A Love Letter to SF: 13 Things We Can’t Wait to Do Again

Stand in line to get a Malted Vanilla ice cream at BiRite Creamery. Or maybe Mint Chip...or Salted Caramel. Make that all of the above. 

Visit Yerba Buena gardens for a dash behind the waterfall at the MLK memorial before hitting the LeRoy King Carousel and riding it no less than twenty times. 

Spend the afternoon listening to the constant din of a hundred happy children at the Koret Children's Playground, and zipping down the Cement Slide with the reckless abandon of a five-year-old. 

Roam the crowded streets of Chinatown on a Saturday afternoon, letting the kids go in and out of stores seeking treasures like rice-paper fans and embroidered Mary Jane slippers. 

Go to a library story time at our favorite neighborhood library, but especially Drag Queen Story Hour.

Ride the Little Puffer at the SF Zoo more than once while the peacocks scream and the monkeys cackle, after posing for pictures at all the IG-worthy spots. 

Wait patiently while someone else makes you a pour-over coffee. Like really, really patiently. 

Not cooking at home, but instead hitting up Off the Grid anywhere, but especially the Presidio Picnic, where we can all eat exactly what we want (hello inside-out samosa! hello mini donuts!) and dance to live music while we're doing it. 

Get mopped at 826 Valencia after bartering for lard, followed by admiring the beautiful murals throughout the Mission. Followed by a visit to Dolores Park to enjoy the view, the playground and the weather, with ALL those other people. 

Drink out of a toilet at the Exploratorium. 

Watch our kids make spontaneous friendships at a public gathering. Any public gathering. 

Head to the Saturday Farmer's Market at the Ferry Building for the best peaches in the universe, which don't really transport, so you have to eat them right there by the Bay. 

Take the kids to Golden Gate Park to see the jellyfish at the Cal Academy, followed by eating french fries at the deYoung's cafe, followed by a run through the SF Botanical Garden. Not necessarily in that order.