A day in sunny Sausalito

by Mike on November 24, 2012 · 11 comments

We do not live a conventional lifestyle, by any stretch of the imagination.  While Ang and I embrace this concept and the excitement that travel brings, we are constantly trying to take stock of the effects of this lifestyle on our Max.  I mean, he is barely two. Will he even remember wearing beads at a parade in New Orleans, crying upon seeing Minnie at the Magic Kingdom, cooling off from the summer heat in the shadow of the St. Louis Arch, or witnessing the Ring of Fire every single night at The Keeper of the Plains in Wichita? Will he remember long 7-hour stretches strapped to his carseat and the tight bedrooms that we’ve had to share? Our instincts are to go-go-go! and for the most part that is what we are doing … and Max has been amazing.

Every now and then, he’ll have an overwhelming experience with a bathing elephant or swimming with dolphins, and we have to tone the experience down, and try to communicate with him not be afraid. But for the most part he is taking everything in stride.  He rarely melts down, or gets impatient.  He is becoming ridiculously gregarious, to the extent that we really need a “don’t talk to strangers” talk with him.  I can tell that this lifestyle so far agrees with him.  Sure, you can never predict how this will impact him exactly, but I am convinced it will prove to be overwhelmingly positive.  He is gaining a vast amount of experience.  He is learning by doing.  He is adventuring. But we find time to slow things down as well.

Our day at the Discovery Museum in Sausalito was a perfect way to slow it down.  It is a wonderful place with a stunning aesthetic to its design that compliments the iconic landscape of the Golden Gate Bridge and its surroundings.  There were fun games, and safe inventive play areas.  We went on Veteran’s Day while schools were out, so it was busy, but hardly overwhelming.

The Golden Gate Bridge against rare clear blue skies.  Sausalito-bound.

My daily big squeeze!

Much of the Discovery Museum is outdoors — a first in our experience with most of the children’s museums we’ve hit while on tour. We were here on a bright, sunny day and enjoyed the amazing view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

“Let me show you how to play, Dada!”

In search of fun… can you spot us?

Ribbit. Ribbit. These frogs made some croaking sounds by sliding the wooden sticks along their backs.

Amazing sculpture.

Walking through the sculpture.

A spider web net.

Shapes and colors!  My favorite!

True to form, we stopped at a stellar place for lunch after a couple of hours at the Discovery Museum. Fish, a sustainable seafood restaurant right on the docks, was a severe weakness for Ang. And for good reason. Everything we ordered was cooked perfectly, tasted as fresh as we’ve ever had, and made a dent into the wallet — fish and chips were $23! Cash only!

This bowl of Portuguese Clam Chowder with linguica and local watercress was probably the best thing on our table, coupled with a Lagunitas IPA on the side.

 Fresh-caught Alaskan Halibut fish and chips.  Best ever.

Fresh, delicious, and… expensive.

A perfect setting for dining on the fruits of the sea.

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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }

Janeen November 24, 2012 at 11:01 pm

Try Scoma’s in Sausalito. Very romantic and really great seafood, although more east coast style.

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Mike November 26, 2012 at 9:44 am

Thanks Janeen! Sounds delicious! Too many places to eat in SF – too little time!

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Kiran November 25, 2012 at 12:12 am

What a beautiful place to spend a beautiful day! Lucky Hollicks 🙂 🙂 🙂

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Mike November 26, 2012 at 9:45 am

We are lucky, Kiran! We appreciate how my job allows us to have these experiences!

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Mama Tartler November 25, 2012 at 1:27 am

Serious food-gasm happening over here!

So, the big A and I went to a very expensive restaurant by the water. It was called Sinbad’s and that was no misnomer!!! It was a sin to be so bad!!! And awful!!! And dreadful!!! And expensive!!!

Long story short, we were trying to get our tails out of SF and back on the road during rush hour traffic. That was our first error! Second error was trying to actually get over the bridge. We were stuck in traffic and not moving at all. Here’s the clincher…I was pregnant. Yeah, bad news! Hungry, pregnant lady, stuck in grid lock traffic. Poor Adrian. So we got off the highway. Went back into town, desperately seeking food. Some how we were not by Fisherman’s Wharf. We were seriously stuck in one part of town, where there were limited options. So, after trying a few other places that were closed or else a little too chic for our attire. We stumbled upon Sinbad’s. First off, the decor should have tipped us off. It hadn’t been redecorated since 1973! Second, we were the only diners in the dining room.

The service was terrible. The wait was long. The food overpriced and dreadful. We laugh at the fact that our first and only dinner, in SF, couldn’t have been any worse. We are talking “Kitchen Nightmares” bad. So, stay far, far away from Sinbad’s. 🙂

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Mike November 26, 2012 at 9:47 am

Wow, Whitney! We actually saw Sinbad’s – it’s right next to the Ferry Building. Ironically and sadly, if you went just ONE building to the left of Sinbad’s, you would have probably found some of the best food SF has to offer. We went to this Ferry Building last week during their farmer’s market and THAT was sinful…that it was so gourmet and delicious. Now you know! We love hearing from you Whitney! Take care!

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Mama Tartler November 26, 2012 at 1:19 pm

We actually walked around that building and everything was closed. It was very weird. I remember seeing all sorts of charming restaurants and stores with the gates pulled down. For some reason, the trash really sticks out in my head. All of the trash was set out to be sorted for recycle. I found that interesting. I think one little place was open, but I had my mind set on something different. That’s how we ended up at Sinbad’s. I was about to die of hunger and there was ample parking. The view of the ferry going back and forth was awesome, but that was it. The whole entire time we were there, the only thing I could think about, was how expensive this piece of property was and what a waste. I’m sure, that back on the day, Sinbad’s was something to write home about. I hope they have remodeled and gotten a new menu and kitchen staff. This place was the EPITOME of a kitchen nightmare!!!

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Kim H November 25, 2012 at 8:12 am

What a sweet blog you write…I love the Lion King and have seen it 5 times, in New York, Syracuse and Baltimore…I can’t wait to read more

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Mike November 26, 2012 at 9:48 am

Thanks Kim! We are so glad you found us!

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ANGELIQUE November 25, 2012 at 10:11 am

I LUV ME SOME CHOWDAH!!!

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Mike November 26, 2012 at 9:48 am

Chowdah at Fish was awesome!

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