that iconic red bridge
If there is one thing you need to see when visiting San Francisco, it's the Golden Gate Bridge. I don't know what it is about this thing -- despite having seen it countless times over the years, I am still in awe every time I catch a glimpse of it. It's old. It's massive. It's red. And it's beautiful.
So when Jordan's mom came up to stay with us for the weekend, we knew we had to plan a trip to the monument that has been impressing tourists and locals alike for the past 80 years.
Some Impressive Golden Gate Bridge Facts before we get started:
The bridge opened in 1937 and was (and still is) the tallest bridge in the United States (747 feet tall)
The project cost more than $35 million at the time ($3.45 billion in 2016 dollars)
It is 1.7 miles in length
The color of the bridge is officially 'international orange'
Over $100,000,000 in tolls are collected from vehicles crossing the bridge, annually
*site - http://wikipedia.com/ and http://goldengatebridge.org/
We first stopped by our local bottle shop - The Epicurean Trader. This shop is right up the street from our house and is stocked full of every gourmet cheese, dried meat and fancy tapenade you could ever dream of. We filled a basket with a bit of everything, and of course a loaf of Tartine sourdough bread (from the famous Tartine bakery one neighborhood over).
We jumped in my Mother-in-Law's convertible VW Beetle and zig-zagged our way up, down and around the streets of San Francisco until we made it to the Presidio, and finally to Crissy Field -- a windy beach just east of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The evening was chilly but perfectly clear and sunny. We popped open a bottle of cab, and enjoyed our picnic with the perfect backdrop. It was one of those rare moments when you look around and have to pause to take in an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Not all days are perfect. Many days are tiring and mundane. Some days (many days) I don't even change out of my yoga pants. But this day. This day was lovely. And a reminder of how lucky we are to be having these experiences in such a special city, as a new little family.
I've been having a lot of those 'how is this my life?' moments lately, and hope to document a couple more before we head home in just one short week.
