The San Francisco Treat

 Hey ArielViewers,

Travel has been limited due to our upcoming move to Littleton, CO, but we did visit my family in California this November, and I'm so glad we did.

Seeing my dad so happy on the West Coast and enjoying his life with his new puppy brought a smile to my face. We hopped in his Tesla at SFO and jetted off to Anatolian Kitchen in Palo Alto before heading to my dad's in Richmond, CA.

The next day, Jason and I jumped on the ferry from Richmond to San Francisco, which brought us to Pier 2. The schedule changes during the week, so download the app for tickets and schedules. Bikes are allowed on the ferry, and there's a place to lock your bike; no dogs are allowed on the ferry. As soon as we landed at Pier 2, we stumbled into a massive farmer's market; obviously, we had to walk through and get samples while we waited for Jason's friends 😜

Once we met up with Jim and Ruth, we went to eat a fantastic brunch at Troya - a Turkish restaurant. Jason and I split the lamb hummus and avocado toast with freshly squeezed orange juice, which was delicious. Afterward, we went to The Snug, where we had one tasty cocktail, said our goodbyes, and went to visit the MVPs, my grandparents.

Of course, on the way, Jason and I stopped at our favorite South Indian restaurant, AappaKadai. We like it so much that we brought it to my grandparents twice at the nursing facility. Aappam with extra coconut milk, please! My grandmother also loved her Lakshmi and Durga plush toys, originally intended for my nieces🤣.

The next day, we stayed at my cousins', who took us out in Burlingame. She and her husband took us to Barrelhouse for super tasty cocktails, Salt and Straw for the most unique ice cream flavors I've ever tried, and Cafe Stellato for gelato, where I had delicious Thai iced tea gelato.

We departed Burlingame and hopped on the CalTrain to San Francisco, where we met my dad, the puppy, and our tour and tour guide, Nikki, with Avital Food Experiences.

On the food tour, we went to: 

• Bi-Rite ice cream - the salted caramel was awesome.
• Tartine was recommended, but we didn't try it.
• Bao Dumpling and Chinese Cuisine had delicious dumplings.

A few other food spots that were on point were:

• Hook Fish Co. in Mill Valley—Casual atmosphere but deliciously fresh fish. We ordered fish and chips and fish tacos, and both were excellent.
  
  
  
  
  
  

Skates on the Bay in Berkeley—Joel was our waiter, and he was fantastic and gave great recommendations. We had wonderful sushi, fish, soup, and so much more. We will definitely be back the next time we visit my dad!

We found so many gems on this trip, from family to friends to delicious food. We can't wait for our next trip after our move to Colorado.