I left my heart...

in Atlanta I think. 4 days after our Pigeon Family Reunion, W & I left the kids with Grams & Granddaddy (Marietta), and jetted out to San Francisco to celebrate our 15th Anniversary (actually on June 28th). Wendy went as a kid and I'd driven through in college but neither of us had done a proper tour. Figured it's so close to wine country, we'd do that as well. Our friends (especially Mike McGirr & Mary Ann Frerman) gave us great suggestions of places to visit and wineries to avoid. We did our best with our 5 days to cover it all.

I smell chowder!

Got in Monday around noon their time and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Fisherman's Wharf (thanks Priceline). Hotel was well located but we quickly learned that FW is kinda the west coast's version of PCB. Tourists were everywhere and you could almost smell the airbrush t-shirt shops. It was worth a look but, other than Boudin's Bakery and the crazy Mechanical Games museum, there was little that amazed (though multiple shops side-by-side who sold chowder in sourdough bowls was quite unique).

From an overlook bridge, it's quite scenic looking to Alcatraz.

They do amazing things with dough at Boudin's

Great dinner at Tadich Grill (truly old school) was the highlight of the day. Next day we biked (tandem) across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito. Then we took the ferry back. Other than the flat tire on the bike - hour delay - and the foggy bridge view, it was pretty cool. Amazed by the change in temp just crossing the bridge. In SF, high of 70 with a cold breeze. In Sausalito, felt like 80 and sunny. Definitely liked the climate on the other side of the bridge.

Cioppino

Sand Dabs

Dinner was quite good. W coveted the dinnerware since it's so like the plates we own. They didn't offer us any, so we just took our food and left... stuffed.

Gone-o

Pumping up the tire that's soon to be flat.

Having nice Germans capture our picturesque day.

Sausalito from the ferry.

Lombard crooked street from the top.

So after we get back from extensive bike ride, ferry trip, tour of Ferry Building farmers' market, and more we hit the streets walking up Lombard Street (crookedest street with craziest tourists) and then through North Beach (stopover at Rogue Brewery Bar) to Coit Tower (top of big hill with WPA paintings depicting San Francisco history and hard-working folks). Lots of walking and sightseeing but Wendy's always got room for Asian. She finds a way to pack away what looks like a stir fried 2.5 pound lobster at Kim Thanh before turning in. Next day, it's off to Sonoma and Healdsburg.

If you're going to Cali and doing wine country, shouldn't you do it right?

So my physical therapist friend Leah suggests getting a rental car from the airport and then just dropping off when flying out. Good idea. Of course, I think convertible is the way to go and the Mustang looks good on Wendy. From SF, it's only an hour or so to wine country. We hit 3 wineries on our way to Healdsburg - Porter Creek, Arista, and Davero of the Russian River Valley. Pic above taken at Arista which is about as Hollywood as you could ever imagine a winery. THE place to have your wedding photos taken, even if you didn't get married there. Porter Creek was a shack in the vineyards and biodynamic to boot. Gave us the suggestion to hit DaVero which was probably our favorite and said their Sangrantino was his favorite wine. Folks there talked real farm stuff, biodynamic health, and good times."Special" wine was not poured but available for $100 a bottle. Never found it anywhere but makes me want to taste it so bad.

Camellia Inn & hats rule!

Pool makes wine tasting tolerable

Innkeeper at Camellia Inn was great and town of Healdsburg was freakish in that it seemed almost a "set" for shooting where winelovers would go. Little town square, multiple restaurants catering to higher-end tastes, and an easygoing feeling seemed one-of-a-kind. Day 2 we'd head out for a few more wines in a lazy way.

We started with J Winery (officially Russian River Valley) and some sparkly champagnes. W was blown away by the service but, to be honest, it's a bit corporate and they know how to engage you and get you excited. Remember, they all want you to join their wine club. We bought the most expensive bottle of wine/bubbly there ($100 which is a lot for us).

Cat wants my baguette lunch I brought

Next we were off to Dry Creek Valley. Preston of Dry Creek was gorgeous. If you wanted a "real" feel for your event, unlike the Disneyesque Arista, Preston is the place. Farm, outdoor brick oven, gorgeous fruit trees, and even more make this a place to visit and, hopefully, be invited for a special event. Their sign saying "Groups of 8 or less Welcome" give you the idea that they don't want the bus tours. Go if you can. Just down the country road from them is Bella and their wine cave. Have to say, though a gimmick, it's powerful to go into a cave underneath the vines where the wine is made. Beautiful setting and a cool, relaxing tasting in a cool cavern can sell a lot of wine. FYI, most tastings are around $10 for 3-5. You can share tastings, which we did since we were driving. If you like to drink lots of wine during the day, get a driver and plan to spend some money on tastings.

An evening of swimming - to cool off - and tapas finished off the day just fine. Tomorrow we'd head back to SF. Our route was due West toward the coast. Stopping by Armstrong Woods to be awed by the gigantic redwoods, and a random stop at Korbel for breakfast champagne, made for a good start to the day.

So from there we headed toward the coast. Didn't realize the micro-climates we'd endure. Thought we'd head west, have some oysters around Point Reyes and then drive south to SF. No idea that we'd run into the Scottish moors on the way to SF. When we left Healdsburg the temp was around 90+. By the time we hit Hwy 1 near Point Reyes, temp was about 58. Fog rolling in and chill off the water made it unfathomable as to who would want to live there. Oysters were AMAZING but, again, why live there?

 Ok, so the seals were kinda cute but it's still pretty desolate and damn cold. Hwy 1 is a wondrous drive but exhausting for a long time. High cliffs and ocean views are beauteous but the height of the switchbacks can be daunting. Either way, we made it back to SF to stay near downtown for our last night, after visiting 826 and Wendy's wonderful friend Tara. Morning brought a wander around Chinatown and drive to the airport. Good time had by all!

Goodbye San  Francisco!