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Published: March 6th 2008
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After more than 30 years living in Southern California, we’d never visited Napa Valley and had only spent two nights in San Francisco. So it was high time to do both! Thinking that a wine cruise might be the best way to introduce us to the wine country, six of us decided to do just that. We then booked the Radisson Fisherman’s Wharf (with our gold points) on both sides of our wine weekend.
Now we understand why San Francisco is always included in the top cities of the world. Upon our arrival, we parked the car and took full advantage of the public transportation system i.e. cable cars, electric buses, and ferries. During the cool, clear days we walked and walked and walked some more. One day we walked to the top of Coit Tower later finding ourselves in the Italian influenced neighborhood of North Beach. Another day we ventured up Hyde Street to the famous “crooked” Lombard Street ending in the upscale Nob Hill area. The views of the city by the bay were spectacular! No visit to San Francisco is complete without hopping on a cable car. We decided the best place to get on was at
the turnaround station at Jefferson and Hyde where we hung precariously off the back while the cable car made its steep ascent to Chinatown. One of the largest Chinese enclaves outside of China, it’s fascinating to stroll its streets and window shop. All of this made us hungry so we stopped in a hole in the wall restaurant called House of Nanking where the waiter brought us what he thought we might like. He was right! Speaking of food, San Francisco is known for its excellent restaurants. After a little homework we chose a good cross section of eating establishments with Gary Danko’s at the top of the list. We’d also heard of the “World Famous” Buena Vista. Because our hotel was so close to this 1952 watering hole, it became a nightly ritual to stop in for an Irish coffee. Another day trip not to be missed is a walk along the Embarcadero from the ferry building to Pier 39 with its famous seals to Fisherman’s Wharf to Ghirardelli Square where Chuck stocked up on his favorite chocolates. Because we could see ”The Rock” out our hotel window, we thought it only appropriate to take the ferry out to
the island of Alcatraz with all its sordid past. We even met one of the infamous inmates. Another ferry ride out to the little town of Tiburon allowed us to see San Francisco from another perspective. But the first of three highpoints of the week was a bicycle ride from Fisherman’s Wharf along the Presidio over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito. We had to pinch ourselves as we crossed this famous bridge taking in all the sights and sounds. After eight miles of riding we were ready for lunch, a quick visit with friends on their boat and the ferry ride back. What a perfect day! The second highlight was an evening at Teatro Zin Zanni, a dinner theater which we describe as a combination of Cirque de Soleil and a French cabaret. The last highlight was the fact that it was Fleet week in San Francisco. Although we were only there for the practice, we saw the Blue Angels scream across the bay right above the skyline. We also witnessed a huge military tanker fly right over the Golden Gate Bridge and a troop of antique biplanes flying many risky maneuvers. The best part was the lack of
spectators because it was a practice day.
We boarded the Cruise West “Spirit of Yorktown” in late afternoon for our 3 night cruise just in time to see the San Francisco skyline at dusk with all of its twinkling lights. But before heading up the Napa River, the Captain circled Alcatraz and cruised under the Golden Gate Bridge as the sun set. It couldn’t get much better than this! Our first day was spent in Napa Valley where we visited 3 wineries; Merryvale in St. Helena, Clos Pegase for lunch in a wine cave and ended the day at St. Supery. The second day the focus was on the Sonoma Valley. We started the day with a tractor ride in the organic vineyard of Benziger (our favorite) and had lunch at Sebastiani (site of a 100 year old grapevine). Our last stop of the day was Domaine Carneros, a French style chateau where we had a champagne toast to celebrate our successful weekend in California’s wine country!
The day we left San Francisco, we woke up to pounding rain. We were sad to leave this world class city but we know we’ll be back. Our route home was
along the famous Hwy 1, stopping the first night at Lucia Lodge 20 miles south of Big Sur. It was a perfect spot far from civilization. Our cozy 1930s cottage was perched high above the Pacific on a steep cliff. There was no T.V., radio or cell phone service; just a stunning view of the ocean, constantly changing weather from dense fog to intense sunlight, and our very own resident hummingbird. The evening was highlighted by a candlelight dinner at the lodges charming restaurant. You were really transported back to simpler times. The next day we continued down the coastline stopping to admire the view at Ragged Point. Our afternoon tour of San Simeon’s Hearst Castle and our last night at the charming village of Cambria was a fitting way to end our 45 day odyssey.
There’s so much to appreciate from traveling in this country; from the beauty of its diverse scenery, to its vibrant cities to the kind hearts of its people. And although we love to cruise the world, we also love traveling at home. Thanks to all of you for your gracious hospitality and for making this a memorable journey!
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