Now that we've experienced the laid back portion of our vacation, the boys were itching to get to the action. Action, to them, meant 'the city.' It was painful for them to drive up and down the grand hills of San Francisco, only to be told that we were going to stay in a quieter part of town the first two days. The hopes of mall shopping, street vendors and trinkets & trash quickly escaped them when we entered the freeway to suburbia.So that warm, sunny morning we left Tiburon in search of a city cafe for a hearty breakfast. The friendly young lady on the GPS didn't quite understand the meaning of quaint little cafe. She immediately instructed that we exit the highway in search of a Denny's or International House of Pancakes. But rule #2 for Grayson family travel is NOT to dine at a chain restaurant. So GPS Jon decided to turn her off and use sheer instinct to guide us.
It turns out that GPS Jon had a knack for finding just the right direction toward food. It's a good thing too as the 15 and 12 year old tummies were not in a patient place. There it was...just a few miles off of the freeway, Mel's Diner. Not the original from the movie American Graffiti, but it was kitschy and touristy. It’s just what we needed.
Boys were intrigued with the large Happy Days booths with an authentic juke box, but not to the extent of spending 50 cents to hear 'some lame old song'. They did enjoy over stuffing their stomachs with four buttermilk pancakes, three glasses of chocolate milk, six sausage links, two pieces of French toast, one giant chocolate shake, two pounds of hash browns and a six egg ham and cheese omelet.
With full tummies, at least for an hour in Owen's case, we were off to explore the city. First stop...Hotel Monaco. A Kimpton property that promised the finest boutique hotel experience. As the name of my blog promises, Hotel Snob expected the best. But before we were able to find the venue, GPS Jon decided to give us the Dodge Avenger tour of the city. I'd hoped to surprise the boys with a limo city tour, but the budget didn't allow. So former chauffeur, aka Dad, felt that the Avenger adventure would be as exciting. That it was. At least for the first 20 minutes or so. We guided through the rough street of the mission district to see how most of the world lives, then a quick tour of the boarded up buildings that held side doors that claimed the best of adult entertainment.
By this time, I was ready for a quiet nap in a fluffy bed. Jon obliged and made his way toward Hotel Monaco. But seconds later, out of nowhere, Errrrrrrpppppp sounded a horn from a massive fire truck. "Ahhh, Dad. Do you see that?" said Owen in his typical calm voice. Jon quickly looked out of the right window and saw the truck heading right toward us. With perfect reaction, he jerked the wheel of the Dodge, stepped on the peddle and nearly ran into a taxi who in turn greeted us with the Big Bird. "We're here," said GPS Jon. We giggled loudly from the back seat. "Yes, Clarke Griswold. We're here," I laughed.
Yet the ironic part of staying at the Kimpton for this retreat was that the service was far less extraordinary as I've experienced in the past. This time I wasn't greeted with the attentiveness that I typically require. I don't mean to sound like a snob, but I really deserved this vacation and the front desk clerk and the concierge was getting in my way of an exceptional experience. Unfortunately, it didn't get any better throughout our stay but this story is not about a hotel bashing experience so my Hotel Snob persona will wait for another day.
Today I am simply travel mom. You know the fun one that likes to do all of the kids stuff. Shopping, tourist traps, cool restaurants and of course professional baseball. And what better way to experience professional baseball than a Giants Game. I scored amazing seventh row seats right outside of the opponent’s bull pen. My boys we're in baseball heaven. Cheap for Stub Hub standards and trust me I've purchased enough to know better.Although the two boys and I have a mission to see every MLB stadium in the country, Jon had his fill of little league and big league baseball for the season. He had little interest in attending the game. Especially since it was forty degrees and misty. A bit too cool for his liking. He was a trooper and determined that we would forgo the car ride to the stadium and fight the torn up busy streets of San Francisco.
What seemed an hour on the road yet only minutes I'm certain, we found the stadium but no parking lots. I was admittedly tired and grumpy by that time when we finally pulled into a shady little lot for only $15.00. Grumpier yet when I realized it was about 15 blocks from the field. Then when we finally got to the park Jon realized he left the glucose monitor in the car. Not a good thing to leave behind with a hungry type 1 diabetic in tow. So the boys and I carved our way into the long line to wait for the doors to open while Jon took the long walk back.
Giant’s stadium is all that it's cracked up to be. One of my favorite ball parks. The view of the bay, the adoring fans, the heckling of the opponents, the stench of fried food. It just couldn't get any better. Until the Hot Chocolate man came down the aisle. And the orange panda hat that the boys purchased for me. Heaven. True heaven.
Yet the walk back to the car was the boys’ favorite as it was dark and a bit creepy. Owen's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw a minivan on the side of the road selling what was sure to be Official Giants knock off attire. Owen, being the savvy young business man that he is asked the young salesman "how much?" as we passed by. He knew how the game was played as he scored a pair of Oakleys the summer prior from a man carrying garbage bag on Canal Street in NYC. "Fifteen dollar...your choice," the man exclaimed. Owen shook his head and walked straight on past. "Yo Dude. Just like da ones in the stadium....only cheap. Authentic too.". We quickly walked past the man to our vehicle. “Mom, can we go back?” asked Owen chomping at the bit for a bargain. “Not tonight, Babe,” I said.
Stayed tuned……more to come.
