Much of this tour was focused on how hard Jelly Belly works to perfect the flavor of their jelly beans.  We were told that there are scientists on site that extract flavors from, say an orange and work diligently to give an accurate, as most exact possible flavor of an orange in a jelly bean.  So when I saw these flavors, I questioned how this was entirely possible.

 

 

We also learned that these jelly beans go through a long process and only make the cut if they are perfect.  If they are not perfect they are considered a belly flop and get rerouted and then bagged to only be sold at a Jelly Belly factory.

 

They also have artists that take pictures and recreate the picture with jelly beans.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed this tour and left with jelly belly ache from all the free jelly beans we ate.

 

And yes, we were required to wear these hats.

 

11/20/2014

The original idea was that we would spend two days here, those 2 days were scaled back to one when a friend called to tell us she and her family were in L.A. (but that is a post for another day).  And since we sat in traffic a long while trying to cross the Bay Bridge, our time here was short but sweet. 

First stop: Lafayette Park- I had shown Koah a picture I had taken of this park a year prior.  This was one of the spots that he requested we stop at.

Second stop: Mosaic Steps

Third Stop: Lunch and Dessert on Fillmore Ave.

Fourth and Final Stop: Randall Museum.  This museum had the perfect mix of activities for our family.

For the animal lover: An area of the museum dedicated to the animals.

 

For the hiker: A short trail just outside the museum doors.  The top offered some killer views of the city.

 

For the engineer:  Build a skyscraper and see if it can withstand the shaking of the board it is built on, like an earthquake.  This was tons of fun for all.

Construction Fail

More lessons on plate tectonics.

 

For the my model:

 

I loved this little place.  For a majority of the time we were the only people there.  I don’t know San Francisco very well but this place seemed to be tucked away in a little place that not many people knew existed.  I highly recommend this place especially on a clear day.

 

11/19/2014

We ventured back into old town mainly because we were told by a local to not miss the old hardware store.  The kids were told that they had “old fashioned” toys that were out in the open to play with and also available for purchase. 

I must say it was a cool looking hardware store, far different than your local Home Depot.

As for the toys, I liked the fact that most were made out of wood.  Many were the standard puzzle type games/toys that can be found just about anywhere.  They were super expensive and the kids did not want to use their money here.  It is funny how they think twice about their purchasing when it is their money involved, not mine.  

Freya spent more time playing on this box (pictures behind her) than she did in the hardware store.

 

We had some fun taking photos in a little park we found at the bottom of these stairs.  This was the street level at some point in time, although the sign at the park didn’t explain when or why… or at least I can’t remember if it did.

 

                

 

How could we leave the heart of the 1848 California Gold Rush without sifting for a little gold ourselves… well, fools gold.  And if anybody was going to find it, it was going to be this guy.

 

11/18/2014

I was very surprised how quiet this old town was.  We stopped in the visitors center and the woman working explained that this was not at all unusual hence much of the vacant store fronts.  But there were two store fronts that did grab our attention while we were walking and talking, learning a bit about the California Gold Rush.

#1

 

Need I say more… but I will.  Upon entering we were told that we each could sample 3 pieces of candy.  Sweet… no pun intended!!  It was a long process to decide on just what 3 pieces made the cut. 

While still deciding we were all offered a chocolate covered cricket.  The general consensus…it tasted just like a Kit Kat.

 

Store Front #2

Danny shared his struggles with owning a small donut business, especially at this time of year when there are days that the cost to open the shop exceeds the profit he makes in selling donuts.  Do stop here if you are in town, Danny makes a great mini donut!

Can you tell?

Licking the bag.

Licking fingers.

                        

 

 

11/17/2014