Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Pebble Beach - San Francisco Trip Report and Pics

I posted this report before, but have now added links to Picture Albums on Picasa. Hope you enjoy.

Links to Pictures
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUrl?f...usalitoAndNapa

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUrl?f...dGolfMarch2008

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUrl?f...950%2FAlcatraz

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUrl?f...2FSanFrancisco

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUrl?f...BayAndSpyglass

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUrl?f...And17MileDrive

TRIP REPORT – 4 DAYS PEBBLE BEACH – 1 WEEK SAN FRANCISCO

Wed. 3/5/ - Flew United direct flight from Newark, NJ to SFO, arrived shortly after 10 AM local time, picked up rental car from Hertz (Great Buick Lucerne) and drove down coast to Monterey Peninsula and Pebble Beach.

Arrived at Lodge at PB shortly after noon. Room not quite ready so decided to have lunch at Stillwater Café at Lodge. The first view from the Still water Lanai affirmed to us that the high cost of this entire trip was well worth it.

Lunch was great; I had seared scallops with angel hair pasta and corn relish, my wife had Fish and Chips and we sat there for an hour or so enjoying that view of the 18th hole of Golf Nirvana.

Afternoon – Checked in and got tickets for Monterey Aquarium from concierge and drove over to Monterey. Aquarium was outstanding, loved the otters and jellyfish exhibits. At this time of year, no lines, not many crowds.

Did 17 mile drive at sunset – no charge since we stayed at the Lodge. Great views, great drive.

No dinner since we had a big lunch, just snacks in room. Room at Lodge was a garden view and ours overlooked the first tee. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the foursomes tee off. Large room, full bath and enclosed shower, large lanai, fireplace, complimentary snacks, water and soft drinks in mini bar, charge only for alcohol.

Thurs 3/6 – Tee time at 10 AM at Spanish Bay. Had breakfast at Sticks restaurant at Spanish Bay. I had a great Forest Omelet infused with truffles & Boursin cheese; my wife had Eggs, sausage and hash browns. Food and service excellent and view of first tee got us primed for our game. Played with a fun couple from Florida. Course was challenging, greens were severely contoured and very fast.

Snacks for lunch.

Dinner – we drove over to Pacific Grove on a recommendation to dine at the Red House Café.(Thank you PgDenizen) What a treat – very small, quaint, homey atmosphere. Staff was very cordial, helpful and efficient. We both had the Sea bass and for dessert we shared a wonderful piece of carrot cake. Both were excellent and prices were not expensive. Highly recommend.

Fri 3/7- 11:20 AM tee Time at Pebble Beach. Breakfast before at Stillwater Café on Lanai. I had a bowl of fresh berries and toast and my wife had a plate of wonderful Buttermilk pancakes.

We were paired with a couple from Oregon for our round of golf. Both couples had caddies. Our man was JT, a great caddy, a great wit, and very helpful. He assisted with our game and also took many posed and candid photos of all of us throughout the round. Walking the course is, IMO, the only way to experience the true character and beauty of this course.

Lunch was snacks on the course.

While paying for a few souvenirs at pro shop I started talking to the young man behind the counter and after a few questions found out he had lived and went to school about 5 miles from my home in Pennsylvania, and was taught by a good friend of mine. Small world Jim Rogers - Look him up if you are there.

Dinner – Drove back to Spanish Bay to see and hear the Bagpiper at Sunset. Had a cocktail while enjoying the beauty and then went for dinner at Peppoli, an Italian Restaurant right at Spanish Bay. I had Lobster meat with Rigatoni in a delicious brown sauce and my wife had homemade Gnocchi in a light Alfredo sauce.

Sat 3/8- Our last day at PB. Checked out of room before our golf game and stored our luggage at the Lodge. Tee time at 8:30 AM at Spyglass. Had casual breakfast of eggs, sausage and potatoes at Spyglass golf grill. Were paired with the same couple we played with the previous day at PB. After round, back to PB to pick up luggage and a few final photos of the grounds.

Left PB and drove the scenic route all the way up RT 1 to San Francisco. Burgers in Half Moon Bay for lunch.

Arrived in SF just before dark, found our Hotel (The Inn at the Opera) on Fulton Street, checked in easily with great assistance with luggage from the staff. This is a very nice, quaint, small hotel, out of the hustle of downtown. Since we got this as a Timeshare trade, we were given a small suite, which suited us perfectly. It had a foyer with a table lamp and two chairs and a small kitchenette located there – sink, small fridge, microwave, dishes, etc. Master bedroom had its own full bath; sitting room with a pullout sofa had its own full bath, closets and TV. Very clean, very comfortable. There is a restaurant in the hotel where we ate a complimentary continental breakfast every morning and dinner one evening. No dinner the night of check in as we were tired. Snacks from the road for us.

Sun 3/9- Walked a few blocks to St Mary’s of the Assumption Cathedral for Mass. What an experience. A large, very modern, but very well designed church with outstanding views of the city. Great experience. I went back later in the week for pictures.

After church, required laundry duties at a local Laundromat within 2 blocks of the hotel.

Valet Parking at the Hotel is about $28.00 per day. Since we were on a timeshare trade, we decided to do their local timeshare presentation and negotiated for 5 free days of parking for 90 minutes of our time. I can shake my head NO very easily at presentations, so this was time well invested.

Dinner – Since the presentation was at Fisherman’s wharf, we had dinner at Scoma’s. I had one of the best dishes I have ever had, seared scallops over a pancetta, red pepper and peas risotto. My wife had delicious seafood cannelloni with penne pasta. Both entrees were outstanding and our waiter, Sal was a treat.

Mon 3/10- Long, busy day. We did a combo morning Alcatraz tour and afternoon city bus tour. Audio tour of Alcatraz is great, well paced and very informative. On city tour we had a wonderful, witty and very informative driver Richard. After talking to some other travelers, I discovered that he took us to some places most tours or drivers do not visit. We toured with “Super Sightseeing” tours and would recommend to anyone. But do book well, in advance of your trip as we did. We arrived in SF on 3/8 and supposedly Alcatraz was booked through 3/24.

Dinner that night by recommendation of hotel concierge, Francis, at Max’s Opera Deli on Van Ness, about 3 blocks from hotel. Ok, you are saying, just a deli. Max’s had a full bar, deli, live piano music that night. I had local Petrale Sole fillets in an exquisite buerre blanc sauce and my wife had the most delicious Dungeness crab cakes I ever tasted.

Tues 3/11- 10:20 Am tee time at Presidio Golf course. Paired with two local gents who were a treat to be with, Gus and Steve. Had a nice light lunch of soup and sandwich at course.

After golf, we were told we HAD to do this. Irish coffee at the Buena Vista café at bottom of Hyde Street. This is where Irish coffee in America was started. My wife does not like coffee and she had two of them. Fun place, great staff and patrons. You must go just to watch the bartenders make the coffees. Carrot Cake was tasty also.

Walked around Fisherman’s Wharf for a few hours. Saw the Sea Lions at Pier 39. My wife got pooped on by a sea gull, however, it was my jacket she was wearing….go figure.

Dinner that night at Café Stelle Delle, 2 blocks from Hotel on Hayes St. Italian place with tasty and very inexpensive entrees. My wife had homemade tortellini with Gorgonzola sauce and I had pork tenderloin with a cherry sauce, spinach and polenta. Total bill was under $30.00.

Wed 3/12- Drove to Muir Woods, had a great hike around a few of the trails. Very easy to walk, but also as challenging as you want to make it. Very lovely place. Drove up coast to Stinson Beach and across panoramic highway to Sausalito. Wonderful artsy craftsy town on the water. Had a nice seafood lunch at Spinnaker right on the water. I had mixed seafood over angel hair pasta and my wife had seafood Quesadilla. Parking for the 3 hours we were in town, only $4.00.

Dinner that night at Hayes St Grill, again 2 blocks from the hotel. My wife had ONO with Buerre Blanc sauce and I had Sea Bass with Sichuan Peanut sauce. Both great and moderately priced.

Thurs 3/13- Drove back across Golden Gate Bridge up to Sonoma, Napa areas. We had selected just 3 wineries to try that day, so we had sufficient time to spend at each one with a nice lunch break thrown in the middle. We just drove around Sonoma, but did not tour any wineries there. We will spend more time there on any return trip.

Artessa winery – Very modern setting into the side of a hill with the best views. Did a 4 wine taste, $12 PP. Nice reds, decent chardonnay.

Mumm Napa – Sparking wines. Not my fav, but my wife likes sparkling wines. Did a 3 flute taste. $15 PP. Spent a nice time sitting outside in the sun chatting with other tasters and the staff. All 3 flutes were very good.

Neibaum / Coppola (Rubicon) – We really enjoyed this place. Did a 5 wine taste plus a grounds tour of the estate. Purchased by Francis Ford Coppola several years ago and run as a full producing winery. Tasted 4 smooth but hearty red wines, and a great Cardonnay. Bart our server was wonderful and entertained us with a few operatic notes. He had a great baritone voice. Coppola has his Tucker automobile on display upstairs. I believe cost was $25 PP

Had lunch at Rutherford Grill, almost across street from Copolla. Started with Skillet of Jalapeno Cornbread – outstanding. Fish sandwich plates were good also.

Drove back into SF and did another touristy “must do”. Drove our car down Lombard street……good fun.

Dinner that night, back at Max’s opera Deli – Philly Cheese steaks and Turkey sausage Gumbo. Everything was very good, and this night they had piano music with a singer and a waitress and our waiter sang a few songs.

Fri 3/14- last full day of vacation. Bummer. Drove to Fisherman’s Wharf, parked. Bought a 1 day cable car pass and rode from Hyde Street Turnaround to Union Square Turnaround. Walked around Union Square, did a minor amount of shopping, with no buying (hey we live 1 ½ hr from NYC). Hopped another Cable Car to Chinatown and had a nice lunch at Oriental Pearl on Clay Street. Excellent Veggie Spring rolls and wonderful egg drop soup.

Back on Cable car to bottom of Hyde Street – Hey, as long as we were there HAD to have another Irish Coffee at Buena Vista………….HAD TO.

Walked around a bit and drove back to Hotel.

Dinner the last night at Ovations restaurant within our Hotel. My wife had Petrale Sole and I had the Chilean Sea Bass (3 times this trip for those of you counting) in a wonderful balsamic sauce. We were sorry we waited till the last night to eat here as it was soooooo good.

Sat 3/15 – 10:30 AM United flight SF to Chicago and then back to Newark. Good flights but, golf bags stayed in Chicago for two days and delivered to our home.

Ok, this was very long and I apologize for getting wordy, but we really enjoyed this trip, so I hope someone finds the report useful and entertaining.

The weather was mid 60’s; close to 70 just about every day with no rain until Friday and then just about an hour shower.

We cannot recommend the Inn at the Opera and the staff there highly enough. Everyone was professional, efficient and very very helpful………..plus they had hot choc. Chip and peanut butter cookies every afternoon at 3 pm………..what’s not to like.

One other comment, I was warned not to use the rental car in SF as it was a tough city to drive and park. I did not find that to be the case at all. Streets are well marked, squared off and easy to drive. Now remember, I drive the east coast and into NYC, so SF seemed a breeze to me. Street parking was scarce, but there were plenty of local lots and many did parking validation with some of the restaurants and shops, so we did not spend much at all on parking.

TRIP REPORT – 4 DAYS PEBBLE BEACH – 1 WEEK SAN FRANCISCO

Wed. 3/5/ - Flew United direct flight from Newark, NJ to SFO, arrived shortly after 10 AM local time, picked up rental car from Hertz (Great Buick Lucerne) and drove down coast to Monterey Peninsula and Pebble Beach.

Arrived at Lodge at PB shortly after noon. Room not quite ready so decided to have lunch at Stillwater Café at Lodge. The first view from the Still water Lanai affirmed to us that the high cost of this entire trip was well worth it.

Lunch was great; I had seared scallops with angel hair pasta and corn relish, my wife had Fish and Chips and we sat there for an hour or so enjoying that view of the 18th hole of Golf Nirvana.

Afternoon – Checked in and got tickets for Monterey Aquarium from concierge and drove over to Monterey. Aquarium was outstanding, loved the otters and jellyfish exhibits. At this time of year, no lines, not many crowds.

Did 17 mile drive at sunset – no charge since we stayed at the Lodge. Great views, great drive.

No dinner since we had a big lunch, just snacks in room. Room at Lodge was a garden view and ours overlooked the first tee. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the foursomes tee off. Large room, full bath and enclosed shower, large lanai, fireplace, complimentary snacks, water and soft drinks in mini bar, charge only for alcohol.

Thurs 3/6 – Tee time at 10 AM at Spanish Bay. Had breakfast at Sticks restaurant at Spanish Bay. I had a great Forest Omelet infused with truffles & Boursin cheese; my wife had Eggs, sausage and hash browns. Food and service excellent and view of first tee got us primed for our game. Played with a fun couple from Florida. Course was challenging, greens were severely contoured and very fast.

Snacks for lunch.

Dinner – we drove over to Pacific Grove on a recommendation to dine at the Red House Café.(Thank you PgDenizen) What a treat – very small, quaint, homey atmosphere. Staff was very cordial, helpful and efficient. We both had the Sea bass and for dessert we shared a wonderful piece of carrot cake. Both were excellent and prices were not expensive. Highly recommend.

Fri 3/7- 11:20 AM tee Time at Pebble Beach. Breakfast before at Stillwater Café on Lanai. I had a bowl of fresh berries and toast and my wife had a plate of wonderful Buttermilk pancakes.

We were paired with a couple from Oregon for our round of golf. Both couples had caddies. Our man was JT, a great caddy, a great wit, and very helpful. He assisted with our game and also took many posed and candid photos of all of us throughout the round. Walking the course is, IMO, the only way to experience the true character and beauty of this course.

Lunch was snacks on the course.

While paying for a few souvenirs at pro shop I started talking to the young man behind the counter and after a few questions found out he had lived and went to school about 5 miles from my home in Pennsylvania, and was taught by a good friend of mine. Small world Jim Rogers - Look him up if you are there.

Dinner – Drove back to Spanish Bay to see and hear the Bagpiper at Sunset. Had a cocktail while enjoying the beauty and then went for dinner at Peppoli, an Italian Restaurant right at Spanish Bay. I had Lobster meat with Rigatoni in a delicious brown sauce and my wife had homemade Gnocchi in a light Alfredo sauce.

Sat 3/8- Our last day at PB. Checked out of room before our golf game and stored our luggage at the Lodge. Tee time at 8:30 AM at Spyglass. Had casual breakfast of eggs, sausage and potatoes at Spyglass golf grill. Were paired with the same couple we played with the previous day at PB. After round, back to PB to pick up luggage and a few final photos of the grounds.

Left PB and drove the scenic route all the way up RT 1 to San Francisco. Burgers in Half Moon Bay for lunch.

Arrived in SF just before dark, found our Hotel (The Inn at the Opera) on Fulton Street, checked in easily with great assistance with luggage from the staff. This is a very nice, quaint, small hotel, out of the hustle of downtown. Since we got this as a Timeshare trade, we were given a small suite, which suited us perfectly. It had a foyer with a table lamp and two chairs and a small kitchenette located there – sink, small fridge, microwave, dishes, etc. Master bedroom had its own full bath; sitting room with a pullout sofa had its own full bath, closets and TV. Very clean, very comfortable. There is a restaurant in the hotel where we ate a complimentary continental breakfast every morning and dinner one evening. No dinner the night of check in as we were tired. Snacks from the road for us.

Sun 3/9- Walked a few blocks to St Mary’s of the Assumption Cathedral for Mass. What an experience. A large, very modern, but very well designed church with outstanding views of the city. Great experience. I went back later in the week for pictures.

After church, required laundry duties at a local Laundromat within 2 blocks of the hotel.

Valet Parking at the Hotel is about $28.00 per day. Since we were on a timeshare trade, we decided to do their local timeshare presentation and negotiated for 5 free days of parking for 90 minutes of our time. I can shake my head NO very easily at presentations, so this was time well invested.

Dinner – Since the presentation was at Fisherman’s wharf, we had dinner at Scoma’s. I had one of the best dishes I have ever had, seared scallops over a pancetta, red pepper and peas risotto. My wife had delicious seafood cannelloni with penne pasta. Both entrees were outstanding and our waiter, Sal was a treat.

Mon 3/10- Long, busy day. We did a combo morning Alcatraz tour and afternoon city bus tour. Audio tour of Alcatraz is great, well paced and very informative. On city tour we had a wonderful, witty and very informative driver Richard. After talking to some other travelers, I discovered that he took us to some places most tours or drivers do not visit. We toured with “Super Sightseeing” tours and would recommend to anyone. But do book well, in advance of your trip as we did. We arrived in SF on 3/8 and supposedly Alcatraz was booked through 3/24.

Dinner that night by recommendation of hotel concierge, Francis, at Max’s Opera Deli on Van Ness, about 3 blocks from hotel. Ok, you are saying, just a deli. Max’s had a full bar, deli, live piano music that night. I had local Petrale Sole fillets in an exquisite buerre blanc sauce and my wife had the most delicious Dungeness crab cakes I ever tasted.

Tues 3/11- 10:20 Am tee time at Presidio Golf course. Paired with two local gents who were a treat to be with, Gus and Steve. Had a nice light lunch of soup and sandwich at course.

After golf, we were told we HAD to do this. Irish coffee at the Buena Vista café at bottom of Hyde Street. This is where Irish coffee in America was started. My wife does not like coffee and she had two of them. Fun place, great staff and patrons. You must go just to watch the bartenders make the coffees. Carrot Cake was tasty also.

Walked around Fisherman’s Wharf for a few hours. Saw the Sea Lions at Pier 39. My wife got pooped on by a sea gull, however, it was my jacket she was wearing….go figure.

Dinner that night at Café Stelle Delle, 2 blocks from Hotel on Hayes St. Italian place with tasty and very inexpensive entrees. My wife had homemade tortellini with Gorgonzola sauce and I had pork tenderloin with a cherry sauce, spinach and polenta. Total bill was under $30.00.

Wed 3/12- Drove to Muir Woods, had a great hike around a few of the trails. Very easy to walk, but also as challenging as you want to make it. Very lovely place. Drove up coast to Stinson Beach and across panoramic highway to Sausalito. Wonderful artsy craftsy town on the water. Had a nice seafood lunch at Spinnaker right on the water. I had mixed seafood over angel hair pasta and my wife had seafood Quesadilla. Parking for the 3 hours we were in town, only $4.00.

Dinner that night at Hayes St Grill, again 2 blocks from the hotel. My wife had ONO with Buerre Blanc sauce and I had Sea Bass with Sichuan Peanut sauce. Both great and moderately priced.

Thurs 3/13- Drove back across Golden Gate Bridge up to Sonoma, Napa areas. We had selected just 3 wineries to try that day, so we had sufficient time to spend at each one with a nice lunch break thrown in the middle. We just drove around Sonoma, but did not tour any wineries there. We will spend more time there on any return trip.

Artessa winery – Very modern setting into the side of a hill with the best views. Did a 4 wine taste, $12 PP. Nice reds, decent chardonnay.

Mumm Napa – Sparking wines. Not my fav, but my wife likes sparkling wines. Did a 3 flute taste. $15 PP. Spent a nice time sitting outside in the sun chatting with other tasters and the staff. All 3 flutes were very good.

Neibaum / Coppola (Rubicon) – We really enjoyed this place. Did a 5 wine taste plus a grounds tour of the estate. Purchased by Francis Ford Coppola several years ago and run as a full producing winery. Tasted 4 smooth but hearty red wines, and a great Cardonnay. Bart our server was wonderful and entertained us with a few operatic notes. He had a great baritone voice. Coppola has his Tucker automobile on display upstairs. I believe cost was $25 PP

Had lunch at Rutherford Grill, almost across street from Copolla. Started with Skillet of Jalapeno Cornbread – outstanding. Fish sandwich plates were good also.

Drove back into SF and did another touristy “must do”. Drove our car down Lombard street……good fun.

Dinner that night, back at Max’s opera Deli – Philly Cheese steaks and Turkey sausage Gumbo. Everything was very good, and this night they had piano music with a singer and a waitress and our waiter sang a few songs.

Fri 3/14- last full day of vacation. Bummer. Drove to Fisherman’s Wharf, parked. Bought a 1 day cable car pass and rode from Hyde Street Turnaround to Union Square Turnaround. Walked around Union Square, did a minor amount of shopping, with no buying (hey we live 1 ½ hr from NYC). Hopped another Cable Car to Chinatown and had a nice lunch at Oriental Pearl on Clay Street. Excellent Veggie Spring rolls and wonderful egg drop soup.

Back on Cable car to bottom of Hyde Street – Hey, as long as we were there HAD to have another Irish Coffee at Buena Vista………….HAD TO.

Walked around a bit and drove back to Hotel.

Dinner the last night at Ovations restaurant within our Hotel. My wife had Petrale Sole and I had the Chilean Sea Bass (3 times this trip for those of you counting) in a wonderful balsamic sauce. We were sorry we waited till the last night to eat here as it was soooooo good.

Sat 3/15 – 10:30 AM United flight SF to Chicago and then back to Newark. Good flights but, golf bags stayed in Chicago for two days and delivered to our home.

Ok, this was very long and I apologize for getting wordy, but we really enjoyed this trip, so I hope someone finds the report useful and entertaining.

The weather was mid 60’s; close to 70 just about every day with no rain until Friday and then just about an hour shower.

We cannot recommend the Inn at the Opera and the staff there highly enough. Everyone was professional, efficient and very very helpful………..plus they had hot choc. Chip and peanut butter cookies every afternoon at 3 pm………..what’s not to like.

One other comment, I was warned not to use the rental car in SF as it was a tough city to drive and park. I did not find that to be the case at all. Streets are well marked, squared off and easy to drive. Now remember, I drive the east coast and into NYC, so SF seemed a breeze to me. Street parking was scarce, but there were plenty of local lots and many did parking validation with some of the restaurants and shops, so we did not spend much at all on parking.