We rode the cable car (pictured), walked along the curves of Lombard Street, took in the view from Fisherman’s Wharf, and shared a couple of scoops at Ghirardelli Square — all in all, a good father and son vacation in San Francisco (and that was just one afternoon!).

It was his first time visiting the city of San Francisco, and the look on his face shows it.

My oldest son and I took a weekend trip to San Francisco, just the two of us — although we spent time with friends during our stay. It was a different experience, and while we missed the rest of the family it was nice to have the time together. More to come!

This post is part of the UpTake Friday Family Series.

Photo: W. Honea

The herd is on the move! It doesn’t matter if you see black stripes on white bodies, or white stripes on black bodies, the one thing we can all agree on is that zebras are awesome. If you don’t agree you can take your post reading elsewhere (like the next post for instance, it’s zebra-free!).

Besides, this post isn’t about zebras, per se, but rather where they are running. That’s the Okavango Delta in the Republic of Botswana, you can’t miss it. Botswana, for those of you playing along  at home, is landlocked, claims one of the stronger economies in the world, and has a democratic government. Also, it’s hot.

The Okavango Delta is the largest inland delta in the world. It is produced by seasonal flooding from the Okavango River and, fun fact, instead of draining to the sea, the majority of the water is taken by plants and evaporation.

The delta is home to a variety of wildlife which has developed into a fairly lucrative tourist attraction. In addition to our zebras (above) you can find (from Wikipedia):

African Bush Elephant, African Buffalo, African Wild Dog, Hippopotamus, Lechwe, Topi, Blue Wildebeest, Giraffe, Nile crocodile, Lion, Cheetah, Leopard, Brown Hyena, Spotted Hyena, Greater Kudu, Sable Antelope, Black Rhinoceros, White Rhinoceros, Warthog, Chacma Baboon and over 400 species of bird.

I’m pretty sure it’s where they filmed the Lion King.

If you are planning on taking a safari vacation in the area, consider one of the many lodges with environmental-friendly policies. It’s a nice touch.

Tell the zebras I said hello.

Photo: Okavango Delta by Balfour/Getty courtesy of Life Books

Millennium Park and Lake Michigan

My husband is taking a business trip to Chicago for a couple of weeks in May, and I’m going to fly over and meet him for a long weekend. We’re staying at the Wyndham Glenview Suites, which is about 10 miles from Chicago O’Hare and a half-hour from Downtown Chicago. We’re going to take the opportunity to thoroughly explore the downtown area, which we’ve only been able to drive through during past trips.

I am completely unashamed to admit that I intend to play tourist to the hilt.

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Legoland front entrace

My husband and I have amusement park-phobia.  (There must be a scientific name for that.  For now, I’ll go with the clunky made-up version.)  When we travel, we prefer to head to destinations in the middle of nature, with as few other people around as possible.  Now that we have two young children, however, entertainment and conveniences are much more necessary.  Stick a ton of both of those things in one place, jack up the price, and poof!  You have an amusement park. Read More »