NoCal Redux

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We just got back from a week-long trip around NoCal. We were in Napa to begin with for three days. Then we spent a brief period of time in Sacramento for a wedding. Afterwards, we drove back to Sonoma for more wine, food, and hiking - and then ended our trip in San Francisco. I didn't write extensive journals and the USA isn't that exciting to read or even write about (for me), so just a few notes here.

Day by Day

Thursday July 24th
Key Memories
• Oxbow Public Market - Pica Pica - Arepas rock! I never had venezuelan food before.
• Walking through Downtown Napa
• Driving up the Silverado Trail to Calistoga - gorgeous
• "Old Faithful"
• Walking around downtown Calistoga - Bar Vino
• Golden Haven Hot Springs Resort & Spa
• Dinner at Terra in St. Helena

Old Faithful - also "fainting goats", baby longhorn sheep, llamas. Fun family activity.

Hot Springs - took a mineral bath (like a hot tub), blanket wrap, herbal facial - hot clothes soaked in tea, then a scrub, then a clay mask, then heavy cream with rose petals as a moisturizing mask. Felt incredible, skin looked amazing and rosy, wow.

Terra - my alaskan black cod in shiso broth with shrimp dumplings was amazing. We had an appetizer of beef carpaccio (little round slices) with vietnamese green papaya fresh rolls. We shared a wine that was a local Sauvignon Blanc from Sonoma. Not that memorable. Can't believe it won a James Beard!

Bar Vino - had a cheese plate with a fontina with almonds, brie with honeycomb, and a blue-ish cheese with dried cherries. The blue cheese tasted great with the cherries but was too strong for the wine. We had a Zacherie Rose de Syrah. The brie with honeycomb was a perfect pairing for the wine. The almonds made the wine almost too spicy. The Zacherie had a strawberry flavor in the middle. Then I had an amazing Pinot Noir - a Starfish from the Russian river valley. Amazing…must have again.

Friday
Went hiking in the Bale Grist state park, all the way to the Bothe Napa state park - 1.2 mile trail and then back. It was really hot, and the big thing I noticed was the difference in foliage. New England is a lot more green, and has a lot more water.
Lunch was a picnic at Via Sattui. Nice deli/market. Friendly. Nice picnic grounds. Their 18$ rose is crap.
Went to prager - bought a case of port. Prager charges 15$ per head for tastings and its not refunded even if you buy a case. However, you do get souvenir glasses. The walls are covered with money from all over the world with people signing on it. I enjoyed counting up the other places I'd been, recognizing the money. India, Thailand, Guatemala, the Philippines.

Saturday
Chateau Montelena - chinese garden, cool history, nice wines.
Lunch at Bouchon. It was awesome! this is thomas keller's other restaurant in Yountville. My pork shoulder crepe, cold melon soup - it was all amazing.
Then Beringer - impersonal big company. Even in the Reserve tasting room, it still feels like the Walmart of wineries. Pretty estate though. Alli's friend wanted to come here and I agreed only to see the buildings but we didn't have time for that sadly.

Sunday
Gail & Amy in the morning. These are friends of Alli's who have an adorable new daughter.
Drove back to Sonoma and walked around plaza…had a tasting at the Castle tasting room on the plaza.
Dinner was at Maya, a Mexican place. Sonoma feels pretty quiet compared to Napa.

Monday
Sonoma - went up to hike in the Jack London state park - hiked for about three hours around all the trails…saw turkeys and baby turkeys wandering around...so relaxing…went to the Mayo Reserve tasting rom for wine & food pairing - met Ken the awesome chef/bartender guy who also loves Anthony Bourdain and graveyards, then we drove down to Viansa - not impressed - and finally had dinner at Girl & the Fig. The Girl & the Fig was an awesome meal. I still dream of their fig/arugula salad.

Tuesday

Drove back to San Fran, dealt with much traffic and confusion and ended up in the Haight-Ashbury district for lunch (Ploy II) and then the Golden Gate park. Met Sherry & Tom for lunch - ate at Amber.

Hotel Reviews

Inn at Oyster Point
Got upgraded to a king - huge windows looking out onto bay very close proximity to a bayside walk on a paved trail that seemed to go for miles - we hiked for about a mile and then turned around. Fireplace (gas) looked like a fire hazard with exposed electrical wires. Hallways a little musty and bathroom had no fan, so a little damp. Nice bathroom products with generous amonts (larger than usual samples) big bathroom - huge comfortable bed. Cable television (including tgeh travel channel my favorite). Light blue and white décor. Seaside theme in the hotel. Very pleasant and nice staff. Free in-room breakfast. Right on the marina - great views.

Trojan Horse Inn, Sonoma CA
Off of Route 12, it is convenient to drive here, b ut not so convenient to walk around. If you would prefer to amble, get a hotel on the Sonoma Plaza like the Ledson. This B&B had a parking lot and was easy to get to. From here, it was a 5 minute drive to the Sonoma Plaza and also easy to get on the wine trail (Route 12). Our room was the Sarah Vaughn room. Like all the rooms we saw here, it had a fluffy bed with luxurious linens. Our bathroom was huge, with a big pink jacuzzi tub. The only downside of the tub was that it did not have a shower - there was a showerhead that you had to hold up yourself.
Breakfast was shared with gourmet breakfast items such as a strawberry trifle, home-made sausage patties, home-made muffins, and freshly squeezed OJ. Port before bed. Victorian décor but not overwhelming - very classic. Nice people bethany & greg. No televisions in the room so that you can relaly relax. We sacrificed room in the bedroom for our huge bathroom & jacuzzi. Internet access didn't work for most people there though.

River Terrace Inn, Napa
In about a year this location will rock. It's an easy walk to downtown Napa's boutiques, and very near to the Oxbow Public Market and COPIA. It's right on the river walk which unfortunately is closed for construction. It gives you easy access to both the Silverado Trail and Route 29. free internet access. Free breakfast on a patio outside. All processed foods though in this land of bounty.

The room was gorgeous - very big with comfortable beds, even a nice couch area. Bathroom had a huge jacuzzi tub and there was a separate makeup area outside the bathroom (VERY IMPORTANT) and the amenties were from Bath & Body Works and very high quality. The beds were super comfortable. We also had al ittle deck overlooking the river, which was very peaceful. It was the perfect getaway in wine country. I would stay here again.

Embassy Suites, Sacramento
Nickeled and dimed. 25$ per night for parking. Extra money has to be paid to have internet. Not a good business hotel. We did have a nice suite that looked like every toher embassy suites in the country. It had a good location next to the bridge and the old sacramento district and right off the highway. Clean, somewhat good bathroom amenties, hair dryer, very standard business hotel. Free breakfast buffet with omelettes - huge seating area lots of options - can sit outside on the Sacramento river.

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