The Golden Gate

In early April, we took a few days during Alex's spring break to visit some family and friends in the Bay Area. David caught a cold the day before we left and was sick for the entire trip, but we made the best of it. We visited my uncle and his wife just outside Napa and later stayed with my friend Karen and her family in Pacifica, just south of San Francisco.

Karen, her husband Ted, her father June, and son Riley took us to a food truck event at Fort Mason, but just before that we stopped at the base of the Golden Gate bridge. Ted pulled out his Nikon D7000 and snapped these beautiful pics. Our hair is a little messy because of the wind, but it was a beautiful day. So blessed to have such great family and friends.

Alex is at that age where he doesn't like to pose for photos:

The only way to get Alex to smile in photos now is to take one when he is not looking

Date Night in SF

Date night in SF did go off with a hitch. We had hoped to go to Joe DiMaggio's in North Beach, a place we went to over 12 years ago the evening when Princess Diana got in that car accident. We drove by my art school where I spent my Summer in SF back in 1994. I came back to OC because I ran out of money, but met David in May 0f 1995 the rest is history ; )

Academy of Art College - now it's a University.
This location is on New Montgomery, South of Market.

After driving for almost an hour trying to find a restaurant and parking, we ended up at Mels.

I had fresh squeezed orange juice since it was practically breakfast.


David enjoyed a tuna melt at 1:00 am in the morning.


I took a picture of David driving by SF red light district when we were lost. Drove by "Showgirls" and was teasing him saying "Hey - they're open!"

De Young Museum w/ Warhol & YSL

Right after we went to the Academy of Sciences, we walked across the plaza to the De Young Museum. There was an Andy Warhol and an Yves Saint Laurent exhibit. The museum was designed by the Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron. They clad the building in copper, which will develop a green patina over time, like the Statue of Liberty.







Alex ascending a staircase


We stopped for lunch in the cafeteria, which had some cool lollipop lights.


During lunch, we spotted a woman dressed up like a mouse walking around the park with her friends.







Posing next to the exhibit sign with my shopping full of YSL souvenirs

Alex and Jasmine visit the Academy of Sciences

We really wanted to see the reopened California Academy of Sciences and heard about the crowds, so early Saturday we headed out to Golden Gate Park. It was cold, but luckily the lines weren't too long when we arrived around 9:30.




Alex waiting for Mom to get tickets


Jasmine waiting for her mom to get tickets


Alex and Jasmine in the humungous rainforest exhibit.


In the rainforest sphere


Alex goofing off while waiting for an elevator


The exterior of the rainforest exhibit, which is a big glass sphere, looking up at the skylights


On the "living roof" looking the same skylights that illuminate the rainforest.

We told Alex that's where the Teletubbies live.


Underneath the living roof is the museum.


The aquarium part of the museum, which uses seawater pumped in from the ocean via huge pipes running under the park for miles.


JC & Jasmine in awe of the large catfish.


The giant pendulum. Can you see our reflection? I think they are trying to find the island on "Lost."

UPDATE: check out this link from the design firm Pentagram, who did the environmental graphics.

post by Armilyn