Every day when I pick Ella up from school she asks me “what are we gonna do? Please not a normal day, please not a normal day!” She is expecting a play date, a special trip somewhere, one day she asked to drive to Disneyland.
It was gorgeous the last day of school so I though I would take them to the beach. I packed the bag up, got snacks, prepared Phoebe and decided it was ok to get sand all over everything.
“We are going to the beach!”
“We don’t want to go to the beach, we’re tired.”
The last few days of school had been really busy for them. Performances, science fairs, class picnics. They were pretty beat.
We decided to go to a local playground that we used to go to a lot, but they had kind of outgrown it.
Julius Khan Playground is likely one of the most beautiful playgrounds in the city. It sits right against the Presidio with views of the Golden Gate Bridge. There is parking, a very safe feeling for little ones and overall it’s a great spot. I think the girls had tired of it as they got older because it is mostly frequented by younger children. I had grown a little tired of it because it is mostly frequented by wealthy families or nannies. I don’t have anything against wealth, I would love to have it myself, I just like a little more diversity.
We ended up having a great time. Phoebe played while the girls went into the Presidio a bit and explored. I was able to call them every 10 minutes or so and they would yell back letting me know they were ok. I enjoyed being able to let them roam while their little sister had a ball crawling around and going on the swings.
We ended up staying for nearly 3 hours. A great way to end the year.
view of the baseball fields. Steve used to play here as a child. I think he even built a treehouse in one of those trees in the distance.
Chloe told me these are “Dinosaur Plants”. They are HUGE and very prickly.
This bush was incredibly soft. The city has done a great job slowly but surely restoring these open areas and parks.
Rubbing the lavender to bring out the smell.
Showing me her body flinging skills. I am signing her up for gymnastics. It is crazy what this girl will do. Last night she jumped downs the stairs skipping 8 steps to land on some cushions at the bottom. She is braver and stronger than I will ever be.
“not so high”
“MOM, she likes it”
The girls were playing in those trees behind Phoebe.
I am glad we chose to go to this spot. Even the mom with two kids and a nanny didn’t bother me.
Julius Kahn seems like a wonderful park; your photos were very helpful. In our neighborhood, Bayview; there aren’t many playgrounds. The playgrounds we do have are often desserted. No kids, no families…NOTHING. So I’ve taken it upon myself to venture out of our familiar neighborhood. Jeremy has had the best of fun exploring new park spaces throughout San Francisco. Sometimes, I do feel uncomfortable, because there is a lack of diversity; but once I get over that fear. I’m fine. Jeremy makes friends, I chit chat with other Mothers, and it ends up being a good day. I’ll definitely check this park out. Thank you!
Tiffany! Thanks so much for coming by the blog. Well we are just going to have to revitalize the Bayview section of the city somehow but in the meantime, tweet me if you are in the area. (Western Addition, Pan handle, Pac Heights, Cow Hallow)