely of toothpicks; over 40 years in the making and still being updated and added to. The most recent addition is the 2015 Warriors NBA championship trophy. It is also a maze that balls can wind their way through. 

9. This didn't mean much to Myles, but I love that their workshop is a completely open space. Almost everything in the museum is created and  built right there:  

10. Slinky Treadmill: if I had to pick a number one favorite for Myles this would be it.  It was right up there on my list too. Who hasn't ever dreamed that their slinky could go on and on and on!?!? This thing is literal genius level science (lol)!

11. This was by far my exhibit in the whole museum. I cannot even begin to describe to you how calming and relaxing this is. I am a total Type A personality, so creating these perfect shapes and designs was incredible. I was glued to that chair for a good 15 minutes, before Myles forced me to move on.

12. The scientific part of my brain does not exist, so bear with me as I try to explain this exhibit. This is out on the rooftop inside of a dark tent. The tent is shaped like a cone and at the top there is a hole. Somehow this hole acts as a telescope that reflects the Bay Bridge and surrounding area back to the table inside the tent. It's so detailed, you can see the cars driving across the bridge in real-time. 

13. All of the areas in the museum that are along the Bay are lined with windows to allow us to take in the most beautiful views. This never gets old to me:

  The Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery: Observing Landscapes is all about the local Bay Area. Here they have a computer that shows all of the boats in the Bay moving in real time. They are colored coded by type and the arrow shows which direction they are moving in. You can look out the window and know exactly what each boat is for and where they are going.

 14. Myles loved everything outside, of course. I was really impressed with how interactive the staff is. He was teaching Myles an actual song. I'm not sure how far he got, but kudos to him!

  15. My 90s inner child's heart exploded with this one: a life-size Spirograph! You have to wait in line to sign-up for a time slot to participate in this exhibit, but it is so worth it. You are able to choose how you want yours to be done and the staff just follows your directions. You pick out three colors and with each color you choose the direction and shape by pushing the bottom as hard or soft as you want. You tell them when to drop the color and when to pick it up as well. And when it's finished you get to bring it home! 

 

Cost:
Age18-64: $29.95
Age 4-12: $24.95
Age 13-17, 65+: $19.95
3 and under: FREE

Pros: 
It's incredible with the size and amount of exhibits, that everything is well functioning, clean, and accessible. I can't remember anything being out of order. 
We went on a Sunday morning, and although it was pretty busy, we had no problems seeing all of the exhibits we wanted.
 Great use of space and bringing the Bay in as much as possible.
 World renown science exhibits accessible to the general public. 
At least 5+ hours of learning for the whole family; ways for all ages of the family to engage.

Cons:
I feel that there is so much to do and see that it is overwhelming at times. It's great to have so much to do with such great variety, but I don't think it's possible to do everything, even in a whole day.
Parking (as always in the city) can be pricey and hard to find. Try to go with public transportation if possible. 

Overall review:  
10/10
All I can say about this place is, if you haven't been, GO! And even if you have been, go again! They are always changing, adding, and improving, so chances are very likely that you will see something new every time you go! The Exploratorium is on the top of so many lists for very good reasons; engaging, educational, Bay views, and fun for the whole family!

Bay Area Kids Fun Posts:
Children's Creativity Museum
 Habitot
Children's Natural History Museum
Children's Fairyland
 Lawrence Hall of Science
Sonoma County Children's Museum
Exploratorium 

 

{Bay Kids Fun} Children's Museum of Sonoma County

Here once again with this months' Bay Area Kids Fun post!

Children's Museum of Sonoma County

This month we checked out a children's museum closer to home. This museum is fairly new, being founded in 2005 and started with only outdoor exhibits (except for the little arts and crafts house). Construction on an indoor science and imagination gallery started in 2014 and opened during the summer of 2015. The outside exhibits are awesome on their own, but with the opening of the indoor exhibits, this place is one of our favorites in the whole Bay Area!

Starting my review inside:

Totopia is a side room they added to the indoor exhibits. It is designed for the little ones 35" or smaller. This space has enough to keep babies and younger toddlers occupied for as long as the bigger kids play in the rest of the museum. My son is just on the edge of being able to go in, so he did check some of it out. It features a cute little playhouse to sip tea with bears, a lilly pad (waterbed) for safe jumping, a grotto and tide pool water play area, and more (full list shown at link above).

The first floor of the Science and Imagination Gallery has a big open area with rooms located all around housing the different exhibits. If you look up, you'll see a maze of train tracks circling the entire indoor area. From an exhibit on the second floor, kids can control the trains with buttons to start, stop, and switch tracks. They can also sit in a life-size train car and watch the train travel through the museum by way of a GoPro camera on the front of the train that links to a TV screen in the car.

 The Nuts & Bolts area is perfect for the older kids that love to build and create using their imagination. Diagrams are provided for those of us (me!) that need a little extra help putting together that butterfly your child so desperately needs to play with (for all of 5 seconds). Tons of tools and different building sets are available to accommodate a wide age range as well.

 
The doctor and dentist areas are perfect for kids to play and learn while they get acquainted and comfortable with the concepts of those places. In the crocodile dental clinic, kids can pretend to be the dentist and examine the croc's teeth and bones with an 'x-ray' machine. Next door is the doctor's office that has lab coats, microscopes, and a machine that measures heartbeats with a drum. Myles' favorite part here is the exam table with newborn baby dolls. 

My favorite room is the BeeHaven. A bee hive is on display where kids can see a real hive in action. You can find the queen bee and watch the worker bees create honey.

The rest of the downstairs consists of a state-of-the-art cafe/kitchen, a puppet theater where kids can control the lighting to put on a real show, and tons of ball launchers. Our favorite in this area is the AirMazing exhibit; a 15-foot high air maze where you can direct the air in different ways to see how varying objects flow through. 

The first thing you find upstairs is this neat Victorian style picture exhibit. A camera takes your picture and then digitally displays it in one of the picture frames on the wall.

Next is the train station, complete with ticketing booth, train controls, and that life-size train car I spoke about earlier. Myles purchased his ticket to go see grandma and grandpa in Illinois:

They have another little tot area upstairs to keep the little ones occupied while the bigger ones play with the older kid exhibits.

My favorite exhibit upstairs, of course, is the life-size 'Lite Bright'.

When you first walk outside, to your left is a set of life-size (foam) building blocks. I've seen some pretty awesome forts and ball tracks built with these; tons of fun for kids and adults to enjoy together. 

If you keep going to the left, you will find Mary's garden. Kids can play at a cute little farm stand with pretend fruits and vegetables out front before they go into the real garden. 

The best exhibit outside is the Russian River water feature connecting to the gravel pit. Myles could play here for hours! It's especially nice to keep cooler when it's hot out; don't forget to bring water shoes, a towel, and swimsuits/change of clothes. The salmon, buckets, trucks, and other digging toys are great additions to these exhibits. And the bubbling rocks allow for awesome water play and engineering fun.

This dragon fly helicopter was added just after they finished the inside. At certain times, it is open for kids to explore.

Lastly outside, is Ella's art studio. One side of this building is for the arts and the other side is for parties, summer camps, etc. A small corner has some puzzles, building toys, and reading while the rest of the room is for the arts and crafts. They usually have a few structured activities going on each day and also this window for open painting. 

Cost:
Adults and Children: $10
Babies Under 12 months: FREE

Pros: 
Everything is kept clean and functional. We didn't experience anything that didn't work or was closed for repairs. 
Great use of a smaller space; they really used every inch of space in their indoor area to create the most varying amount of exhibits as possible. 
Also great use of outdoor area; it feels open and big, but with so much for the kids to engage with. The water features are so amazing; the best of any children's museum around.
If you go at the right times (early weekdays), kids can play freely with not much hassle from crowds. 

Cons:
All of the exhibits are designed for ages 10 and under and an adult must be with their children, so I'm not sure why adults must also pay $10.
  This is typical of any place really, but during busy times, outside toys are scarce and indoor areas are crowded. It got busier as the day went on and somethings Myles wasn't able to check out because it they were being occupied for so long.

Overall review:  
8.5/10
This museum is one of the only indoor/outdoor play places for children in all of Sonoma County, so there isn't much competition. However, I think this place has a lot of unique and truly engaging exhibits for the kids. And I am only more impressed since the opening of their new indoor science and imagination gallery. I would go a lot more often if I didn't also have to pay to get in, but Myles (4 years old) never experiences a shortage of fun and learning here!


Bay Area Kids Fun Posts:
Children's Creativity Museum
 Habitot
Children's Natural History Museum
Children's Fairyland
 Lawrence Hall of Science
Sonoma County Children's Museum
Exploratorium