Visiting Santa 2015

Last weekend we spent a day in the city doing a little festive sight seeing. First up we visited the Fairmont Hotel to see the Giant Gingerbread House and then the Westin St Francis Hotel to see the Sugar Castle. You can see them both here. 

Our next stop was Macy's to go see Santa and tell him our Christmas wishes

52 Week Project: Week 24

Week 24: City Street Art

Over the weekend we headed into the city to catch up with friends who were visiting from Australia.

My favourite place in the city to take visitors (who aren't too fussed about doing super touristy stuff) is the Mission District. We always spend some time hanging out in Dolores park, where the views and people watching are amazing (giant slip and slide with oil, anyone?) and the kids can play at the playground while we catch up. 

Then we usually move onto finding something to eat, which is never hard as the Mission District is full of fantastic eateries.

And then finally we check out the streets, because that's where all of the colour is. And by colour, I mean murals. The Mission District is full of them! We usually head to either Balmy Alley or Clarion Alley where the walls (and sometimes the ground) are completely covered. On this occasion we went to Balmy Alley. The murals are always evolving, so even if we've been there relatively recently, there's almost always something new to see. The girls posed with their new favourite murals for plenty of fun photos.

Cable Cars, Ribbons and Hearts

No visit to San Francisco is complete without a ride on the famous cable cars. Last time my parents visited us from Australia we somehow missed taking a ride on a cable car so this time we made sure to fit it in.

Riding the cable cars is definitely a fun novelty, especially if you get to stand on the outside, however as it's at the top of most tourists' "must do" lists there can be a long wait. To avoid the long queues we always avoid the Powell/Mason and Powell/Hyde lines and hop on the California line. While the California line doesn't take passengers to popular tourist destinations like Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square or Lombard Street it does have some of the most breathtaking views over the Bay and, in particular, the Bay Bridge. And the best bit? There's never a queue to hop on! 

New Hearts in Union Square

If you're familiar with Union Square in San Francisco then you'll be familiar with the heart sculptures that dot the four corners. 

Every so often (maybe once per year) three of the heart sculptures on display in Union Square change over. The sculpture on the corner of Powell and Post remains constant. The existing hearts are auctioned off to raise money for San Francisco General Hospital Foundation and are replaced with new hearts. You can see some of the hearts previously on display here.

For quite some time over the end of last year and the start of this the corners of Union Square were empty. Around Valentine's Day we visited Union Square to see if any new hearts had arrived. And sure enough there they were. Three new hearts; one of them being the girls' new favourite of all time. I think you'll guess which one from the photos!

Here's a look at Ava and Lola checking out the latest batch of hearts to be displayed in Union Square...

"Happy 10th Anniversary!" by Michael Osborne. The girls' new favourite, of course!

Sugar Castle 2013

A Christmas activity that appears in our advent calendar every year is visiting the sugar castle at the Westin St Francis Hotel in San Francisco. After visiting Santa at Macy's last Friday we braved the rain and wind to make a detour on the way home and stop by the hotel for a look at the castle.

Each year in December the Westin St Francis on Union Square displays a beautifully made castle crafted entirely of sugar in their main lobby. Each year the castle is added to or modified slightly from the previous year. The fairy tale castle is always surrounded by a picture perfect little village and a (not made of sugar!) model train that chuffs its way around  and around. The castle itself also revolves so that all sides can be seen from any one spot.

The lobby of the Westin is rather dark which makes for a dramatic setting for the castle. The fact that it was a very gloomy night outside made it even more atmospheric, although a little hard to photograph without a tripod.

Ava and Lola watch the train go around the base of the castle

Home Made Hearts for San Francisco

Ever since the day we first arrived in the San Francisco Bay Area from Australia my two little girls have been in love. In love with the city. And in particular, in love with the hearts that dot the corners of Union Square.

The hearts on display in San Francisco's Union Square (among other locations) are made by local artists as part of a fundraising program for San Francisco General Hospital Foundation. Every year a new batch of 5 foot high, 400 pound hearts are made, put on display around the city and auctioned off to raise funds for the hospital. It's a great fundraiser and brings a nice dash of colour to the streets San Francisco.

My girls love visiting the hearts in Union Square. They love to give the hearts a hug and are always excited when we discover a new one. You can see some of their heart love here and a few cards that I've made using the hearts here and here.

Seeing as my girls love the hearts in Union Square so much I decided to help them make their own and take them to Union Square. Here's a look...

Ava with her Golden Gate Bridge heart

Playing Tourist in San Francisco

One of the great things about living in the San Francisco Bay Area is that there's just so much to see and do here. We're always finding new places to visit and we love sharing our discoveries with friends and family here on Little Hiccups.

Having friends and family actually visit us in person (rather than just online!) is such a great opportunity to get out and about and explore San Francisco a little more. Kim's sister and her family recently visited from Australia and we had a great time playing tourist with them.

We spent an afternoon in Dolores Park, ate the most delicious ice cream from Bi-Rite, took in a Giants game at AT&T Park, ate too much chocolate at Ghirardelli Square, walked down Lombard Street, took in the sights of the city from Coit Tower, rode a carousel in Yerba Buena Gardens, made wishes throwing pennies in fountains, ate too much chocolate again and walked and walked and walked all over the city. So much fun packed into just a few short days.

The girls were so excited to see their cousins and had so much fun playing with them. They were both pretty upset when they had to say goodbye. In fact, a teary Ava asked if we could move back to Australia so she can see her cousins more often. Aww...

Here's a look at some of the fun we had playing tourist in our own backyard...

On our first day of playing tourist we met up in Union Square. The girls were a little shy at first when we met up with their cousins but they warmed to them pretty quickly. Lola has been telling everyone about "my cousin Grace" after speaking to her on Skype a few weeks back so she was excited to meet her in person.

Our meeting point on the first day and such a great San Francisco landmark

I left my heart in San Francisco

It has to be one of the most overused sayings about San Francisco, doesn't it? I left my heart in San Francisco.

Well, someone has been leaving hearts in San Francisco and the girls and I have enjoyed spotting them in our time here so far. I'm talking about the large painted hearts that dot the corners of Union Square.

Ava loves the hearts in Union Square