Weekend Getaway

A couple weekends ago I went to visit some old friends... ok, they're not "old" just some people I have been friends with a long time :)

First stop was to see Marci.  I met Marci when I moved to Pennsylvania in 1991 and entered the 6th grade.  We've been friends for 21 years.  (If you're quick and did the math, you'll see that doesn't add up.  Yes... we were not friends in the 6th grade... in fact we disliked each other enough that Marci told me I would die on my 19th birthday.  I obviously survived... palm-reading was not her specialty.)  

Marci now lives in western PA with her hubby Justin and their cutie pie son Caleb.  Family member #4 is on the way! :)  We went to the Children's Museum in Pittsburgh to have some fun...

We did some painting... and managed to keep (most of) the paint on the paper!!

Played in the sand!

But the best part was Clifford!

We had so much fun :)

That evening after dinner we went to a nearby farm to look at the cows.  They were so cute!!!

We dressed alike on purpose.

Then we went to see the baby cow...

And then test out the tractor.

Of course after seeing the cows, we had to get some ice cream... with sprinkles!!  YUM!

After my visit with Marci, I drove about 1/2 hour to my friend Tracy's house.  Tracy was my randomly selected college roommate at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) in 1998.  We were so lucky to have found each other... we became friends immediately and were joined at the hip for the next 4 1/2 years and have remained friends for 15 years.  (This is making me sound old...)  

Tracy lives with her hubby Mark and their two beautiful daughters Lexi and Aubrey.  I had such a good time at their home!!  Unfortunately I dropped my camera at the farm and broke it, so I could only take pictures with my phone.  But I still got some great ones! :)

We did a little sightseeing in Pittsburgh...

First we had lunch at Redbeard's where I enjoyed my favorite beverage of the season...
a Summer Shandy... YUM!

Then we walked over to the Mt. Washington Observation deck to take some pictures.

Lexi & Aubrey being cute as always!

On our way to Point State Park Fountain!

It was a little stormy looking when we got there... but we were hoping it would blow over or we would get out of there before it started raining too hard!

I snapped this quick family photo.  <3

And then the rain came and we ran!!

It rained for awhile...

We were soaked!!

I had a fantastic weekend visiting my BFFs!  I am so blessed that I still have their friendship!

I just wished they lived closer... :)

I didn't like San Francisco...

... I loved it!

My friend Meg was presenting at the AERA conference in San Francisco and invited me and our other IUP comrade, Monika, to come along for a vacation.  We jumped at the chance and had a blast!!

DAY 1
First things first... ride a cable car!  Very fun! :)

We ended up at Fisherman's Wharf where we went to the Wax Museum... which was a little disappointing.  I would not recommend it.  If you've been to Madame Tussauds, this is nothing like it.  But we still had fun!!

Afterwards we walked 1.3 miles to Russian Hill for a bar crawl.  We saw this at the beginning of our walk... and we're still laughing!

We walked up and down the famous hills of San Fran and were exhausted!  But we finally made it to Shanghai Kelly's, our first stop.

After a few drinks we went to Nick's Crispy Tacos where the tacos and nachos were delish!!  Then we went to Bullit and Green's Sports Bar, where I had an Anchor Steam on tap for my dad :)

About that time we were super tired so we went back to the hotel for a quick rest before heading to Colosseo Ristorante in Little Italy for dinner.

DAY 2

We went back to Fisherman's Wharf the next day on a double decker tour bus.

We were going on a boat tour under the Golden Gate Bridge, but first we went to see the adorable sea lions!

After walking around the shops, we went down to Pier 43 1/2 to get in line for our boat tour under the Golden Gate Bridge.  It was cooooold!!

We stopped at the aquarium before heading to dinner...

Never leave a shark alone in the gift shop....

We ate at Mango's Taqueria & Cantina... where the margaritas were flowing :)

Then one last stop to say g'night to the Sea Lions before heading back to the hotel!

DAY 3

Meg had to prepare for her presentation so Monika and I headed to breakfast.  I quickly found a spot that was in walking distance (the Tenderloin district) called Dottie's True Blue Cafe.  Come to find out they were on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives! 

It was a Monday morning, so we only waited in line for 45 minutes and it was worth the wait!  This was the best breakfast I've ever had.  Sooooo good!!!

Our next outing was back to Fisherman's Wharf where we had a great dinner at Lou's Fish Shack.

And then onto Pier 33 for our Alcatraz Night Tour, which was awesome!  I highly recommend it.  Buy your tickets online beforehand and go at night.

Hospital room... only open at night!

 

Here is a video I took of the cell slamming demonstration:

DAY 4

Today we rented a car to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge....

... and then Muir Woods!

Our car for the day!

On the way back to the city we stopped for dinner at Mel's Diner... where there was 49ers flags hanging.  I am a proud Raven's fan & had to document :)

Then we went to Ocean Beach to watch the sun set over the ocean and dip our toes in the Pacific.

DAY 5

Today was Meg's presentation (which she rocked of course!) so afterwards we headed to Fisherman's Wharf (yes, again!).  But on the way we stopped in Chinatown to get some souvenirs and fortune cookies.

Back on the bus to Fisherman's Wharf where we went to Boudin Bakery.  The food and service was amazing!  I ordered the famous clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl.

And our last stop was Ghirardelli Square where we got ice cream sundaes.  After our meal at Boudin, we only ate half, but it was very yummy!

The next day we flew back home to the east coast.  I had a fantastic time, but was definitely ready to go home!  It was a perfect trip. :)