My first Mother’s Day weekend, a Taylor Swift concert and the Museum of Ice Cream

Hi, my friends! I hope you had a great weekend full of relaxation and fun. Mine was such a good one, and it was pretty eventful. I have some colorful pictures to share with you, so here we go …

Taylor Swift concert at Levi’s Stadium with the ladies

On Friday afternoon, I went down to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, where the 49ers play, to see the Taylor Swift Reputation Tour with five of my girlfriends, who all happen to be mommas as well.

We were kicking off our Mother’s Day weekend together with a bang, and we called it our “mommas’ night out,” of course.

Girls before the Taylor Swift concert by A Lady Goes West

We rented a minivan so we could all fit in one car (so awesome — I mean those sliding doors are clutch), we brought Chipotle for dinner to enjoy on the road, and we had coolers full of plenty of adult beverages and snacks, including the most delicious cookies from Costco that I have to get my hands on again (they were chunky and decadent and Kirkland brand, and I think I had four — whoops).

We arrived at the concert venue early enough to tailgate for almost two hours before heading into the show, and those two hours were hilarious and so enjoyable and provided a great opportunity to wear my boots …

Ashley before the Taylor Swift concert by A Lady Goes West

Chipotle dinner before the Taylor Swift concert by A Lady Goes West

There weren’t that many people tailgating at all (I mean, it was a Taylor Swift concert and all), but we had fun dancing, laughing, eating, drinking and enjoying our kid-free time!

We ended up skipping the opening act and went in right before Taylor took the stage, which is actually what I like to do at concerts, because I hate waiting around between acts. Anybody else?

Girls hanging out before the Taylor Swift concert by A Lady Goes West

This was my second Taylor Swift concert (I saw her show in Orlando maybe seven years ago), and she truly delivers. She totally sings live, plays the piano, guitar and other instruments and just knows how to work the crowd. She also does a lot of talking, which I like.

While I don’t have her latest album, I’m not super familiar with the new stuff, but I definitely enjoyed dancing and singing along to all the classics. Favorite song? Maybe “Love Story”?

Taylor Swift concert by A Lady Goes West

Our group split into two for the actual concert, and some of us had club-level seats — so even though we weren’t super close, it was the perfect concert-viewing experience.

Overall, we had SO much fun that night and got home super late, but it was worth it. Sometimes you just need to let loose with your mom friends, minivan and all! 

Mother’s Day brunch and fun with the boys in SF

Saturday was pretty run-of-the-mill, because I taught a class, did some chores and hung around home, so we’ll skip right to Sunday.

On Sunday morning, Dave woke me up by bringing me a little bowl of fruit in bed, and I enjoyed that while snuggling with Rudy and Brady — and that was the start of the most perfect Mother’s Day! My very first one as the mother of a real babe. 

After I was up, Dave prepared us both some avocado toast for breakfast, and I opened some sweet cards and gifts from Brady and Rudy (Rudy got me a gift card to The Cheesecake Factory — oh how he knows me so well). Then we got all ready (minus Rudy) and headed into San Francisco for an adventure.

This was actually Brady’s first time in San Francisco, and he seemed to love the City. He was such a trooper all day, although he did try to grab just about everything he saw, as usual …

Ashley and Brady on Mother's Day at the Four Seasons by A Lady Goes West

Dave and Brady looking out the window at the Four Seasons by A Lady Goes West

Family at the Four Seasons by A Lady Goes West

Brady at the Four Seasons by A Lady Goes West

First up, we went to a fancy Mother’s Day brunch at the MKT Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel, and it was beyond fabulous. It was a preset menu, so we got to hit up an elaborate buffet of appetizers, choose a main dish from three options, then visit the buffet of desserts as well.

This was my first time at the Four Seasons and this restaurant, and I loved that you could look out over Market Street from the windows. There were quite a few families dining, which is not something we used to see a lot in the City when we lived there, but I think the holiday made it a popular day for a family brunch. 

Ashley with Brady at the Four Seasons by A Lady Goes West

Four Seasons dessert spread by A Lady Goes West

We have not taken Brady out to eat at any place other than our usual fast-casual lunch spots in Walnut Creek, so this was a bit of a departure, and he did fine. About halfway through the meal, he was ready to get out of his car seat, so Dave and I took turns bouncing him, and that kept him happy. He also had his trusty rattle with him, which always provides some entertainment.

Our meal was so tasty, and it was such a nice change of pace to wear make-up, heeled boots and jewelry and be dining at a swanky place in the City together. Oh, and I even got a free glass of champagne for Mother’s Day! Yes!

Quick food highlights: Here’s my appetizer plate …

Four Seasons appetizer plate by A Lady Goes West

My main dish of black cod over a bed of greens, which was the best cod I’ve ever had …

Main fish dish entree at the Four Seasons by A Lady Goes West

And finally, a modest dessert spread in anticipation of our next stop. The mini key lime pie with graham cracker crust stole the show here …

Mother's Day desserts at the Four Seasons by A Lady Goes West

Truth be told, I like spending time with Dave and Brady no matter where we are, but there’s something to be said for getting out of the house for a nice meal. When nobody has to do the cooking or the dishes, you really get to enjoy yourself. It reminded me of the days when we would eat out many times a week, and it just felt right.

Visiting the Museum of Ice Cream in San Francisco

After brunch, Dave put Brady in the baby carrier (which is a change, because usually I wear him and it was so cute to see), and we walked across the street from the hotel to the Museum of Ice Cream.

Dave and Brady outside the Museum of Ice Cream in San Francisco by A Lady Goes West

Ashley outside the Museum of Ice Cream in San Francisco by A Lady Goes West

So if you’re a Bay Area local or you live in Miami or L.A., you’ve likely heard of this museum. The whole concept is only two years old and is super popular.

The museum is an Instagram hot spot and is totally THE thing to do. In fact, getting tickets is very difficult. I secured our two tickets in early March by reloading a ticket page over and over again when the tickets were released at 11 a.m. on a Tuesday, and I was so pleased that I could score the tickets for Mother’s Day for our little group.

Family outside the Museum of Ice Cream in San Francisco by A Lady Goes West

The Museum of Ice Cream is something I knew we had to do, and I’m so glad we did.

However, I have to admit — it was not totally as cool as I had hoped. The museum shares the history of ice cream throughout small colorful rooms, which you walk through on an Ikea-like path, and you get to sample some ice cream and treats a few times too.

Soft serve at the Museum of Ice Cream in San Francisco by A Lady Goes West

Ashley with soft serve at the Museum of Ice Cream in San Francisco by A Lady Goes West

However, you only get soft serve ice cream once, and the rest of the treats included a mochi ball, cotton candy and a popsicle. So that was slightly disappointing for me as an ice cream lover, because I thought we would be trying different flavors of traditional ice cream. Not so much.

Next up with my complaints: It was really crowded, which I didn’t expect, because there are only a limited number of tickets for each entrance time-frame. Also, the rooms just weren’t as cool as I thought they would be — they had fun colors and cutesy candy decor, but they were not nearly as magical as what you’d see at say a Disney park. (Spoken like a true former Disney cast member, right?)

Brady spelling his name at the Museum of Ice Cream in San Francisco by A Lady Goes West

If Dave and I had stayed with our allotted tour group, we would have been in the museum for a good 90 minutes and would have also been pretty darn bored, but we decided to move ahead slightly, and were out of there in an hour flat, feeling like we saw and did all we could.

Overall, I am glad that we went and could say we experienced it. We took some cute pictures and enjoyed our treats, but it wasn’t as amazing as I was hoping it would be for all of the hype surrounding it. And the interactive elements were just so-so. But yes, it’s definitely a kid-friendly activity, if you’re wondering.

It was still fun for us to hang out together, and Brady seemed to love all the colors and being bounced around by Dave as we walked room to room. And I mean, we took a family picture with a unicorn, so there’s that … 🙂 

Family at the Museum of Ice Cream in San Francisco by A Lady Goes West

After the museum, we hit up Starbucks and made our way back to the East Bay for an evening of homemade pizza, laying low and some “Modern Family.” It was the sweetest and best Mother’s Day I could have asked for, and I loved every second of it, soaking up quality time with my little fam!

I hope your weekend was great too, my friends! I’m sending lots of love to all of the mommas out there, and those of you who hope to be mommas one day too! Cheers!

Mother's Day, Taylor Swift and the Museum of Ice Cream on A Lady Goes West ... Click To Tweet

Questions of the day

When was the last time you went to a museum? Where and what?

How was your weekend?

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23 Comments

  1. Sounds like such a fun weekend! I will be seeing Taylor when she comes to Chicago. Random question – were you able to bring a breast pump into he stadium? Or were you ok without one? My little guy is almost 6 month and I’m not sure if I’ll make it through the concert, lol.

    1. Hi Vanessa! Well, great question — I have a lot of experience with this now after going to Vegas for 24 hours and to the concert on Friday. So — YES — you are always allowed to bring in a breast pump, because it’s considered a medical device — so it would need to be in its own pumping bag (of course, check the rules for your arena, because they may be different, but I think breast pumps are always allowed). And there should be a pumping room. However — when I went to the Justin Timberlake concert in Vegas, I used a manual pump in the bathroom to get me through the night and I could keep that in my small purse no problem. But for Taylor, I actually had a car adapter, and turned on the car and used my regular pump hooked up to the car RIGHT before we went into the show and RIGHT after — so I didn’t end up needing to pump in the concert, and I already had a cooler in the car. That’s an option for you too! 🙂 Good luck, momma!

  2. Happy Mother’s Day! Sounds like it was a great weekend, that brunch looks amazingggg! I’m supposed to go see Taylor this summer and am SO excited, it’s been far too long since I’ve been to a concert.

    1. Hi Patricia! Well I’m sure you’ll have a lot of fun — I think it is a GREAT show! Her songs are so darn catchy and there’s a of dancing and fun effects!! 🙂

  3. So happy you had a wonderful Mother’s Day because you certainly deserved it!

    I am a die hard Swiftie, so I totally have her newest album and am v excited to see her show in August (despite the fact that it is in Tampa. In August. Outside—WHY?!!!). Glad you enjoyed it!

    Good to know I’m not missing out on as much as Instagram has made me feel with the Museum of Ice Cream. You know the depth of my love for ice cream so I feel that I too would be disappointed. Cotton Candy?!!! The name of the place is the Museum of ICE CREAM for goodness sake!

    1. I only had a few bites of my cotton candy and threw it out, because cotton candy is not for me. It’s not dense like ice cream hehehe. The picture opportunities were cool, but it just wasn’t AS cool as I had hoped. Also, with a huge crowd, makes it harder to enjoy anything. And I’m so glad you are going to Taylor — but yes — it shall be hot and humid — better wear the hair in a bun!!

  4. What a lovely weekend!

    I would LOVE to see Taylor Swift but I have a severe phobia of snakes and I’ve heard this tour has a major snake theme eek…. so I’m sort of glad I never managed to get tickets haha (she comes to the UK this summer) but I hope next time I can see her!

    1. Hi lady! So with the snake thing — haha yes — she has huge snakes by the sides of the stage and they kind of blow around in the wind. She doesn’t dance with live snakes or anything, but they are ever present. I think she did that because she used to be called a “snake” in the press? hahah Yes, I guess it’s good you didn’t get tickets!

  5. Um Brady’s little bowtie is the cutest thing ever OMG! haha
    And tailgating at the Taylor Swift concert….lol so fun! Sounds like a perfect weekend lady!!

  6. I love Your boots! The cowboy boots look smashing with your all-black ensemble! Also, those turquoise earrings are exquisite. Do they have a story?
    Also, those heeled-midnight blue boot are sensational!

    Brady has some style! Sea-green pants, and a blue-polka dot shirt tied together with a sea-green bow-tie!
    Your weekend looked wonderful: you deserved it!

    1. Thanks so much, Randee! The turquoise earrings are from World Market of all places heheh! They have a great jewelry selection there.

  7. Looks like you had a blast this weekend, Ashley! Happy mothers day ! (belated)
    Brady seems like he would enjoy your glass and those mini key lime pie with graham cracker crust really looks yum! Vibrant and cute!

    1. Hi Ushmana! Thanks for stopping by to say hi! And yes, Brady wants everything I have, but he definitely doesn’t get it! 🙂

  8. WHAT a weekend!! I agree–minivans are amazing. People poo poo on them, but they don’t know the magic. Speaking of cars, I saw a car yesterday with a California plate and Walnut Creek plate frame and thought of you 😀
    I saw TSwift with Alex in college and it was a great show, but she was kind of off putting. I mean, this was 9ish years ago (she had 2 albums out?) And she was so full of herself and ego. Now? Ok fine you are major, but from such a kid then it was off putting. Anyway. I need that brunch (black cod!) And ICE CREAM MUSEUM!

    1. A Walnut Creek plate in Chicago? So cool hehehhe! And yes, Taylor is TOTALLY full of herself, but I guess that’s okay because she puts on a good show hehe. And I don’t know if I’ll ever own a minivan, but mannnnnnn they are bomb! Hope your week is awesome, Susie! 🙂

  9. Happy First Mother’s Day! Such a bummer that the museum wasn’t as great as you hoped, but that brunch looks incredible!!

    1. Thanks, Tori! Even a less-than-amazing ice cream museum visit is a good one though eeeheh! Hope you’re having an awesome week!

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