GrabersGoWest:Oakland CA and Home

We got back to the hotel early so we spent some time soaking up

our last night at the Agronaut.

And then the big surprise when the boys woke up....

ROOM SERVICE.

Sam had decided it wasn't going to happen when they didn't have a desert they boys liked.

So, when that doorbell rang early in the morning, we had some excited boys!

We checked out of the hotel and made our way over to Oakland, CA via the Oakland Bay Bridge.  Remember, Sam had mapped out where we were staying and where the Warriors play.

We found Oracle Arena but they were not open yet, so we headed out looking for some GS Warrior items.  We were specifically on the hunt for Stephen Curry shoes (that have been impossible to find) and a backpack for school.  We didn't find them so we returned back to the area.

We went back to Oracle and found a nice pullover on clearance, but we disappointed

 that they were not doing tours of the arena.  We were also next to the field where the Oakland As play.

It was midafternoon, and we knew we should head back over toward our hotel (near airport) 

for the night.  We were right, bumper to bumper traffic and a freeway fight

crossing the bridge back over to San Francisco proved to be a trek.

We steered clear of that fight and found a couple things at the mall near where we stayed.

Also watched the new Minion movie, then went to the hotel for me to pack everything up

and DH to return the rental car.

Daddy digging deep for new school shoes, LOL

We flew out early the next morning, beautiful views after our layover in Phoenix

And amazing views of God's creation when we were way up in the skies.

We met Grandma and Grandpa at the airport and were happy to be back in our own beds.

I guess they were used to sharing all week...

GrabersGoWest: Golden Gate Bridge

San Francisco was blitzing cold for summertime!

We took a tour out to see the Golden Gate Bridge and it was a favorite,

but it was WINDY.

DH and I taking a selfie...the boys are crouched down below the seats.

Excuse the hot mess of my hair.

The ride was so worth it, the view was incredible.

The bridge is a  rusty orange, there was an argument over the color the city originally wanted it _gray and the coast guard said no way, can't see it in the fog.  So it began coming in from the factory in..you guessed it orange and the builder liked it -so there is its' signature color.

It spans across the Golden Gate Straight - water between the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean.  It was named 2 years before any Gold was discovered in CA.

It cost $7 by car to cross the bridge (we paid that online).

We could be see back into San Francisco from the north side of the bridge.

Alcatraz as well!

We ate lunch here and it was very good.

It had a line almost out the door all.day.long.

DH joined in on the Wii fun

We also took a night tour after relaxing back in the room a bit.

The night tour did the financial/residental area, also very cool

We learned a lot about living in San Francisco, the cost the average 1 bedroom apartment/condo was $3500/month rent.  Whoa!  The area is 7x7 miles so space is at a premium.

Both of our boys feel asleep on this tour so we stayed on at one of the stops.

I'm not really sure what they were taking pics of anyway so we just relaxed and wished the bus

was parked in the sun

 passing a street car

We ended our night at Rainforest Cafe, first time for us (at least with our kiddos).Joe loved all the sights and sounds and completed the scavenger hunt.

Sam was not as convinced that it was the place to be, little too loud and wild.

He did fine, but think he prefers a quieter spot.

GrabersGoWest:Pier 39

We found a Walgreens on Fisherman's wharf and enjoyed granola bars for breakfast.

We were walking down to Pier 39.

 Sam was all about Golden State Warriors (big fan for almost a year now, studied all about where we

were staying and where the stadium was in Oakland) and he scored some new socks.

 We enjoyed the aquarium here at the pier.  It was a smaller place, but the price was on the lower end as well. It had been a long while since we had been to an aquarium.

Sam said, it looks like the guy keeps smiling at me.

The seals were a big highlight and they were free.  The docks are usually full

but it was mating season and most had gone south for that.

They were the leftover MALES, that's my story anyway

The view back at the cityscape from Pier 39 was also great.

We could see Coit Tower and TransAmerica Tower.