San Francisco Part 2

Here is the rest of the recap of our great trip!

Sunday
We started the day with a yummy brunch at Pinecrest Diner on the same block as our hotel (P's team had eaten there a few times before). Then we walked to Alamo to pick up our Chevy Impala and made our way to Napa Valley. It was a beautiful and easy drive.

Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on our way to Napa Valley!

Two of the partners at P's firm mentioned how much they loved Hall wines and had ordered it at a team dinner earlier in the week so we knew we would start there and we're so glad we did! I'm not a huge red wine drinker but I loved the Cabernet Sauvignon at Hall. They had recently opened a new facility that was very modern and set up so that visitors could enjoy the best views of the vineyards while enjoying a tasting (and we did!).

Our tasting menu. We did not buy the $125 bottle but the tasting was amazing!

Overcast view of the vineyard from the tasting room.

After buying a bottle of the cab we headed up the road to Beauvieu Vineyard which got high reviews from Food & Wine magazine and is one of the oldest vineyards in the area. We had the BEST time during this testing. Our guide, Brad, was so knowledgeable and made us feel so welcome. He snuck in some additional tastings and made the whole experience so fun. In fact he was so good at his job that we joined a wine of the month club with the vineyard! We are not wine snobs by any means but we are excited to try some of Napa's finest over the next year. I'll keep you posted on how that goes. By the time we were done with the tasting we were in need of some food and walked over to Rutherford restaurant for some much needed food....and another glass of wine. We took our time eating and drinking lots of water before heading back to San Francisco.

P passed the ultimate the driving test by navigating through Lombard Street on our way to the car rental return. He was a champ!

At the top of Lombard Street

Thumbs up after making our way down!

As I'm sure you can guess, more naps were needed before another dinner in North Beach (we loved this neighborhood). We had some of the best thin crust pizza I've ever had.

Monday
While our family and friends were getting slammed with snow and ice back east, we had one more day to enjoy San Francisco. One of the things at the top of "must do" list was Alcatraz. We were too late getting tickets for Friday so when our trip was extended we immediately pre-bought tickets for a tour on Monday. Our trip to the island started at 11am. I highly recommend the audio guided tour (it's included in the ticket price). We didn't take any pictures of the inside of the prison (I felt weird about it) but the island has beautiful views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge.

View of Alcatraz from the ferry ride over.

Listening to the tour and taking in the view.

View of the Golden Gate Bridge from Alcatraz.

By the time we got the ferry back to pier it was about 2:30pm and we were starving. P loves In-N-Out burgers (who doesn't?!) so we agreed that would be the perfect last lunch on the west coast. After lunch we took the trolley car back to our hotel for....you guessed it, a nap! After doing a little packing and changing, we headed out for a later dinner at Foreign Cinema in Mission District. This restaurant was recommended to us by multiple people and it did not disappoint! We sat in the covered patio where a film is projected on the back wall. Both P and I enjoyed our dinners (steak for him, risotto for me) but I honestly loved the romantic setting more. We capped the night off with one last drink in the hotel bar before finishing packing.

The perfect spot for a romantic dinner to end our trip.

This was one of the best vacations we have ever had. It was the perfect balance of relaxation and exploration. What made it even better was that I got to bring P home with me! I can't wait for our next adventure!