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San Francisco, Here I Come!

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Well, in reality I went on Monday and just got home today.  It was such a great trip!  For the past few months I’ve been doing some reviews for LeapFrog.  They’ve also had me sitting in on some Webinars to learn more about the process they go through to design new products.  Then came the super-fun invitation!  LEAPFROG INVITED ME TO COME TO CALIFORNIA FOR A VISIT!

 First of all, let me say, that I have never been on an airplane all by myself.  All of you business travelers out there are probably laughing at me right now.  But, when you only travel in a big group, pack a bunch of toys, games and snacks for the kids, and constantly have someone to talk to, traveling alone is a bit freaky.  I made my way down to Sea-Tac, which was stressful because traffic was horrible and it was pouring down rain, Siri kept telling me to go a different way to Shuttle-Park, and there are simply a TON of people at the airport.  Once I got to the airport, everything was fine, and upon arriving in Oakland, Pablo (my driver) called me and took me right to my hotel.

Ok, friends… I’m a teacher and in my line of work no one flies you anywhere and they certainly don’t pay for you to stay in a hotel like this!  I felt like I’d died and gone to heaven.

There were 5 of us going to visit LeapFrog the following day, so I texted my new friends (who I had never met before) and we got ready for our adventure.  Those of you who know me well will find this quite amusing.  My new friend, Christy, and I took a shuttle to the Bart station, which is like a filthy New York City subway station that everyone else in California thinks is perfectly fine. I didn’t even know how to buy a ticket, and once I had the ticket I had no idea how to use it to get me through the gates. (Yes, I live a sheltered life.)  We asked a nice subway worker where we should get off if we wanted to end up in Japantown.  He said NOT to go to Civic Center because he didn’t want us assaulted. (At that point I almost hugged him.) He said to get off in the Financial District instead because it was more like Suit-And-Tie-Land.
Ummm. I don’t even like Downtown Seattle.  Being in a big scary city didn’t make me feel safe and secure.  At that point, we looked at each other and realized we didn’t even know North from South.  Eventually, a strange man came up to us and asked if we needed help.  My mom always told me never to talk to strangers, but he had candy, a puppy, and a big van so he looked pretty safe and pointed us to the correct city bus.
Eventually, we made our way to Japantown for a little shopping!
From Japantown, we took a cab to the Pier, where we were going to meet our other new BFF’s.
Along the way, we checked out the Crooked Street.  Wow, is that tall and crooked!
Once we got down to the Pier, another strange man asked if we wanted to take a boat ride.  So, we paid our $10 each and hopped on his boat.
See, there’s the strange man, right above. He was nice, and he let me drive his boat and even wear his hat.  
He took us to see bridges, Sea Lions, and Alcatraz.  I’d have to say it was the highlight of my visit to San Francisco. (Not the highlight of the entire trip, but certainly the highlight of my mini adventure.)

Seriously, does it get any prettier that this?
After the boat ride, we moved onto dinner at a place called Eagle and dessert at Ghirardelli.
Yum!
Doesn’t that sound like a great trip so far?  Well, I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet.
The next day, I spent the entire day learning from the BRILLIANT people at LeapFrog.
I can’t wait to tell you all about it!

Comments

  1. What an adventurous way to start your trip! Haha, I'm like you and have never flown alone. The subway scenario sounded like me too:). ( I am used to traveling with others!) But your gorgeous photos of the water and bridge and that food seem to make up for everything else! Sounds like a great trip you'll always remember!
    Blessings,
    Leslie

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  3. I had so much fun exploring with you! I have to say, though, that the BART station was oh-so-much-nicer than a NYC subway. For someone who is a nervous traveler, you didn't show it at all. I mean, who just forks over cash to hop on a boat without even looking to see if it is legit? We do, I guess. That was such a great day. Hope we can do it again some time!

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