Day 2 - We woke up Early Saturday morning and started our drive up to San Francisco. It was a beautiful morning but the second we got over the mountains it got so foggy you could barely see in front of you. We made a few stops in Paso Robles to do some wine tasting. We stopped at one winery where the wine maker is blind. Apparently that heightens his sense of taste...hmmm, the wine was pretty good. We also stopped at Eberly winery where we took a tour of the wine caves.
After lunch we started up the PCH to San Fran. About half way up we came across this beach where there were hundreds of sea lions on the sand. We stopped and watched them howl and flip sand at one another, it was pretty crazy. After that the road got a little iffy. It was pretty much 20-35 mph for about an hour and I had to take an extra dose of dramamine. The pics cam out good because the sun was starting to set but after about 30 minutes, me and my stomach were over it.
We arrived at our Homeaway Rental around 8:00 to meet Michael, our Host. He's either Russian or Chech and has a very thick accent that makes it hard to understand him. Jas and I were a little surprised to find out that instead of having the downstairs apt we actually just had the downstairs...of their house. It was a little weird when they walked right by our bedroom every night when they came home. Also a little weird when we could hear every word they were saying upstairs. Smell everything they cooked and listened to them take the dog out right next to our window. I guess by the third night we were getting used to it. Here are some pics of the rental front and back. It was in a good location. 2 blocks from the muni and GG park and we could see the GG bridge from our door.
Day 3 - Sunday we woke up to pouring rain...which I loved. We got ready and headed over to pick up Patabi and Fiona and then on to Sedona. We stopped for lunch at Mary's Pizza on our way through town. We go there every time we go to Sonoma....Best pizza ever. Then we headed up to Ledson Winery where Jason and I are members. They had a private tasting for us. After Ledson we hit up a few other wineries then headed back to SF. Patabi and Fiona took us to this great little Mexican place for dinner called the Little Chihuahua...so good. It turned out to be a really nice day.
Day 4 - Monday we got up, got ready and headed out to explore San Francisco. We must have walked over 12 miles this day. We started out in Sunset and then walked all through Golden Gate Park. Next we hit up Richmond followed by Lower Haight where we took a break to check out the Painted Ladies from Alamo Square. Then we walked through the Filmore District and Japantown, on to Pacific Heights where we had to stop for a cookie and glass of wine. Next we stolled uphill to Presideo and finally down the hill to the Marina District. This was our favorite area and where we would want to live if we moved here. We continued to Ghiradelli Square where we caught the cable car downtown for some well deserved drinks atop the Marriott Marquis. After watching the sunset we headed over to Union Square to have dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in SF, Pinetti and Puccini. Finally made it back to the house around 10pm. We were completely wiped out.
Day 5 - Jas and I slept in to recover from our walking tour the day before. We finally got up and hopped the muni down to Fisherman's Wharf for a quick brunch. Then we headed over to Blazing Saddles to rent some beach cruisers to ride over the GG Bridge. Tuesday was a bit chilly, but we bundled up and headed out on our 13 mile ride. We rode all through Marina District and up the hill to cross the bridge. We stopped on the other side to take some pics of the fog rolling in. Then we rode down that narrow curvy little ride to Sausalito. We parked the bikes and headed over to the docks for some snacks. We walked around for a bit then hopped on the Ferry back to the Wharf. I'm pretty sure we just grabbed some snacks at the store that evening and went back to the house to watch movies in bed....two days in a row of outdoor exercise will get ya. It was a nice evening though.
Day 6 - Wednesday Jas and I took our time getting up. We eventually got ready and headed back to Sausalito, by car this time. We walked around and had some lunch just enjoying how cute that little town is. After lunch we headed up to Muir Woods. It was another long winding drive and some more dramamine for Carrie but it was a pretty drive none the less. Muir Woods was beautiful. I think it was one of the most fun times of the trip. I hadn't been in the woods/nature like that in a very long time. It was very quiet and peaceful. Hiking around and looking at all the trees was just very relaxing.
After Muir Woods we had some time to kill before we had to go pick up Melissa at the airport. We headed over to China Beach. It's this really cool hidden beach with really awesome views. We sat around for a bit enjoying the scenery and then headed to the airport to go get Melissa who had braved the Dallas snowstorm to get to the airport to come out and hang with us. We headed downtown for some dinner and then out for a few drinks afterwards...nothing too crazy because we knew we had a fun day planned for Thursday.
Day 7 - Thursday morning we got up nice and early and headed to Napa Valley. We first made a stop at Gillwoods cafe in St. Helena for some blueberry pancakes. mmmmm. We spent the day winetasting at Sequoia Grove, Rubicon Estate, Louis Martini, Hall, Cade, and finally one of my favorites Domain Chandon. It was a beautiful day and the 3 of us had a great time. By the end we were ready to sit down and enjoy a glass of champagne at Chandon. Mel and I met a friend on the patio there. One of the cutest dogs I have ever seen. On the way home we stopped for a nice dinner in town.
Day 8 - Our last full day in San Francisco we took Mel downtown to show her some sights. We grabbed the muni and headed to Powell street. Then we hopped on the cable car to Fisherman's Wharf. We ate brunch at Boudin Bakery.....so good. After that we went to the carnival mueseum...a must stop and then down to Pier 39 to check out all the shops and watch the Seals. We did a little shopping and watched a few street performers before grabbing the cable car back to Union Square. We took Mel up to Cheesecake factory for a view and had a few drinks. Afterwards we did a little shopping. After another long day of walking we were pretty pooped and headed back to the house for some wine and TV.
Day 9 - Time to go home. We packed up the car, dropped Mel off at the hotel and started the long 12 hour drive back to Phoenix. It was a great trip. Jas and I both love San Francisco and always enjoy our time there. Can't wait to go back.
I both love San Francisco and always enjoy our time there. Can't wait to go back.
ReplyDeleteBeach Cruiser
Avoid leaving your beach cruiser out in the rain or outside overnight if dew is a possibility for the next morning.
ReplyDeletekids bikes