blackmons

How much time will it take to drive from Oakland Airport to Big Sur? It will be on a Monday -- our flight gets in at 11:30 a.m. (I'm trying to figure out when to make lunch reservations at either Sierra Mar or Cielo.)
Thanks,
Laurie

moneygirl

Are you having to get your bags and rent a car? More information needed... I think you're looking at at least a three, if not four hour drive depending on traffic.

Lovejoy

Probably three hours drving time.An early dinner might be a better option.

iamq

I would allow around 3 to 4 hours, especially if you want to stop along the way at Pt. Lobos (a must see) or any other spots on your way south. As for restaurant choices, I would do Sierra Mar. It is a unique spot and the food is delicious.

-Bill

blackmons

Okay, I guess I'll have to rethink that. We probably won't be checking bags, but we will be renting a car. Can you recommend someplace along the way to stop for lunch? We have 7:00 dinner reservations at Deetjen's so we don't want to eat lunch too late. We'll probably be pretty hungry as we'll be on Chicago time.
Thanks again,
Laurie

bluestar

You'll have plenty of time to get there by 7pm, provided your flight is on time. Do you want to take a more scenic/longer route? If so, you could go south from the airport on 880, take 92 west (San Mateo Bridge - $3 toll) and follow 92 until it ends in Half Moon Bay - on the coast. From there you go south on Hwy 1 (Cabrillo Hwy).

You could stop for lunch in Half Moon Bay or go about a half hour south to Pescadero and eat at Duartes Tavern... excellent garden-grown ingredients -- soups are a speciality.

jtrandolph

bluestar's advice is good.

The drive suggested is beautiful and Duarte's is a great restaurant in the small town of Pescadero, off the coast highway. Think small town, rustic atmosphere, great food. Not just soups and salads, but Italian food. (You have to look for the turnoff).

It is famous among travel forum persons, as well as Bay Area foodies.

And while this is a beautiful drive down the coast, I think it is going to make your lunch a little late to be hungry for Deetjen's dinner.

Could I suggest a large 'lunch' at Duarte's and a snack, ('appetizers' come to mind), at Deetjen's? I don't think you would regret it.

JBC411

I don't know Duarte's at all, but Deetjen's is a wonderful place steeped in Big Sur atmosphere. You will want to linger there for a long time, and you will regret it if you arrive so full that you only have room for appetizers.

Wherever you eat for lunch, however, I would move your reservations at Deetjen's to later in the evening. Deetjen's is magical by candlelight and I would recommend starting, as well as ending, what will be an unforgettable dinner after dark.

iamq

It you do stop at Duarte's, order a bowl of the artichoke soup and a piece of the ollalieberry pie. Both are famous and rightly so!

-Bill

blackmons

Maybe I should make this a new posting, but what time is sunset Oct. 10th? I was thinking around 7:00, but now that I think of it, that doesn't mean it will be dark by then, does it?
Laurie

janis

Oct 10 sunset will be about 6:39. (there are lots of sunrise/sunset calculators on-line. I usually use timeanddate.com but the national weather service's site is probably more comprehensive. I plugged in San francisco - big sur will be only a minute or two different)

JBC411

It'll be around 6:37 --
http://tinyurl.com/bhx2o
but I'd still make reservations for later--after all, you're not going to be going out clubbing afterwards in Big Sur!--not only because it will be darker, but it will allow you more time to "recover" from a probable late lunch, wherever it is, and have more time to enjoy Point Lobos and perhaps Carmel on the way down.

Visiting this beautiful area on a tight time schedule, it's difficult for me to understand wanting to spend a lot of daylight time inside eating. Lots of good restaurants back in Chicago. I would eat lunch lightly and quickly that day.

For the next day, breakfast at Deetjen's is also superb and atmospheric (try the fruit-stuffed French toast!) but won't take you a lot of time. If you will still be considering Sierra Mar or Cielo for lunch that day, I will have to say that the outdoor terrace at Cielo is one of my favorite places to linger on a high-visibility day because of the fabulous long distance coastline, and close-up mountaintop, view. The food and service are great and the prices, as I remember them, are surprisingly reasonable considering the level of dinner prices.

I can't compare it Sierra Mar, though, because I haven't gotten there yet (I now live much, much further away from my beloved Big Sur than I uesd to) but it might become my new favorite from all I've heard. I gather, though, that it would be the more expensive of the two at lunch aby a large margin.

It might be a factor, though, that Cielo, which is at a much higher elevation, will get socked in by fog more often. You may
want to choose based on view conditions that particular day. The entrances to the two places are directly across the road from each other.

blackmons

Thanks for all the great ideas. As far as dinner goes, I've considered making a later reservation, but we will be on Chicago time (2 hours later) and will have gotten up pretty early so we'll probably make it an early night. But I definitely want to get the effect of the candle-light -- sounds beautiful. And really a quick, light lunch is a good idea. I'm actually more interested in atmosphere than actually sitting inside eating. For Tuesday, we'll do breakfast at Deetjen's, and then celebrate my husband's 50th birthday at Nepanthe for dinner. I know I've read the food isn't that good and is way overpriced, but that's where he wants to go and it's his birthday. Then Wed. we'll probably skip breakfast and have an early lunch at Post Ranch Inn (unless as you say it's too foggy and then we'll eat at Cielo.) In between all these meals, we plan on doing a lot of hiking and relaxing and soaking in the beauty! I cannot wait!
Thanks again, and if you have any more advice for us, it would be greatly appreciated!
Laurie