We had little more than a week to fulfill a recurring dream -- taste Northern California living. We decided we could absorb the most from the coast by dividing our meal into four courses.
The main course would revolve around our vacation capital of San Francisco, where we planned to spend about half of our time. We would devote the remaining days to the wine country of Napa Valley, the coastal city of Carmel and Marin County, which is connected to San Francisco to the north by the fabled Golden Gate Bridge.
On the first leg of the trip, we stayed with friends who moved several years ago to San Francisco from Baltimore. Besides saving us several hundred dollars in lodging expense -- the cheapest places in town charge in the $70-$80 range per night -- they came in handy as tour guides, steering us away from the well-traveled paths of other tourists.
Upon our arrival, we learned firsthand about some staples of city living, namely summer fog, wind, cool, variable temperatures and a landscape of steep hills that provide vistas everywhere. There is no better place for such an introduction than Twin Peaks, located in the city's center, nearly 1,000 feet above sea level.
At the airport, the temperature was 60 degrees, a pleasant departure from the Baltimore heat wave we'd escaped. But by the time we reached Twin Peaks, we needed sweat shirts and jackets to brace ourselves against the wind-chilled, 45-degree air. People we assumed to be natives wore parkas while peering through telescopes to get closer views of the city. And what views they were, clear to the San Francisco Bay in the north and east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west.
Our friends reside in the Richmond district, an ideal spot located in the city's northwest section. Just to the south is 1,000-acre Golden Gate Park, San Francisco's more intimate answer to New York's Central Park. A five-minute drive west puts you on the Pacific Coast.
Our first full day greeted us with fog and morning chill, and we set about exploring Richmond on foot. We checked out the ornate Victorian homes (another city staple) in Richmond, then sampled some of the strongest, richest mocha java we'd ever tasted in one of the city's hundreds of inviting coffeehouses. After that pick-me-up, it was time to ride.
We rented bikes, and rode to the coast, specifically the section of the Golden Gate National Recreational Area that lines the South Bay, which flows into the Pacific. The overlooks along China Beach and Baker Beach provided us with wonderful stopping points. Then it was onto the hiking/biking trails that wind through Land's End in Lincoln Park, where we broke for lunch.
The temperature had risen a bit, and the fog had begun to break. As a result, we could see most of the Golden Gate Bridge to our right. At Land's End, we decided to carry our bikes up a steep hill, where we reached a series of rocks that seemed a perfect setting for the lunch we'd packed in the morning. For the next hour, we refreshed ourselves and rested, while watching sea lions frolic in the bay below as the fog dissipated. The sun gradually broke through. A chilly, gloomy morning had given way to a gorgeous day.
We spent the rest of the afternoon meandering through Golden Gate Park, where cars, joggers, bikers and in-line skaters jockeyed casually for room. The park is loaded with visual treats. The ones that especially grabbed us were the Japanese Tea Garden, a four-acre village of small ponds, streams and flowering shrubs; and a large buffalo paddock, where we went eyeball-to-eyeball with these massive beasts.
A visit to San Francisco eventually must include shopping and browsing, so we decided to devote our next day to the northern waterfront. We started at Fort Mason and walked east along the waterfront to Fisherman's Wharf, a shopper's paradise. Don't miss Ghirardelli Square, once the brick factory where the famous chocolate was made and now the home of an inviting collection of shops, restaurants and galleries.
On the wharf
The wharf food is outstanding. The seafood restaurants come highly recommended, but on a sunny, 70-degree day, we sampled sidewalk crab counters that offered take-away shrimp and crab cocktails. We then made our way up to Pier 39, one of the wharf's more popular stops. We watched migrating sea lions basking and playing on an enclosed part of the pier. During mid-winter, several hundred often show up.
For $11, we took the ferry across the bay to Sausalito and Tiburon, located at the southern end of Marin County. There, some of Northern California's most expensive Victorian mansions dot the bay's shoreline. After a brief taste of Marin County -- a memorable snack by the bay, followed by a stroll through the Sausalito streets that led us to the town's picturesque yacht club, we resolved to explore Marin in more depth the next day.
The next morning, we donned our hiking shoes, loaded our backpacks with lunch and drove across the Golden Gate into Marin County. We took our first exit to Route 1, a must-drive venue anywhere in Northern California. For maximum enjoyment of the spectacular ocean views, leave the driving to someone else.
We cruised north on Route 1 for about a half hour before passing Stinson Beach, then wound our way to Point Reyes National Seashore, which separates the Pacific from the rest of Marin County. Does premier bird-watching appeal to you? Whale watching? Exotic birds? Sea lions? Secluded beaches? Foliage and wildflowers of uncommon color? Stunning rock formations? Take your pick from among the two dozen trails on Point Reyes, and you can whet your appetite for the area.
We chose the Arch Rock trail, an easy-to-moderate four-mile walk to Arch Rock, which towers among a slew of smaller but impressive formations on the coast. The trail took us on a 90-minute jaunt through lovely woods and brought us to the rock. After taking in the Pacific gleaming in the brilliant sun, we made our way about a hundred feet down a ravine to the beach, where we had lunch.
By the time we hiked the four miles back to the car, we were tired but ready for an unforgettable detour to the Marin Headlands on our way back to the city. A former military installation -- we inspected massive World War II artillery emplacements that were never used -- the Headlands are located just across the bay from San Francisco. Here, atop these steep, grassy, poppy-strewn hills are the postcard views of the city skyline, with the Golden Gate in the foreground.
We had worked up quite an appetite, and that brought us back to where we had started the day before, to the northern waterfront, specifically to the Greens at Fort Mason, a popular vegetarian restaurant. This was one trendy stop worth every penny or, in this case, $36 a head for a five-course, prix-fixe dinner. It featured organically grown vegetables fresh from Marin County, impeccable service, and an incredible sunset over the Golden Gate.
Speaking of food, San Francisco is surprisingly easy on the wallet in this area. Just don't go to places like the Greens every night, or even to the in-vogue Chinatown. You can address your palate with any type of cuisine, at reasonable prices. At Neecha's, a cozy Thai restaurant in Japantown, we enjoyed a three-course taste explosion for $15. For the money, nothing could top the huge, $3.50 burritos that we sampled in the Mission district. Then there are the countless fruit and vegetable stands that offer fresh-grown produce year-round at great prices.
Wine country
Napa Valley beckoned the next day. As we headed north through Marin County, turning gradually inland to the east into Napa County, we felt a dramatic change in climate. By the time we arrived in Calistoga, at the northern head of the valley, the temperature was 95 -- 30 degrees higher than what we'd left behind some 90 minutes earlier in San Francisco.
The drive up Route 29, which cuts through the valley, offered a scenic view. Nearly 200 wineries dot the landscape, dominated by hills and colorful vegetation in the places where no grapes are growing.
We arrived in Calistoga, where we checked into the Foothill House, a luxurious bed-and-breakfast set in a turn-of-the-century farmhouse. Calistoga is famous for its mineral water and hot springs. Within two hours, we were being pampered like never before at Golden Haven Hot Springs. For $76 apiece, we enjoyed a mud bath, a hot mineral Jacuzzi treatment and a blanket wrap, followed by a one-hour, full-body Swedish massage.
The next morning, we tried two wineries, V. Sattui and Beringer. Both were treasures. V. Sattui offers wine that is sold only on the premises. The 130-year-old Beringer vineyard boasts the stately Rhine Mansion -- hand-carved oak, walnut and opulent stained glass are among its fascinations. The 45-minute tour, which included a walk through the limestone tunnels where the wines mature, was informative and fun.
We pointed south again, this time for Carmel. Once again, the drive provided a visual adventure, especially on southbound Route 1. More gorgeous ocean views ushered us through Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz.
Just before we reached Carmel, we took an interesting detour near the Monterey Peninsula. For $6, we sampled the scenic, 17-mile drive through the Del Monte Forest. To the left were multi-million dollar homes and several golf courses, including the famous Pebble Beach. To the right were numerous stunning points of interest along the Pacific coast. Our favorites included Seal and Bird Rocks, home to countless shoreline birds, as well as offshore sea lions and harbor seals; and the Lone Cypress, among the world's only surviving cypress trees, which grows defiantly out of rock formations several million years old.
We proceeded on to Carmel, where the weather had cooled once more, although we were told the 65-degree days we enjoyed were about 10 degrees above normal. We checked into the Cobblestone Inn, where we were welcomed warmly into the airy, French-country surroundings. The inn features 24 rooms among two stories, with a balcony surrounding a courtyard and patio that includes an English garden. More than 50 varieties of flowers dazzle the eye.
A room at the inn
Our room included a fireplace, hand-stenciled walls and a roomy sitting area. The staff could not have been more helpful. The breakfasts -- muffins, omelets and more -- were fabulous. Tea, coffee and snacks were offered, self-serve, nearly around the clock. The patio provided a reading area under the afternoon sun.
More than 4,000 people reside in Carmel, which measures only one square mile and boasts head-turning wealth. We found a three-bedroom, two-story house one block from the beach for sale. Asking price: $2 million. And we'd never seen so many colorful flowers per block any place. Still, once we got past the shops and galleries, most of which contained little we could afford, we compared the place to an empty box covered by exquisite wrapping paper.
We found much more fulfillment the next day among the wildlife, four miles from Carmel at Point Lobos, a state reserve with about a dozen hiking trails. There, we explored four trails, observing such natural wonders as nesting brown pelicans, sea otters playing on the rocks below us, and gray squirrels who boldly approached us, seemingly posing for pictures.
By the time we got back to San Francisco the next day, night was approaching and fog had enveloped the city. The temperature had dropped into the 50s. After a trip to the Mission district for a burrito dinner, the Pacific beckoned one last time. We parked just below Land's End. The wind whipped off the water, blowing right through our sweat shirts and blankets as we huddled on the rocks, listening to the soothing sounds of water crashing below and of foghorns sounding back and forth between the Golden Gate Bridge and approaching ships. They don't write songs better than that.
On our final day, we explored the city's Haight-Ashbury district. A day in "the Haight" reveals much about the entire city's character. San Francisco is a place of tolerance, where people of variant lifestyles and ethnicity mingle freely. The Haight has it all -- yuppies eager to spend money in the trendy restaurants and eclectic boutiques, hippie types, some of whom are running the stores, and sad-looking street people who appear stuck in the '60s.
There is an independence, a looseness to the place that is palpable. You won't find any chain stores there. You will find shops, bars and restaurants of unusual taste and character. We found a T-shirt shop we liked. But when we returned 30 minutes later, the owner had left a "Gone Fishin' " sign on the door. He had closed early to see the Grateful Dead, who were scheduled to perform nearby that night. We were too amused to be angry.
Several hours later, we sat on the runway at San Francisco International Airport, preparing for the five-hour flight east. We were tired, having slept sparingly for the past several nights. We were satisfied that, in 10 frenetic days, we had tasted as much of Northern California as possible. And we agreed that we were not ready to come home.