Our Favorite Getaway Place!

If you are there for pleasure, plan to stay in the Fisherman's Wharf area. There's so much to see and do all within walking distance and when you want to visit China Town, Downtown, or Union Square, the Cable Car is only a few steps away.

While downtown, make a trip to the top of the Bank of America building and have a cocktail at the Carnelian Room. The view of the city is incredible, especially at sunset.

Make sure to take the boat to Sausalito and spend the afternoon shopping and work up a big appetite for Angelino's Italian Restaurant. Rent a car for the day and drive down scenic Rt. 1 to Carmel. It is such a beautiful town, and the drive down is breathtaking.

Lunch at Little Napoli Bistro was unbelievably good and very reasonably priced. The staff couldn't do enough to make our luncheon memorable and enjoyable and they succeeded! Magnifico!! Alcatraz is very interesting and definitely worth a few hours out of your day. If you like wine, then book a trip to Napa or Sonoma for a day of wine tasting. Ceja Winery and Beuller's were two small wineries that were outstanding and had reasonable priced wines to ship home. Cakebread also gives a good tour and explains all the steps to making a tasty wine.

I could go on and on about the various things in SF, but one not to miss is the Buena Vista for their world-famous Irish coffee. Don't miss this one! It sits across the street from the turn-around for the Hyde Street Cable Car - great breakfast and the Irish coffees are super any time of day! We leave a little piece of our hearts in San Francisco every time we visit there!

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We booked a limo tour to Napa Valley and visited several wineries. We began our day by stopping at Ceja Winery--and what a way to start. Amelia Ceja, president of this family-owned and -operated winery (also Woman of The Year for the state of California) was an absolute delight. Her love for wine making, her land, and her product are so evident in the enthusiasm she eludes as she describes each and every wine. Her wines were crisp, clean, and delicious. She had us carry our tasting glass of Chardonnay outside the patio to the vines and then taste the ripened fruit right from the vine. We had an indescribable taste, not what you find in the grocery store. It was a great experience.

We visited larger wineries as well and learned so much about the process, visiting the vats to the aging caves, which was very interesting. Our last winery was another small family-owned winery, Beuller Winery, and what a great discovery it was. We actually got to look down into the vats and see the fermentation process working. The grandson of the founder took us on our tour, and he was such a delightful and cute young man.

Their wines were so reasonable priced and every bit as good as those costing two or three times as much. A great value! If you enjoy wine and you have the time, take the tour--the limo is the way to go. After a day of tasting, you sure do not need to be behind the wheel of car. This is our fourth trip to wine country and the second in a limo. The drivers are so knowledgeable and very accommodating. It's a great way to go!