We began vetting Wyeth Adventure options right around November.  Maybe it was sooner? I can’t remember what I did yesterday, so I don’t know.  BUT, we settled on the newly revamped Exploratorium in San Fran.  Ivan cut or baled or loaded hay all night but still came.  Chelsey had the day off!  Allie wouldn’t miss it (right, Al?!)!  The Pederson’s were free so they should come, too!  And with that, 5 adults and 10 kids drove to the bay.

It wasn’t until we had been exploring for over an hour that Philip looked at me and said, “Hey!  This is the place we read about in that magazine!  It is pretty fun!”  Sure enough, the kids had read all about the new place in an issue of Family Fun so experiencing it first hand was twice as nice.

Note to any potential visitors: Cindy and I assumed that the cafeteria would be a good place for lunch.  It is a very cool spot (you can eat right out on the end of the pier!  Right under the new Bay Bridge!  Boats pass by so close that you can chat with the passengers. Even inside it is comfortable and lovely.) and has things to explore even there.  However, every kid that I watched walk into the place would squint at the menu and ask, “Where are the french fries?”  Turns out kiddos are not so impressed with quinoa and organic pork on whole wheat buns.  And pricey! Be ye warned. Also, CA teachers get in free and if you have 10 kids, you can get an adult in free and the kids at a group rate.

Anyway, that was the only snag in our day.  The exploratorium is amazing.  There were a lot of visitors but I think I waited on maybe 2 displays.  We spent an entire day there but still barely scratched the surface.  There were staff (“Discoverers”) in abundance and the entire feel of the place lent itself to wide-eyed wonder.  Philip and I really enjoyed the vision and light section and Gemma touched everything she could.  Some of us had no problem drinking out of the toilet while others still struggled.  We learned a lot but would gladly go back for round 2!

We closed our day with a quick trip to Flax then got out of the city and over to a Red Robin for dinner.  Unlimited french fries after none at lunch really hit the spot!

Thank you, Wyeth’s for another great adventure.  Thank you to Emily for being Tess’s buddy and for the many potty runs you and Anna and Allie did with the girls.  I hope someday, when you guys are old like me, you understand the blessing of bathroom runners.