Our big holiday outting this year was at the Nutcracker Ballet in San Francisco. It seemed like a natural thing to do since Nate and Julie love to listen to the music year-round, so we bought tickets early. We spent the day in style by dressing up and first having lunch at the Palace Hotel followed by a walk through City Hall, and then to the ballet at the War Memorial Opera House. Julie and Nate teetered on two seat cushions to get the best view, and Julie especially seemed glued to the dancing. We rented adjoining rooms at the King George hotel, a nice but funky and old hotel one block from Union Square. My favorite part: waking up to the city the next morning and walking around unhindered by holiday crowds.
