Most people head to the bustling city center when vacationing in San Francisco. The downtown area contains an abundance of fabulous restaurants, shopping options, and fun activities. Over the years, we’ve enjoyed strolling along the scenic waterfront and exploring all that the city center offered. A few years ago, after a decade in downtown SF, my daughter’s family moved to the East Bay. The move created the opportunity for new adventures in their new territory.
We were delighted to discover Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont. Tucked inside the suburbs, Ardenwood feels like stepping through a doorway in time. The scent of hay drifts on the breeze, chickens scratch in the dust, and the white Victorian house stands watch over the fields. Ardenwood offers visitors a window into rural life in the late 1800s to the early 1900s. It’s a living-history working farm and regional historic landmark. Ardenwood is situated on 200 acres of farmland. It has a farmyard with a variety of animals, like sheep, goats, chickens, and cows, always a big hit with my grandchildren. Kids can watch farming and blacksmith demonstrations, see old farm machinery, and ride a charming narrow-gauge train. Ardenwood is a fun family outing.
Diets are inevitably discarded while on vacation. I have to pay for my gluttony afterward, but it is well worth the extra exercise. During our last visit, we kicked off the weekend with soup dumplings and other delicious dishes at Din Ding Dumpling House. The next night we opted for Mediterranean fare at MAZRA in Redwood City. Their tzatziki sauce was fabulous. And for dessert, we enjoyed freshly-made Taiyaki fish-shaped waffles stuffed with custard at Somisomi, which luckily has San Diego locations. After I returned home, I discovered packages of the yummy treat in the frozen section of Trader Joe’s! We also snacked on warm Señorita Bread from Starbread Bakery, a Filipino bakery. I was happy to discover that the chain also has several local locations. They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach – I’m hoping the same can be said for grandkids.
