The city by the bay - San Francisco

I was sorry to be leaving Yosemite for San Francisco. I don't think it would have mattered much where we were headed I still would have felt that way. Although I really enjoyed SF last time we came the only reason we were headed there this time around was to spend time with my family as it was their first visit. The biggest things that stuck out in my mind were the cold, the wind and the fog. Well once again SF delivered. We arrived at night driving over the Bay Bridge toward the lit up city before us. It was cold. It was windy. It was foggy. Having just come from 30+ temperatures in Yosemite we all were feeling the chill of the city by the bay.

D&I woke the next morning with the rest of the group already on their tour to Alcatraz, which we did last visit. With nothing planned we decided to walk to Union Square for lunch and some shopping at the always fabulous Ross. We were staying in the SOMA district which I had already read on Tripadvisor had a lot of homeless - it was correct. It wasn't that I didn't feel safe walking the streets but it just felt dirty and hopeless there. I guess it's all part of the experience but in comparison to where we stayed last time, this was down right dodgy. That being said, The Americania hotel was really clean and decorated in a modern 50's theme. By the time we got back it was time to leave for our first MLB Game at AT&T stadium. Giants vs Diamondbacks. Unfortunately Giants lost and we paid like $20 each for a hotdog pretzel and beer but we all had a great time getting into the spirit and watching the neverending fog float past!



AT&T Park was just awesome, right on the water



Lets Go Giants!

C'mon Giants bring the heat we're FREEZING up here!!!

I woke up early the next morning and decided to check our email.... BINGO - there was D's approval into Canada in black and white. I shook him awake and told him the news - we lamely coolly high fived in the dark and giggled at how excited we were that our dreams were unfolding piece by piece before our eyes. Despite my happiness part of me was also sad, as it confirmed that I will not be returning home. Maybe some wine to drown my sorrows?

Ye-yah it was wine tour day! We were off to Sonoma and Napa Valleys. D and I had wanted to go there since watching the movie Bottleshock - yep most of our obsessions originated from movies & TV. We spent the beautiful sunny day driving through these lovely little towns sampling wine from 3 different wineries. Most of the wine was excellent, but I found myself reluctantly pouring a few of them out - I hate wasting free grog! At lunch I ate one of the best chicken sandwiches I think i've ever had from the deli in Yontville - it had grapes and nuts on it, the perfect accompaniment to all the wine I had been drinking.

One of the many wineries in beautiful Sonoma

Me & D - This is where the magic happens!

These grapes, despite not looking fit for human consumption sure made some great tasting wine!

K&N soaking up the atmosphere and the goon

After our tour we decided to go out for dinner and what better place than another movie inspired destination... Bubba Gump Shrimp! What a fun night that was, everything themed from the movie and even a mid dinner quiz on our knowledge - we got every question right - GO TEAM! Oh and the food was pretty damn good too! A great end to a short stop in San Francisco.

D as Forrest