San Fran and Sactown

Two syllables: E-pic.

Jessica had never been to Northern California, so we made a trip to spend time with my parents and see the area of my childhood. We spent three days in California, and for the first time Jessica experienced the joy and beauty of San Francisco.

Our first stop was the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). Jessica loves traveling to art museums and always tells me of fond experiences with her grandmother. I and my parents, although not as art savvy or aware, enjoyed accompanying Jessica as she soaked in the artistic expression of the art collected within the past 75 years. Needless to say, Jessica helped us gain more of a cultural appreciation for modern art.

Next we hit up Chinatown and explored the endless shops and incredible deals. Indeed, you could say that it was our "Special Lucky Day." Jessica found some freshwater pearls at a great price and got a necklace with matching earrings. Above is a picture of us on Grant Avenue with pork baos (which were delicious!).

Our visit to the Fisherman's Warf was brief yet memorable. Why you ask? Because we made a visit to Boudin's Bakery and enjoyed the rapturous pleasure of their clam chowder served in a sourdough bread bowl. Jessica had never really understood why I craved these delicious gifts from heaven until she tasted of their goodness for herself. She converted.

We ended our day in San Francisco with a walk to the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge. Being late in the day, the wind had picked up tremendously and to Jessica's great credit she was able to withstand the cold and go with me out to the middle of the bridge. We gazed out across the vast Pacific Ocean with barges either making their way out or coming in to harbor. Next we viewed the San Francisco bay with historic Angel Island and treacherous Alcatraz nestled in the center of the bay.

Sunday was spent in rest, except for the 45 slide PowerPoint that my mom needed me to put together and run for her with a two hour heads up. How did it turn out you ask? Brilliant. She had a fireside for all the YSA in Sacramento. Man am I glad to be out of that scene. I honestly don't miss it one bit.

Monday had it's share of adventure. We spent the day with my brother Logan and his wife Antionette traveling around Sacramento. We had El Salvadorian papusas and then headed to the California State Capitol Building. We spent most of our time wandering around Old Sacramento and unknowingly bought $27 worth of candy.

The mistake we made was that the candy was salt water taffy, sold by the pound, and they have it laying out everywhere atop barrels. So I said to Jessica "Just grab a handful of whatever looks good." We went grabbing handfuls of our favorite flavors and after arriving at the check out we realized we had accumulated 7.3 pounds of assorted candy. Always an adventure.

We finished our day with taking pictures at the Sacramento Temple grounds and eating lots of sushi.

We enjoyed our trip greatly, and I feel it helped bring Jessica and I closer together under our shared hatred of Northern Nevada. We both look forward to many road trips and adventures in the future.