20+ Best Places to View the Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge.

There's just something special about that international orange span across San Francisco's Golden Gate that pulls at the heart strings. 

Like the Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building, or Sydney Harbour Bridge, it's one of those landmarks that I will never tire of seeing, no matter how many times I see it. And trust me, we saw it a LOT in our eight years in the Bay Area as we had a view over the Bay from our Berkeley apartment. Every single day the sight of the towers peeking out over the fog made my heart flutter.

I know that this is a pretty common reaction for a lot of people, especially if you're seeing the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time, so today I'm sharing some of my favorite places to catch a glimpse of the bridge.

25+ Bay Area Museums to Visit with Kids

Did you know that today is International Museum Day? It's always something, right? I had no idea about today's special day until I saw it on Instagram this morning but it got me thinking about all the amazing museums and galleries we used to visit when we lived in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

So in honor of International Museum Day today I'm sharing 29 of my favorite museums and galleries in the Bay Area.

Let's go check them out...

 

Mathilde's Science Party

A few weekends back we celebrated Mathilde's 8th birthday with a science themed birthday party.

When Mathilde chose science as the theme for her party I was super excited because I knew it meant we could do lots of fun, colorful and messy experiments with her friends. And what's better than making lots of colorful mess? Not much when you're eight - or even if you're a grown up!

We had all our regular party favorites including a piñata (shaped like an atom) and a themed cake (shaped like a beaker full of a green solution) as well as lots of fun and messy experiments. 

Today I'm sharing all the fun along with instructions for the simple experiments we did. If you're thinking of throwing a science themed party for your kiddo (or yourself!) or just interested in seeing all the fun read on...

Where to Find Street Art in Phoenix

By now I'm sure it comes as no surprise that I'm a BIG fan of street art. 

I'm also a big fan of traveling. 

So when I come across fun street art while on vacation I'm in heaven! Nothing like combining two of your favorite things, right?

Our recent trip to Phoenix, Arizona over Spring Break turned out to be one such trip. I already knew that Phoenix was home to some pretty great street art, but I was not prepared for just how much of it there would be. Spoiler alert... Phoenix has a LOT of street art!

Today I'm sharing some of my favorite street art finds from our time in Phoenix. 

There's a lot of great street art to be found all throughout Phoenix, and taking a drive or walk in ay direction is sure to lead you to some colorful walls. It was pretty hot already when we visited Phoenix over Spring Break and it's a pretty sprawled city, so before we headed out for the day I did a little research online and found particular murals and areas I wanted to go check out. Usually I'm more of a "wander around and see what we find" kind of girl, but I'm also not a fan of heat, so being prepared made things a lot easier.

Here are some of the must see murals around Phoenix...

Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona

When you think of a desert what springs to mind? 

For most of us sand and cacti are probably the first two things we think of. But what about colorful flowers, trees and bushes? What about swathes of lush, green plant life? These may not be what comes to mind when we think of deserts, but there is a wealth of plant life that thrives in desert conditions and it can be all of these things. 

During our recent Spring Break we took a road trip to Phoenix, Arizona to visit friends. While we were there we spent half a day exploring Desert Botanical Gardens and it was absolutely stunning. A desert botanical garden may sound like a bit of an oxymoron, but trust me, this is one botanical garden that will blow you away.

Now, you're probably looking at that photo below and thinking "Hey, that looks like glass". And you'd be right! Desert Botanical Garden is currently home to "Chihuly in the Desert" an exhibition by famed glass artist Dale Chihuly. Chihuly's glass sculptures can be found dotted around the gardens where their organic shapes add an extra touch of whimsy to an already magical landscape. What I love about this exhibition is that the striking glass sculptures add to the landscape without taking away from the natural beauty. They work so perfectly in unison. 

Desert Botanical Garden is quite large with over 50,000 outdoor plant displays spread over 55 acres. Visitors will also find a butterfly pavilion, an onsite restaurant and café, several learning centers and exhibition spaces, and of course, a gift shop. Restrooms and hydration stations are also dotted around the gardens. It gets pretty hot in Arizona (it was already in the 90s when we visited in March) so you'll definitely want to make use of those hydration stations!

The gardens are wheelchair and stroller accessible with wide trails winding through the different areas. The trails vary in length from 1/10 mile to 1/3 mile with each focusing on a particular theme including desert wildflowers, plants and people of the Sonoran Desert and the Sonoran Desert Nature Loop. I took so many photos during our visit that I can't remember which ones are from which trail, but believe me when I say that all of the trails are worth walking. My photos will be a little mixed up, but if you really want to know which trail a particular photo was taken on let me know and I'll try to work it out.

Ok, let's take a look around Desert Botanical Garden...