San Francisco

I know this is really Arlo's blog, but Charlie and I spent an amazing few days in San Francisco last week and I wanted to put some memories on "paper" here.  Leaving Arlo at home was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, but we were comforted knowing he was in good hands (the grandparents'!).  We missed him dearly while we were gone, but at least it made the coming home part of the trip something to look forward to! 

Charlie went to San Fran last Tuesday morning for the Craft Brewer's Conference.  I went out late on Saturday (the last day of the conference) and we spent four more days there together.  It was a whirlwind - but relaxing at the same time!  We saw lots of fun touristy things...

The Cable Cars

 

Pier 39 Sea Lions

 

The Big Daddy Sea Lion



Lombard Street - from the top

 

Lombard Street - from the bottom after we drove down it!

We also had AMAZING food.  Lots of it.  Some highlights: Dungeness crab stuffed artichokes and mango crusted halibut at Woodhouse Fish Co.  A slice of "The Haight" at Mythic Pizza.  Fru-fru cocktails, penang curry and kobe beef at Betelnut.  It all was incredibly delicious. 

Monday morning we drove to Napa.  We stopped at Oakville Grocery to pick up sandwiches and the most incredible peanut butter chocolate cookie.  We took our picnic lunch to Rutherford Hill winery, grabbed a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and sat at a picnic table amongst the olive trees. 

 

After our picnic lunch, we drove down the road to Domaine Chandon.  We took a tour of the winery and enjoyed sparking and still wines. 

We stayed in an adorable B&B (The Bordeaux House) in Yountville.  We were walking distance to several other tasting rooms and tons of restaurants.  We had delicious mussels and drinks on the patio at Hurley's.  After heading back to our room to get ready, we went to an adorable little French bistro called Bistro Jeanty for dinner. (Sidenote: don't you hate websites with music?  I mean, unless it's a MUSIC website.) Dinner was absolutely spectacular: roast pork shoulder with butternut squash and brussels sprouts and rabbit loin with pappardelle and morel cream sauce.  Yum. 

Tuesday morning, we hit up a couple more wineries, stopped for a Reuben and Oyster Po' Boy at Fremont Diner and then got back on the road to the city.  We completed our totally tourist experience at Alcatraz.  It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed the boat ride and the walk around the island.  The grounds were beautiful - such a spectacular contrast.  We did the full audio tour and everything and really enjoyed it!

We ended our tour de cuisine of San Francisco at Zuni Cafe.  They are famous for a roast chicken dish that takes an HOUR to cook!  We weren't in any hurry so we decided to see what all the fuss was about.  It was delicious and definitely worth the wait.  (Nonetheless, it feels strange to order chicken in a fancy restaurant.)

The trip was everything it should be: relaxing, fun, decadent, romantic, and memorable.  And the grandmas did an amazing job in our stead.  But next time, this little guy is coming with us.  



(I had to sneak in a picture since, as I mentioned, this blog is all about Arlo.)



Love, Katie

P.S. The only tourist activity that was on my list but we didn't get to do was to take a picture in front of the Full House house for my sister, Allie.  She is the show's biggest fan. Still.