Party In SF

2026-06-04

We went to SF for a party, it was a one year old’s birthday party. It started at 1PM but we wanted to get there early, hang out a bit, and leave late. We knew that it was going to be long day and we would try to get the younger one to sleep in the stroller. So the plan was, leave home around 9AM, get there around 10AM, and then leave around 4PM.

And breakfast went well, the kids ate nicely and we packed a full bag for the day. We all got in the car, the kids were calm and in good moods. We drove about an hour to the city, the weather was good as well, everything was aces. And so we got near the spot, I dropped Sneha and the younger kid off to buy pastries at a delicious bakery (Arsicault, I do recommend it) and I was tasked with fining parking. And it was a busy day in SF, I think there was an event on, parking space after parking space was filled. Parking lot after parking lot was filled.

And soon, about 15 minutes later, I was so upset still driving around. And my oldest was in the back of the car, crying that he wanted to be done. We had just drove an hour to get to the city and the extra 15 minutes felt like torture. And he is a four year old, he saw a ton of open spaces (that were loading only or something) and he was like ‘just park there’. and I had to explain to him that I couldn’t.

I eventually found parking, it was a good spot that was pretty cheap, I got lucky. And after I met up with Sneha, got some food, stood in the shade, I eventually calmed down.

And after that terrible terrible parking ordeal we had a great day in the city. Our boys ate a lunch mostly of burgers, fries, and ice cream. We went to a play ground in SF, we walked around, we ate some delicious pastries, we attended the party, we met with Sneha’s cousins, the younger one slept in the stroller, and we saw a ton of buses.

So the lesson I learned is that we gotta find parking quicker, pay more for it, or take bart or something. All other aspects of the day was good except for finding parking with a child in the car.

-Gary