Travel is more fun with kids

Curious George Saves the Day Review

 

We were invited to a preview of the exhibition Curious George Saves the Day at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco. My daughters had no school that day and I thought that would be a nice family moment, even though my children do not like Curious George. Apparently, the cartoon killed it for Olivia. So we were up for an adventure! 

The museum has created a colorful little suitcase full of activities that will help the children have fun while learning about Margret and H.A. Rey and a cute little monkey named George (actually George was not its name at first). Keep in mind that you will have to give the suitcase and most of its content back to the counter but the white cards with titles on them, the envelope (story challenge game) and the Passport to Adventures story journal are yours to keep.

 

My advice: open the suitcase and go through the content  BEFORE entering the exhibition. You will have more space and you can start on the right note.

The suitcase holds 4 big colored cards that are titled Characters, Settings, Pickles (problem not the food as my daughter thought first), and Story Telling. Each big colored card represents one part of the exhibition.

Each big colored card goes through the same process: Find – Discover -  Wonder – Connect

 

White cards where the children are free to draw come with each big colored card. Each white card has a sentence on it. For example, for the character card, you will have one titled: couple on the tandem bike. The child has to look for the couple on the tandem bike pictured on a frame. When he finds it, that is the start of a conversation. He then can draw the tandem on the card, write about it, talk about it, or even think about it. I believe that as parents in a museum, we do not have to be always talking or sharing with the children, they also need to have some quiet time to process things.

The exhibition is taking the child on a journey to discovery, learning, and discussion. Each child will approach and take that journey differently depending on their skills, age, interests, and here I say it Mood!.

At the end, you will pick two characters, one setting, one pickle and you will be able to tell or write in your yellow passport a story following your picks.

Even though my daughters had voiced their negative opinions about Curious George many times (and believe me they are vocal!), I was pleasantly surprised to see how interested they were. After going through the first two parts/cards exhibitions with me, they were exploring and reading the information on their own and taking full advantage of the opportunities of learning provided by the suitcase. I let them observe and draw. It actually gave me some time to explore the exhibition on my own.

 

 

For children a little bit younger, you will need to supervise and interact more. There is a small room with an interactive screen, seats, books, tables, and chairs where they can be more creative or talkative.

 

 

I really feel that with the Curious George Saves the Day package, they got it 100% right for the kids. They created a perfect balance of whimsicality, learning, fun, exploration, and learning.

Do my children like Curious George more after the exhibit?
I do not believe they do but they have a better understanding of the life of its creators, where they come from, what they had to endure (I am not letting out any clues, you will have to go to the exhibition to find out more).
More importantly, they learned that not liking something does not mean closing yourself to it, that you can still learn from something you are not crazy about.

We Loved

- You will learn a lot. I had no idea how much struggle the authors went through. One of my favorite interesting facts: my favorite: Curious George first name was Fifi, it was then changed to George.

- It is nice to see the dummy books, the personal belongings like the passport, inspirational for the children and it makes the Reys more real.

- Very visual exhibit: my children loved the map showing the Rey’s expedition. They spotted the countries and cities they have visited themselves.

- the setting has a Parisian feel that us French, loved!

 

- there is a separate area for the children where they can unwind if needed

- the love and enthusiasm of the museum curator and staff. They definitely put up very interesting exhibitions year after year and this is one is no exception.

We would have loved

- more places to seat and draw. Call to see when the museum has low attendance and try to go these days. My children were sitting on the floor and drawing. It may have been more difficult if the places would have been open to the public. At the same time, I understand that the place is limited and putting crayons on the hands of small children in a museum setting is also hazardous

- if the suitcase had a strap to hang it on your shoulder. I sometimes did not know what to do with it. I guess that’s when I regretted I did not have a stroller anymore to put it on.

Know before you Go

- if you go with smaller children, you may not have time to really fully explore the exhibition as you would like to do, with an adult eye. Going through the activities in the suitcase is really interesting but it is hands one if you are with smaller children. Go as a couple or with friends and take turns supervising the little ones and their activities.

- No cameras allowed.

- Because children will draw and take some space, you may want to go when the museum is the least crowded. Weekdays first thing in the morning are the best times (Monday or Tuesday are the best of the weekdays).

Curious George saves the Day is open till March 13th, 2011 

Contemporary Jewish Museum
http://www.thecjm.org/
736 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
415.655.7800

Open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm
Closed on Wednesdays
The Museum is closed the first day of Passover, July 4, the first day of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Thanksgiving, and New Year's Day.

The Museum is open on Christmas Day.

Admission:
Adults: $10
Senior and Students: $8
Thursdays after 5 pm: $5
Children under 18 are always free

Related post:
Tips for a drama-free visit to a museum with kids

 

Things To Do
San Francisco

Getting scared at Wolcott's Haunted Graveyard in Santa Rosa

A couple of weeks ago, we had a full day in Petaluma and Santa Rosa visiting pumpkin patches and having fun but there was still one last place I wanted to check out: Wolcott’s Haunted Graveyard also called the Wicked West Haunt. I had heard and read about it and I had put it in my list of places to visit for Halloween in Northern California for a list I put together for Trekaroo. But this time it was time to experience it in person.

Luckily we had our GPS because the place is not that easy to find if you are not familiar with Santa Rosa. It is actually located in the very quiet neighborhood and right there, you see a haunted graveyard with a hanging man in a very surreal and frightening decor. And much more…

This Haunted Graveyard is the brainchild of Bill and his family. We got to meet him as well as his neighbors and they are a fun bunch of people! This year has a theme: The Legend of Rosa Witch. Apparently, Rosa appears from time to time but luckily for my poor heart, she did not the night we visited.

 

My children were squealing with delight/horror just by seeing the scene from the car. Off they went and in front of the yard staring to push buttons on a panel. These buttons activate spooky sounds and animations. I screamed at one jack-in-the-box type skeleton every single time it appeared. I had planned to put some videos for that post but I screamed so much and the videos were so shaky that I saved myself from the embarrassment.

Halloween themed music is playing as the lights go on and off. they are also synchronized with a super cute Halloween light display on the other side of the street. Bring your little ones to see them if they are scared of the haunted backyard.

On the side of the graveyard, there is a mannequin on an electric chair that is activated remotely and shakes his head as he gets electrified. Such bad taste had my youngest daughter and her friend go nuts trying to figure out how to make it start. This spooked me too but you have guessed it, I get scared very easily.

 

As we went through a little hallway, to see the other side of the yard (still in the front part of the home), we discovered a little room with scary props. As I turned to go back to the hallway to be back in front of the home, I heard something, then as I looked I saw shoes. I turned to my husband to tell him that there was someone and next thing you know: Monster, Running, Screaming, and Looking at a little boy complaining that somebody pushed him (beware of scared ladies little ones). No idea if my kids got scared or not, what a bad mom!

Check Monster out behind the curtains!

 

 

My children went crazy for Monster as they called him. He scared them several times but they ended up taking a picture with him.

        

This place is GREAT Fun! I left with a sore throat from all the screaming I did. My children since have been asking repeatedly to go back to Santa Rosa but we unfortunately live more than one hour away…. But we will be back in 2011.

If you are in the area on Halloween Night, this is a home you do not want to miss!

 What you need to know
- If you have younger children (or are an easily scared mom like me), stay on the front and cross the street to visit the cute little Halloween display
- This is great fun! My youngest daughter could not get enough and she is usually easily scared. The fact that Bill, his family and neighbors are around proves to be a safety net for everybody.
- The graveyard is free to roam but there is a donation box. Please give, this is a one family effort and we all have paid for things less elaborate than that. Part of the donations are given to a Youth program.

The address is 472 Jose Ramon Avenue, Santa Rosa

Hours:
Sun-Thur 6:30-9:30
Fri-Sat 6:30-10:30

Website: http://www.srlights.com/
Facebook page:http://www.facebook.com/srhalloween

Related posts:

Halloween events happening inNorthern California, Southern California, Florida, North Carolina, Massachusetts,  andPennsylvania.

Pumpkin Patches around the Bay
Halloween Events Around the Bay 
Joan’s Farm review
Petaluna Pumpkin Patch and its big maze review 
Boo at the zoos 

 

Things To Do
San Francisco

Do not miss Chomp2! Return of the Carnivorous Plants at the SF Conservatory of Flowers.

The Conservatory of Flowers has always very interesting exhibitions. We really enjoyed the Train exhibit and this time, it was time for "Chomp 2! Return of the Carnivorous Plants (last day is 10/31/2010). I was expecting the same grandeur for this exhibitions. So when I entered the exhibition room, I was a little bit taken aback, it seemed empty. But as we moved around the room and began to explore, we discovered a miniature world. You just need to look down and explore.

 

Magnifying glasses are available to get into details. Was it really a cockroach that was ‘swimming’ inside the flower? Yes, it was!

  Yes it is a cockroach inside!

 

We started talking to a docent and we redid another tour with him, learning very interesting facts along the way about digestion and strength of the plants. He pointed to us trapped insects, like this little bug that we had not seen at first.

   
Spot that poor thing close to the center

 

 We could see the flytrap digesting the bug thanks to the flashlight

Huge models of the plants and big panels are there to give the extra help for children and parents to expand their knowledge.

               

What we liked
- This is real: plants are digesting as you look at them. My vegetarian daughter was grossed out but got over it real fast. It was so interesting, she could not resist.
- You learn from reading the panel and can just observe what you just read about.
- The knowledgeable docent: nothing beats passion. There is always one docent present there so go towards him/her and ask questions, ask for a tour like we did. We discovered so many details.

 What we did not like
- the place looked a little bit sterile at first but as I mentioned, you need to open your eyes and look down for the ‘action’.

The Exhibition will close its doors on Halloween Day.

Before you go:
Conservatory of Flowers
San Francisco¹s Golden Gate Park
100 John F. Kennedy Dr. 
Tel: 415-831-2090
http://www.conservatoryofflowers.org/

Open Tuesdays Sundays from 10 am to 4:30 pm.
The exhibition is free with regular paid admission to the Conservatory.

Admission for San Francisco residents is $5 general; $3 youth 12-17, seniors
and students with ID; $1.50 children 5-11; children 4 and under FREE.

Admission for non-residents is $7 general, $5 youth 12-17, seniors and
students with ID; $2 children 5-11; children 4 and under FREE. 

The Conservatory of Flowers gave my family complimentary tickets. I received no other compensation besides the tickets, and the Conservatory of Flowers did not express any requirement that I express a particular point of view.

Things To Do
San Francisco

Pumpkin Patch Review: Petaluma Pumpkin Patch and its amazing maze

Last Sunday, we went to the Petaluma Pumpkin Patch. Their main attraction is a 4 acres maze so we definitely wanted to give it a try. We went with friends, a family of 4 with us with two children aged 12 and 6.

We started right away by the maze ($5 a person, under 6 are free) and armed with a postcard with the map of the maze ($1 the postcard), we headed inside. The kids were very enthusiastic and off they ran, without checking the map. We ended up lost with 4 whining kids. At that point, I was considered getting lost in the maze all alone. Wilhelm, my husband took the map, showed the kids how find out where we were (I asked a couple that seemed to know what they were doing... faster), he helped them get orientated, and check out for directions at each intersection. The kids finally took ownership and led us to the exit!

Keep in mind that you are very likely to stay 45 minutes in the maze trying to figure out your way out so bring food and drinks, you do not want to find yourself stuck with hungry and thirsty children.

Here we are happy again at the exit!

   

On site, you have food, drinks, a small petting area, a small maze for under 6 where the kids need to find the chickens (for real!). and inflatables. For the inflatables, the fee is 2 dollars for 5 minutes and the young kids had a blast. One would think that the two tweenagers would be bored to death but they ended up begging us to go in. After much refusal, we let them go and they had a blast. I will save them the embarrassment of a photo but let’s say that inflatables never get old!

          

They have pumpkins for sale. We did not buy ours there since we were planning on doing another pumpkin patch but they had a nice selection and an open field where you could pick your perfect one.

What we liked

- The maze is amazing. Buy the map, it will save you some headaches and whining. The  maze is well worth coming to that patch, it feels like an adventure. Let the kids some freedom in finding the path but do not hesitate to step up and guide so it does not end up being a bad experience.
- Our kids really enjoyed the other attractions and we thought it was well priced
- Covered snack area

What we did not like so much
- lots of open space between the  maze and the attractions/food that made it lack a little bit of soul.

What you need to know

Petaluma Pumpkin Patch
http://www.petalumapumpkinpatch.com
550 Stony Point Road, Petaluma – Google Maps
Free Parking – ATM on site
Open Sunday to Thursday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Friday and Saturday 10:00 am to 10:00 pm

Night Maze operates only on Friday and Saturday, the maze is not lit at night.

Related posts

Halloween events happening inNorthern California, Southern California, Florida, North Carolina, Massachusetts,  and Pennsylvania.

Pumpkin Patches Around the Bay
Halloween Events Around the Bay 
Joan’s Farm review
Getting scared at Wolcott's Haunted Graveyard in Santa Rosa  
Boo at the zoos  

 

Things To Do
San Francisco

The NorCal Renaissance Fair: a must do with kids

We went to the Renaissance Fair last year and LOVED it. I am not even a Faire kind of person but I gave it a try and I am glad I did. Even though it meant listening to my children mimicking the Manly Men in Tights for a month afterwards (Do not ask, go watch them).

So this year, it was that time of the year again to go back in time to Willington, England, one hour from San Francisco ;-). Each week-end offers a different theme and Thais picked the pirates week-end. So off we went with our friends and their two children, Adam 4 years old and Themis 2 months old. As you can see, Thais and Adam were two stylish French pirates.

You can read all about the fun we had at the fair last year at the opening week-end on my post: NorCal Renaissance Faire: you are not in California anymore.

So obviously, for pirates week-end, there were a lot of people dressed as pirates. That was a fun theme and one I would definitely recommend for children.

We arrived at noon on a day when the temperature was up the 90ies so we went directly to the food court/picnic area to eat and drink. The area is shaded and we did not suffer from the heat at all and had a nice lunch while watching dancers.

Armed with our schedule mostly picked by Olivia and Thais, we proceeded to see the show of the Manly Men in Tights. It was almost the same performance as last year and we laughed twice as hard. They are hilarious. My daughters love them and they already played part of the shows a hundred times this past week.

 

Then we were off for the MooNie Show, another fun experience. MooNie does not talk, he whistles his orders and directions to aids that he has picked in the audience. We loved the improvisation when one man and one woman would not comply with the directions and wanted to be smarter than MooNie. We had some great laughs.

After this, we had one hour before seeing the jousting so we thought we would tour the streets of the fair. We seemed to have missed so much last year! I had not seen the painting garden where you can stop by all day long and you can do some crafty activities (fee). Close to it, there is a  petting zoo and by the entrance, you can not miss the little critters petting zoo with spiders, geckos, snakes etc. You can even have tea with the queen (fee). Merchants are very diverse, you can buy swords, catapults, puppets, wooden toys, jewelry, hats etc. Thais enjoyed a close encounter with a beautiful owl.

Troubadours are all over and as we walked by, we saw the Queen eating while being serenaded, the beefeaters holding a meeting, and some soldiers relaxing.

So much to see!

Olivia had been wishing to get a handcrafted wooden wand since last year. She had brought her own money and got a beautifully crafted wand from WhirlWood Magic Wand.

And then, we were off to the Jousts! Unbelievable, it was so impressive to see the knights fighting on horse and on foot. Olivia could not believe that people had fun fighting like that at that time in History. The English knight won, the French Knight won (again… said the kids).  Little Adam was fascinated and even started his own knight sword fight with another kid.

Last year, I had talked about the games and that it was an extra cost. We had not tried any but this year, the kids tried some games.

Olivia tried the fishing game. 5 dollars to fish 3 fishes. Each fish has points under its belly and you can get prizes. I thought it was a rip off, the prizes were rocks, leathers, plastic rings. I felt sorry for Olivia.

 

Thais and Adam did the arbalest. 2 dollars for 12 shots. That was a very good deal. They had fun shooting (or trying to shoot) rats, dragons, birds etc. There are no prizes to win, just the satisfaction of having played. Loved it.

 

The pros

- You walk into history and you are having fun doing it. We stayed 6 hours with 3 children and a baby without seeing time go by.
- It is educational, you get to see how life was a long time ago in Willington.

- It was a hot day but with the big trees, you are most of the time in the shade so we were thirsty but by drinking often, we were fine and the kids did not whine at all.
- The shows are funny and/or amazing. Well worth the entrance price
- Children are free this year!
- The whole place is very clean.

The cons
- We brought water but not enough. We ended up buying drinks but 4 dollars for a giant soda and 3 dollars for a small water bottle was a little bit too much.
- Do not play the fishing game, not worth it. 
- I wish they could have the schedule online so we could plan our day ahead of time.

 We had a great day full of shows and games, take your children, you will not regret it.

Here are the themed week-ends for the rest of the Renaissance Fair                    

October 2 and 3: Bacchanal – Masquerade
October 9-10: Celtic week-end
October 16-17: Oktoberfest

What you need to know

Website: www.norcalrenfaire.com
Open Weekends Only - Sept 18th through October 17th from 10:00 am - 6:00pm

Adult Tickets are $25.00.
Children 6-12 are free
Week-end pass is $35
General Parking is $5.00

Location: Casa de Fruta - 10031 Pacheco Pass Hwy, Hollister, CA

The Faire organizers gave my family complimentary tickets . I received no other compensation besides the tickets, and the Faire organizers did not express any requirement that I express a particular point of view.

Things To Do
San Francisco

Book review: 100 places to take your kids before they grow up

I won the book ‘100 places to take your kids before they grow up’ (Frommer’s) at a contest with Trekaroo.  Since it is a book that lists places for children, I gave it to my daughters Olivia (11) and Thais (8) and ask them to initial the places they would like to visit.

I was surprised by both girls’ list, it was long and eclectic, outdoors and indoors, nature and malls, art and nature.

I marked with a * the places we have already visited and I was glad that she wanted to go back to places like California Gold Rush Country, I knew both kids really enjoyed visiting it.

This book is a great starting point for discussions, for letting children be aware of what there is to discover in other states or right there in their backyard. Looks like a visit of the Winchester Mystery House is something that I should plan for our family as well as a visit to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk….

Photos and descriptions are right on target for the attractions/places we visited so I am trusting it is the same for the ones we have not.

In conclusion
This book will make a nice little gift for your children.

Check out my children’s selection. It will give you an idea of what you can find in the book.

Thais’ pick

Philadelphia: cradle of Liberty, Pennsylvania
* Manhattan: a kid sized slice to the big apple, New York
American Museum of Natural History: discovering Dinosaurs, New York
The Cyclone, the coaster that made Coney Island famous, New York
New Orleans: the treasure we almost lost, Louisiana
* Monterey Bay Aquarium: Finding new depths in the California Coast, California
Griffith Observatory: Planetarium Hollywood, California
San Diego Zoo: Panda-monium, California
Winchester Mystery House: monument to Paranoia, California* California Gold Rush Country: land of the forty-niners, California
* The Exploratorium: the ultimate hands-on museum, California
* Hooray for Hollywood: Movie Mecca, California
* Santa Monica Beach: the golden essence of Beachy California
* Santa Cruz Boardwalk: California classic by the sea
Washington DC: having a ball  on the National Mall
Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial, South Dakota
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: where hot lava still flows, Hawaii
Dinosaur Valley: in the tracks of the Dinosaurs, Utah
Kennedy Space Center: 10…9….8.., Florida
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Cleveland Rocks, Ohio
Mall of America: Minnesota’s mega  mall Amusements

Olivia’s pick

* Las Vegas Cruising the strip, Nevada
* Manhattan: a kid sized slice to the big apple, New York
American Museum of Natural History: discovering Dinosaurs, New York
Metropolitan Museum of Art: Manhattan’s Treasure Grove, New York
Niagara Falls: the big spill, New York
Chicago: city of the big shoulders, Illinois
Washington DC: having a ball  on the National Mall
National Air and Space Museum: plane fantastic – Washington DC
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: where hot lava still flows, Hawaii
Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial, South Dakota
Winchester Mystery House: monument to Paranoia, California
San Diego Zoo: Panda-monium, California
* California Gold Rush Country: land of the forty-niners, California
* The Exploratorium: the ultimate hands-on museum, California
* Hooray for Hollywood: Movie Mecca, California
* Yosemite: Rock Climbing Heaven, California
* Santa Cruz Boardwalk: California classic by the sea
* Santa Monica Beach: the golden essence of Beachy California
Miami Seaquarium: laid back dolphins in the lagoons, Florida
Dinosaur Valley: in the tracks of the Dinosaurs, Utah 
Kennedy Space Center: 10…9….8.., Florida 
The Art Institute of Chicago: hitting Art’s highlights in the Loop, Illinois
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Cleveland Rocks, Ohio
Millennium Force: Cedar’s Point record setter, Ohio
Getting past the crowds: Yellowstone, Wyoming  
Mall of America: Minnesota’s mega  mall Amusements

Family Vacation

Is the San Francisco Go Card worth it?

There are a couple of different passes that allow you to save some money when visiting attractions. I have used the Museum Pass in Paris but I never had used one elsewhere.

I tried the Go Family Card from Smart Destinations in San Francisco. Several options are offered: from 1 to 7 days.

We picked the two days at $75.99 per adult and $52.99 per child.

That gave us access to 50 sights and attractions in the whole San Francisco Bay Area. So for all these, we got to see as many as these 50 attractions as you wanted, a free color guidebook (that I still continue to use as a guide), some shopping and restaurant deals.

So off we went during a week-end and here is what we ended up visiting:

DAY 1

We arrived very early at the

California Academy of Sciences 
Adult ticket:  $24.95  Child ticket:$14.95
You need to arrive early to avoid the crowds. That’s what we did and we visited everything but the planetarium. Fine place but not great as we expected.

Then at noon, we had a picnic in the park

de Young Museum
A $11.75  C: free
Children will like that museum, it is not too big and has very interesting primitive pieces and a beautiful collection of glass art creations that my daughters love to admire. The view from the tower is phenomenal: a not miss. You can go to the tower without paying the Museum entrance.

We headed up to a tour at the
Hass-Lilienthal House
A: $8 – C:$5
Tours are guided and we were lucky to arrive as a tour was about to begin. I would not go with toddlers or with children who are not good listeners as there is quite a lot of information to listen to. We all loved it and found the whole tour extremely interesting.
The tour lasts one hour approximately.

We then headed to the
SS Jeremiah O’ Brien
A: $10 – C: $5
With two daughters, this was not the highlight of the day but there were more interested in the visit that what I would have thought. Going into the heart of the engine room was impressive. There is a model of the Normandy battle. Lots of learning!

and finished our day with the visit at the

Wax Museum
A: $14 – C: $7
This was really tacky and my children loved it. They did not mind that the wax bodies were not perfect. They found the whole thing very exciting.

before heading to the cafe to pick our cable car tickets included with the card.

Cable Car tickets
A:$ 5 – C: $5
We could have visited the Aquarium of the Bay but we forgot to remind them (wink).

Day 2

We stayed in downtown San Francisco and started our visit with the

SF MoMa
A: $15 – C: free
I would like to see so much more in this museum but well, it is what it is. We always have a nice visit and the roof garden is nice.

then down to the

Cartoon Art Museum
A: $7  - C: $3
It is a small  museum. We do not know much about American cartoons (being French) but we recognized some of them and we had a nice time. The gift store has really nice books, comics, and accessories.

And a little hop in our of my favorite little museum:

Contemporary Jewish Museum
A: $10 – C: free
We love it, they always have nice exhibitions and we visit it several times a year.

We finished the day with the kids favorite:

Zeum
A: $10 – C: $8

The highlight of the two days: my children love the Zeum! They get to dance, sing, play with clay, do animations. And that day, we met a French dad and his son, who had just moved to the Bay Area from Paris so we ended up getting new friends out of the visit!

Zeum Carrousel

1 set of ticket per card: A: $3 – C: $3

We wanted to include a hop on  hop off bus but the person at the register at the Fisherman’s Wharf swiped the card before we could confirm what we wanted. The option she picked was not convenient at all for us time wise and you can swipe the card only once a day for that activity. We would have to wait 24 hours but we had a two days card so it was not a possibility. I would be very careful before handing my card again to them!

In conclusion: is it worth it?

The final cost of the activities for an adult was118.70 and we paid $75.99 for the card, for a saving of $42.71 per adult.

The final cost of the activities for a child was $50.95 and we paid $52.99 for the card,costing us $2.04. Shouldn’t we had the mishap at the hop on hop off bus, we would have ended up with a saving for the child card and a higher saving for teh adult.

So I would definitely recommend the Go card for San Francisco, Especially if you decide to visit high price tickets like the Academy of Sciences. It allowed to visit activities that we had never thought of visiting like the Wax Museum that ended up being something that our children really enjoyed. It also allows you to skip some lines at certain attractions.

You can also customize your card online making yourself your customized Explorer Pass picking the attractions and tours that you are more likely to use.

Right now, you can enjoy 15% off on selected San Francisco Cards.

These cards also make wonderful Christmas, birthday, wedding, or anniversary gifts.

The card is also available for Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Maui, Miami, New York City, Oahu, Orlando, San Diego, Seattle, and Toronto.

Smart Destinations gave my family two adult tickets. I paid for the children tickets.  I received no other compensation besides the tickets, and the they did not express any requirement that I express a particular point of view.

Family Vacation
San Francisco

 

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Kid Friendly exhibits in the Bay Area and San Francisco this summer
Tips for a drama-free visit to any museum with your children
Free operas and concerts in the Bay Area this summer
Family bike ride by the Bay with Bay City Bike

Parisiens d'un Jour: visit Paris for free

In July, I met for the first time two Canadians tourists as we joined Anne-Marie, a guide for the Parisiens d’Un Jour association. This association organizes free guided tour of Paris. I usually review activities I do with my children but both of them were in Bordeaux with their grand-parents and discovering Paris with a guide was too tempting to ignore.

Registering is pretty easy, you just need to go to their their website www.parisiendunjour.fr  and fill out their registration form. The website in in French, English, and Italian. You need to register at least two weeks before your preferred day of visit. So as I just said, you send out your request for your preferred days of the week, times, as well as location preference or any important information in one box. Be aware that the more restrictions you give, the more difficult it will be for them to find a guide.

A couple of days after emailing your request, you receive an email to let you know hopefully that the association matched you with a volunteer and then a short exchange of emails finalizes the time and meeting place.

That’s how I met with Anne-Marie, a charming retiree who has been living in the 15eme arrondissement of Paris for 20 years. Her husband is still working and the tours are one of the things she does to keep busy and to share her love for her 'quartier'.

We met at the Rue du Commerce, by the exit of the Commerce metro, in front of the newspapers stand. I was standing in the scorching heat when I heard my name (Did I really look like a lost tourist?) and somebody waving at me from the shade. That was Anne-Marie, my dynamic guide. Within 10 minutes and a lovely chat, a couple of Canadian tourists joined us.

And off we went for more than two hours in the 15eme arrondissement of Paris in the Quartier de Grenelle, discovering hidden passages and streets, beautiful buildings and parks, fun facts (my children would have loved to find out where the poneys from the Eiffel Tower sleep!), learning about Paris history and life along the way. Anne-Marie had divided the walk in three parts and we were free to leave at the end of any tour. But we wanted more!  Each part lasted approximately 40 minutes and she was telling us before the start what to expect. The couple of Canadians was really friendly and the four of us shared information on our respective living places, our recent travels, interests. It was really like visiting with long lost friends.

Let me share some photos with you:

Beautiful building along the way. We were able to pick inside the hallway and the entrance hall was simply gorgeous.

  
Courtyards with red bricks, I never came across some like these in Paris before.

Former City Hall of the city of Grenelle

  Park

   
No comment….    Door hiding the poneys’ barn

I want to add that I would have never picked that area of Paris would I have been given the choice. Because I was alone, I wrote in the comment box that I was really flexible in the visit and that I would accept any visit they would offer me. Being open minded really is the best thing to do when you sign up for Parisien d’un Jour.

What I liked about Anne-Marie and I am  pretty sure it will be the same for the guides is that she sincerely love her little area. Nothing can beat passion. And that is what makes the success of Parisien d’un Jour: passion. The volunteers choose to share a part of Paris they feel passionate about, they pick their time and theme so when they are here with you, they are fully available and happy to be there.

 Know before you go:

Register at least two weeks before your date. Note that starting in October, last minute requests will be posted on a special screen, allowing the guides to schedule a visit at the last minute.

All communications are done by email. No contacts are ever made by telephone.

The tours are available in several languages: French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Greek, Czech,Swedish, Portuguese, Catalan, Hungarian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, and Hebrew. 60 % of the 160 guides speak English.

Be open to the visit: Paris is a wonderful city. Any visit will be interesting and charming.

You are bringing the children: make sure you bring enough snacks, water, a stroller, walking shoes. Be aware that the visit can be heavily charged in history and architectural details, make sure that your children are interested in such a visit. At some point of our visit with Anne-Marie, we saw a park. My children would have asked to play for 5 minutes, Anne-Marie mentioned to me that she would not have mind stopping and that the tour she would have done with a family with children would have been different than the tour we did. Make sure you write about that in the comment box if you want a more kid friendly tour. Again, it will be more difficult to match you with a guide but it is best so both sides have a nice time.

There is no fee for the visits but you can make a donation on their website.

In conclusion

I encourage you to register for a visit next time you go to Paris, you will definitely enjoy it!

Things To Do

Enjoying the Filoli Gardens with kids

I wrote about the Filoli Gardens in my post ‘4 San Francisco Bay Area Gardens to visit for Mother’s Day’. On a beautiful and sunny Sunday afternoon, off we went to visit the gardens with our two children children Olivia (11) and Thais (8). Thais decided to take her camera with her, good idea! And eventually for that post, I decided to only use the photographs she has taken.

We started by visiting the home. The kids wanted to visit the gardens first but I figured that they would not want to visit the home later so it was safer to start indoors.

Children are given a booklet to fill out as they visit the garden and the home. It kept my youngest child pretty busy, my eldest child, who is 11, only filled out part of it, she was a little bit old for that.

THE HOME

The visit of the home starts with a video telling the history of the property and its past owners.  We learned what stands behind the name FILOLI: Fight Love Live. A short version of “Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life,”, the motto of the Bourn Family who were the first owners of the estate. The name had my daughters cracking up as Filoli in French means Files Au Lit that you can translate as ‘Go to Bed’. Whatever makes your kid happy… When they stopped cracking up with their French interpretation, they told us they loved the Fight Love Live idea behind the name.

The home is a spacious and furnished home. You almost expect the owners to pop out to say hello. I believe that having freshly cut flowers arrangements in pretty vases helps with that feeling. You go through the first floor, the second floor is not accessible for a visit. Visitors go at their own pace and they get to learn about the Bourn and Roth families who lived there and discover their living quarters.

The children paid a lot of attention to the details: telephone, fresh flowers, interphones in the kitchen, details on the fireplace etc.

  

The home was built so the family and guests could always have a magnificent view of the gardens, it is very peaceful. Flowers in vases adorn every room, the garden is calling you…

THE GARDEN

The garden is magnificent. No other words. It is separated in many areas that you visit at your own pace. We had a hard time getting Olivia to leave the pool area, it was so peaceful there, sitting in garden chairs, looking at the pool, listening to the sound of the water.

You wander around and just take it all in. In Spring, the roses were in full bloom, the smell was in the air, and bees were having a blast.

Thais, who is 8, took 150 photos with her digital camera, and out of these 150 photos, only a couple were blurry. She observed, took her time, and we could see that she was having a great time. She could not get enough of the flowers and the insects. She told us: ‘This is paradise’.

Olivia, who is 11, was enjoying the peacefulness of the place. She is a quiet kid and she was definitely enjoying the trees and the roses.

That bee on the floor kept my two kids busy for 10 minutes
   

THE GIFT SHOP

I am not a big fan of gift shops. They are often overpriced and sell items I do not need. For me, it means that my husband and I will have to face two children asking for something they know too well they will not get.

The gift shop is slightly overpriced (they all are) but I was surprised by the quality of the items. I definitely thought that they had a very extensive choice of good quality clothes and products. We ended up buying honey from the property and a honey dispenser. It does not happen often that I buy something and after tasting the honey, I have to say that I am more than pleased with my purchase.

IN CONCLUSION

Filoli is very peaceful and quiet.  There were lots of visitors when we went but only a handful of children, all younger than my own children, and all perfectly behaved. This is definitely not a place where children can run around shouting.

Give a camera to your child if he or she is hold enough to handle it. This will be a great opportunity for him to feel that he is on a mission.

Ask for the booklet at the entrance, here is another mission

Bring paper and colored pencils, Filoli is truly a place to be inspired and draw.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

There is always something happening at Filoli, no matter the season you are visiting it. (it is closed during the winter months). Click here for the calendar. Check out What's Blooming before you.

They also have docent-led Nature Hikes every Saturday at 10:00 a.m. almost all season and in summer and fall they have docent-led Orchard tours on Thursday and Saturday mornings.  Nature hikes and orchard tours are free to members and are at no extra charge with admission for non-members, although it is necessary to call 650-364-8300 x 509 to make a reservation so they make sure they have enough docents for the tours or hikes.

For 2010, it is open to visitors till Sunday, October 24, 2010. It should reopen late February 2011.

Open
Tuesday - Saturday:  10:00 am–3:30 pm (last admission 2:30 pm)
Sunday: 11:00 am–3:30 pm (last admission 2:30 pm)

Filoli is closed on Mondays and in observance of all Federal holidays.

 

Admission Fees
Adults $15
Seniors $12 (65 years and older)
Students $5 Children 4 years and younger: No charge.
Higher fees apply on special event days

Phone (650) 364-8300 ext. 507

Filoli gave my family two complimentary tickets. I received no other compensation besides the tickets, and the Estate did not express any requirement that I express a particular point of view.

Photographs courtesy of Miss Thais

Things To Do
San Francisco

Touring SFO before boarding time

We took our usual plane trip to France last week. We arrived at the San Francisco airport early (as usual) with plenty of time to spare before heading off to the boarding area.

I had posted about the many activities you can do at SFO in April in a post called Visit San Francisco Airport for Fun. They offer self-guided tours and I decided to try one with my daughters and husband.

So, here we are, starting the tour of the International Terminal.

stop 1: Find the SFO BART Station.

We skipped that one, we know what a Bart Station looks like and I did not want to burn them by walking to see one.

stop 2: Tile artwork called Gateway by artist Ik-Joong Kang. 

5,265 small tiles or cubes. Each one of them is different and we had a nice time playing I SPY.

   

stop 3: The Aviation Library and Museum.

The goal was to find the giant world globe in the window.

stop 4: Visit the Aviation Library and Museum and its special exhibit

The exhibit was on Japan Airlines. It was very interesting to discover the history of that airlines via photographies and uniforms.

stop 5: Exhibitions spaces

They were empty at that time.

stop 6: Art art installation named On the Air

It was created by Lewis DeSoto on the floor. We had been to that place so many times and never paid attention. Now we know!!!. 

Extra stop for  my daughters: the Zoom Shop. Their secret wish is buy something from this shop one day.

stop 7: Air Train station.

Board the Red Line and take a 9 minute ride all the way back to the International Terminal G stop.

stop 8: Information Desk and retrieve a prize.

The ladies at the Desk had no idea what we meant when we talked about the tour and the prizes. They gave the girls a coloring book and crayons and I gave them my printed tour for information.

My advice:

If you have a lot of carry-on, use a cart to carry your bags if they are bulky.

Our family had a nice time touring the International Terminal, learned a lot of facts and we will definitely recommend you do the same with your children.

For information

International Tour Guide
Terminal 1 tour
Terminal 3 tour

Related Posts
Visit San Francisco Airport for Fun

Things To Do
San Francisco