Sabbath Adventures: SF Mission District

For today's Sabbath Adventure we headed to the Mission District in our very own San Francisco. We've been to the city loads of times, but almost always we visit either the Waterfront or North Beach, where our all-time favorite restaurant (Caffe Sport) resides. I'm a big fan of Maggie's over at Mighty Girl and she put together an awesome guide to the city. On a whim we decided to check out the Mission.

We pulled up about 11 am, grabbed a spot to park on 16th Street and soon a huge, shiny, red firetruck pulled up behind us. The guys were super friendly and talked to the kids, even letting them climb up in the truck. Firefighter Joe in the backseat lives in Fairview, Oregon, which is just a short drive from where I grew up. Small world.

As per Maggie's suggestion, we picked up burritos for lunch at La Pancha Villa and walked a handful of blocks to Dolores Park to sit in the 85 degree sun and enjoy our meal. Maddie is eating the "baby burrito," which is basically the size of her upper arm. Ben went ahead and ordered the Super with spicy salsa, which scorched his mouth. After picking out fifty or so jalapenos he was a happier camper.

I did not partake of the burritos or pina agua fresca (mexican food does NOT agree with colitis. You'll just have to trust me on that), but everyone seemed to enjoy their lunch. Maddie and Sam finished about 1/3 of the "baby."

The views of the city from Dolores Park are gorgeous. It was a clear day and I can't remember the city looking more beautiful. We played for a bit at the park and had a huge scare. There's one of those great, old-school type playgrounds (read: no safety bars; long, hot metal slides) and while I was following Sam around, Maddie fell off the highest platform onto the sand below.

I heard the fwhump and the cry, the gasps of some who witnessed the fall, and as I ran to Maddie's side at least two other passers-by were running up to make sure she was okay. A sweet guy who had been making music on a bench said as he ran over, "That was a long way to fall!! Is she okay?!" I figured that as she was making her way down, she reached for a bar, swung her legs, and missed the second platform, flying facedown until she landed on the sang on her belly. There were lots of tears and sand to brush away, but praise Jesus!, no broken bones. Ben went up to the top with Maddie later and he said he was a little scared just standing up there!

We met up with Auntie Jennie back down on Mission and walked up and down Valencia peeking in the cool thrift shops, boutiques and other interesting storefronts. We happened upon a mural project in a long alley and stopped to take pictures:

Maddie and the Big White Bird (we have egrets behind our house and we're always spotting them on our walks. Ben loves to make up stories about Maddie, Hanalei and the Big White Bird.)

My sweet Sam

After lots of silly faces, the waiting finally paid off when Maddie smiled

(She is NOT into having her picture taken these days!)

Again, following Maggie's advice, we headed to Bi-Rite Creamery, a mecca of homemade ice cream delights. Maddie snagged a mint chip cone, Ben went for a double decker salted caramel and balsamic strawberry, and Jennie chose salted caramel and brown sugar.

I didn't hear any complaints about the ice cream, either. We had some very happy customers:

Just three hours in the city, but we were able to knock off number 35 on the Big Eat SF. We've still got a way to go. :) I was saying to Ben that we could easily have picked up burritos, gone to a park, and grabbed ice cream locally, but why not try something new? Give the Mission District a shot!