Bay Area and Napa Valley suggestions

blabla89

Most of the threads I found when searching are older so I thought I'd ask again.

FI and I are looking at doing our HM in the San Francisco area for 8 days in early May. So we're looking for things to do in SF, and we'll have a rental car so we're also open to day or overnight trips within a couple hours' drive. We'd definitely love to spend at least one day somewhere in Napa Valley. Our budget for activities is about $700 total. Any recommendations of things we should do or places to see? Thanks!

climbingsingle

H and I really enjoyed touring and tasting at Robert Mondavi. We also had lunch at Mustard's which was delicious.

I travel to San Fran every year for a trade show. In years past, we've stayed at one of the Westins, which I'm not really feeling anymore. In January we're staying at the Hotel Vitale. It looks nice and the reviews are great.

SBmini

I would definitely take a day trip to Sausalito on the otherside of the Golden Gate Bridge. Really cute houseboats and the Miur Woods where you can hike and see redwoods. I have not seen Alcatraz, but that should also be on your list of things to do. 

kat1114

For Napa, I would look at taking a tour bus from San Francisco. They can be pricey (about $100/person), but it also includes your tasting fees, which add up quickly. Plus, you won't have to worry about making the hour drive back to the city after wine tasting all day. 

I would also recommend Sonoma over Napa. I think Sonoma has more of a relaxed (i.e. less snooty) vibe. I was there in September and visited Peter Cellars, Matanzas, and St. Jean. I really liked them all, although St. Jean is definitely pretty touristy.

I'd consider cutting out the rental car and just getting it for any day trips you might take. Public transport is pretty good in San Francisco, and cab rides are cheap because nothing is that far apart. Parking is a pain and is super expensive, especially at hotels.

Since you're going to be there for 8 days, you might want to look at Airbnb vs. a hotel. I went in September and rented a house via Airbnb with some girlfriends. The house was amazing, and it was nice that we could eat some meals at home rather than having to go out for every single one.

My other recommendations, in no particular order are:

-Golden Gate Park- it's bigger than Central Park and has tons of great museums. The California Academy of Science offers adults night out every Thursday, so you can check out the museum without any children around (and with booze!)

-Giants game. Even if you're not a baseball fan, get some nosebleed seats and enjoy the amazing view of the bay.

-sunset booze cruise

-Bi-Rite Creamery (possibly the best ice cream ever)

-Chinatown Ghost Tours (not so much about ghosts as it is about the history of China Town)

-for a day or overnight trip, drive down the 1 to Santa Cruz or Half Moon Bay

-if you'll be there May 17, check out Bay to Breakers.

charlieyankee03

Ditto @kat114 on Sonoma over Napa. FI works at Virgin America in San Fran so we split our time between there and Atlanta for now. We've been to Sonoma many times and really loved Harvest Moon Estate & Winery. They gave us a personal tour of the vineyard on a whim for free and seemed really into what they were doing. We've been to Napa once and will probably never go back. The locals there are super snooty and seem generally put off by the tourists.

If you plan to do any driving south of the city, I recommend driving out to Half Moon Bay and south, along the coast, to Monterrey. Sam's Chowder House in HMB is a good lunch stop. If you want to do any trails, Point Lobos is a gorgeous nature preserve right on the water. That's where FI and I got engaged! We stayed at the Monterrey Plaza Hotel that night and really loved the area. 

If you stay downtown, some good places to eat are:

-Saiwaii Ramen (I drag FI here at least once a month)

-Sushi on North Beach (but there are a ton of awesome sushi places)

-Tony's Pizza Napoletana (although I can't decide if it's better than Antico's in Atlanta)

-Stella's Pastry & Café (their tiramisu is sooo good)

There are so many more I can't think of off the top of my head. You pretty much can't go wrong with SF food.

If you're looking for something fun and different to do, check THIS out. We did this for my birthday in August and it was SO MUCH FUN! We went on the Tomcat, but plan to do the USA 76 when it warms up again. 

thisismynickname2

I prefer the actual wines in Napa over what we had in Sonoma. I disagree about the snoot factor. DH and I have never had an issue and feel very comfortable in Napa.  We've been quite a few times and I have over 30 wineries on my count.

If you have a Visa Signature card, you can get many tastings in Sonoma for free or for 2-for-1. In Napa, if you go to the tourism bureau downtown, you can get a slew of 2-for-1 coupons.  

In Sonoma, I highly recommend Coppola (and it has a pool and a museum!). In Napa, I'd recommend Raymond, V. Suttui (picnic there, but be warned it's VERY touristy), Castello di Amorosa (a real castle, great tours), and Rutherford Ranch (chocolate and wine tasting).

Seriously, go to the tourism bureaus (one in Sonoma, one in Napa). Based on what kind of wine you like, they can tell you which wineries specialize in what you want. Those 2-for-1s will get you to the more touristy places, but if you like saving money it's the only way to go. 

arrippa

scribe95 said:

Me three on Sonoma over Napa. I found Napa over-touristy and I just didn't like the vibe. Sonoma still had great wine, a cute town and it was very relaxed.

In San Fran there is always the pier; Chinatown; Alcatraz was cool. 

If you do Alcatraz, do the night tours. So much more fun.