Northern California trip
 

We have 6 nights in N. California in June. This will be our anniversary trip for 2011. We plan to stay 2 nights in Pacific Grove and 4 nights in SF. What are our must see destinations? We aren't shoppers & hubby has never been to the area.

We can skip the aquarium due to time constraints. The 17-mile drive will be a must do!

Any feedback is appreciated!

The area between SF and Pacific Grove/Monterey I consider to be the Central Coast. Nothing at all wrong with SF and I'm sure you can find lots to do there for 4 days but why would you not go for 1 or more days to Yosemite.
Don't think that you have to fly into SFO. There are good airports with cheaper rental cars at Oakland, San Jose and Sacramento.
North of SF you should see the Marin Headlands and Muir Woods.
I took my DW to Yosemite for our anniversary in 2009.
You may have to take a detour to get to the 17 mile drive. There was a washout of 1 or 2 sections of US 1 after the tsunami hit the coast. Check the most recent thread post on this subject.

OK -- you know what you want to see so I'm not going to suggest you should go somewhere else instead. Because someone else happened to celebrate their anniversary in YNP . . Oh never mind. We have some posters who post the same advice on every thread -- even when it has NOTHING to do w/ what was asked.

(A trip across to Yosemite would take the best part of 3 full days from your itinerary)

2 days in the Pacific Grove area and 4 days in SF makes for a perfectly <B>FINE</B> plan.

In two days around Carmel/Pacific Grove you can visit Carmel Mission, several state beaches/parks, the northern end of Big Sur (all of Big Sur if they get the road opened), Monterey's Fisherman's wharf, really good food, lunch at Nepenthe.

In SF - great eating - any sort of food you want, a ferry to Sausaulito and walk back across the GG bridge, tour of Alcatraz (book ahead - it sells out), farmers market in the Ferry Bldg, guided walks through many neighborhoods, The De young museum/Academy of Sciences/Japanese Tea Garden all in Golden Gate Park, drinks at sunset at the Cliff House . . . and a 100 other possibilities.

BTW -- the washout of Hwy 1 has absolutely NO affect on 17 mile Drive. Not anywhere near each other.

jeeze . . .

Hi Deb, saw your post in the Costa Rica forums (BDC GTG) so I thought I would visit this forum to provide advice since I live in NorCal. Janis provides good advice. I will add the following:

- The Monterey Bay Aquarium is really spectacular so it might be worth 1/2 day
- Point Lobos State park has some really great hiking so that is another option in the Carmel area.

Regarding the SF area, if you head north of SF into Marin, do stop at Point Reyes National Seashore. This is great place for wildlife (elk, deer, badger, bobcat, weasel, coyote and more) and hiking. Here is our trip report from Point Reyes a few months ago.

http://focusedonnature.blogspot.com/.../Point%20Reyes

I know that the museums in Golden Gate Park have been redone and are getting good reviews, but I haven't been there in years. But, in case you are museum folks, I thought I would mention that as well.

Have a good trip.

Agree with janis & atdahl. Don't skip the aquarium in Monterey. Even for a few hours would be well worth it.

Geez ladies and gentlemen...I was so sure we made the right decision about the aquarium. Here's some background that led us to think we would skip it.

- We live in Atlanta which has the Georgia Aquarium - the largest in the world
- We only have one FULL day in the area. We arrive at SFO just before Noon and will rent a car for the drive to Pacific Grove. The day we leave PG, we plan to be in SF no later than 5 PM.
- My research indicates we should allow a minimum of 3 hours and I'm not sure our time wouldn't be better spent elsewhere.
- The tickets are quite expensive to just pop in for a short visit.

More later. I intentionally didn't give many details on my first post because I wanted unbiased opinions.

tom - we only have 6 nights and our trip duration is not flexible. Yosemite would be a nice inclusion, but as janis states, our trip would be too broken up by adding a 3rd destination.

The Monterey Aquarium is really very nice, but if I only had one day, I'd probably skip it, too. Does the Georgia Aquarium have a fabulous jellyfish exhibit? Because the Monterey Aquarium is worth the price of admission just for that!!

Here's a little more info...I'll focus on the Monterey Peninsula first.

We will rent a car at SFO (leaning towards Dollar - any comments on that choice?) and drive down Hwy 1 to Pacific Grove where we will be staying for 2 nights at the Seven Gables Inn. Plan to have lunch somewhere along the way.

Our must see list is:
- 17 Mile Drive
- Pebble Beach (will go in and look around - Hubby is from Augusta and he won't want to miss a gander at the beautiful course)
- Monterey Wharf
- Point Lobos State Park
- Carmel

Maybes are:
- Carmel Mission
- Monterey Aquarium
- Asilomar Beach
- Big Sur (north end)

Restaurant options, but still doing research:
Casanovas – Carmel
Fandango – Pacific Grove
Fishwife
Mission Ranch – Carmel for drinks
Nepenthe – Near Big Sur (excellent views)- How much time will at visit from PG to here take?
Passionfish – Pacific Grove
Red House – Pacific Grove for lunch

sf...there are some jellies, but to be honest I haven't been in a couple of years and I can't remember all the exhibits. The big draws are the Whale Sharks and the Belugas.

As I said I like the Aquarium, although I'm not as huge a fan as some others. Also, it's pretty small. But if it doesn't appeal to you, and since you only have a day, I'd say spend it in Carmel, 17-mile Drive, Pebble Beach and Point Lobos (the Monterey Wharf is just a bunch of restaurants and souvenir shops)

I think that the road is closed between PG and Nepenthe.

You might want to visit the elephant seals on Año Nuevo on the way to SF.

"<i>I think that the road is closed between PG and Nepenthe.</i>"

Hwy 1 is closed below Limekiln -- far south of Nepenthe. The restaurant is totally accessible from the north.

Thanks sf...we'll probably go to the wharf for a short stroll, hopefully the day we arrive.

janis...thx for the clarification. I thought I'd read that the access to Nepenthe was OK. How long will it take to get there though?

And what are everyone's favorite restaurants in the area for lunch and dinner?

You know -- I've been to Nepenthe several times, but have never driven straight there (always stop for photo ops etc) so I honestly don't know how long a straight drive would take. But the restaurant is 30 miles south of Carmel, so figure a bit under an hour

http://www.nepenthebigsur.com/welcome.htm

According to Google Maps, 30 miles and 44 minutes

starrs: Ah - but that is not when you get stuck behind a motor home :)

But yes -- w/ a clear road/<u>no</u> traffic I'd guess 45 mins is about right.

Don't worry about skipping the aquarium. I probably would too with only a short stay. I like the aquarium, but I haven't been in probably 15 years. We go to Monterey at least a couple times a year and have a weekend planned for next month. We won't be going to the aquarium then either.

Point Lobos is a must-see IMO. I don't know if you'll end up with the time to go down to Big Sur, but Point Lobos will give you a taste of the Big Sur coastline and it is only a few miles from Carmel.

Since your DH is from Augusta, definitely see 17-mile drive. It is a must for golf fans. For everybody else, it depends.

The coastline along Pacific Grove is beautiful - there is a path you can walk or bike along there.

From the wharf - if you have time and the water is reasonably calm, you might want to take a boat trip out on the bay. They have boats leaving on a regular basis - some go out farther than others, but I'd probably choose one that goes out for an hour or so. Gives you nice views of the coast and also an opportunity to see some sea mammals. Sea kayaking is also good if you are up for it, but you might be too short on time to fit that in.

It may take longer than usual to get to Nepenthe because there is only one lane of controlled traffic at Rocky Creek, where the slide that cut off Big Sur from the north occurred. The road is open but there is only one lane so traffic from the north and south is let through alternatively.

My 2 cents on the Aquarium, if you have kids, yes; if you have plenty of time, yes; if it's foggy or cloudy or raining, yes; if it's a gorgeous day and you can take a hike or walk at Point Lobos, no.
In the countless times I have been to the Monterey Penninsula in the past 30 years, I have been only twice.

BTW strike the Fishwife from your list, it's nice enough if you are staying at Asilomar or in the area, not worth a special trip.

Save the Aquarium for another trip or if the weather is cold & foggy.

Great advice from you all! Keep it coming.

I'm going to go with my original gut feel and skip the aquarium, unless as several of you have said...it's raining.

I also think, for various reasons...roads, time, etc., that I'll skip Nepenthe to allow more time closer to PG.

I really over research these things and need to get better with being more spontaneous. It's just the OCD kicking in. Half the time my plans gel for about half the intentions!

My original plan was to try to use the full day to do the 17 mile drive, see Pebble Beach and maybe go down to Point Lobos. Then I thought we could visit Carmel on the day we return to SF.

I'm now thinking that the timing below would be better:

Day of arrival in PG - Check in and possibly walk to Monterey Wharf. Dinner up in the air.

Full day - Visit Carmel, including the Mission and maybe Clint's Mission Ranch for drinks (it looks like a great setting but food reviews aren't so good) and then head down to Point Lobos. Again, lunch and dinner up in the air.

Departure day for SF...do the 17 mile drive, including all stops and photo ops, and then continue back to SF. Lunch destination questionable, but dinner in the Bay area.

Feedback? I also really need restaurant recs. The various dining sites make everything soooo confusing.

And I'm getting close to my bazillion questions about San Fran. It's been 25 years since my last visit. I have a few things I'd like to repeat...and many other things I'd like to try for the first time!!!

Please put on your thinking caps. I read Stu Dudley's dissertation, and I think I need the Cliff Notes version! LOL

You're right. The virtue of Stu Dudley's dissertation is that it's encyclopedic in scope. The drawback is that it is encyclopedic in scope. Try this for a broader view.

http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/s...city-guide.htm

Thanks dbd...that link was informative, but it's still hard to decide on activities and food!

I'll now start on my SF questions, but will just throw out a few at a time.

We originally planned to rent a car at the airport and return it in the city late in the afternoon, by 6 PM. This will cost slightly more than returning the car to SFO, but I thought it would be worth not having to return to the airport. But, thanks to the how stuff works info, I'm wondering if I should just return the car to the aiport and take BART into the city. I really don't want to get stuck in rush hour traffic. I'm currently looking at Alamo, Dollar and Enterprise. Any opinions?

I definitely think the library tours would be worthwhile. These are the ones I'm considering:
Chinatown (Monday @ 10 AM & 1:30 PM)
Haight-Ashbury (Sunday @ 11 AM)
North Beach (Sunday & Monday @ 7 PM)
Pacific Heights Mansions (Saturday @ 11 AM)
Rising Steel (Sunday, June 5th @ 11 AM)

Do you mean return it at the airport on your way to the city from Monterey? I personally wouldn't bother -- the worst of the traffic you'll hit will be in the San Jose area, so you have to deal with that anyway. And it will certainly take more time to drop the car off at the SFO car rental center, take the air-train back to the terminal, then wait for BART, and take BART into the city, than the delay caused by traffic from SFO into the city (not saying there won't be any traffic into the city, just that you won't save any time by doing it the way you suggest and, in fact, I think it will take longer -- 30-45 minutes driving SFO into the City, vs. an 1+ hours or so of combined drop-off, waiting for trains, and BART time the other way).

thx sf...as I said the orignal plan was to rent at the airport and return the car near Union Square after the trip to Monterey. We'll just have to shlep suitcases a few blocks or take a taxi...depending on the rental car agency we choose.

Any advice on the walking tours?

Sorry, I've never taken a walking tour here!

you have some great restaurant choices- i really like monterey fish house but it gets mixed reviews
i personally would go to aquarium just to see the otters- want to take one home!
have a great trip!

sf...that's what happens when one lives somewhere...

ton...I love the otters too, but we have river otters here at the zoo and the aquarium. They are soooo much fun.

What route are you taking from Pebble to SF? The reason I ask is that if you go inland i.e. 156/101 there aren't too many places to stop for lunch on that route, so I would recommend lunch either at a location in Pebble or maybe in PG before you leave for SF. If you take 1, the coast route there are a number of places that might work such as Phil's in Moss Landing, Duarte's for late lunch.

BTW since there is an entrance to 17 mile drive from PG, and an exit in Carmel you might consider just doing that part of the drive--past golf courses and along coast--rather than the entire loop. You could do Scenic Drive in Carmel and then proceed to Point Lobos per your original plan. I would skip the Monterey wharf walk in favor of an evening walk along the water front in PG.

I have done several of the walking tours in SF:

Chinatown: excellent
Ferry Bldg: very good
Palace Hotel: excellent
Bawdy ??(regarding redlight district): Just OK.

Hola amigos,
Still looking for PG restaurant recs! Any and all feedback is appreciated!

I have done the Chinatown and Telegraph Hill walking tours with City Guides in SF - both were excellent. I really recommend them.

Pacific Grove restaurant recommendations - I really liked the Red House Cafe. I need to give Passionfish another try though. We didn't have a great experience there, but because everyone gives it such great reviews, I want to give it a second chance.

Thx Michelle and november...I wasn't sure about doing the Chinatown walk, but it sounds like a good choice! We plan to go to the Ferry Building for the farmer's market on Saturday, so I think we'll skip that tour. Telegraph Hill sounds interesting; I will have to look into that. They have so many options, it's hard to decide!

I hate to miss something really good, but my gut feel, at least at the moment, is to skip Passionfish. I'm leaning more towards Red House Cafe, but then I also heard that there is some secret "List" that gives diners preference. As I said, we don't do well with this bogus wait forever and the wait time keeps changing!

The Chinatown walk was really informative - I've been to Chinatown more times than I can count and I am reasonably knowledgable about CA history - but I learned a ton about the neighborhood on that tour. It was great.

Our departure for CA is quickly approaching and I'm trying to get back to my planning.

For the city walking tours, I think we will definitely do Chinatown. The others I'm still considering are North Beach at night, Pacific Heights Mansions, and Rising Steel. I don't want to spend all our exploring time on tours, so I'd like to know if any of you are familiar with these other 3.

I'm not sure we will be able to spend time at both the Presidio and Golden Gate Park. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each.

I thought it would be fun to walk across GG bridge, have lunch in Sausalito and then take the ferry back. But due to time constraints, I'm considering renting a car for one day, no overnight parking involved, and driving to Sausalito for lunch, and then go up to Muir Woods. We will be taking a ferry over to Alcatraz, and I assume the ferry ride to/from Sausalito would be very similar. We could then just walk out onto the bridge for a little way and then turn around and come back.

Thoughts?

I'm a little confused about the walk onto the bridge - from where do you mean? Do you mean you'll drive to the bridge, park and then walk onto the bridge? That's doable - without a car would be very difficult.

sf...I'm not really sure. When I wasn't planning to have a car for the day, I assumed we could take some type of transit to the bridge. I haven't studied the GG bridge logistics too much.

Would it be easier to park and walk on the Sausalito or SF side if we have a car?

There is a city bus that goes to the parking lot on the south side of the bridge. You can walk to the middle and back, or walk tot he other side. At that point you might s well walk to Sausalito and take the ferry back.

If you do rent a car for the day, I'd propose that you go to Muir Woods early (I haven't been in years, but apparently the parking lot fills up), after that head to Sausalito. Spend an hour or two wandering, and have lunch. Then head back toward the city, park at the parking lot at the south end of the bridge (this assumes you can access that parking heading south -- I'm not sure if you can or not), walk a little ways onto the bridge and back (as much as you think you have time for and weather permitting), go back to your car and continue into the city. Return the car in time for dinner.