California – San Francisco and the Sonoma Valley
September 11, 2010
We left home about 5:30 am to catch the shuttle to the Philadelphia Airport. When I woke Bob at 4:00 he said “let’s not do this again”. We left our car at the motel where we were catching the shuttle and Shirley will pick it up on Monday and then take it back next Saturday.
We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. We ate breakfast at a little Mexican place not to far from our gate. I had a sausage, cheese and egg sandwich on an English muffin. Bob had a Brunch Taco with home fires and we both had orange juice.
Our plane left at 8:50 right on time. Amazingly it was about 10 minutes early arriving in Denver for our layover. We had about a 2 hour layover there so we ate lunch at another Mexican restaurant at the Denver airport. We both had Queseadas and coke.
We left Denver at 12:55 and arrived in San Francisco about 10 minutes late. The whole flight was painless. Bob and I both read most of the time on the plane and I did do a little stitching. I started a PS Christmas ornament. The time just seemed to fly by.
I am writing this as Bob is in line to get our car rental processes. We did have a scare at baggage claim as one of our bags was missing. Someone must have taken it off the carrousel thinking it was theirs and not put it back and it was put aside. We were sent to the claim office to report it missing and found it right outside the door.
Once we got our car we had no problems finding our hotel, The Columbus Motor Inn, thanks to the GPS I had brought with us. This is the same place we stayed 10 years ago when we came to California. We checked in and rested for a little while before walking down to Fisherman’s Wharf for dinner. We walked around for a little while before deciding on a place to eat. We ate dinner at Fisherman’s Grotto and it was wonderful.
Bob had a Gin & Tonic; we shared a Dungeness Crab Cocktail. Bob’s entrée was Filet of Sole Marguery (he said it was one of the best things he has ever eaten). He also had a glass of wine with dinner. I had Dungeness crab cakes with pasta and broccoli and carrots.
Then we went walking. I bought a Tee Shirt for Barb and one for myself. It was a really chilly night and Bob didn’t have a jacket. He found a jacket he liked so he bought it. Thank goodness because he needed it on Sunday morning. Then we went to Ghirardelli Square and bought some chocolate and stopped and had an ice cream cone. I had Espresso Chip and Bob had chocolate.
Bob had called his brother when we got to the hotel this afternoon. Jeff called back shortly after we returned to the room for the night. We are going to go to his place on Monday before going to the Sonoma Valley.
9/12/2010 Sunday
Today is Alcatraz Day!!!!!!
We got up early, 7:00AM, and walked towards Pier 33 looking for a place to have breakfast. We stopped to take some pictures of a trolley that was turning around. Finally we found an iHop and decided we better eat there or we would miss our boat to The Rock. We both had the same thing, OJ, Hot Tea and 2 eggs, home fries and I had a piece of toast. (Bob doesn’t eat toast).
Then we continued our walk to Pier 33 where we picked up our tickets for Alcatraz, which I had ordered over the internet several months ago.
We boarded our boat for the 10 minute ride to Alcatraz. Took lots of pictures looking back at San Francisco, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. SF is such a beautiful city. Got off the boat and listened to a mandatory speech about the island and its history. From its beginning when it was used to protect San Francisco from the Spanish to the Civil War when it protected SF from possible invasion from the Confederacy. After the Civil War it was used as a military prison until it was made a Federal Penitentiary in the for the worst of the worst such as Al Capone. It was closed in and left to decay until the Native Americans took it over in 1960-1971. Once they left it remained unused until the National Park Service took it over and started tours. OK enough of the history lesson. We walked and we walked and we walked some more. It was all up hill and then all down hill. We mad a really stupid mistake by not getting the self guided audio tour. But all in al it was very interesting. We got back to SF about 1:00. Bob then decided he wanted to go to China Town for lunch and then walk around. After about 10:15 blocks of walking mostly uphill we finally got to China Town. One street was straight uphill and it was all I could to get all the way up it. It was about 2:30 before we reached China Town. By then I had to go to the bathroom very bad and I was hungry so I WAS NOT a happy camper. We found a little Chinese place and went in to have something to eat.
Iris - Prawns with Cashews (YUM)
Bob – Prawns with Sweet & Sour Sauce (that was even Yummier)
And I went to the bathroom. I know more information than you need.
After lunch we walked around a little bit even though my feet were killing me. Bob was looking for something he can no longer find at home. Finally found some and bout 3 cans of it. We stopped in a bakery and bought a piece of Tiramisu to share later.
Then walked the 8 or so blocks back to our hotel.
My feet hurt so bad I couldn’t do anything but lay on the bed with my feet elevated. I sat there and watched football. Seemed funny watching Sunday Night football at 5:00 in the afternoon. About 6:30 Bob went across the street to an Indian Restaurant called Indian Curry House and got us some take-out for dinner. We shared Naam Flatbread, Chicken Sagwala and then we shared the Tiramisu we had gotten earlier in the day.
After dinner I started watching a PBS mystery on TV but didn’t see much of it. I don’t think Bob saw any of it.
September 13 Monday
We got up about 7: oo and started getting things around to checkout. Then we walked down the street to get some breakfast.
Iris – Egg, cheese and ham sandwich with has browns and hot tea (not very good)
Bob – french toast (which he sad was very good) and hot tea.
Then off to San Pablo to see Bob’s brother Jeff. Jeff lives on the property of a friend from collage. He lives in a one room building up the hill from their house. They recently built another building next to the one Jeff lives in and made it into a bathroom Jeff recently started raising ducks for their eggs so we visited the ducks and looked at his garden and then he fixed us lunch. We had duck egg omelets and some home made bread. I was surprised that the duck egg omelet was very good.
We left shortly after lunch as Jeff had to get ready to go to work. So off we went to Sonoma County and the Hyatt Vineyard in Santa Rosa. We got there right about 3:00 when our room was suppose to be ready but it wasn’t so we decided to go to the bar and have a drink. I got a coke and Bob ordered a Gin & Tonic. When we went to pay for them they told us it was on the house since our room wasn’t ready on time. If I would have known that I would have gotten something stronger than a coke. After we checked in we sat out on our patio making a list of wineries we wanted to visit and trying to decide where we wanted to eat dinner.
Well we decided to go the Brasserie for dinner. It is the restaurant associated with the Hyatt Vineyards where we are staying.
Iris and Bob shared Crispy Calamari
Iris – Fish and Chips, Le Crema Chardonnay, Gelato Chocolate for dessert.
Bob – Gin & Tonic, Mushroom Pasta with chicken, Taft Street Rose, Gingersnap Canolis for dessert
Then we just went back to the room and relaxed and went to bed early.
September 14 Tuesday
Part of our package at the Hyatt includes breakfast so we will be eating breakfast here every morning. This will save us a little money every day and the breakfast menu looks pretty good.
Bob – OJ, hot tea, smoked salmon, cream cheese on a toasted bagel
Iris – OJ, hot tea, toasted bagel with cream cheese
Now we are going out wining.
We spent the day wine tasting in the Healdsburg area. After driving to Healdsburg we realized we had left the camera back at the hotel so we have no pictures from today. We visited the following wineries: Seghesio, LaCrema, Toads Hallow, Mauritson, Dry Creek and Hop Kiln. We bought about 15 bottles of wine. The wineries cannot ship to Pennsylvania because of our stupid State Store Laws but we had no problems taking them to the UPS store and shipping them to ourselves.
We ate lunch at Costeaux French Bakery and we both had Smoked Duck Sandwich which was absolutely wonderful. I had an Iced Tea and bob had MacMurray Pinot Noir. I bought some biscotti to have tonight after dinner with a cup of tea.
It was a wonderful day driving around to the different wineries, tasting the wine, and meeting people who were friendly and gave us some advise as to which wineries to try and which ones to visit because of how beautiful the grounds are.
Dinner tonight was Mexican. The people at the front desk of the hotel recommended this place.
LaBuffa
Iris – Shrimp Burrito and a diet coke
Bob – Cameromes Ranchero and Dos Equis (beer)
Tea and biscotti were served about 9:00 by Bob.
September 15, Wednesday
We had breakfast at the hotel restaurant after sleeping in until about 8:00.
Iris – Sticky bun French toast and hot tea.
Bob – Crab Cake eggs Benedict, with potatoes, OJ and hot tea.
Spent the day wining again. I am all wined out. Today we went to Glen Ellen and Kenwood and visited, Arrow wood, B.R Cohn, Valley of the Moon, Chateau St. Jean, St. Francis and Ledson.
We had lunch at a little place called Olives & Wine after some lively discussion. Bob wanted to eat at an Indian restaurant and I didn’t. He was mad at me for a while after I said I didn’t want to eat at the Indian place.
Bob – Ahai Tuna sandwich with a spicy pasta salad and a coke.
Iris – Chicken Pesto Panni and spicy pasta salad.
Then we stopped at Wine Country Chocolates and of course we had to buy some. I bought a small box to bring home for Jane, the marketing person at work and we also bought a box for ourselves.
I was so tired at tired at this point I just wanted to lie down and go to sleep. We drove back to the hotel and relaxed and discussed where we would be going for dinner tonight. We decided on a little Dim Sum place.
Dinner tonight was at Hang Ali Dim Sum and here is a list of the things Bob and I shared:
Pot Stickers, Roasted Duck, Steamed Beef rolls (horrible), Steamed BBQ Pork Bun, Chive Shrimp dumplings,Chiu Chow Steamed Dumplings, Shrimp Stuffed Mushrooms, Pot of Chinese tea
September 16 Thursday
WOW it is Thursday already
Breakfast at the Hotel
Bob – OJ, Hot tea, Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese on a toasted bagel
Iris – Hot tea, some of Bob’s OJ, 2 eggs over medium, sausage, home fries and English muffin
I didn’t eat very much; I just didn’t feel very good. My ears were so clogged and I could barely hear and I had a terrible headache.
Today we just went sight seeing. Driving west on Highway 12 to Route 1 then up Route 1 (Route 1 is also called the Costal Highway as it goes from Southern California to Washington) stopping at different beaches to enjoy the scenery and the ocean. It was very foggy over the ocean but we have some good pictures. Then we turned east unto Route 16. We stopped in Duncan Mills on the advice of someone at an information center we had stopped at after turning on Route 1. It was a bust. We did have lunch there. I had a Hamburger with blue cheese, French fries and iced tea. Bob had an Oyster PoBoy, French fries and Coke.
Walked around Duncan Mills for a few minutes and then headed to Armstrong Redwood State Reserve. Walked around there after visiting the gift shop and buying a 2011 calendar, some post cards and some wildflower seeds. The forest was so beautiful and quiet and it is astounding how large these trees get. After the walk through the forest we headed back to Santa Rosa. We walked from our hotel to the downtown shops to browse the antique shops. We like to get a candle stick on our travels. I finally found an amber one, in the last shop we went into, I liked. It looks like Depression Glass but I don’t know if it really is. Walked back to the hotel and stopped in the bar for a drink.
We decided to go somewhere really nice for dinner after all we are celebrating our 25th Wedding Anniversary. So we went to John Ash $ Co. in Santa Rosa.
We shared Lobster “like Escargot” It was delicious
Iris – Pinot Noir, Veal chops encrusted with Sage butter, squash stuffed with mushroom Duexelle, Potato & Cheese AuGratin
Bob – Duck with Plum Sauce, wild and bastmante rice, Kindee Pinot Noir
Then we shared dessert of Gelato Vanilla for me and Strawberry Basil for Bob
It was a wonderful dinner. We sat out on the enclosed porch and could see the vineyards and then when it started getting dark outside the porch was strung with white lights and just looked so pretty. Our waiter was great and friendly. It was a most enjoyable evening.
September 17, Friday
Breakfast – OJ, tea and crab cakes egg Benedict with home fries. Bob and I shared the egg Benedict and it was a perfect amount.
After breakfast we finished packing and checked out of the hotel. Then we drove back to Hop Kiln Winery. This was one of the wineries we had visited on Tuesday when we forgot our camera and Bob wanted some pictures of it. He thought the building was interesting. Then we stopped at Wilson Winery and bought 2 more bottles of wine. After Wilson we stopped at one more winery, Ferrari-Carano and it was absolutely beautiful. This is one of the wineries that the ladies I met on Tuesday told me to visit as the grounds were spectacular and it did not disappoint us. No wine tasting at this one, I think Bob bought some chocolate bars but that was it.
After that we headed to San Francisco. We dropped our luggage at the motel we had reserved for tonight and then drove the car back to Hertz. The Best Western has a shuttle to and from the airport so we took the blue train to the airport and then got the shuttle to the motel. We went to dinner at the hotel restaurant called Terrace Café.
Iris – Sabastini Chardonnay, Stuffed chicken breast with prosciutto and cheese, mashed potatoes, which I didn’t eat, baby carrots and Peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream
Bob – Rodney Strong Merlot, lamb chops, rice pilaf, baby carrots and lemon sorbet.
September 18, Saturday
We got picked up at 6:00 to go to the airport where we ate breakfast. We both had an egg and cheese croissant with bacon and shared a bottle of OJ.
Our flight to Phoenix left right on time. And we arrived in Phoenix right on time. We had a 2 hour layover in Phoenix and then an additional 20 minute or so delay. We ate lunch at a Mexican Restaurant at the airport.
Iris – Shredded chicken soft taco, refried beans and a diet coke
Bob – shredded beef burrito, some of my refried beans and a coke
We arrived in Philadelphia airport about 9:20, got the shuttle and arrived home a little after 11:00.
We were both glad to be home.
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| Ferrari Carano |
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| Ferrai Carano |
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| Bob and the pig at Ferrari Carano |
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| Driving on Route 1 up the coast. It was a foggy morning but beautiful |
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| More of the Pacific Ocean |
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| Driving up Route 1 |
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| The weather and the view gets better and better |
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| Another shot of the Pacific |
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| Armstrong Redwood Reserve |
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| Bob and Parson Jones |
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| A flower we saw that we both though was beautiful |
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| Arrowood Winery |
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Hop Kiln We visited this winery on Tuesday but we had forgotten our camera. Bob though it was an interesting
buiding se we went back on Friday to take a picture. |
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| B.R. Cohn |
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| We can't remember which wnery this was. |
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| St Francis Winery |
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| Jeff & Iris |
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| Jeff's ducks |
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| Cable Car |
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| San Franciso from the boat to Alcatraz |
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| Cell Block in Alcatraz |
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Alcatraz from the boat going back to San Franciso
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