This Thanksgiving, instead of trekking 400 miles south to my hometown in LA county, I stayed in San Francisco – and my mom and brother came to visit! My mom had just been on a two-week trip to China and stopped by the city before returning to LA. My brother spent his first college Thanksgiving break flying in from New York. Over the course of four days, we did lots of shopping, explored the city, ate TONS of good food, and met up with relatives. Read on for some of the highlights!
Thanksgiving dinner – We enjoyed dinner on Thanksgiving…at a Chinese restaurant. Funny thing is, this is how our family has done it for I don’t remember how long. We invited one of my mom’s college friends and her mom, and chowed down on scrumptious food.
Black Friday shopping – My mom insisted that we do some proper shopping for Black Friday, so we went Thursday night and Friday shopping at a bunch of different stores around Union Square. Of course, we spent a good chunk of that time at Macy’s, where we both found some pretty awesome deals for some (hopefully) practical things. My prized find of the night was a nice ski jacket that I plan to use for upcoming snowboarding trips.
SF International Auto Show – I found time to meet up with some Cal friends to attend the SF International Car Show. Saw a ton of awesome new cars, including the new-generation Corvette Stingray and some indescribably beautiful classic cars from the 20s onward. Took lots of pictures and had the chance to sit in some really nice cars!
Sutro Baths – My mom and bro wanted to go somewhere that was less touristy than Fisherman’s Wharf, so I took them to one of my favorite places in the city, Sutro Baths at Land’s End. It was a misty day and the fog added a haunting beauty to the ruins. We walked around for a bit, admiring the crumbling stone, and my mom took some pictures of me and my bro (as she always does…).
Dinner with relatives – Our relatives from San Jose stopped by the city after a Tahoe trip to grab dinner with us. We found an awesome Chinese seafood restaurant (Oriental Pearl) in Chinatown that was comparable to R&G Lounge without the wait. The food was amazing and I enjoyed abalone, which I haven’t had in a long time.
Walk to the Embarcadero + Bay Bridge – After dinner we decided to take a leisurely stroll to the Embarcadero to catch the night-time lights of the Bay Bridge. Even though it was quite chilly, the panoramic view of the Bay Bridge, shimmering in patterns, along with the Ferry Building, was worth the cold.
Bi-Rite + exploring the Mission – On Sunday after church I took my mom to Bi-Rite Creamery to try the ice cream (she said it was delicious) and explore the Mission. We walked around the Dolores Park area and my mom took a particular liking to Mission Dolores. We took some pictures in front of the mission and enjoyed the amazing view of the city from the park.
Dinner at Cheesecake Factory – First time at the famed Macy’s Union Square location. We didn’t get the patio seating, but the ambiance was still great and of course the cheesecake was amazing. Perfect ending to a fun-packed, memorable Thanksgiving weekend!
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