Leaving Wine Country for San Francisco

Sadly our time in Wine Country had come to an end over a leisurly breakfast at the hotel. The Dry Creek Inn had exceeded all my expectations and so had the various wineries we visited. While I didn't buy wine from all that we visited, I wasn't disappointed in a single vineyard.

Now over breakfast, we decided that rather than try to visit one more winery on the way to dropping my brother and sister-in-law off at the San Francisco airport we would head there straight away. As it turns out, the decision was probably a good one.

While I had rented a full sized car, trying to get all of the luggage into the trunk was a little bit of a puzzle what with four suitcases and various bags with wine and other purchases in them. Not to single my brother and sister-in-law out but their suitcases were bigger -- clearly not intended to be carried on.

Taking the 101 south into the city, we encountered more traffic than I envisioned for mid-morning. As a result it made the best sense to drop my brother and sister-in-law off and then decide how to spend the rest of the day.

After dropping them off for their flight home (and hoping they don't have one cancelled again), we headed into the city to find a cup of coffee and some free Wi-Fi. Turns out we found Peet's but the free Wi-Fi was perhaps unable to handle the volume of use in the coffee shop as my connection was dropped repeatedly.

Our first task of the day was to figure out where we were going to stay so a quick stop to Hotels.com and various other sites to identify a  potential winner.  We were intrigued by the Hotel Kabuki in Japantown. We had stayed somewhere close to this area the last time but ended up at a different boutique hotel.

Having made reservations, we were free to wander our way over there.  Now I've been pretty impressed by my phone (a recent addition) even if it is a little bigger than most (it's a Samsung Galaxy Note). But the challenge with using it as a GPS device is it drains the battery -- even if it's charging! So having used it to find the Peet's and the Hotel, I was concerned I would run out of "juice" before getting to our first destination for the day . . . Chinatown.

Chicago has a vibrant Chinatown -- one that I remember my grandfather taking us to at least annually when I was a child -- but it's certainly not San Francisco's Chinatown. So far this trip had all the earmarks of my style of travel.  Find a destination and then figure out what to do.  Chinatown was no exception. 

Having found a city garage to park in, Roxanne went across the street to check out any information in the hotel lobby while I found a seat in Portsmouth Square to people watch. As usual I am not disappointed.  This park is filled with women playing Mah Jong, card games and spirited debates. None of which I could understand because they weren't in my native language -- American English.

We decided to head down Grant Avenue (apparently we were doing Chinatown backwards!) to see about finding a place for lunch. As a bit of a foodie and sometime amateur chef, I love sticking my head into the local groceries -- especially the ones with produce on the street to lead you into the market.  I also tend to visit the gadget stores as well. 

Having picked our restaurant, we were quickly seated (probably had missed the lunch crowd because it was now close to 2pm. We sat down and ordered some hot tea and one of the special meals and watched the fish in the fish tank and as the servers and cooking staff ate their lunch as well.

Proceeding down Grant Street, we poked our heads into a few shops along the way before turning around and heading back to the car. Our goal was to try and get some good pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge. The challenge is that everytime we tried to get a picture on previous trips there was some fog that made it almost invisible.

This time, armed with a little knowledge, we made our way to Crissy Field.  This former military airfield has been restored to a beautiful park with running paths and some of the best views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Winding our way past Fisherman's Wharf, we found ourselves in the Crissy Field National Park. Headturning views of the bridge -- that is if you used your imagination for a bit because it was covered in fog.

After a nice walk around, the fog burned off and we prepared for a sunset photo of the bridge.  Seeing as we had a couple of hours before sunset, we went back to Fisherman's Wharf to grab a bit of something to eat that we could take back as a picnic dinner.

But first, no trip is complete without a trip to Tiernan's Irish Pub for an Irish Coffee. This place is historic. Not only do they make the best Irish Coffee's, but it's a warm, inviting pub. Just what you're looking for in a neighborhood institution. We were a bit early for the crowd, but I was here a number of years ago on a Friday night and you couldn't even move.

The Irish certainly have a way with their coffee. I am a huge fan of coffee and, as it so happens, of Irish Whiskey, too.  I'm particularly fond of Bushmill's. (And I don't even need the whipped cream but it's a nice touch!). 

So after a wee bit of coffee we made our way down to Fisherman's Wharf to pick up a crab roll and a few other fixin's to take back to Crissy Field for a picnic dinner. Trying to get the perfect photo turned out to be a bit of extra work. Ok, perhaps not work but time.

After the sun set, we headed back to the hotel.  This clearly Japanese hotel is not only beautiful, it's peaceful. The decor and the rooms are designed for comfort. Pushing back the Japanese screens and then the glass doors and stepping out on the tiny balcony, the views are nice but not spectacular. Unlike other parts of the city, the streets aren't terribly busy.

I do like that there's a pot to boil water for tea and a tea pot to steep it in. It's a nice change as I turn in for the night. In the morning, I ordered the traditional Japanese breakfast (or should I say brunch). It's a Bento Box filled with smoked salmon, a scrambled egg, fruit and some pickled vegetables along with a bowl of rice and some miso soup.

After a morning stroll around Japantown and picking up some noodles we made one last stop at Crissy Field to each lunch watching the bay and enjoying the beautiful sunshine. After a quick stop again at Humphrey-Slocombe for one last taste (and to purchase their recipe book and a couple of mugs!) we were off to the airport and on our way home.

Just as I found heading home from Paris after a week, it's easy to see why it would take a lifetime to see and experience all of the sights and opportunities in this great part of the country. Not only that, we've made some new friends and renewed relationships with some old friends along the way.

These are the memories that will keep us warm through the long, often too cold winters of Chicago! Thanks for going along with me on this trip of a lifetime . . . one that I hope gets repeated over and over again.

When the Unexpected Hits in Wine Country

After a wonderful day yesterday, I was hoping to even improve upon it. It's day 2 of our little excursion to wine country and nothing is going as planned.  My brother and his wife were supposed to arrive in San Francisco around 10:30 in the morning and I was going to head and pick them up while Roxanne was finishing a little work.

Alas.  The best laid plans . . .

Apparently United Airlines doesn't have a contract with its pilots. Surprisingly just before the flight the pilot called in sick. I'm sure he couldn't get out of bed but with airline travel as it is, there isn't an empty seat to be found on most flights.  Imagine trying to accommodate a whole plane on subsequent flights.

At this point it looked like instead of a day tasting wines in Sonoma, he was drinking in O'Hare airport.  Not exactly the same.  On the other hand, stuck in the hotel finishing work was our lot.

But the day was not lost. Not in the least.

I'm an avid Starbucks drinker. I'm a Gold Card holder and love the app for Android on my phone. It might not always be the best but it's consistent. That's why when I'm traveling I like to try the local shops before falling back on Starbucks.

So while the work was taking place I thought I'd try a local coffee shop and pick up something perhaps better than in the breakfast room at the Dry Creek Inn.  (Which isn't bad at all.)

I hopped in the car and headed to a local coffee shop called Flying Goat Coffee in Healdsburg.  If I weren't sure it was Wednesday, I'd be convinced it was Monday because after ordering the coffee I reached into my back pocket to discover . . .

I left my wallet back in the hotel room.  Grumble. Snarl. Drat.  A drive back across town to the hotel and then back to the Flying Goat to get my coffee.  They were extremely gracious as if out-of-towners do this all the time.

If I was in the South I'm pretty sure I'd be hearing "Well, bless your little heart!"

So after picking up my coffee and heading back to check on Roxanne, I found we had a little time before heading out for the day so I stopped by Seghesio Family Vineyards to talk to Tony about the food allergies we had to work around for the Family Tables on Friday.  It sounded like a great menu.

So just before noon we wound our way from Sonoma to Napa and headed down to Seghesio sister winery, Pine Ridge down in the Stag's Leap District of Napa.  Once on the Napa side of the mountain, the traffic picked up considerably.

That's probably why I like Sonoma so much.  I spend enough time n traffic in the Chicagoland area that I don't really like to do so when I'm on vacation.  That being said, it's hard to complain about being stuck in the beauty of Napa County.

The Stag's Leap AVA is best known for their Cabernet's but Pine Ridge has some vineyards in different parts of Napa County.  They have a beautiful tasting room with a patio tasting area they were setting up for a party that evening.

They were tasting some really great wines -- nothing unusual here. While it wasn't on the menu, they did serve one of my favorite wines, the Black Diamond Port style wine. One of my favorite after dinner drinks.  After ordering some wine (and joining their wine club), we were headed down to San Francisco to pick up my brother and sister-in-law at the airport.

But not before checking out the demonstration plot alongside the winery.  They had different grapes as well as different ways in which to trellis the vines. It helped explain how the different vines were laid out in the fields.

Then it was on to San Francisco.  The first stop was to the can't miss California staple: In-N-Out Burger. What's fun about In-N-Out Burger is that they have a not-so-secret secret menu.  So while Roxanne ordered a single, I ordered the double, double Animal Style.

You may be wondering what Animal style is all about.  It includes onions grilled in meat juices with extra Thousand Island spread, mustard grilled patties, and extra pickles.  Delicious.

Stop number two on our trip to the airport was an out-of-the-way ice cream shop that's known for its unusual offerings.  It's called Humphry-Slocombe.  The Secret Breakfast is bourbon and corn flake flavored ice cream.

I settled in on the chocolate, smoked sea salt ice cream while Roxanne had the Peach-Habanero sorbet. Yes. I said Habanero in a sorbet.

This very sweet and yet spicy treat is something not to be missed.  A bit of a hole-in-the-wall in the Mission district of San Francisco, every flavor we tasted was fabulous.  Now it was off to the airport and a bit of a wait in the SFO Cell Phone Lot. 

A great choice with the cioppino!

By the time they got in, they had spent the entire day flying and were both tired and hungry. So instead of heading back right away to wine country and to check into their hotel, we made a stop down on Fisherman's Wharf. Last year when we were in town, we found a great place for some Cioppino.  I couldn't remember the name but I do remember that Mario Batali liked their Cioppino.

I remembered where it was so we took off on a walk there. Having left the heat of the Midwest, they weren't ready for the cool evenings of San Francisco -- especially around the water. But once we got there, the food was well worth it.

I'm sure you're wondering the name of the restaurant by now.  It's actually pretty easy to remember . . . Cioppino's.  The cioppino has to be good if it's the name of the restaurant.

And it was!

Now a 90 minute trip back to Sonoma and we were done with Day 2. After a bad start, the day ended really well. Perhaps tomorrow morning will start a little better.