It’s been a hot second since I wrote a blog post. I was holding out for something really good to post about. California! We finally made it to San Francisco and drum roll ——– Napa Valley! This trip has been discussed a million times since we got married 7 years ago, and at one point we even had airfare booked! Thankfully, things fell into place and my husband had a NADA conference out in San Fran and I got to tag along. It worked out perfectly. My godfather lives in San Fran, so we got to meet up with him and his friend Riley. My cousin and her husband were at the conference so we all decided we would do Napa together. Everything fell into place and I finally got to head on out to Napa!
There are way too many things to put into one post, so I am going to break things up a bit. So first, San Francisco. It was my first time in Cali and my husband’s first time in San Fran. The hills y’all are no joke. I think in one afternoon we all worked out our calf muscles and rear ends. We stayed at a wonderful historic hotel, The Fairmont. Before heading to San Fran we watched The Rock because we were planning a visit to the Rock. The Fairmont made a brief appearance in The Rock, with Sean Connery dangling a man off the balcony.
Of course, we did the touristy things like ride a cable car, eat in Chinatown, Pier 39 and visiting the sea lions, Alcatraz and visiting the Presidio to take in the views of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was all wonderful. Especially the food. Our Chinatown meal was so delicious and very traditional (so we were told). Our first dinner was at a restaurant my cousin picked out, Rich Table. Super hip. The food was spectacular – a few highlights – beef tartare, aged beef agnolotti with crispy brussel sprouts, and borscht and sardine chips. The presentation of all the food was just beautiful.
The second evening we went to dinner with all the folks from the dealership that were attending the conference. Park Tavern was the spot that evening. Highlights – crispy brussel sprouts, jerky and the chicken. The presentation of the chicken was cool, literally served upright and surrounded by potatoes. Fabulous food and great service.
The third evening was dinner with my godfather John Faricy, or as we know him, Uncle John. He picked out a sweet spot in the Ferry building right down on the water, the Slanted Door. It was hip, loud, busy and had amazing food. I wouldn’t have expected anything less than a cool dinner spot from my godfather. We delegated the ordering to him. The food was a home run. Highlights – Crispy imperial rolls, cellophane noodles with dungeness crab, duck fried rice. If I am being honest, the whole meal was a highlight. Everything we had was amazing. The evening finished with cotton candy served in the center of the table. Such a fun place!
We made a visit to “the Rock” and boy am I glad we decided to do that. It was a beautiful day and maybe one of the best audio tours. The view itself from the Rock was spectacular and learning so much of the history that is more than just a prison. It was a wonderful experience and I highly recommend visiting Alcatraz.
Another highlight to our San Fran visit was having drinks at the Top of the Mark with my aunt and uncle and cousin. Apparently, our grandmother would stay at the Mark when she was in San Fran. We got there just in time to see the sunset and grab some cocktails. We toasted to our grandmother and to having a great trip.
Ending our trip in San Fran we headed to the Presidio to see the Golden Gate bridge and all the beautiful views surrounding it. It really is a fantastic spot to take in the vistas. Fisherman, seagulls and sea lions waiting to grab some fish – we took in all the beauty of this special part of California.
We will be back to visit San Fran, as we didn’t get to see and do all we wanted, but it was a wonderful first trip.
Next up, Sonoma!
The Wandering Blonde Wine O 