Day four - Napa and beyond

Today we said goodbye to Sonoma

and hello to Napa Valley.


Given that Sonoma and Napa are two valleys, there is a mountain range (of sorts) between them. There are two ways to get from one valley to another: 1) you can go around to the south with everyone else, 2) you can go through the mountains. Since we had the convertible, and it was a sunny day, we took option #2. This would prove to be the start of a very good day.



That's a sample of the 11 miles of uninterrupted twists and turns that took us from one valley to another. It was so awesome, we drove it in the other direction, too.


Once in Napa, we visited an old favorite winery, Milat, where we learned about the exitence of this little white barn:

This spot was great - they had picnic tables set up among their grove of fig and lemon trees. We took a moment and enjoyed some of California's finest organics:


It was just after lunch and we knew we could make it back to the city in less than an hour. Instead, we pulled out the map and made the decision to take a drive straight west out to the coast to Tomales Bay.


There is a road that runs along the coast from Tomales bay, through the Point Reyes National Seashore (basically Route 1). We drove the length of it (about 40 miles) stopping to take in the views along the way:







This was a driver's paradise. Californians are totally spoiled. There were a few cyclists along the way, doing this kind of advanced training:



just awesome.

Eventually, the bridge came back into view as we closed in on the city again.


The view to the west at sunset wasn't totally clear because of the fog, but it was still breathtaking.

The closing moment of a day that will go down as "Scott's early birthday present." Simply an amazing drive. We'll never forget it.

Day three - Marissa's Birthday!!

Marissa's big day!

We ventured out of the city for the first time today. The goal was to head north to wine country where Marissa would receive her surprise birthday present. First stop - Vista Point just over the Golden Gate bridge. One thing this city is not short of: spectacular views.


Next stop: Somona Valley. The plan was to hit a few wineries, have lunch and get a taste of the valley.

Drinks at the Caste tasting room:

Then eats (and more drinks) in the garden at a really cute lunch spot next door. Someone is enjoying their flight of viognier:


After lunch we visited the oldest (continuous) family-owned winery in California: Gunlach Bunschu. Apparently, the vineyard was open during prohibition, giving them their 150-year-long (or so) run.

We couldn't resist snapping this shot in the parking lot:

The sommelier (if that's what they're called) was nice enough to celebrate Marissa's b-day with us. He gave us the tasting for free and added a few extra menu selections au gratis.

Marissa enjoying her freebies. Mmmmm...tasty.


Our next (and final) stop of the day was to celebrate Marissa's birthday at a sonoma spa & resport. We spent the night here, had spa treatments on site, hit the steam rooms, mineral pools, "relaxation rooms" and cucumber-flavored water stations. Dinner and breakfast in bed rounded out this little stay.


The rooms were set up as little cottages, with a garden running through the middle leading to the spa.


That was a nice way to see Sonoma...tomorrow we're off to that other valley.

Day two in SF

Day two was an attempt to catch up on all the "must see" spots before we headed out of the city for a two-day excursion to wine country.

First stop: Chinatown. Lots of traffic, people and smells. Oh, and two guys dancing together on top of some poles.



Next stop: North Beach aka little Italy. We had a great breakfast/brunch outside a little cafe.

We then hopped on a cable car and rode the Powell-Mason line down to union square,



where we took a look at the newly discounted iPhone hotness. It looks worth every penny, give or take $200.


Did something together that we hadn't done in months...watched a movie. The theater was in Union Square, not far from this Costco-sized H&M.


Then hiked our way back home, up and down Telegraph Hill...


We finished the night at a restaurant called "Foreign Cinema." It's a gorgeous outdoor space where the project movies on one wall, drive-in style. This night they were showing Lost in Translation.

Day one in SF

We spent the afternoon sailing around SF bay. The wind today was "average," which is 12-15 knots. On a windy day it gets up to 22kts on the bay. It was windy either way, we got tipped pretty far over.

Here's a shot of the city with the angle of the boat in view:


The only rule of the boat: one hand on your drink, the other hand on the boat. This crew had their priorities straight. Here are a couple of vids from the boat:







We also spent some time at the farmer's market in the ferry building along the Embarcadero. This is only open on Saturdays, and is full of local organic famers with stuff like giant peaches, goat's milk cheese and buckwheat smoothies.






Farther up Embarcadero, Pier 39 is a super-touristy part of the city. Since our sailing trip was leaving from there, we decided to get it out of the way on day 1. It's a stark contrast to the ferry building located just down the street. Instead of fresh-shucked oysters for $1.50, you get Mrs. Field's cookies for $5.

There was a guitarist at the entrance playing "The Boxer" as we approached. We couldn't help but miss Penny for a moment. Turns out this guy plays the same crowd-pleasing set every weekend of the year, and has been doing so for the last 15 years. The sailing coordinator was clearly tired of hearing his voice, and offered us free sailing for life if we would silence him for good.


Marissa trying her luck at switching bodies with a 10-year-old:


And the requisite shot of Alcatraz...taken from the safety of our boat/bar:





Our hotel is pretty close to everything. Out of our 20th-floor windows we can see most of the city to the north and east. These are the actual views from the two windows in our corner room. Boo-ya!



Most importantly, we never have to wait for the cable car with the peasants:



Is there any other way to travel in this city?



Well, maybe...Heeeaaayyy there!