Lesly's Note: After a long hiatus I'm excited to bring back the "Mama's Of SF" interview series! The latest entry is the fabulous Emille Lawrence, a mathematician who lives in Bernal Heights with her husband and two precious toddlers!
Name (and age if you choose to share)
Emille Davie Lawrence; age 37
SF Neighborhood you currently live in and your hometown
We live in Bernal Heights, and I'm originally from Newnan, Georgia.
Tell me about yourself—education, career, hobbies and family and how you came to live in San Francisco.
I went to college in Atlanta at Spelman College, a historically Black college for women. There I majored in mathematics and decided to pursue a PhD in mathematics at the University of Georgia. After two jobs at universities in SoCal, I'm now an assistant professor at the University of San Francisco. When I'm not mathing, I love taking workout classes at studios around the city, ballet classes, going to see live music, trying new restaurants, and discovering hidden gems around the Bay with my husband Greg and our two children. We came to live in the city because of my husband's job as a software engineer (that's the short story).
Tell me about your kids—how many, ages, interests and activities.
We have two kids: Margot who will be 4 this summer and Grayson who just turned 2. They don't really care what they are doing so long as they are together. They have a great relationship and love each other fiercely. Grayson wants to do everything his big sister does. She protects and cares for him so sweetly (as much as a three year old can!). When at home, they like playing with puzzles, building with blocks, Magnatiles, and various other construction toys. They also like to play with their pretend kitchen and shopping cart. They also like going to one of the three parks near our house or the zoo, Tilden Park, the Cal Academy of Sciences, Exploratorium, Curiodyssey, or any of the other museums and learning attractions around the Bay Area. Separately, Margot is currently taking a ballet class, and Grayson just started tot soccer.
What's one tip you have for parents raising kids in San Francisco? Anything from practical to philosophical works!
Get out of San Francisco from time to time! There is such much to offer all around the Bay. The Oakland Zoo (which we LOVE), Fairyland, Tilden Park, Curiodyssey, the Bay Area Discovery Museum, and Lemos Farm, just to name a few, are all outside of San Francisco. Cast a wide net!
Please share your favorite stroller friendly restaurant in SF, and your favorite non-food place to take kids!
Most any taqueria is pretty stroller friendly. Our favorite is La Corneta in Glen Park, but also Tacolicious in the Mission. It’s hard to pick a favorite place to take the kids, but the Oakland Zoo is definitely one of our favorites because of the rides in addition to the animals.
In one word, how would you describe raising children in San Francisco?
Expensive.