Down by the Bay

And we're back from San Francisco; it was quite the trip. It was our first real family adventure in a long, long time that didn't include a family reunion in the process. I now have a full gig of pictures to cull through and the prospect is somewhat daunting. We took a lot of pictures-- mostly because we saw and did so many different things. It was almost like 3 different vacations in how varied it all was. I'll post pics and stories later, but for now, this is what I learned on my trip:

#1 Skinny people live in the city. (or maybe I should say 'skinny women')

Really. San Francisco was chock full of svelte, cosmopolitan women. And even more striking, it was chock full of svelte, cosmopolitan women wearing skinny jeans. And they looked good in the skinny jeans. Oohhh---I can hardly believe I am writing this, but I actually felt a little country in my long&lean gap jeans (slightly flared and all) compared to these city gals. For a second there I was tempted to think about a pair myself, but the disparity in the visual picture of what I would like to look like in those dark skinny jeans and what I would actually look like in the dark skinny jeans brought me back to reality. I am not built for skinny jeans. But I have seen proof that the much touted trend has been picked up by at least one city in our fine country. I hope it stays there.

#2 No one is having babies in San Francisco. (or at least not very many)

Jane was the center of attention wherever we went, and although there were toddlers out and about, there were not very many babies. Janie, of course, loved all the attention. She turned on the 'janie-show' at the drop of a hat and kept it up as long as there was someone to cheer her on. Blowing kisses? Check. Waving bye-bye? Check. Head bobs, dancing, mouth clicking, clapping, pat-a-cake, snorting, peek-a-boo? Check, check, check. You get the idea. Looks like I have another attention seeker in the family. That's five for five.

#3 If you do have a baby or toddler in San Francisco, you have a $300+ stroller.

After the first 1/2 day in the city, I commented to Mark about the expensive strollers that we kept running across. He initially thought I was being silly, but after I pointed out a few examples, he started seeing the high-priced baby gear everywhere too. So it wasn't just me. Maclaren was the gold standard, with various other high name brands rounding out the rest of the crowd. I witnessed an example of every high end stroller I had ever heard about and saw a number that were clearly so special, that I was in the dark to their very existence until this trip. There was not a Graco or Evenflo or a (heaven forbid!) $11 umbrella stroller in sight. It was as if they didn't exist in San Fran-land, but only in the imagination of middle-class America. I actually really love my Combi stroller, but I am afraid that in that town, Combi's are just, well . . . average . . . and only marginally acceptable. Bad me. If you don't have the bells&whistles Maclaren or $750 Bug-a-boo, you are probably just working class. Which, I guess, considering Mark's profession, I am. So there.

We all pretty much loved San Francisco, but to move there I would need to:

• Weigh 92 lbs and grow at least 4 inches.
• Give up a kid (or two) AND
  
• Sell my minivan to finance my new wheels (stroller, that is).
  

I think I'll stay put instead.