Hot Chocolate

A little over a year ago, I stopped in the City with a friend on our way home from an education conference. We found a small bistro type place to have lunch on one of the piers on the Embarcadero. To cap the perfect meal, we ordered hot chocolate. Sitting outside on that cold, misty day, I enjoyed that cup of hot chocolate more than any other cup I've ever had. I came home and told my boys about this amazingly different dessert drink.

I was reminded of it, last weekend, when Brannen (our Christmas Spirit) gathered us together to decorate the Christmas tree. I wanted to add to the cozy feeling and serve hot chocolate. In an attempt to duplicate the yumminess, I searched the internet for recipes and I made a recipe using Creme Fraiche <--- very fancy.

It was disgusting... The proportions were all wrong and we had to do some major doctoring to our cups to even tolerate it while we decorated our tree. At that moment, I decided I would have to take the kids to that SF bistro some time so they could try it first-hand.

So, this morning, after the rarity of sleeping in until 9:30am, I decided to take the kids to San Francisco for hot chocolate. We haven't had as many spontaneous road trips in the last few years as we used to, and after reading a new book from the library and a new blog I recently discovered, I felt inspired for an adventure.

I sprung my proposition on the boys and we excitedly rushed through a handful of chores, ate some pancakes, Julian's friend joined us, and we were off on our mission. I grabbed some last minute coffee from Chevron, blared the radio, and we sang our little hearts out as we sped West. With 27 miles and 66 minutes left to go until we arrived to Downtown SF (that little electronic sign was unnervingly accurate), we slowed to a crawl, rolled the windows down and enjoyed the bay area winter warmth. As we searched for a parking spot, I realized I had almost no idea where we were going, I panicked just a teensy bit. I warned the kids that we may be doing a LOT of walking today. "Duh," they said. "We're in San Francisco." Sweet. I'm glad they understand.

The kids wanted to skip the chocolate and go play on that gigantic bow n ' arrow in the background.

For some crazy reason, it seemed like every meter parking section had signs that said Tow Away. There was no way I was paying $6.00 per every half hour in a parking garage, so I kept driving around until we spotted a totally safe spot.

Then, we were off to find the mystery hot chocolate spot. I remembered it was near the beginning of the pier section on the Embarcadero and it being where loading trucks came in. That was the info we were going on. We walked in to the first familiar-looking shop and I started to explain to the guy behind the counter that I was searching for this special hot chocolate that was "like drinking warm chocolate pudding." Almost not letting me finish my sentence, he exclaimed, "Yep! That's us." Apparently, it is very special Parisian style hot chocolate. No joke, we found the magical restaurant less than 200 yards from where I parked. Amazing.  "We'll take four cups please." Twenty dollars later, we're sipping our drinks and I'm anxiously awaiting their reactions.

The cafe is Boulettes Larder in the Ferry Building.

Brannen: "It's chocolaty."
Julian: "It's hot."
Nate: "Duh. It's hot chocolate."

Well, it wasn't as magical as that first time, but hey - at least it brought us to the City. Now, we had time to explore before we had to head back for a 6:30pm birthday party.

I guess they had a hankering to climb, so they jetted across the street to a large decorative wall surrounding the outdoor ice rink.  They climbed while I tried to figure out the humor on the Zamboni machine...

Someone please explain how they're bringing Hawaii to me with snow.

Next, I forced them to walk with me along the piers and enjoy the water and the ships and sailboats. They raced each other to the end while I took my time. When I caught up with them, I noticed the red boats of the SF Bar Pilots across the way. I explained to them that an elite group of marine pilots use those tugboats to move much larger vessels in and out of the bay from the ocean. Those skilled pilots amaze me. I try not to pass up moments to lure my kids into activities/jobs that interest me. You never know which little piece of trivia or hint might spark something.

SF Bar Pilots can earn $400,000 a year navigating large vessels through the dangerous waters of the bay!

I actually had to force them to stand still for that picture because they were so busy moving! They posed, so then I posed.

Then Julian wanted to pick me up, so I played along...

Love Julian's smile here...

We were trying to figure out what to do next and figured since we could see Coit Tower from where we were, we decided to go there. How difficult could it be to find? Well, we drove in what we thought was the right direction, but I guess with all the hills we lost the mark. I finally parked at what I thought was the Coit Tower and we all got out and everyone ran up the steps. Turns out it was a dog park and basketball courts. Hmm.

It proved to be a decent vantage point for us to look for the Actual Coit Tower. No luck, though.

So, off we went, up the hills, down the hills, through China Town, up more hills, down more hills, and stumbled across Lombard Street. Thank goodness! Another vantage point!

Not the best picture quality, but if you look close you can see the Actual Coit Tower way off in the distance.

As we finally found our way to the Coit Tower, we laughed when we realized it wasn't actually all that far from where we started. It's a funny adventure to drive in the big City. The great thing about SF is that it isn't very large, geographically speaking. So, you're only lost for a short while before you circle back to where you started.

We found the tower as the sun was setting. I was getting ready to splurge on tickets to the top, but the cashier foiled those plans by saying, "Cash Only." Really? A major tourist attraction in one of the largest cities and they don't take VISA? Fine. Back outside, we explored anyways.

Please disregard the dirty lens spots.

174 steps from the top,  Bay Bridge backdrop.

Brannen and Nate raced back up to the top. Julian and I took our time. With only pancakes and hot chocolate in our bodies, it was a bit of a struggle. I was happy for the workout though, especially after the last two days of Netflix-induced laziness.

One last snapshot from the other side, before we headed East toward home.

Sunset behind the Golden Gate Bridge, viewed from the Coit Tower parking lot.

Our goal was to be back home by 6:30pm for Uncle's 60th Birthday. As we started on the Bay Bridge at 5:53pm, I was a little skeptical. I made an optimistic guess that we'd arrive at 7:15pm. I told all the kids to think positive, flowing thoughts of moving cars. We cranked up the Christmas tunes and hoped for the best. Do you know we made it by 7:16pm???

It began with a quest for the perfect cup of hot chocolate and a spontaneous adventure. It's a little funny because I don't even really like hot chocolate. But, because I decided to do something spontaneous with and for my kids, we all got to enjoy the beautiful weather, impressive sights, singing together. I'm thankful that I have had the time to read books and blogs lately, written by people that inspire me to be better. I'm thankful for all the people out there that give me great ideas and help me be a more fun woman and mom.

We ended a fabulous day surrounded by tons of family for a big birthday celebration. Beautiful Christmas Eve Eve. In the words of Paul McCartney, "we are simply having a wonderful Christmas time."