From the City to the Valley

Hey Monday gang, summer is flying by which means my favorite season is just around the corner. Pumpkins, camping, football, crisp morning air… I can’t wait. One thing I know for sure is northern California has some fabulous weather happening right now.

Last week, I made the trip to San Francisco and Napa Valley. The farthest northwest I've been. No issues with the flights, just that they took over 3 hours (soo boring). Once getting off the plane in San Francisco, I immediately noticed how modern their airport was. Everything was simplistic and clean. Probably the cleanest airport I have ever been in. After renting the car and driving towards downtown, the cleanliness started to change quite a bit. The city reminded of NYC, but maybe even a little dirtier. San Francisco is known for their older Victorian homes (The Painted Ladies) that sit alongside each other. Sometimes older cities are harder to keep clean and that could be why San Francisco struggles with that.

I called the hotel in advance on parking in the city because I had read other blog posts on how parking could be tricky and pricey. The hotel recommended a public parking garage right down the block. Using The White House Garage probably saved me around $60, which was for sure worth it and it was also very secure. Even though the parking garage was super close, making the walk up the hills with the luggage was an experience haha. If you didn’t already know, San Francisco has A LOT of hills! The dinner choices were local hole in the walls, not too far from the hotel. I would say both dinners were about average. Lost Cat & The Owl Tree were good evening cocktail locations.

For the second day, I woke up early to get a cup of coffee. When I walked outside, it was super hazy and the air was chilly. Apparently, San Francisco is very known for being hazy. I grabbed some breakfast at the hotel restaurant, Taj Campton Place, which was so yummy with huge portions. Probably my second favorite meal on this whole trip. Today’s plans were to sight see! The first stop was Fisherman’s Warf and Pier 39, which had a great number of shops and restaurants to choose from. Since the haziness started to disappear, you could also see Alcatraz from the pier. Then of course, the main attraction was up next: the Golden Gate Bridge. Luckily, the airport rental car company had convertibles available, which worked out so well for this trip. If you are given the option of a convertible for your trip, please say yes! You will love it! Driving across this huge bridge was so beautiful with the top down. Once across the bridge into Sausalito, Salito's Crab House was good for a quick lunch and then off to see redwood trees. You can literally smell the trees while driving through the forest. Just a wonderful part of the country that put me in the mood for fall time!

The next day was an earlier wake up to make the drive out of San Francisco and over to Napa Valley for a wine tasting bus tour. Since the tour started at 10:30am, the Andaz Napa hotel held the bags. Platypus Wine Tours was the tour operator and oh my, it was a fun time! Thank goodness it was a bus with only 8 people. This made it easy to get to know one other and enjoy each winery on a more intimate level with the hosts. The tour went from 10:30am to 5pm. Lunch was provided and we got to visit three different wineries: Auburn James, Hans Fahden and Madrigal. All of them were unique in their own way and I came home with a bottle (or two) from each place. Dinner that night was at Tarla Mediterranean Bar + Grill. It was right next to the hotel and was so delicious. This was my favorite meal of the trip! Defiantly recommend this place!

The final day was another day of site seeing, or should I say vine seeing haha. Napa and the surrounding smaller towns are covered in vineyards. They were so fascinating! The first stop was at V. Sattui for a bottle of wine and lunch. They have a small market on the grounds where you can purchase food/wine for a picnic. If you plan on doing any wine tours (other than pre-paid bus/train tours), you will need to make reservations in advance. Majority of these wineries will not serve just a glass of wine. You have to book a tour/tasting to try their wine and then you have the opportunity to buy bottles of the ones you liked after the tasting. I had booked a tour and tasting that afternoon at Castello di Amorosa. This is one of the most popular wineries in the area because of the Italian-inspired Tuscan castle. The tour was so neat! Hearing about how old the materials were to build the castle and the unique ways they make their wines. If you are looking for an attraction/experience, this would be the perfect winery to visit but make reservations.

I sure wish I could have visited every winery, but that just gives me a reason to go back!

If you are planning a trip to San Francisco and/or Napa Valley, I wanted to provide you with some tips while you plan your trip:

San Francisco

-Bring comfortable shoes if you plan on walking most places, the hills are steeper than you think!

-Find a safe/affordable place to park your vehicle before you leave the airport to travel into the city.

-Do not leave anything in your vehicle, SF has a lot of theft.

-Drive across the bridge, it’s a beautiful experience and there’s more to offer on the other side.

-If you want to see the redwoods, make reservations for Muir Woods National Monument.

-Stay clear of the Tenderloin district.

Napa Valley

-Only about 1-2hr drive (depending on traffic) from SF.

-Best time to visit the valley would be between March and November.

-If you are worried about drinking and driving, book a bus tour! It’s worth it.

-Bring a sweater, it might be warm during the day but it gets chilly at night.

-Visit a small winery or two and contribute to their upcoming tasty wines.

-Make reservations!

Have you been to either of these two places? If so, I would love to hear what you thought. I plan to go back to Napa again, what were your favorite wineries? And if you haven't made this trip yet, I hope you get to visit sometime soon. Cheers!

Love yourself xoxo