We woke up to a Monday.
Sad when that happens, isn’t it?
Monday morning brought an early rising, packing our things, and calling for the car, because TT Dad wanted to get to San Jose to find a coffee shop he could set up shop, to get some work done.
I had a few hours to burn before we could check into the hotel, so I made a date with a friend of mine, from my mom village. She also has a set of twins, and is one of my twin mom mentors. She was working, as well, so that still left us with a chunk of time to fill. The kids and I found our way to the nearest Target to pick up some things to make hotel life a little easier. ”
Next up, Time to find someplace to let the kids run free(ish).
There was a park across the street from Target, but a quick google search told me that it was closed on Mondays. Bummer. It The Rotary Playgarden looked like a wonderful place.
I found another park that had reviews praising it for being fenced in- perfect in twin mom world! Off we went, to Willow Street Frank Bramhall Park.
We found a fenced in playground, as promised, with an entire section for younger kids. In addition to the typical climbing structure, there were swings, and a rotating climbing platform. The kids had a blast. In a twist of fate, we even ran into another twin mom (with babies!) and shared some tips with her.
As a bonus, the park had a bathroom building! It was most definitely not the cleanest I’ve ever seen, but it got the job done.
After a good solid chunk of playtime, we were hungry, and it was about time to meet my friend for lunch. Nicole lives and works nearby, so she picked out the perfect place for us to meet! San Pedro Square Market was amazing. With an eclectic mix of food options, there was something for everyone, and in addition to all the indoor seating, there was a spacious outdoor courtyard. We found a table outside, and chatted the afternoon away. There was plenty of room (and at that point, very few customers) around, so the kids could explore a bit. They had a blast, we had a blast, everyone was happy!
Eventually, it was time for her to return to her scheduled programming, and for the kids and I to go meet TT Dad and get settled into our room for the week.
We weren’t far from our hotel- the Hilton San Jose. This hotel was attached to the convention center, where the trade show was.
Often, we’ll book a hotel (Hilton for points) as close to walkable to the location of the event as possible, that way TT Dad can walk, and the kids and I could take the car to go explore. For that reason, the hotel was exactly what we were looking for. It was also downtown, meaning we had multiple food and entertainment options within walking distance.
TT Dad was ready for a break, so after we unload everything into the room, we headed to find him some dinner. First, we had to make another stop at Target for a couple of things I forgot- whoops! For those of you keeping score at home, that makes 3 trips to Target….. so far.
By this time, we were exhausted, and hungry. Not a very good combination.
Lucky for us, there was a BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse in the parking lot. Can’t get much more convenient than that! Im pretty sure that was the fastest restaurant experience we’ve ever had. Kids were pretty tired, without any real naps that day, and so were TT Dad and I.
We tucked ourselves into bed, excited to find some more fun in the morning!