California dreaming...

Back before the economy tanked in 2008, I was doing a fair amount of traveling for work. In fact, when we were expecting Samarah, I remember both Kaniz and I being worried about the constant business travel and how it would affect our (growing) family life. Luckily, right before Samarah was born, my employer cut down on discretionary travel, my job focus switched to a product that didn't require meeting with customers in person, and we had the economic crisis. Ok, so maybe the last part wasn't that lucky, but it certainly worked out for me. Obviously, there are some disadvantages to working at home full-time (like losing my status on airlines and hotels), but given the fact that I spend so much time with Samarah and Syra, I think I've gotten a pretty good deal.

So when I got word last month that I'd have to go to San Francisco for a 3-day trip, I managed to convince Kaniz that we should turn it into a family trip. It took a bit of doing on my part because Kaniz was really worried about the plane ride, getting to/from the airports, getting around in the city, adjusting to the time change, etc. (you know, all the important stuff). I guess she didn't account for the fact that we have two super daughters who were absolutely perfect on the plane (both ways) and adjusted to the time difference without any issues. We decided to do Park 'N Fly in Toronto (which cost less than my usual car service), but did not take our car seats with us. In SF, we took the BART (subway) from the airport to downtown and then pushed the double stroller and our two suitcases up the hill to our hotel. Everything was perfect!

Some highlights:

• Samarah loved the wide, long hallways at the Pearson airport. Note to self: Lots of running before getting on a plane is a good idea.
• The aforementioned walk down Hyde Street. I checked Google Street View and the street doesn't look too bad (link), but in my defense, I had two kids and Kaniz with me, plus you can't see the crack dealer or the addicts in Street View (the Google van probably came around too early).
• The farmer's market at the Ferry Building, plus the walk down Embarcadero to Fisherman's Wharf.
• Dinner with Shobhana and Lance (can't believe I forgot to take pictures - doh! Sorry Shobs. You'll just have to come visit us in Toronto.)
• Dinner with Trace, Noel, Brian and Baby Jeremiah at the Cheesecake Factory
• Blowing bubbles at Yerba Buena Gardens
• The San Francisco Public Library
• The San Francisco Shopping Center (awesome food court) & Bloomingdale's kids section
• Samarah swinging her new umbrella around at other pedestrians in China Town

Anyway, enjoy the pictures (and remember to leave comments so we know you're still out there!).