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| Ben at the Totem Garden at Stanford University |
In a very short period of time after Ben's atresia repair with Dr. Roberson, Ben was running around like nobody's business. Among other things, Ben visited the Totem Garden/sanctuary at Stanford University (I'm hoping that the spirits are glad that this little boy was having so much fun with them), played around the fantastic living sculpture/tunnel cave/structure in front of the Palo Alto Library and went to the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo. Also, Create It Ceramics and Glass Studio in the Town & Country Village Mall in Palo Alto (which also has a great toy store!) is awesome. The Gamble Garden is a nice place for a walk in beautiful grounds. For something really hokey and touristy but something that is memorable and that kids tend to like, there is the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose; you have to use your imagination to see how this house that is now on a busy boulevard was once the centerpiece of a grand estate.
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| Ben at the Steinhart Aquarium with a butterfly |
In San Francisco (where we are originally from) we checked out the relatively new California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium. It has an environmental theme, and there is a multi-story butterfly sanctuary that is really cool and where butterflies literally land on you. Other really fun things to do in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park are: walking through the beautiful Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park across from the Steinhart Aquarium, the recently renovated Children's Playground (re-named the Koret Children's Quarter) also in Golden Gate Park is big and fun and has a beautiful restored carousel, and if you're already in Golden Gate Park and feel like seeing buffalo, there are a bunch of buffalo there as well as pretty Stow Lake (which is close to the Aquarium and great for a walk or paddle boat) and the Rose Garden.
Also in San Francisco, kids love the Exploratorium in the Palace of Fine Arts (located in San Francisco's Marina district), Alta Plaza Park in San Francisco's Pacific Heights is one of our favorite parks, has a great kid's playground and great views of the City, Julius Kahn playground is right at the edge of the Presidio and allows you to drive past some of the swankiest homes in San Francisco that edge the park and a tour of Fort Point right under the Golden Gate Bridge give a great perspective and some history of the initial Spanish colonization of San Francisco. To throw in a couple of touristy must-dos, kids get a kick out of a drive or walk down the Crookedest Street (Lombard) as well as a Cable Car ride to Fisherman's Wharf. Finally, the Farmer's Market at the San Francisco's Ferry Building provides a nice stroll. If you're willing to venture out of San Francisco, the interactive Bay Area Discovery Museum (which is actually right across the Golden Gate Bridge in Sausalito) is great for kids.
