San Francisco - Day Two

Before I begin the photo essay of my awesome day, have a look at this amazing two-floor space for lease, which we can see from our hotel window:


Could it be any more awesome? The Husband and I have decided that we're going to move here and open a comic book/stationary/café/flower shop. It's really a genius idea and I don't think we can possibly fail, so we'll just throw all of our savings at that rather than buy a house in Toronto.

Anyway, on with my day! I hopped on my cheesy (read: awesome!) double-decker bus and snapped some cool shots. Here's the unique Transamerica Pyramid building. The beautiful building in the foreground is where Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope postproduction facilities and his Café Zoetrope restaurant are located.


A little public art on a building at the edge of Chinatown:


Coit Tower. I am trying to decided whether I can haul my pregnant, hasn't-been-to-the-gym-because-I-was-sick-for-three-months butt up the Filbert Street Steps, which lead to the tower. I think my tour guide today said there are 481 steps. And then I suppose you have to climb the tower... But apparently the views are incredible AND the inside of the tower is filled with murals. Mmmmm...


Pretty church against the amazing blue skies we had today. (Hence my sunburn...)


Maybe this is where the Husband and I will live when our hybrid shop is spectacularly successful and creates a new shopping genre that mixes disparate elements together!


I hopped off the bus at Pier 39. Totally touristy, but I am totally a tourist.




I had forgotten that this was where the sea lions hang out, so when I rounded a corner and heard their strange honking voices, I may have gasped out loud with glee.


They are crazy cute and so fun to watch. I also discovered that Daphne is part sea lion! The way that she flattens herself out and slides down off the couch is EXACTLY how the sea lions slide off the piers into the water!!

Oh, sea lions spooning!


And look at this face! Could it be any sweeter?


View of the city from the pier:


What's that you say? A carousel!? Yes, please!


I, of course, chose to ride the sea lion after just swooning over them:


I did not deign to ride the dolphin! (What is a dolphin doing on a carousel, anyway!?)


The pride flag flying at the pier. This city, in case you missed the memo, is all about the gays!


Another view of the Pyramid building:


And speaking of the gays, I happened upon the Pride Parade by chance!




It was a HUGE parade with lots of people cheering and some serious public displays of nudity, both nice to look at and not so nice at all.

Then I reached The Embarcadero, which runs along the water:


And the Ferry Building:



I picked up some lunch in the Ferry Building at Il Cana Rosso (a great suggestion from a friend) and ate it while looking at this view:


Then I strolled through the building checking out the amazing little food and specialty shops. I avoided this one:


And I admired all the lovely little mosaics throughout:


Finally, I strolled along the water for a bit:


And then walked all the way along The Embarcadero to the spot where I could hop back on the bus, so it could take me back to the hotel. Phew! I'm exhausted after a full day and posting all of this! And not feeling so great. I suspect a touch of heat stroke or just some old-fashioned jet lag, since I was awake before 6 a.m. this morning. Either way, I'm going to cash it in soon, even though the Husband left before me this morning and is STILL WORKING! Poor guy. At least I'm appreciating the hotel room to its full advantage!

San Francisco - Day One

I’m determined not to get behind on posting about my trip, so I’m composing this from the charming French bistro that is literally beside the hotel. Could anything be better for me? I adore a French bistro and can think of no better way to begin my first full day in San Francisco than with a pain au chocolate before I board a very touristy double-decker bus to give me the lay of the land.

After a long day of traveling yesterday, we arrived and I got my first glimpse of both water and amazing hills where the clouds sort of rest on the peaks. Then downtown with its gorgeous architecture and, finally, our funky hotel:


Hotel Triton, with the awesome French bistro next door.


A little fountain out front.


The rubber duckies are wearing rainbows, because it's Pride Weekend in San Francisco. Seriously! I am here during PRIDE! All my favourite gays will be so jealous.

Lobby shots:



Our room:





It's teeny, but it makes up for lack of space with TONS of personality.

We are right at the foot of Chinatown, which means there’s are lots of stores selling HUGE chandeliers and statues and tables entirely made of mother-of-pearl. I can’t really figure out who buys this stuff, although it does remind me of that Michael Jackson special from years ago where the reporter followed him around and he was buying crazy opulent things of this nature. Now that he’s gone, who else keeps these stores afloat? Perhaps Katy Perry. I could see her buying a fully carved four-posted bed with gold leaf that looks like it belongs in Versailles.

Anyway, after getting settled and exploring a few blocks, it was SO time for dinner. Between the time change and the awful airport food options, this pregnant lady needed a hot, yummy meal! I spied a little French place (I’m obsessed!) down an alley by the hotel and was immediately won over by the intimate little tables and candlelight. And luckily the Husband didn’t have to start work yet, so he and I got to have dinner together! This was very exciting, because I didn’t think I’d get to see him at all during this trip, except for when I roll over in the middle of the night and reach WAY across the king-sized bed to say hello.

So we had a delicious dinner where I was unable to resist the French Onion Soup (bad vegetarian!) and the bread basket (whipped butter!). The husband had a great chevre salad with pear and candied walnuts (goat cheese – I miss you! See you in about six months) and then we split an order of pomme frites and a little vegetarian lasagna. It was exactly what I needed, minus the glass of red wine that would have complemented it all so perfectly (wine – I miss you, too).

Cat's out of the bag!

Okay, so the real reason that I haven't been blogging of late is because I've had a secret. And I suck at secrets! Even really happy secrets are hard for me not to talk about. So rather than blog about other stuff, when all I could really think about was my secret, I just avoided blogging altogether.

But you guys, I totally missed it!

The good news is that I am BACK! And the even better news is that I'm finally able to share my secret:

That's right! Baby on board! Bun in the oven! Barefoot and pregnant!

Pregnant. Wow. Weird. And awesome. But oh so much harder than I ever thought it would be.

I am a true optimist. (Although also a bit of a conspiracy theorist, which doesn't really compute.) My natural inclination is to assume that everything is going to be easy and run smoothly. But sometimes a healthy dose of pessimism would better prepare me for how things actually turn out.

Here's the thing: I know I didn't have it nearly as bad as lots and lots of women in my first trimester! One friend told me she was so sick and tired that she would crawl home from work, climb in bed and go right to sleep. At some point her husband would wake her up and feed her a bit of food and then she'd go right back to sleep until morning. Mine was not that bad!

But I did have lots of days where I was barely dragging myself around, with lots of fatigue and a whole digestive system that decided it wasn't going to work. There were evenings where I wished it was winter, so the sun would set early and I could justify going to bed before 7 p.m. Lots and lots of lying around feeling sick, unable to really do anything.

Yes, I'm complaining a bit, but that doesn't mean for a second that I'm not over-the-moon happy about my current state! I really, really, really am. It's just that the first trimester was very trying and I'm still coming out of that and into the light.

Another friend who recently had a baby said that she found the first trimester very isolating, because you're encouraged not to spread the word too much and you don't see any doctors. I am so glad she said this to me early on, because then I didn't feel alone in my isolation. I definitely had an incredible support system of both family and friends who knew what was going on, but the lack of medical intervention is sort of amazing. I mean, you're growing a human being, but after the initial trip to your regular doctor to confirm the pregnancy, you're left to your own devices to hope that everything inside is progressing as it should.

Then, about a week and a half ago, we finally had our first ultrasound. I was SO excited and then SO freaked out by the stony-faced technician. First she chastised me for not having a full bladder (How was I to know!?!) and then she was quiet for so long that I was sure something was wrong. Finally, the first thing she said was, "I only see one baby." And in my head I was all, "YOU SEE A BABY!!!"

In the end it was pretty amazing. The Husband watched the screen the whole time and he said he could see the baby wiggling around in there. And then I got to see the pictures, which was so cool. Because there are a lot of moments during the first trimester where you find yourself starting to question if it isn't all in your head. If there isn't actually a baby in there. But there is. Huzzah!

Anyway, I guess this blog will morph into a bit of a baby blog now. Consider yourself forewarned if that's not what you want to read! Although it will also be my San Francisco travel blog for the next week. The Husband has to work long days the whole time we're there, so I will roam the city with my trusty camera and share my explorations with all of you.

Oh! It feels so good to blog again. And to get the secret out!

I'll be back...

I'm not gone for good. Promise! I'm coming back. Soon. Very soon.

Bringing the outdoors in

Apparently I am not feeling very bloggy lately. What I am feeling, however, is full of the power of spring. The flowering trees around the city take my breath away, so when I took a time out at St. Lawrence Market today, I could not resist snapping up this bundle of blooms:





The photos don't really do the branches justice. Trust me when I say that they're fantastic! Also, I discovered that when you carry a big bundle like this home on the subway and through the streets, people will smile and talk to you. Kind of awesome.

Colourful kitchen accessories

Can you believe all these adorable prints are on TEA TOWELS! If I had some extra money lying around (and didn't feel weird about ordering tea towels from the UK), I would stock up! See even more here.

My imperfect masterpiece

I have been thoroughly remiss with my blogging. But sometimes my brain gets a little overwhelmed with life stuff. Nothing to be concerned about! Just those big life questions that make all of us feel a little more introverted than normal for awhile. This pic that I snapped of Schmaf a week ago sort of illustrates the feeling nicely:



Anyway, I have been meaning to post some pics of my final sewing project! I made this amazing denim skirt:



Look at that hem!



Okay, maybe the seams don't line up exactly...



And a zipper! (Disregard the fact that the top part of the zipper isn't fully tacked down. And that the waistband doesn't meet in the middle.)



In the end, I am extremely pleased with the final product. I would definitely wear this... if the gather didn't hit me at the widest part of my hips, adding an inch on either side and about 15 extra pounds.

Lesson to be learned: Choose your pattern carefully!!