eriberry02
LIF Infant
Member since 6/05 70 total posts
Name:
Erica
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Trip to Northern Cali
My husband and I are hoping to get to wine country in Northern CA and then go to San Fran and all those fun places... weve never been, any suggestions on places to stay, places to see, wineries to drink at? we're also interested in renting a limo to take us around to different places... any info would help :) thanks!!
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CookiePuss
Cake from Outer Space!
Member since 5/05 14021 total posts
Name:
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Re: Trip to Northern Cali
Definitely do the tour and tasting at Robert Mondovi (sp). The Pier in San Francisco is a lot of fun and I would go see Alcatraz...(buy tickets in advance). If you rent a limo see about going down A1 - Pacific Coast Highway. It's incredible. There is also the 17 mile drive that is really cool and ends at Pebble Beach. FM for more info...My mom lives out there so I have been a few times.
ETA: Santa Cruz is fun too. You can actually go through the Redwoods (definitely see) and then go there. There's a boardwalk that set up with games and rides....like a fair.
Message edited 1/9/2006 5:17:49 PM.
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dpli
Daylight savings :)
Member since 5/05 13973 total posts
Name:
D
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Re: Trip to Northern Cali
I lived in SF for a long time. The things that I used to bring people to see in or around the city all the time were:
Go to the top of Twin Peaks. There is a view of the entire city up there that is spectacular (unless it is very foggy)
Muir Woods in Marin county - you can see redwood trees and it's a beautiful drive and about an hour north of the city.
Alcatraz is fun - definitely spring for the extra $ and get the audio tour. It is more interesting that way. The ferry ride over and back is fun too.
Go out to the Cliff house - on the beach on the western part of the city. There is a museum of sorts in the lower level that has antique arcade games and those old flip photo movie things. It is fun and unique - something you don't see too much of. There are also ruins of an old bath house out there and lots of sea otters to gawk at. There is a very nice restaurant on the upper level of the Cliff house. If you hit the beach at low tide, you might be able to collect sand dollars on the beach.
Across the street from the cliff house and down the road a bit on the edge of Golden Gate Park is the Beach Chalet - they have a fun brew pub that has good food, which is also a tourist attraction, part of the national park system.
There is LOTS to do in Golden Gate park. Some of my guests really liked the Japanese Tea Garden and the Academy of Sciences, but many people just liked walking through the park. They close most of the roads on Sundays to through traffic.
If you are a walker, you can walk across Golden Gate Bridge, which is a lot of fun. There is an old army fort under the bridge, complete with cannons that is an interesting stop too.
North Beach is fun for cafes and the famous City Lights bookstore. The haight is fun to see, but can get seedy at night. Ghiradelli Square has a lot of shopping, and you can stop in for some ice cream and hot chocolate. I doubt there is anywhere else in the US quite like the Castro, and it is worth at least a drive through. The old mission might be worth seeing, if that is the type of thing you are interested in. I never really took people to Pier 39, or Fisherman's Wharf. Some people love them, but for me, there is just a lot of cheezy tourist stuff. It is not a place natives hang out, and I usually let visitors hit that on their own if they felt so inclined. riding cables cars is fun, though, so the ride down there might be worth it. there is another line that runs along California Street from downtown (on Market St.) to Van Ness Ave.
The Presidio is also a beautiful place to drive through. If you do go there, obey the speed limits - it is federal land and tickets are $$$.
Personally, I liked the wine tasting in Sonoma better than Napa. It always seemed a little less congested than Napa. I love the tour at Gloria Ferrer - the champagne place - they have the most amazing view and you can sit there and have a drink overlooking acres and acres of vineyards. I also like the Sebastiani tour.
If you are a shopper, you might also like Sausalito, which is just north of the city in marin county.
Carmel and Monterey are also nice, including the aquarium at Monterey, but it depends on how much time you have - there is a lot to see and do, it just depends on what you like to do.
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Re: Trip to Northern Cali
When DH and I went we did tastings at Sterling. You take a wire gondal ride to the top and that is where the winery is. Theview is beautiful when you are going up. We also did Tatinger Carenos which is all sparkling wine and Grigch hills ( we are Croatian and it's a Croatian wine hense why we went). We did visit Robert Mondavi and another one but I dont remember which one. Each vineyard is more beautiful than the next. I also recommend eating at Aurbage (i think that is the spelling)and request for balcony seating. The view is unbelievable but it was $$ and if you are picky eater than it probably isnt the place for you but if you like to try new things then I recommend it. We also visited the usual tourist spots in San Fransico which we liked but make sure to bring comfy shoes b/c we did a lot of walking.
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