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Archive through March 21, 2006

The TVClubHouse: General Discussion ARCHIVES: 2006 Mar. ~ 2006 May: Please, help me plan my trip. : Archive through March 21, 2006 users admin

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Azriel
Member

08-01-2000

Monday, March 20, 2006 - 6:23 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Azriel a private message Print Post    
My husband, brother and SIL are planning a vacation to California in May. We will fly into to San Francisco, stay there a few days, then rent a car and drive through the Wine Country and go to Yosemite.

I was really hoping our San Francisco and California peoples could give me some tips on things that are must-sees and things that might be overlooked in the guide-books.

We would also like ideas on unique places to stay that aren't too pricey. We have already booked at the Hotel del Sol in San Francisco. It it a 1950's motor hotel that has been refurbished, but maintains the 50's style.

The trip is centered around the Wine Country tour because my brother and SIL are wine enthusiasts. We would love any first hand info about the wineries and must-sees there. We all love discovering the history and culture of the places we visit. My SIL wants to cruise some antique shops while we are there, too.

I would welcome any suggestions. Thank you! :-)

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Monday, March 20, 2006 - 8:09 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
I was gonna give you some suggestions, but I think we've got some Napa folks around. Do spend some time in Sonoma, if you can. And make sure you stop by the Sonoma cheese store (you can learn all about cheese, as well as taste some of their different cheeses -- everytime I go up there I stock up!).

Twiggyish
Member

08-14-2000

Monday, March 20, 2006 - 8:15 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Twiggyish a private message Print Post    
Have you looked into Bed and Breakfast Inns? I can't wait to see what people tell you!

Tabbyking
Member

03-11-2002

Monday, March 20, 2006 - 8:22 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tabbyking a private message Print Post    
the wine train in napa is a nice way to spend 3 hours for lunch or dinner. if you have second dinner seating, you are in the club car for hors d'oeuvres before dinner. if you have first dinner seating, you have your dessert in the club car. so you either get hors d'oeuvres or dessert.

there are wineries all up and down the main roads. you can stop wherever you want to in your rental car!

they also have hot air balloon rides in the area.

in san francisco, you might as well do all the touristy things! the trip out to alcatraz, trying to get onto a cable car (lines are long, long, long sometimes), ghirardelli square, pier 39, etc.

i'll bet landi will come on to tell you more about what you might want to see in the napa area. such as landi, perhaps!!?

Prisonerno6
Member

08-31-2002

Monday, March 20, 2006 - 9:29 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Prisonerno6 a private message Print Post    
One of the best guide book series I've ever seen is the Hidden series. There is a Hidden San Francisco and Northern California edition you might look into. It will give you somme unusual places to say and non-touristy things to do.

Landi
Member

07-29-2002

Monday, March 20, 2006 - 10:15 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Landi a private message Print Post    
ask me whatever you want. you can also email me. i'm in napa, and am in the wine industry and can get anyone into just about anything.

Coco
Member

07-13-2000

Monday, March 20, 2006 - 11:02 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Coco a private message Print Post    
I'll speak to Yosemite. May is truly one of the best months to visit this California jewel.

I'd suggest coming through Fresno and take Hwy 41 up towards Yosemite. You'll travel through the awesome tunnel which exits at Inspiration Point - be prepared to cross the lane towards the left for parking. You'll take in the gorgeous view of the valley (Half Dome, El Capitan, etc). Then drive on down into the valley floor for some great sightseeing of Upper Yosemite Falls and Lower Yosemite Falls - they should be running at full power and look awesome!

As you leave Yosemite, take the I-5 to SoCal and come visit me....lol!

Have a great time visiting northern California!!


Tabbyking
Member

03-11-2002

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 12:06 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tabbyking a private message Print Post    
well, you don't go all the way into fresno, or you'd be backtracking for 20 or 30 miles. you get off in madera at cleveland road and follow the signs for millerton lake and yosemite. lots of rolling hills and oak trees. you can stop at the chukchansi indian casino, just a few miles before coarsegold. the casino is only about 45 miles before you get into yosemite.
then you can take I-5 to so-cal and pick me up before you head to coco's!! i'm up for some hot coco :-)

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 12:52 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
Dang, I have no time tonight, as I am already up too late and just discovered this thread. Glad I didn't do what I was going to do earlier without ever knowing about this thread. I was going to suggest you skip wine country if you have been to other wineries and go to Muir Woods and then up Highway 1 to Point Reyes National Seashore instead. But I have been to wineries all over the U.S. and a couple foreign countries and now find them kind of boring. Seen one, seen 'em all. Beverages and More, a California chain, has wine tastings on Saturdays, and they sell the wines for way less than the wineries. And THEN you can still go to the glorious California coast.

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 1:05 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
I would definitely go see the redwoods! Big Sur. Yosemite.

If you get to So Cal.. would be great to meet you.

(or even in Northern Cal if you have that kind of time.)

Azriel
Member

08-01-2000

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 1:42 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Azriel a private message Print Post    
Wow, thanks for the all the suggestions. I really appreciate them. Juju, lol, we've got to go to the wineries. It's my brother and sister-in-law's dream trip. My husband and them came up with the idea for this trip while sharing a bottle of wine. :-)

Landi, I'm definitely going to email you! I was hoping you would offer your expertise of the area!

Sea, Tabby and Coco, I'd love working in meeting you all somewhere along the trip. We fly into San Francisco on a Friday night and will spend the weekend there and leave out on Monday to spend 5 days to take in the Wine Country and Yosemite before we drive back to SF so my brother and SIL can fly back to Houston. (my husband and I wanted more time, but my Bro and SIL are time challenged) Then my husband and I will stay 2 more days in SF before we fly to Las Vegas for a few days and we plan to go on a quick look-see to the Grand Canyon, too. Maybe when my husband and I come back to SF we can plan a dinner out together in SF?

Landi
Member

07-29-2002

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 8:56 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Landi a private message Print Post    
juju, i happen to agree with you. wineries are overpriced. buy the wine at beverages & more or we have a place here in the city that is similar. but then there are some people that just love to go to them.

Tabbyking
Member

03-11-2002

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 2:03 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tabbyking a private message Print Post    
i just carry a hip flask of jack daniels and pull it out between wineries. lol

Tabbyking
Member

03-11-2002

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 2:04 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tabbyking a private message Print Post    
hmmm, just wondering. why don't they have a knock-off called 'wieneries' (or 'weineries', if you must!) you could try all the hot dogs you want and then pick nathan's as the best!

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 2:10 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
Hahahaha, thanks, Landi. You were the person I was most worried about offending. I have bought Rosemount wines cheaper at my local Rite Aid drugstore than they were selling them for at the winery I visited in Australia. Yeah, yeah, it's not about price; it's about the wine country experience. I think I have just been to one too many wineries.

Here is what the California coast looks like north of San Francisco (and a lot of Big Sur looks like this too). This is going north on Highway 1 from Muir Beach after you have just eaten lunch at the quaint Pelican Inn there after a morning's tour of Muir Woods. This is Stinson Beach.

Stinson Beach

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 2:20 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
One of my most favorite lunches was out on the lawn at Domaine Chandon and a tour thru their winery. http://www.chandon.com/
We enjoyed our tasting at the Franciscan Winery very much too. (their wines are Estancia and Franciscan) http://www.franciscan.com/
We found that the bigger wineries offered better 'tours' of the wine making process but the smaller ones had better tastings. We just pick a few wineries that we really like their wines and then a few that are interesting to us and go there. Our favorite tasting ended up being at the Franciscan and that was a happy accident. We were driving by and they have a HUGE bench out front (the Rutherford bench) and it caught our eye. At the time, we really weren't familiar with their wines at all, but ended up staying almost 2 hours and enjoying ourselves immensely!

My #1 tip for tasting is to stop at the little grocery store on Oakville rd and buy bottled water and some kind of crackers. It's nice to be able to clear you palate in between wineries.

Landi
Member

07-29-2002

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 2:55 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Landi a private message Print Post    
oakville grocery is an experience you have to do. if you're going to eat dinner. it's the rutherford grill. domaine chandon is the only wine club i belong to. only because it gives me discounts for things and special amenities. it would be one of MY recommendations. too expensive to eat there in the restaurant. also i recommend if you plan on tasting at places that you have either a tour driver. DUI is huge in this area and they are out to get you. kind of hard to miss coming down the highway.

Butrflynet
Member

12-29-2003

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 3:05 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Butrflynet a private message Print Post    
Be sure you call ahead and confirm these places in the Napa area are ready for tourists. We've had some devastating rains and floods in the area this winter. The Napa Valley was one of the harder hit areas.

This link gives a bit of detail of the specific areas that were damaged: http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=local&id=3938394


This website has a listing of interesting things to do in the Napa area. The gardens, hot spring mineral baths and the Copia American Center are all fun things to do in the area.

There's also recommended shopping and hotel information on this website.

http://www.concierge.com/destination/californiawinecountry/seeanddo

If you have the time, you might also consider driving down to the Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay area on the coast.

Landi
Member

07-29-2002

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 3:07 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Landi a private message Print Post    
all of these areas are available. i live IN napa, and work here. and the area that was hit was downtown along the river and the napa creek area. even the napa wine train and the cinedome that were shown on CNN were back running within a week.

Mamie316
Member

07-08-2003

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 3:09 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mamie316 a private message Print Post    
I love the Oakville Grocery!

Butrflynet
Member

12-29-2003

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 3:16 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Butrflynet a private message Print Post    
Here's their website in case you want to get a head start on that shopping list to take with you:

http://www.oakvillegrocery.com/

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 3:42 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
oh, definitely get a driver!

Butrflynet
Member

12-29-2003

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 4:14 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Butrflynet a private message Print Post    
Here are a couple more websites for places that have been mentioned:

Sonoma Cheese Factory

http://www.sonomajack.com/

and Copia, The American Center for Wine, Cheese and the Arts:

http://www.copia.org/

Azriel
Member

08-01-2000

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 6:54 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Azriel a private message Print Post    
I hadn't even thought about the drinking and driving. They have tour drivers? Does anyone have any info on good ones? If you all hadn't reminded me we would have gotten there and I would have been stuck being the designated driver because I will not ride with someone that has been drinking. :-)

Azriel
Member

08-01-2000

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 7:04 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Azriel a private message Print Post    
Texannie thanks for the first hand info. I want to go to Domaine Chandon for sure. I'm going to send the links for both places to my brother.

Butrflynet, thanks for the hotel and shopping link. The Copia looks like a cool place, so does the Oakville grocery and cheese factory.

I'm starting to get really excited, now. Thank you all for the great info. I knew I could count on all of you. This is the best message board ever! :-)