Back in June I went to California for my nephew’s graduation. I could only take three kids, which was really sad, but it allowed me to do a day trip in San Francisco that would have been a challenge to do with the whole crew. Though I love family vacations I have come to realize that I prefer doing city trips with just one or two kids in tow. 

First up, Bodega Bay. 

We ate at a small Crab Schack by the water, where you will eat the best crab sandwiches ever. The clam chowder was really good, too. 

Next Bodega Bay Beach. It was really cold for June, which is typical for this part of California. Bring a warm jacket and find some drift wood to shield from the wind. Still it was glorious to sit by the water. Smell the ocean air, and listen to the waves.

When we were done freezing we made our way back stopping at the shop “Candy and Kites”  to stock up on saltwater taffeys. It’s a great place to get kites and beach toys.

Making our way to Russian River Brewery in Santa Rosa we drove by the church where Alfred Hitchcock filmed The Birds. 

Russian River Brewery was packed with people and they didn’t have enough seating for our large group. So my brother-in-law bought some beer and shwag for my husband and we went on our way. Their red sour is now my favorite, and I don’t even like beer. 

It was a fun day.

The next day we took the ferry from Vallejo to San Francisco. I recommend taking the ferry over driving. How else would you get these awesome views? Plus a ferry always feels like a vacation. In San Francisco you can walk to a lot of places or take Über.

We took the Ferry to Fishermen’s Wharf. But we didn’t stay very long. We had a lot things we wanted to do. We walked six miles that day. Along the way we saw Ghiradelli Square, a cable car, and Golden Gate Park. From there we took Uber to Market Street. From there we walked back to the Ferry Building.

One super nostalgic thing was my son (above) took his sister (above) to the Converse store on MarketStreet, and bought her a pair of Converse she designed herself. How sweet is that? (He is single, btw)

Our last stop was the Ferry Building. We had half an hour to shop before our ferry left. I had heard that the Ferry building has some really nice places to shop and eat, but I didn’t know they have Heath Ceramics. What a nice suprise! The quality of their dishes is light years better than anything I own.

So grateful for my brother-inlaw and sister-in-law who took me everywhere. It’s so nice to just get in the car and not worry about traffic, directions, and schedules.

My husband and I will be going back in two weeks. Can’t wait to visit some stores that were closed like Everlane and the General Store. 

Have a great day,

Sofija