San Francisco

I fell in love with San Francisco again. It was the first stop in our move to Singapore from Florida, and my second visit. The first time was in 1998 when I visited two good friends who were out there for their internships. They ended up staying, and we got together again, this time with our families. I hadn't seen them since that first visit, but it was nice to just catch up on life.

We found a nice place to stay in Fairfax via airbnb for the week. It was Susan and Carl's downstairs apartment and they were great hosts. They helped with little details and had wine and pasta ingredients for us. The kids got a separate bedroom (with books and toys!) so the adults had some privacy. There were plenty of services (shopping, restaurants - we especially liked Sol Food in San Rafael) nearby - also in the nearby towns. It was a lovely place from which to hit San Francisco and wine country sights.

Sausalito is so pretty. We had a second breakfast at Poggio - food was ok but it had that nice European sidewalk cafe feel. We were there mid-week morning, so no crowds. Tiburon was really nice too - we had dinner there one evening, waterside (although we had to fight seagulls).

Of course, we had to hit Pier 39 for the kids to see sea lions. And Ghiradelli Square for sundae. We also treated Boy to the Letterman Digital Arts Center which houses the Lucasfilm screening room. He was fascinated with the Star Wars stuff. I was fascinated by the Painted Ladies.

Pier 39

Letterman Digital Arts Center

We checked out Muir Beach (too cold for swimming in October) and Muir Woods. The redwoods are inspiring. Another day saw us visit the Point Reyes lighthouse. It was a little hike, but worth the view.
Berkeley is cool - we spent an afternoon with friends checking out the eclectic and artistic shops. Chocolates at Chocolatier Blue - yummy art, almost too pretty to eat!

Muir Beach

 

Muir Woods

 

Point Reyes lighthouse

We did manage to visit Russian River Valley and Napa Valley, with kids in tow. At Russian River, we checked out J (nice terrace) and Armida (great views). At Napa, we had lunch at Angele and checked out Frog's Leap - Hubby really liked the 2008 Rutherford. What nice grounds - grapes, other fruit trees, chickens, like a farm, really (so fun for the kids). A friend recommended macaroons at Bouchon Bakery in Yountville, but we missed out because it was closed due to fire damage. Next time!

 

J Vineyards

 

Armida Winery

I could live there. When we bade goodbye the last morning, Susan was just finishing her morning in the meditation garden. I could so live there.