Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Wine Country and Bridges (Memorial Day Wknd 2012)

I have a group of travel buddies that tries to get together at least once a year. We used to be a lot more than that, but we've found that Memorial Day Weekend is our best bet. Last year, three of us made it on a cruise and this year, the plan was San Francisco and Napa.

Originally, there were to be five of us. Then, it got down to four. Then, about a week and a half before the trip, it dwindled down to Amy and I. We both said to each other, "Look, I've already bought my ticket. So, if you drop out, I will be sorry, but I will have a delightful time in San Fran by myself."

Friday the 25th, we flew across the country to Sunny California. Just to note.... a 5 hour flight with a plane half-full of foreigners that do not believe in bathing.... no bueno.

Amy and I basically got there at the same time and headed to the hotel.... Hyatt at Fisherman's Wharf. It was a nice hotel in a great location, if you are ever thinking of staying in that city. We walked around a bit, got something to eat, and then chilled in the room. Between the early morning flight (my flight was at 6am) and the three hour time difference, we were asleep at like 7pm, lol.

The next day, we hopped on a tour bus to Wine Country. The tour we went on included three different wineries.... 


The first winery was what you typically imagine.... rolling hills, endless rows of vines, sprawling house.... Very pretty.....








The next one was an organic winery. The grounds seemed smaller, but we got to go in the Barrel Room....



We stopped in Yountville for lunch. It was a charming little town. After lunch, we drove to our final stop....



Sutter Homes.....


I was actually pretty excited about this one. As a household name, it was just neat to see where their wine was made. Plus, I got great amusement when I found out that the wine one of my wine-snob coworkers raves about (while claiming that Sutter Homes is trash) is actually made by Sutter Homes. Ha!

We also passed Al Pacino's ranch and saw his house from the road. Pretty cool!

That evening, we explored, ate dinner, and chilled.

Sunday, we did some more exploring. The Wharf, Ghiradelli Square, the Pier, and more. Little did we know when we first decided on this trip that it was the 100th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge. There were festivities just about everywhere! We walked.... and walked.... and walked uphill some more.


Golden Gate Bridge




Alcatrez





I am a Lefty, so I thought this store was great, lol!











For dinner, we ate at The Stinking Rose. It's a restaurant known for its use of garlic. Delicious, but very "stinky."




That night was the official celebration of the Anniversary. They had fireworks off of the bridge. It was really fun, actually!




Sadly, Monday was the day to go home :(

It was a really jam-packed, quick trip, but it was so fun. I always miss my sweet friends and love getting together with them.... especially in a place that has nice, cool weather like San Fran, lol.

1 comment:

Gina said...

I've never been to San Fran but I hear I'd love it. I think I would even more after reading this post!