9 weeks, 4 days

Minimoon part three: the California State Fair in Sacramento!

We saw giant food-shaped concession stands! That was probably one of my favorite things there.

And if you were wondering where the California sign from Disney's California Adventure went...look no further, it's now at the fairgrounds in Sacramento! 

9 weeks

Yesterday, we went on our minimoon part three: the Old Neighborhoods walk around Telegraph Hill and North Beach (from Stairway Walks in San Francisco by Adah Bakalinsky, 20th Ed.). We were pretty much in the same area as we were earlier in the week, but got to see completely different things. 

One of my favorite parts about this walk was seeing all the hidden neighborhoods and side streets that we would have never encountered if we were just driving around.

The walk eventually led us to Coit Tower, a San Francisco landmark that J has never been to. We took the elevator ride to the top and saw amazing views of the city.

Then, we continued on our stairway walk until we got back to our starting point.

We got pretty hungry after all the walking so we drove out to the East Bay for lunch and grocery shopping at Mi Pueblo.

:)

8 weeks, 4 days

For our minimoon part two, we decided to be tourists in our own city by joining a Ride the Ducks tour. We were driven around in an amphibious vehicle and got funny duck whistles. It was a lot of fun, although I secretly got nervous when we started driving into the bay.

Afterwards, we walked around Fisherman's Wharf because it seemed like the tourist thing to do. Plus, J had not been there in the past ten years or something like that.

 Before heading over to Pier 39, we had clam chowder in a bread bowl and fish and chips at the Franciscan. We were not expecting much from the food since it was so touristy and inexpensive, but it was actually really good!

8 weeks, 3 days

Three days before our honeymoon in Bangkok and Tokyo, we decided to cancel and stay home. The stress of being on a long airplane ride plus the inability to drink or eat freely didn't sound like that much fun anymore. 

Instead, we are going on local minimoons, which I am really excited about! Prior to booking our overseas vacation, I secretly just wanted to visit quirky US cities anyway, so this is perfect. 

This past weekend, we spent one night in San Jose, a quick one-hour drive away from San Francisco, and we had so much fun!

Our first stop, the Hakone estate and gardens.

Afterwards, finding the muffler man and other roadside attractions (my favorite thing to do!), plus a yummy lunch that I forgot to take pictures of.

Later that night, Monsters U at a drive-in theatre.

And, oh my goodness, being pregnant is awesome cause J let us have MCDONALDS as a midnight snack! MCDONALDS!!!

The next day, we headed over to the San Jose Flea Market, where we had amazing Mexican food and snacks. This chili-lemon mango included.

And our second-to-last stop, the Winchester Mystery House, which wasn't as mysterious as I hoped it would be. 

For the rest of our stay-cation, we're planning to relax, look at some more open houses, and take more day trips.