Not So Whale of a Tale - Monterey Bay

Now sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip... it started a couple Fridays ago in Monterey aboard a tiny ship.

As part of our kindergarten spring break trip to Monterey we decided to take a whale watching trip. We didn't expect to see whales, we are between seasons, and it was the last day of the Winter season discount ... before the ticket price goes up for the Spring/Summer rush. It wasn't completely hopeless, there was a small chance that we would see some Orcas or Humpbacks. We did see a lot sea life, but no whales.

Before embarking on our adventure at bay, everyone in the family took dramamine  ... I remember the whale watching trip when I was 15 when I literally turned green on the ship. And it took all my will power not to feed the fish my breakfast. This wasn't going to happen this time, and for good measure we gave the kids the miracle sea sickness drug as well. Nobody got sick! Yeah! And we got a bonus nap during the boring part of the trip where the captain and boat naturalist looked around desperately for whales.

As I said we did sea lots of sea life, and this made the trip worthwhile. We saw sea otters, sea lions, an enthusiastic pack of dolphins and tons of birds. Everyone had a wonderful three hour trip. And the surprise bonus is that our whale watching company, Monterey Bay Whale Watch Center, gives you a rain check for another day if you don't see whales. So, we'll be back sometime this summer when hundreds of whales are expected.

When Company Comes a Calling

It is amazing to see how much my boys have grown. This weekend we walked through the California Avenue Farmers Market in Palo Alto, and my boys were downright delightful. A year ago, and it might have been a different story. We may not have tried it at all, then again we are pretty brave ... we love to travel with our kids.

Now that I have a kindergartner and a four year old everything is getting easier and more fun. Last month the East Coast grandparents visited, and everyone, adult and child alike had a good time. Of course some things don't change. We planned ahead. We had a plan A and plan B in terms of activities. We knew where we were going to eat. We mixed kid fun and adult fun. We hired a babysitter. We leveraged old stand-byes that the boys enjoyed... And we had three days with a limited number of meltdowns and kid craziness.

We started off the visit by hiring a babysitter and going out for an adult dinner at one of our favorite restaurants Evvia.  The next day was Friday, Jonathan took the day off, sprung the boys from daycare, and he and his parents took them to Monterey. They combined kid fun -- a visit to Dennis the Menace park -- with adult fun-- a walk down Cannery Row.

On Saturday they got to enjoy ice skating lessons. Xander who only likes to stay on the ice for the 30-minute lesson, skated for most of the free skate to show off his moves to his grandparents. That afternoon we went to Vasona Park and the boys road the train and played. We all went to Steamer's Grill House for dinner and the boys were well behaved. It helped that the restaurant is noisy.

On Sunday I wanted to take the ferry to Angel Island, but alas it was foggy and cold in San Francisco ... so we opted to go to the Bay Area Discovery Museum. We finished up the day with an early dinner reservation at the Slanted Door, and then dropped the grandparents off at their San Francisco hotel.

What we've learned from these visits, is not to overachieve in the activities department. We kept it simple and everyone had fun.

Dennis the Menace Playground

My biggest recommendation when traveling with kids is to research local public parks in the cities that you are visiting. Museums, shopping districts, historic sites and cafes are fun ... but kids need space and time to play and run.

And if you plan to visit Monterey, Calif. along with a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, you should schedule a visit to the Dennis the Menace Playground. Opened in 1956 it was a collaboration between the City of Monterey and Frank Ketcham the creator of the comic strip. We haven't been to enough parks in California to claim it as the best park, but it certainly is up there.

A couple of weeks ago my neighbor and I took our kids to the park an hour from our house to beat the heat. My boys squealed with delight when we pulled into the parking lot. The first thing you see is a retired black Southern Pacific steam engine.  The boys happily boarded the train, and pretended to drive it. It isn't play equipment, so you will need to closely supervise your kids.

The park also includes a long suspension bridge, a Sun stairway, a long red roller slide, three wavy green slides, an old fashion metal slide, tunnels,  mazes,  climbing structures ... you name it, it has it. The red roller slide was also a favorite of the kids.

There a many great photo opportunities as well. The water fountain is a large lion, so your kids have to put their heads in the lion's mouth to get a drink of water. And bronze Dennis the Menace sculptures decorate the grounds. Totally fun!

The only draw back to the park is a so-so snack bar, and the closest food is in touristy Cannery Row.

Every time I announce a trip to the park they now ask if we are going to the "park at the beach" (their name for the Dennis the Menace Playground). We will definitely be heading back there soon.