tampatiger

Greetings all! My honey and I (active early 40s) are headed to San Francisco area in late-March. A friend formerly from the area recommended the itinerary below for our four evenings (W-Th-F-Sa) and five days in the area. We definitely want to do 'wine country' (we enjoy vino!) and feel that San Francisco has much to offer, too. We wouldn't mind doing a beautiful hike. Also, wondering if Yosemite or Tahoe or redwoods would be too far away for the time we have. By the way, due to a huge accumulation of Starwood points, we intend on staying (as feasible) at a Sheraton in Petaluma, Le Meridien in SF and/or the Sheraton on Fisherman's Wharf.

Anyway, here's the suggested itinerary and we very much welcome any other suggestions or adjustments to this preliminary agenda. THANKS!

(1) Wed-Arrive in Oakland
-Drive up 80E to Napa (think its 49W). Travel across and stop in Sonoma
-Viansa winery
-Sonoma Mission Inn
-Sonoma town square
-BV vineyards
-Stay in Petaluma (Sheraton, to take advantage of our Starwood points)

(2) All day in Napa-
-Take the tram to the top of Sterling vineyards
-Russian River valley/Alexander valley
-Consider lunch at Chateau Soverign or picnic lunch from Oakville Grocery (on main drag going down winery row)

(3) Friday-
-Muir Woods
-Sausalito--stop for breakfast at Bridgeway Cafe--amazing views
-Mt. Tamaplais--across the road from Sausalito
-Golden Gate Bridge
-Check-in to hotel at Fisherman's wharf
-Take cable car ride from Ghiradelli square (2 blocks from fisherman's wharf) to Powell. On cable car back get off at California. Stop at Mark Hopkins for a drink at the Top of the Mark

(4) Saturday-49 mile drive around city
-Twin Peaks
-Coit Tower
-Lombard street (most crooked st)
-China Town (have dim sum for lunch)--best place is Yank Sing at Rincon Center

(5) Sunday-If have time, drive down along Great Hwy to Seal Rock and then along ocean to Half Moon Bay

Resturants--
The Stinking Rose
Little Joes (on Broadway)
Zuni Cafe
Fog City Diner
Postrio (very fancy, $$$$--well worth it--would need a reservation)

boom_boom

Only comment is that Chateau
souverin is (1) a goodly drive from Sterling, (2) I think it sold last year and am not sure the restaurant is still open...weather permitting the picnic with the great selection at Oakville Grocery would be a better choice.

Wellvis

Here's a pretty good map to help you figure out how to get there from Oakland:
http://www.inetours.com/PagesWT/Wine_Tours_Map.html
It doesn't show it, but Hwy 12 runs right over to Petaluma. (You'll be getting a road map with your rental, right?)
Yosemite and Tahoe are both 4+ hours away (depending on traffic). Given that you're only in the area for four days, I'd skip that idea.
The 49 Mile Drive is a great way to see ALL of the city, but you might want to focus on the more touristy areas instead. Last time I tried driving the drive, I got lost in a couple of places. The signs aren't always up where you need them most. That could be part of your San Francisco adventure, though.
I'd skip the drive to Half Moon Bay and continue hanging out in San Francisco personally. There will be plenty to do in SF, not so much in HMB (especially in late March).

kimamom

Looks great, we have stayed 3 times at the Sonoma Mission Inn, which section are you staying in? The wine country rooms are larger, but I actually prefer the smaller rooms in the Historic section of the resort. We love this property, you will be very pampered. The Big 3 Diner is a nice place for breakfast, a casual cafe with really good Lemon Cottage Cheese pancakes.

You may want to add Gundlach-Bundschu to your itinerary, a nice place for wine tasting with pretty grounds complete with a small lake that is scenic. ***kim***

razzledazzle

OK then,because you are getting some incredibly incorrect info I'd like to chime in on a few things-I live in Sonoma county, BTW...

From Oakland Hwy 80 to 37 West then travel on 37
to the stoplight at Sears Point, hang a right on Hwy 121 and in to Sonoma.

Viansa has sub-par wine,is quite
touristy(lots of tour buses) and not worth your time, IMHO. Consider a stop at Cline or Gloria Ferrar (bubbly).
Why are you going to Sonoma Mission Inn
if you are not staying there-it's nothing special. Better to spend your time strolling around the Plaza-it's truly lovely !

Hwy 12 does not go over to Petaluma
from Sonoma, you want 116 West also known as Stage Gulch Rd. which will intersect with Lakeville Hwy-turn right at this intersection and the Sheraton will be on your left in about 5 miles.

You might consider saving you points, as the Petaluma Sheraton is fairly sure thing on Priceline.

Your all day in Napa-Day 2-reads more like all day in Sonoma COunty-mostly the area around Heladsburg. This is a beautiful area. I wouldn't bother going over to Napa just to ride the tram at Sterling, and then driving all the way back over to
Healdsburg. Do you realize the
geography and driving involved from Sonoma town-over to Napa county-up valley to Sterling and the another hour
back over to Sonoma County & Healdsburg (Russian River, etc)?

If you are going to do that, I'd stop at the Jimtown store in the Alexander Valley for your picnic-you can also eat there.

Chateau Sovereign has been sold to Coppola info at
www.ffcwinery.com the Cafe there is called The Moving On Cafe.

The Oakville Grovery is not on the
"main drag going down winery row".
There is no "winery row" in Healdsburg.
It is on a street adjacent to the square in Healdsburg, which is a nice place to stroll. There are some fun shops and a few tasting rooms around the square.
Where are you stating this night ?

The Armstrong Redwoods State park, are just west of Healdsburg near the town of Guerneville. This is an impressive stand of redwoods and there are good hiking
opportunities. Consider swapping it for Muir Woods.

Yes, Yosemite and Tahoe are too far away for this trip. I think Half Moon Bay is as well. There is plenty to do in SF
on Sunday before your plane leaves.

Do get a good map ahead of time or at least play around with directions on mapquest. You can enter a "start" address and then and "end" address
so you'll have a better sense of driving times-Have Fun !

R5

P.S.
The 49 mile drive will take you no less than the better part of the day with
stops. As another person said it is poorly marked and uses some very congested streets. Just know going in that one of you will be mostly navigating rather than siteseeing.
AAA has a pretty good map of the route
so you might want to have that in hand before you get here.

kleroux

I agree with Razzledazzle... Armstrong woods beats Muir woods hands down. Healdsburg is charming...the square surrounded by shops, restaurants and wine tasting...
In San Francisco, I'd take an organized city tour and let them tell you all about the various neighborhoods, and do all the driving.. If you are going to be in SF on a Wed. night, go to the Top of the Mark Hopkins hotel and have a drink. Great show by LaVay Smith and her Red Hot Skillet Lickers!!!

likeswords

Just one suggestion, since you mentioned beautiful hikes: right next to the Petaluma Sheraton is a path leading to a beautiful wildlife sanctuary, which I walk often. Going at a good clip, you can walk from the Hilton to Shollenberger Park, then do the loop, and return to the Hilton in an hour. Or, you can just walk as far as you like and go back. On a beautiful day, it's spectacular.

tampatiger

Wow everyone. Thanks for all the great info. More tips are most welcome, so keep them coming. It seems that Petaluma will not be too far off the beaten path. I may research the Priceline option for the hotel, but we have so many points that one night only depletes our total by about 3-4%.

As it was my most recent contribution to the Fodors message boards, I encourage you all to check out my post to a request for souviner suggestions in New Orleans. If you are ever going (coming), I think that I mentioned some things that many wouldn't think of. You can probably search for "New Orleans souviner".

SAB

Of your five restaurant choices in SF, I can only recommend Zuni. These restaurants may be recommended in some guide book, but other than Zuni, they are not the best SF has to offer. The Stinking Rose is not worth a visit, especially since there are so many really good restaurants in SF to choose from. Fog City and Postrio used to be popular, but not any more. Postrio is now just a name that people recognize and again there are much better restaurants. Original Joe's is OK for lunch if you are nearby, but not worth a special visit, particularly given its location in the Tenderloin.

StuDudley

>>The Stinking Rose
Little Joes (on Broadway)
Zuni Cafe
Fog City Diner
Postrio (very fancy, $$$$--well worth it--would need a reservation)<<

Agree with SAB - except it's Little Joes - not Original Joes. Little Joes is a basic/cheap Italian place, and it moved to another location many years ago. I think whoever gave you these recommendations hasn't visited The City in many years.


Follow razzledazzle's advice.

Stu Dudley

SAB

Ooops, thanks Stu. Very old restaurant list indeed. OP here are my recommendations for a good sampling of SF dining: Slanted Door, Range, Perbacco, Lulu, Limon, Ponzu, Citizen Thai and the Monkey,Ozumo, Plouf, Chapeau, Le Charm, A16, Quince, Town Hall, Myth, Foreign Cinema, Bacco, Incanto, to name a few.

For splurge: Gary Danko, Fifth Floor, Jardinere

kbob88

Don't bother with the Stinking Rose -- total tourist trap. SAB has good restaurant recommendations and up to date too.

I always like taking visitors to Foreign Cinema, as the food is good and the atmosphere is great, especially if the weather is good and you sit in the courtyard where you can watch the movie. There's a rooftop bar next door at Medjool with just fabulous views of the city if the weather's nice (although it can be a bit hipper-than-thou).

BTW, Yank Sing is great (and $$) for dim sum. Their Rincon Center location might be a bit far from Chinatown for you; consider the Stevenson St location (between First & Second St, just south of Market), it's probably closer.

With your short timeframe, don't even bother with Napa; just stick with Sonoma County (Sonoma and Healdsburg). Everett Ridge and Armida wineries in Dry Creek Valley are good spots for picnics, with great views over the valley. Or pick up lunch at Jimtown Store and hit a winery in Alexander Valley. And blow off Half Moon Bay and continue touring SF instead.

bill_boy

Just to correct on more incorrect info that you've gotten so far:

You'll be missing out on a good food, wine and ambiance experience if you skip out Viansa.

tampatiger

Thank you everyone. We are very excited about the trip. We are definitely going to edit our original schedule to incorporate as many suggestions as possible. We will still check out the message string for anything else for the next few weeks before we leave. Kindest regards!

suz12

A good hike? How 'bout a hike in Marin Headlands? You can check out the national Park Service web site for the GGNRA (Golden Gate National Recreation Area). Marin headlands is part of the GGNRA and is just to the north and west of the golden gate. The views are amazing. You can find a trail on line and drive pretty easily to any trail head. ... or just park near hawk hill or Point Bonita and walk around or sit in a not too bushy spot for lunch. As with any hike, remember to check each other for ticks right after the hike and that evening! The Dipsea Cafe is a good spot for an all american california-style breakfast (except on weekends when it is too crowded). It is near Tam Junction and I'm sure you could google it. Hiking near the top of Mount Tam or further down the hill at near the Pan Toll ranger Station is nice, too. The Pan TOll hike to take would take you north along the hill where you would be out on grassy knolls and then in through oakey draws, with the ocean to the south west way below the whole time.

If you do go to Muir woods, go near opening time. It gets super crowded later. And don't go from there back to Sausalito and then back to Mt. Tam, cuz Muir Woods is at the bottom of Mount Tam.

Save Yosemite for another trip. Tahoe, too. You could do them on the same trip if it was at least 8 days long and you flew in and out of Reno and started in Tahoe. Remember that most Yosemite rooms book up a year in advance, (or is it a year and a day? - check their web site) so plan well ahead. Yosemite is lovely in the spring and fall, but you'd need to carry tire chains in the park during those seasons (it snowed on us in mid April one year - beeeaaayoootiful - but it took hours to get to the Valley in crazy driving conditions).
Have a great time visiting the Bay Area and Wine Country. Tell us how your trip goes!

LLindaC

Viansa is a big, busy place with loads of free food samples and a large food service area/deli. The gift shop is huge and well stocked. If that's what you want, go for it. The winery, owned by some Sebastiani family members, was sold when the couple divorced. The wine now is barely drinkable. I've had better in boxes from the drug store. We were wine club members for 2 years before finally quitting after one after another disappointing wines.

bill_boy

Viansa's wines are passable, at best.

Having said that, I have read all the $15-$20 wine recommendations that's been made here and in every other thread and it is safe to say that these overoaked fruit bombs that are sweet, cloying all really taste the same, regardless of which so-called small winery you've discovered or not. That's why, unless specifics were asked about wineries, I don't recommend what a good wine is anymore, as the same old wineries with the same old cloying overoaked fruit bombs are recycled by the same old posters day in and day out.

As for Viansa, and unlike the other wineries that's been recomemnded here, it's the whole Tuscan villa, fresh foods and bustling market place atmosphere that makes this a unique tasting experience in the wine country.

easytraveler

You've gotten excellent, expert advice from R5, SAB, and Stu - they are always accurate and unbiased in their recommendations and comments.

Just to disagree a little here ... Personally I think Muir Woods is a great choice. There are lots of hiking trails in Muir Woods besides the most popular "loop", so you could spend all day hiking or even half a day there. Get a good map from the ranger at the front and, if you are going to stray off the main loop, make sure it's on a weekend when plenty of others will be straying as well. The redwoods are very tall and you can't see too far into the woods and once off the beaten track, the trail is pretty "primitive" - I'd say you will need "moderate" hiking skills. They are really fun trails if you like hiking.

On your wine country trip, you need to think of two separate wine regions: Napa and Sonoma. You can do Napa in half a day and then get over to Sonoma County. I'd suggest you substitute Artesa in Napa for Viansa in Sonoma - and yes, you should spend most of your time in Sonoma County. Skip Sterling, it's really not worth it.

Restaurants in San Francisco for a big splurge, I agree with Gary Danko and Jardiniere among others.

This last weekend I spent a lovely afternoon with some friends at the Bistro in the Cliff House and we consumed two bottles of Gloria Ferrer champagne along with their wonderful appetizers like clams, crab cakes, etc. The view was great over the Pacific Ocean and we saw lots of surfers but no whales nor dolphins nor seals. But, after a couple of glasses of champagne, a surfer sure looks like a seal - LOL!

Have fun and welcome to California!

McAllister

I could not agree with Easytraveler more - you MUST go to Artesa!!!! My husband and I spent our honeymoon in San Francisco this past July. On one of the days, we had a private driver take us on a tour of wine country (AMAZING experience). Our first stop was Artesa and it took my breath away...not to mention, it taught me that I like white wines with an "oaky" taste.

Check it out - http://www.artesawinery.com/index1.html

Have a fantastic trip - you will love it!!!

P.S. Our splurge dinner was at Michael Mina...fantastic food and fabulous service.

woodysagoodboy

I feel obligated to defend OP's friend's mentioning Little Joe's. Little Joe's/Baby Joe's was originally located on Columbus in North Beach, moved to Broadway in North Beach, and then, sadly, to Van Ness. Those of us who remember Little Joe's/Baby Joe's from the 70's, 80's, and early 90's, ate there regularly and loved joking with Frank. Every SF politico ate there. We thought the food was the best and the atmosphere even better. So forgive us. We just can't let go.