Eight days in San Francisco, Yosemite NP, Napa Valley and Carmel/Big Sur

Cant wait to hear. We are planning a similar trip in Sept and are still finalizing our plans. Looking forward to your overviews.

Day 1-Sat, Jun 13

We flew out of Madison, WI and arrived in San Francisco around 11:30 pm. We then took a CRAZY TAXI to the Hotel Monaco where we would stay for the next three nights. We were exhausted and went to bed early to prepare for our first full day in the city.

The hotel and room were really nice and colorful although the room was a little smaller than we anticipated. The interior design of the hallways leading to the rooms and the dining room were very artsy and seemed appropiate for San Francisco. I found out later that the theme to the hotel was world travel, which helps explain why the ceilings in the lobby were painted with hot air ballons and why all the rooms have a copy of "1000 places to see before you die".

I had asked for a goldfish but for some reason we never got one. Overall, we thought the hotel was a great value.

Day 1-Sat, Jun 13 cont.

We woke up and got breakfast at the Grand Cafe in the hotel. We both got the vanilla crepes which were outstanding. We were a little irritated that we got charged $8.00 for two small orange juices bc we thought that it came with our breakfast which was part of our room price. It turns out that we only were allowed coffee and water....? When a hotel advertises free breakfast with a room price one would think a glass of orange juice would be included but whatever. Still steaming over a week later about that one.

San Francisco was such a beautiful city. I was totally unprepared for the spectacular views of the bay as we descended the hill on the Powell-Hyde cable car. You could catch a glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge off to the left in the background as the cable car crested the hill. This was probably the best San Francisco moment we had. We did have to wait in line for two hours at the turn-around to ride but it was well worth the wait.

We actually rode the cable car around lunch time. We had started the day hitting some of the shops in Union Square and taking a walk through Chinatown. Both of these were just "OK" but nothing to get excited about. Most of the stores in the Union Square area were chain stores that you can find in your neighborhood mall. Chinatown was a huge disappointment. I was hoping to see some really bizarre food items in the markets on display but all we saw was one souvenir shop after another.

After the cable car ride we were late for our Alcatraz tour but got lucky and got a standby ticket. On our way there we walked through the Wharf which was INSANE due to all of the people and souvenir shops. My wife and I decided that the Fisherman's Wharf was not somewhere we wanted to spend our time and did not return. We also saw about 100 naked bicylists at a stoplight which made for a great Kodak moment.

The tour of Alcatraz was good but I think my wife enjoyed it more than I did. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't much information about Al Capone but it turns out they don't actually know what cell he was in since he was moved around a lot. The audio tour was nice but nothing spectacular. I tend to enjoy things that have more of a "wow factor". Regardless, it's definitely a must see.

MORE TO COME FROM DAY ONE TOMORROW.

We did have to wait in line for two hours at the turn-around to ride but it was well worth the wait.

2 hours?! Wow, I admire your patience.

Enjoying your report. On your next trip, wander on Stockton St. in Chinatown instead of Grant Ave. for a more "authentic" view.

POST MORE - I am taking this exact same trip in July!!

Ditto what yk said!

Day 1- 13 Jun cont....

So after Alcatraz we took a hike up to the top of Telegraph Hill across the street to Coit Tower. There were some truly spectacular views from top of the hill but the tower was closed to the public due to some private party.

Afterwards we attempted to take the F streetcar back to the wharf because we wanted to go to Girhadelli but I totally underestimated how long it would take to come full circle.

I would highly recommend NOT buying a MUNI pass and just take a taxi or walk wherever you want to go. It's really difficult to figure out which bus line you need to take and we almost always had to walk a few extra blocks after the ride to get to our final destination. It's just easier (and much quicker!) to just take a cab. It's worth the 50 bucks you'll probably spend over the course of a few days. A three day MUNI pass will cost you $30. Even with the $5 per person fee for the cable car is not enough to offset the convenience of a taxi.

We finally made it back to Ghiradelli and it was EXTREMELY crowded. We got some ice cream and then took a walk out to the nearby pier for some nightime views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Personally, I would just say stay away from the Fisherman's Wharf. You won't miss anything.

We went back to the Hotel Monaco for some burgers and martinis to finish off the night.

btw....The wait for the cable car was well worth it for the first ride, but I wouldn't do it again

A three day MUNI pass will cost you $30.

Hmm... According to MUNI website, the 3-day Passport is $18. (and a 7-day Passport is $24)
http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mfares/passports.htm

I didn't find the bus lines that difficult to figure out. We were in SF just last month, and several of the FREE tourist guides have maps with basic bus lines. We had no trouble figuring out which bus or metro we needed. I also disagree with you about having to WALK after you get off the bus. The buses we took dropped us off exactly where we needed to be (with the exception of N-Judah line to GG Park where we had to walk 3 blocks).

Day 2- Sun, 14 Jun

We woke up and took a bus to the Golden Gate Park. We had to walk a pretty good distance after getting off the bus just to get in the park. We walked through the rose garden towards the Japanese Tea Garden. We then walked up the road to the Conservatory of Flowers. Both of these were just "O.K." for us. I think it's a great park for locals to hang out in on the weekends but not that great for visitors unless you have several days. My wife and I both thought the tea garden was underwhelming.

We left the park and attempted to catch a bus to the Palace of Fine Arts but it completely passed us by. This was the point that I decided to take a taxi for the rest of my time there.

We went to the palace and it was incredible! What a fantastic place to have a picnic lunch. It's much larger than it looks in photographs. It was a nice sunny day and we enjoyed sitting on the bank by the pond enjoying the scenery and people watching.

The best part of our trip to the city comes next....a walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. We crossed the street from the palace and began a long but spectacular walk along the waterfront toward the bridge. It's a much LONGER walk than it looks to the bridge, but it was beautiful and we must have taken a hundred photos. We actually walked just halfway across the bridge. Words and pictures cannot decribe or convey the sense of scale and beauty of this bridge. It's a huge and stunning piece of architecture.

After the bridge we took a taxi to Pacific Hights to tour a few homes and hit some shops on Union Street. We took a taxi there to expedite the process. We ate at a really neat pizza place called Extreme Pizza. This is when I began to realize that we tried to cram too much in for one day. We wanted to spend some time browsing through some of the art galleries on Union Street but we had to move on to tour the Haas Lilienthal House. It would have been nice to have a whole afternoon to spend in this neighborhood but it was already after 2pm and we had dinner reservations for the evening.

I would recommend just picking one neighborhood or sight for the morning and one in the afternoon so you don't feel rushed. In this case we tried to do three. I wish we had just done the bridge walk and then spend the remainder of the day touring Pacific Heights.

The Haas Lilienthal house was o.k. but we enjoyed walking the nearby streets at looking at some of the newer and more brightly painted Victorians more. A very beautiful area of the city.

We concluded our afternoon with a walk down Lombard Street. It was a murderous walk down Lombard street and up the hill to reach the crooked street. It was hot an we were out of water but my wife was determined to go there. I hate to say it but it was nothing spectacular, but it made the wife happy!

We concluded our stay in SF with dinner at Gary Danko. WOW! This was a fantastic restaurant. The service was great as was the food. They have a cheese tray/course that you have to try if you go. They also bring out little extras/treats throughout your time there which really adds to the overall dining experience.

We really enjoyed San Francisco. It definitely lived up to it s status as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Everybody we met were really nice and we didn't encounter any snootiness.

We have no regrets. We saw everything we wanted to see and the weather was wonderful. It would have been nice to have had a little more time on the second day but you can see all of the highlights of the city at a comfortable pace in just two days.

Next: Wine Country

I agree that SF is such a beautiful city. We loved Gary Danko too.

<< but you can see all of the highlights of the city at a comfortable pace in just two days. >>

I'm going in Sept and this will be my third visit this year. I've seen a lot, but I don't think I've seen all the highlights yet.

yk...you are right. I just confirmed with my wife that it was $36 for the both of us.

I'm glad you felt the bus lines to be easy to take.

We didn't....and we had several maps.

There were way too many connections to have to worry about just to get to one destination.There was just too much waiting, too much stopping and we had to stand on every bus.

We also got passed by on one occasion.

A taxi is well worth the money if you have an extra $50 bucks to spare for a two day trip.

You covered a lot of territory!

I guess it depends on where you're from and how often you use public transport at home.

I've spent most of my life in large cities with good public transport; and I use it in almost every European city I've visited. To me, getting on a full bus or walking a few blocks is just a normal day-to-day thing. Perhaps that's why I felt very comfortable using public transport in SF.

CPG: I'm going in Sept and this will be my third visit this year. I've seen a lot, but I don't think I've seen all the highlights yet.

ditto; I've been to SF 8 times in the last 15 years, and I still haven't seen it all either. Maybe I am S L O W

Maybe you are.

We spent our time and money seeing the BEST that Northern California has to offer...not just San Francisco. We didn't want to waste our time on mediocre sights.

Maybe some of you should give this a try. It worked out pretty well for us.

I'm kinda curious as to why someone who has been to SF eight times would even want to read my trip report but then again I don't understand why someone would want to visit the same city eight times unless they live nearby.

This trip report is an account of our experiences and is really geared towards helping others who may be planning a FIRST trip there. Not a ninth.

I'm kinda curious as to why someone who has been to SF eight times would even want to read my trip report

Because I almost always learn something new by reading someone else's trip report; perhaps a restaurant they enjoyed or a scenic spot they loved which I haven't been - something for me to keep in mind when I plan my next visit.

but then again I don't understand why someone would want to visit the same city eight times unless they live nearby.

To each his/her own. There is always something new and exciting going on in big cities, and I enjoy catching special art exhibitions at various musuems.

We are doing a similar trip in September, ncsuchemist, but in roughly reverse order -- Carmel-Yosemite-Wine Country-San Francisco -- so I am particularly interested in your experiences and insights.
Looking forward to further instalments.
Rob.

the little extras/treats at gary danko are called amuse bouche generally sent out by the chef to cleanse or titillate the palate between courses.

"the little extras/treats at gary danko are called amuse bouche generally sent out by the chef to cleanse or titillate the palate between courses."

I did not know that. Very interesting.

All....this is a trip report of the HIGHLIGHTS of SF and other areas of Northern CA. For example, highlights of SF include the cable cars, Alcatraz and the GGB. If your looking for more then you may want to migrate to another trip report.

We were able to see the highlights in two days. If you feel you need more time to explore the city in more depth then plan accordingly.

This is not an invitation for an argument. I am simply stating the facts of our experiences. If you are interested in visiting SF for a first trip, then read on, if not, then move on. (This is the wife btw)

Enjoying your report and am glad you enjoyed our state.

MY

Days 3- Monday, 15 Jun
Napa Valley

We left Hotel Monaco early and went to Bush St. to pick up our rental car. We had to wait FOREVER so be prepared to wait about an hour if you're picking up a car downtown.

It was pretty neat driving our little convertible up and down the hills of SF and across the GGB. We arrived in Yountville around 10:30 am, picked up a snack, and went to the Robert Mondavi winery for our Taste of Wine tour at 11. It was very informative and concentrated on identifying and describing the bouquet, palate and balance of wine. They had these very detailed placards that outlined all of the different aromas which we were allowed to keep which was nice.

We left the winery after a few hours and spent the remainder of the afternoon shopping in St. Helena. We really enjoyed Olivier, were you can sample many different olive oil concoctions which were stored in attractive tankards/vats. We also browsed through some nice art galleries which featured diverse paintings of wineries and vineyards in the wine country. We went to Woodhouse Chocolate and bought a box of chocolate which we ate on the way back to our hotel. They cost about a $1.85 a piece but they are handmade and were pretty good.

We checked into the Maison Fleurie in Yountville and got ready for dinner at Terra, which was back down the road in St. Helena. Dinner at Terra was outstanding. Our waiter did an excellent job of describing the menu and our water glasses were kept full. We actually thought the service was better here that at Gary Danko. The best part though was the dessert. WOW! I got the orange risotto which you can see here... http://www.flickr.com/photos/58177206@N00/3660790877/in/set-72157620427710763/ and my wife got the chocolate caramel tart here...http://www.flickr.com/photos/58177206@N00/3661590778/in/set-72157620427710763/.
The orange risotto was the best dessert I had on our entire vacation. It's a very powerful fusion of orange and mango.

We left Terra and returned to the hotel to end the night. It was a cute hotel BUT we did experience quite a bit of noise from the outside...mostly traffic and people. The walls are a little thin, at least in our room. Something to consider if you are the type of person that needs absolute quietness.

Next: Day 4- Napa Valley

"Enjoying your report and am glad you enjoyed our state."

Thank you! It was wondeful and more beautiful than we ever imagined.

enjoyed reading your report so far! I am hoping to get to SF/Napa soon for the first time - so your review is really helpful!

i am salivating looking at pictures of your desserts.
they sound divine.

It has been many years, but we also had a very memorable meal at Terra!!

MY

Just chiming in about the MUNI passes and the confusion about the price difference - I think this is due to the 2 types of passes, those that include cable cars and those that don't.

Anyway, carry on

Day 4- Napa Valley, 16 Jun

We woke up real early this morning so we could go on a hot air ballon ride. This was the biggest disappointment (and waste of money) of the entire trip. Due to fog we were not able to fly over Napa Valley but were shuttled to the next valley east. Our pilot, who was a nice guy, was a little misleading in his efforts to persuade us to go that morning instead of rescheduling. He said "no grapes today, instead there will be alfalfa". What he should have said was something like...."no beautiful rolling vineyards dotted with wineries today, instead we will see flat fields of alfalfa interspersed with dirty irrigation canals". Even if you have never been on a hot air balloon before, DON'T GO if it's foggy in the valley. Reschedule if you can or try to get a refund. You will be glad you did. We couldn't reschedule and the only way we could get a refund was if they canceled the entire trip. It would have been nice to have at least gotten a 25% discount but no such luck. They also tried to get us to buy a picture that they took of my wife and I at the brunch.....AND a bottle of wine from a local vintner. They basically used the brunch as an opportunity to sell you more stuff. I have never felt so much like a piece of cattle before. Gotta love Capitalism.

Enough with my ranting already.

After the balloon ride we drove up to Hess winery for a tour. Our tour guide was very nice and gave an excellent tour. The winery itself was surrounded with 80 year old vines and redwoods. Here are a few pics.http://www.flickr.com/photos/58177206@N00/3666063910/in/set-72157620427710763/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/58177206@N00/3666063726/in/set-72157620427710763/. They had a huge contemporary art collection which our guide did an excellent job explaining in great detail. I'm not a big fan of modern art but it makes so much more sense when you understand the history and personal struggles of each artist. Still....some of the art I just didn't get. We concluded our tour with a wine and cheese pairing.

After Hess we spent the remainder of our day stopping by various wineries and enjoying the scenery. We stopped by the Clos Du Val winery on the scenic Silverado Trail. This was a very pretty winery with flowers everywhere. The entrance was lined with Magnolia trees and the parking lot was surrounded with some kind of tree with white flowers?? Does anybody know what kind of tree this is? You could smell the fragrance of these trees everywhere since there was a slight breeze blowing. Here are some pics.......http://www.flickr.com/photos/58177206@N00/3666111778/in/set-72157620427710763/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/58177206@N00/3665307689/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/58177206@N00/3665308333/in/set-72157620427710763/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/58177206@N00/3666112364/in/set-72157620427710763/. I need to brighten them up a bit.

Next was Domaine Chandon. We sampled some of their sparkling wines which I learned was the same as Champagne, but they can't market it as Champagne because that's a region in France that has proprietary rights to that name. I'm sure most of you probably knew that already but for those who didn't... We enjoyed our visit there and actually ordered a bottle of Blanc de Noirs for our anniversary dinner later in the trip.

Our last winery stop for the day was at Beringer. This was a nice winery but the highlight was the eye catching mansion next to the winery, which looks like a cross between a French Chateau and a half-timbered mansion you would expect to see on the Rhine. Here is a pic...http://www.flickr.com/photos/58177206@N00/3665370691/. They also have a nice gift shop there. We picked up a few bars of artisan soap made in St. Helena by Napa Soap Co.

We wanted to stop by Sterling Vineyards but ran out of time. If you really enjoy touring wineries then you may want to spend at least three days just for wineries. Wine Country is more slower paced than SF and it kind of goes against the grain to have too hectic of a schedule. We have no regrets but it would have been nice to have an extra day to visit some more wineries.

We concluded our final day in Napa Valley in Calistoga. I really liked this town! It has a very different look to it than all of the others in the valley. It reminded me of an old gold mining town. We ate at this wonderful little Italian restaurant called Boskos Trattoria.

Next-Yosemite NP

Chemist: Too bad you didn't enjoy our great Central Valley. It has a different beauty.

It looks like the "trees" with white flowers are oleanders. They don't really have a great smell. Perhaps you were smelling the star jasmine bushes. I can see in the beds rosemary, roses, and star jasmine. Oleander is a great hot weather, low water plant. You can also see it along some of the freeways.

MY

Hi MichelleY.....sorry if I offended you. We just thought that Napa Valley would have been more scenic for our hot air balloon ride.

I remember seeing the white and pink bushes on the freeways on the way up to Yosemite. They were everywhere! Very pretty though.

No offense taken. You are right. Napa would have been better. I probably would have been REALLY pissed off.

The oleanders are pretty common here in CA. Kinda known as the "Freeway Bush". They come in white, red, light pink & dark pink. My DH hates them, but I like them because they have flowers in the dead heat of summer. Adds some color to the yard. They are not deciduous, so they keep their leaves all year.

MY

How about if I am a resident of the area? Should I move on too? Not a very friendly comment.

Next time you come to Golden Gate Park, stop by the DeYoung Museum and the California Academy of Sciences. Very worth it.

Gary Danko's cheese course is true joy. It was the favorite part of my meal there.

Carry on...

"How about if I am a resident of the area? Should I move on too? Not a very friendly comment."

No...not at all. We were just addressing some of the comments made by a few previous posters who we felt were trying to diminish the value of our trip just because we were only there for a few days.

We had a great time and have no regrets. In our opinion, we saw most of the highlights of the city in the two days we were there. We should not be attacked for that.

" Next time you come to Golden Gate Park, stop by the DeYoung Museum and the California Academy of Sciences. Very worth it."

Most definitely! We hope that we can go back to SF in the near future and explore the city in more depth. This was our first trip and we just wanted to see the "biggies". I knew that we would regret going to CA and not seeing Yosemite or driving the Big Sur or wine tasting in Napa. We had to make some tough choices with the time we had available. Except for the balloon ride, we enjoyed just about every minute. This was a sampler trip for us.

BTW....you are so lucky to live in such a beautful city with such great weather. If we lived there, we would definitely take our dogs for a walk in the GGP every Sunday.

Interesting report so far. I think you did an excellent job in selecting and seeing wineries. If you had stayed another day, you may have found further tours a bit repetitious.

Thanks for the warning on the balloon ride, by the way.

<< we felt were trying to diminish the value of our trip just because we were only there for a few days.>>

<< We should not be attacked for that.>>

This did not occur at all. Not even close, ncsuchemist.

All that was said was that some of us, visiting SF, feel that we haven't touched the surface in x number of days. It's like someone visiting NY and saying you can see the highlights in two days. After a lifetime here, I feel I haven't seen all the highlights yet - lol - but, seriously, maybe we have a different definition of highlights, but no comments here diminish your trip in any way or take away from the value of you and your wife's trip report which I have been enjoying btw.

<< We had to make some tough choices with the time we had available. >>

I can certainly relate to that. That is always the challenge for the traveler and imo, no matter how long or short one's trip is.

If you loved Gary Danko's cheese course, you would probably love dinner at Cyrus in Healdsburg, Sonoma - not too far from Napa. It's really special!

Here, here cpg!

fyi for cable car riding: being a bay area local, I don't have the patience to wait at the end of the line. We walk up a few blocks to another stop, and hop on there. Of course this doesn't work if you have a big group, or people that are not able to walk up the hills.

Regarding taxis, sometimes the service out in the far western reaches of the City is not so good, cuz the cabbies prefer to be downtown. So if yo are out that way without your won car, you may want to bring that bus map along, OR use Zipcar for the day (a rental car service with lots of cars in SF,that you can rent for an hour, a day or up to 3 days - I think)

Good on you for attempting to use the buses. We weren't brave enough to try, we don't have a great bus system in Nelson New Zealand so not that confident. We enjoyed the cable cars and street cars so found the Muni pass good for that. We enjoyed the hop on hop off buses also
and took their tour to the Palace of the Fine Arts and Golden Gate bridge. That was a LONG way to walk to the Golden Gate bridge.

I have enjoyed your report we hope to be back next year, and will do the Goden gate park, and other attractions that we missed previously.

"All that was said was that some of us, visiting SF, feel that we haven't touched the surface in x number of days. It's like someone visiting NY and saying you can see the highlights in two days. After a lifetime here, I feel I haven't seen all the highlights yet - lol - but, seriously, maybe we have a different definition of highlights, but no comments here diminish your trip in any way or take away from the value of you and your wife's trip report which I have been enjoying btw."

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes it's hard to understand what people mean when reading their comments because things like sarcasm can be misinterpreted bc things like tone of voice, voice inflections are stripped out.

Anyways.....thanks for the compliment. Hopefully you will find something useful in this report. That's my goal.

I definitely want to explore the city more at some point down the road...but yeah, I guess maybe our definition of highlights are different. That's o.k. though.

"Interesting report so far. I think you did an excellent job in selecting and seeing wineries. If you had stayed another day, you may have found further tours a bit repetitious.

Thanks for the warning on the balloon ride, by the way."

Thank you! Yeah, we were thinking that one more day MAY have been overkill. We researched the wineries using multiple sources including these forums.

suz24-We thought about walking up the street to the first or second stop but we remembered the cable car being full at the same stops earlier as we were walking down to the turnaround.

Nelsonian-The buses were not ALL bad. We just found that paying a taxi 7 or 8 bucks to take us across the city was worth it. 5-10 mins versus maybe an hour.

Day 5- Wed Jun 17, Yosemite NP

wow...WOW! Yosemite was just mindblowing. Keep in mind that I have never been to the Grand Canyon or dived in the Great Barrier Reef, but Yosemite was easily the most visually stunning place I have ever seen.

I recently met someone here at home who had just relocated from SF who told me that she had never been to Yosemite, even though she had lived in the city for 15 years! What a shame. If you haven't been...go now. It was amazing.

We left Napa Valley and arrived at the gates of Yosemite around noon. The most memorable part of our whole trip occured as we were descending through the thick forest a few miles before you get to the valley. You come to this opening in the forest and WHAM! There's this spectacular view of massive Half Dome. This was actually the first major pullout along the highway approaching the west entrance I believe. You'll know when you get to it.

We spent the remainder of the day exploring the valley and we must have took hundreds of pictures. We hiked up to lower Yosemite Falls and it's much bigger than it looks. Check this out for perspective...http://www.flickr.com/photos/58177206@N00/3673816304/sizes/l/

We concluded the day with a ride up to Glacier Point which was spectacular beyond words. You must come here if you vist Yosemite. The highlight for me was seeing the snowcapped mountains in the distance. Here are a couple of pics..http://www.flickr.com/photos/58177206@N00/3673842904/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/58177206@N00/3673842598/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/58177206@N00/3673842296/

It was so beautiful here I almost cried. Seriously.

After spending a few hours here we drove the long winding road to Wawona Hotel. It's quite the drive but worth it IMO. It's a Victorian era hotel (I think) and it just feels so right. It's rustic, charming, old and comfortable all at the same time. Staying here was like walking back in time about a hundred years. They had live entertainment in the evenings which was nice. We sat on the front porch and drinked a few glasses of wine to close out the night. It was relaxing to be surrounded by all of the wilderness.

Next-Day 6, Yosemite NP

You were at the Wawona on 6/17? Not sure if they were still there, but some friends of ours were at the Wawona about the same time celebrating their 50th anniversary. They had the whole family: mom, dad, kid, grandkids and even great grandma!! You couldn't miss them. The teenage son is 6'4".

My DH is lifelong Californian and saw Yosemite for the first time on our honeymoon, at age 37!!

Please continue ...

MY

Wonderful!

MichelleY: Unfortunately we don't recall seeing a 6'4" kid there. It was actually pretty crowded. We stayed on the second floor of the main building and there was an older man (maybe in his 70's) that had to be taken away by ambulance. I'm not sure what happened to him. I hope it wasn't anyone from your friend's family...

What a wonderful place for a honeymoon. I wonder if his initial reaction was anything like mine?

Day 6- 18 Jun, Yosemite NP

So today was our fourth anniversary, and we started the day with a hike up the Mist Trail. I know it's the touristy thing to do but I can see why...very scenic with Vernal and Nevada Falls. Afterwards we drove back towards Wawona...(actually made 5 trips down this road) and spent the remainder of the afternoon at the Mariposa Grove.

We had our anniversary dinner at the Awahnee. It was a nice dining room and they had a piano player there playing Disney music...but we thought the food was overpriced and our steaks were not that great. We spent about the same amount there as we did at Gary Danko, but it's a NP so I guess the high prices are to be expected. We had a bottle of Blanc de Noirs from Domaine Chandon which was not too dry and very good.

Yosemite was great. Definitely worth the $20 admission price.

Next: California Coast

I was fortunate to convince my wife to get married at the Yosemite Chapel in November 2006. It is incredible and words cant describe the amazing views when entering the valley. We now make it a point to make a yearly trek out to the park staying at the lodge or out in Foresta.
If you are planning on going up to Glacier Point, get up there at sunrise...incredible views without the crowds. Also, for a more intimate setting, grab a bottle of wine and some glasses and camp out next to the Merced river in the valley to watch the sunset on Half Dome.

Next time you visit SF, ask for us "locals" to recommend some places as iamq did. There are some wonderful neighborhoods that bear exploring.

"Next time you visit SF, ask for us "locals" to recommend some places as iamq did. There are some wonderful neighborhoods that bear exploring."

Great suggestion. We hope to make it back some day and explore a little more...

fsunole007- I wish we had went up to Glacier Point at sunrise. I didn't know you could drink wine out in the open...wish we had done that.

Day 7, 19 Jun- California Coast

So it was really amazing to see all of the microclimates in California. On our way to the coast it was sunny skies and warm and then as soon as we got to the Monterey Peninsula, you could see the thick layer of clouds in the distance.

We spent the whole afternoon at Point Lobos State Reserve and had a wonderful time. We actually had to force ourselves to leave. We could have stayed a few more hours. It was overcast but that didn't take away from the beauty. We really enjoyed all of the different shades of green in the crashing waves.

We went to Carmel and checked into the Sea View Inn and Mary (who was very friendly) recommended some walks. We walked down scenic drive and spent the evening on the beach for a sunset. Afterward, we went to Jack London's Grill later that evening for some dinner and a beer.

Day 8, 20 Jun, Big Sur

So I was really hoping that our final day would provide plenty of sunshine. It started off cloudy as we made our way south down highway 1. After about ten miles the road went inland for a few miles then broke back out toward the coast and WOW....sunshine. It was completely clear and we were amazed by how much more beautiful the water was compared to what we had seen earlier in the morning. We stopped at almost all of the pullouts, frustrating locals in the process, taking as many as pics as possible. This is one place I wish I could live.

We concluded our journey at the waterfall at Julia Pfiefer Burns SP where we spent about half an hour just trying to absorb all the natural beauty. Here's a few pics.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/58177206@N00/3664636654/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/58177206@N00/3664636832/in/set-72157620427710763/

We drove back towards Carmel and stopped at Nepenthe for a late lunch. We spent the remainder of the afternoon browsing some of the boutiques and galleries. It's a reality check for those who have a budget. Don't plan on buying any art here unless you got plenty of money to throw away. I didn't see anything for less than $1,000 and that was hard to find. Most of the pieces I saw were in the tens of thousands.

We concluded our trip with a fantastic dinner at the Flying Fish. Our waiter was incredible and the food was even better. It was the best value of all the places we ate.

Conclusion-

Our trip to Northern Ca was o.k.. Ha Ha just kidding. It was great. Can't wait to go back. Overall, we really enjoyed SF but Yosemite was the star. It really was amazing beyond all our expectations. If you can only make one trip to Northern Ca in your lifetime, don't miss Yosemite.

Napa was enjoyable but lacked the WOW factor that SF and Yosemite had. We enjoy wine and fine dining but a couple of days was enough for us.

The Big Sur and Point Lobos were beautiful as well. Not as jaw dropping as Yosemite but still very nice.

I did not like Carmel. It's just not for a Southern boy like me. It reminded me of Asheville back home except it's on the beach and more expensive. Just too artsy and expensive for my taste AND my wallet. But everybody there was very friendly. I want to go back and spend some time on the coast doing some hiking in the future, but I'm going to have to find a different base next time.

So Long....

BTW...what I meant to say was "excessive disposable income". I'm guessing that most of that art will appreciate over time, so technically it's not throwing money away. Although I'm not sure if it would outpace inflation....?

Just wanted to clear that up bc I know someone will call me out on that...lol.

If anybody wants more info about any of the places we stayed at or visited then don't hesitate to ask.

Nex time, you'll have to head north along the coast to Point Reyes, the Sonoma Coast and Mendocino.

Nice report, reminds me of our first trip to CA many moons ago, did a similar trip. Have since been back many times. We now prefer Sausalito over SF. More laid back. Also, if you do the Big Sur area again, try staying in Pacific Grove, found that town a lot more quaint and down to earth.

I agree with iamq, my favorite trip is still flying into SF and driving up the coast, flying home from either Portland or Seattle.

iamq- We would like to go up north along the coast. We had originally planned to go to Redwoods NP but chnaged our minds. We hope to get there some day. I've also heard a lot of good things about Mendocino.

owlwoman-We thought about riding bikes across the bridge down to Sausalito. Maybe next time. I have a friend I work with that loves that place. Ironically, I also have a friend at work that use to live in Pacific Grove and he had recommended that we check it out. I think we're just going to spend two weeks on the coast next time and venture farther north.

Great report - THANK YOU!! I have a couple of questions since I leave at the end of this week for the same trip. What route did you take from Napa to Yosemite? And then which way did you go from Yosemite to the coast? Also, if you can remember drive times that would be very helpful. Than you again!

MWM1: Glad you enjoyed the report.

The directions below were mostly used as backup since we had a GPS. There are some slight differences but the main roads are the same. From Napa we took CA-29S to CA-12E via CA-121S. From here we went down I-5 through Stockton to CA-99S to exit#242 Yosemite Ave. This turns into or leads to CA-120 which will take you staright into the park. The whole trip was about 4 hours.

I'm sorry but we lost the directions to the coast..
It took about four hours though.

We hope you enjoy your trip! Let us know how it goes.

To get to Monterey/Carmel from Yosemite, take Hwy 140 out of the park into Merced. Hwy 58 to 152. 152/156 west will take you to US 101. Then 101 to Hwy. 1 to the Coast.

Fabulous report OP, thank you for sharing your trip with us! We love SF also and return as often as we can. I agree with those who said you can visit a place many many times and still not see everything.

OP, I also appreciate your candor regarding the balloon trip. We've not attempted to do one but its refreshing to read reports that speak the truth, combining both the good and bad aspects of travel.

I also hope the slight bickering here is not the norm for this forum. When a traveler takes the time and energy to post a report, it can be priceless to future travelers. I personally don't want to hear just the good but also the potential pitfalls; hopefully I can then avoid them. (JMHO)

travelinjo, stick around a while, visit the lounge and that "slight bickering" will seem tame in comparison. Welcome to Fodors.

BM

travelinjo- Thanks for the compliment. I wanted to give a little back to the Fodors community and I thought this trip report would be a great way of doing that.

I too agree that you can return to the same city multiple times and still find something new and exciting. My initial reaction was somewhat of a kneejerk, but I also believe that one can enjoy the "major attractions" and experience the essence of a city and have a rewarding travel experience all in a well planned weekend.

NCsuchemist2002

I am considering a get away to Big Sur in September (or could wait until December). Love to hike, and plan to hike into Pfeiffer Park and Ventana Wilderness. However, it appears that the fire damage was pretty extensive and many trails are still closed. Did you hike any of these areas? Should I rearrange my trip? My main intention is to see the redwoods and enjoy the hiking in the area.

September weather wise will be better. Winter is our rainy season.

MY