San Diego: Part I

I can't believe we have been here 2 weeks now!  Time is flying and we aren't ready to come home yet.  So much to do here.  Have I ever mentioned that I love San Diego and Im so happy we have family here??  There has been lots of back yard hanging and Play Doh.  

Lots and lots of Play Doh. Play Doh with abuela, Play Doh with tata, Play Doh with mami y papi, Play Doh with cousins....basically anyone and everyone! 

{Juliana & Mateo enjoy some naked PlayDoh time}

We had a couple cloudy days last week, so looked for something indoors where Mateo expend some energy.   The New Children's Museum (200 West Island Ave, in downtown San Diego)  fit the bill.

  

This place is awesome!  First off the building is so modern and bright that you don't feel trapped indoors.  In fact, some of the activity stations are outside, so you can really enjoy the mild San Diego weather.

It is packed with many fun activities for little guys, not to mention live chickens, gardening classes,  and a paper making studio.  They have different workshops and a summer camp.  If we were going to be here all summer, I would enroll Mateo.  It was really impressive! 

And boy did it keep him happy & busy....a mother's dream!

When we walked out of the museum there was a bus sitting out front.  The driver saw Mateo staring in amazement and asked if he wanted to get on.  He hopped up the stairs and walked down the long empty isle.  The driver told him to get up on a seat to wave at us out of the window.  He talked about it for hours.

That night Ernesto and I enjoyed an adult night out at Petco Park with our niece Cariza.  (thanks for inviting us girl!)  Boy did we need that! 

There is no shortage of nightlife in downtown, so afterwards we hopped over to Urban for a few drinks, then ate at Strip Club (not what it sounds like)

On Memorial Day we hung out in Coronado.  The beach is so wide here that even when there are tons of people, you never feel too crowded.  And driving across the Coronado bridge is like entering a totally different city.  Ok, so it is really a peninsula, not an island, but it feels like one.  It is like a resort town.  Strolling the streets in beach wear, shopping, people watching, and grabbing something to eat are all simple pleasures here.

We were told the weather was "unbearably hot" the week before we got here, but the temps have been perfect since we arrived!  The water is still freezing, but we got our feet wet and played in the sand.  Mateo warned us whenever the water would get close though.  He is not a fan of the cold water.  

My goal everyday is to wear out Mateo.  We need to take him somewhere in the mornings to let him run!  

There is a nice playground close to mis suegras house, but hands down the best we have been to so far is the new waterfront park downtown along the embarcadero (in front of the court house).  

The boys splashed around and had a great time.  We wore their little butts out (mission accomplished!) and then cruised up the street to have lunch in Little Italy.  There is one beautiful restaurant after another - all with cute outdoor patios.  We sat outside at Napizza and enjoyed a few slices of pizza and a caprese panini and a couple IPA's. #ilovemylife

While walking around, we spotted this awesome (new-ish?) restaurant called Ironside.  What first got my attention was the awesome succulent wall at the front door.  

We decided we would come back for a "date night" later in the week...because besides beautiful plants, they specialize in oysters & beer. Sold!

A couple days later, although not a "date" technically, we were able to sit down here while the kids slept in the stroller. 

Guys, if you live in San Diego or are planning to visit, you must check this place out!  First of all, I have never (ever!) loved the inside of a restaurant more than here. Brass, brass and more brass ...

...paired with a mint green bar and benches, a huge carrara marble family style table and walls, tumbling block design on the cement floor tiles.  All the fixtures were gorgeous and unique...and BRASS.  (My love affair with brass is never ending!)  We happened to show up in time for happy hour which was $1 raw oysters. Hello! They were delicious!  Unfortunately the raw bar was all that was available while they transitioned  from lunch to dinner, but there were some things on the menu that would draw us back.

It took a lot to get both of the boys sleeping in the stroller at the same time.  A lot of walking that is. Earlier that day we were hanging out at Balboa Park.

We took them into 'Kid City' inside the Science Center and they had a blast.  We had coffee.

We had brought Mateo here before and he loved it.  Marcelo loved exploring too.  They were beat afterwards so we walked around hoping they would fall asleep so we could sit down outside and have a beer somewhere.  Well, we ended up walking and walking..like a couple hours of walking. Finally they both fell asleep.

On that walk though we did something really cool and different.  Not that I know every area of San Diego (hardly!) but I was surprised that we had never been here before.  Oh! And it's been here since 1912!!

 The Spruce Street Suspension Bridge only took a couple of minutes to cross, but it had my knees shaking.  I am a little scared of heights, you see.  That doesn't mean I avoid heights, it just means my knees get weak.  I am glad we were the only ones crossing it, as jumping kids would have seriously made me nervous!  It is 70 feet up above a canyon.  Anyhoo, it was a quick thrill that lead to the most UGLY houses in Bankers Hill.  Why haven't I walked through this neighborhood before and what do you people do anyway??
Let me just show you one of the many houses I would die for...

 Let's move on to something less depressing shall we?  How about we talk about Mateo's bedtime "routine" out here.  Ha! Well no, that's not depressing, it's just plain old frustrating.  He is in and out of bed and I have never missed locking a door so bad.  Last night we took him to bed at 9p and he finally went to sleep at 11p.  Ugh!
That is quality blogging time right out the weekend. Hence the delayed posts.

On the other hand of the scale Marcelo takes 2 seconds.  We read a quick book,  pull the elephants tail [for a lullaby] and close the door.  You don't hear another peep out of him.  Same for naps.  EASY.
Maybe he will not enter terrible twos, but he is going to be a toddler any time now!

He is standing on his own for longer and longer.  Ernesto said he even took two little steps the other day, but that doesn't count that because I didn't see it:)

Hope you guys are having a great start to your Summer too!