sonoma trip aka sideways
September 1, 2008
Upon returning from Sonoma and the long awaited bachelorette weekend for Bethany, a friend asked, “So which one of you slept with Sandra Oh?” No, no, nothing of the sort happened and I will spare you all the gory details since I was forced into signing an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) at the airport, but in short, it was a sensational weekend, a couple extra scratches and bruises, joined a wine club, a few scuffles, a missed flight (this was not our fault!), an Excursion Limo (hehe), and a busted digital camera later, amazing meal after amazing meal, we have memories to last a lifetime.
On these trips with multiple people so many thing can go wrong. This is where the planning comes in handy. I made a point not to bring my laptop either, so I really had to plan ahead with the maps and the options and contact information readily available. I don’t rely on iphones since I wasn’t sure what network was available where we were headed.
The itinerary this time included a couple surprises too for the bride to be, that we were able to pull off. Champagne awaiting us in SF, a caricature at Fisherman’s Wharf for a unique keepsake, and treating her to a day of decadence on Sunday, from wine tasting to dinner. For the most part we stuck to our itinerary, despite our delayed flight on the outbound. We ended up getting to have some great SF style Mexican food in the Mission at El Florita at 2 am on Friday.
Al pastor (adobo seasoned pork) tacos
Carne asada super burrito
Before leaving the city, we stopped at Falletti’s, a specialty foodie supply haven, and got some gourmet treats and pastries for breakfast and snacks for the road trip and the hotel room. Lucky for us, our hotel room offered complimentary bottled water and the included breakfast spread was very impressive. One pastry we munched on in the car from Delessio’s, the ready made food market, charcuterie attached to Faletti’s, that was surprisingly good was a piece of Brazilian French toast that tasted like deep fried, crusty french bread that was rolled in cinnamon, sugar and butter about ten times. Oh my. We also had a brown sugar fennel dried saucisson. Not at the same time. Delicious, nonetheless.
We stopped at Kendall Jackson Winery on the way. Even though I was more into the idea of stopping at places where they weren’t household names, trying the special reserves and comparing the boutiques wineries to the mass produced was a good excercise. The drive was shorter than 1.5 hours as Google maps had indicated. Even with traffic, we did the 67 miles in about an hour. The drive was gorgeous. I felt like I was in a Steinbeck novel with the rolling amber colored hills speckled with dark green, gnarled trees. Driving over the Golden Gate Bridge is something I always enjoy, and it was almost entirely masked by fog this morning.
I was lucky enough to ask my friend, Danny, who grew up in the Santa Rosa area, where we should eat. His suggestion of Farmhouse Inn impressed everyone we came across, from the foodie couples celebrating their milestone wedding anniversaries that we met at Jordan winery, to our lively server at Cyrus. We were told what a hidden gem Farmhouse is and that it is mostly locals that know about the spot.
You can jab and jeer all you want at the control freak I am, but i can plan a mean, fun-packed weekend of food, wine, and good times. We were never at a loss for things to do or eat but also managed to get some much needed rest and relaxation in.
Sometimes, the hardest thing on a vacation with a group is making decisions that everyone is happy with. Overall, the trip was pulled off with success. I had my doubts. Success also being, a weekend void of tiaras and strippers for a bachelorette party. Mission accomplished. Taste prevailed.
Sonoma Itinerary August 2008:
FRIDAY: 08/08
leave for airport at 6pm- MEET AT MY PLACE
9pm flight-rental car
stay one night in SF at Bruce’s place
SATURDAY: 08/09
leave sf 11am.- 1.5 HOUR DRIVE.
coffee blue bottle hayes valley/ etc.
stop and get snacks and drinks at Faletti’s
Jon Casey Caricature in Fisherman’s Wharf- (surprise)
heath ceramic store- sausalito?
lunch at hotel? poolside.
Healdsburg is the northern most point in Sonoma, so we will be driving through a lot of places.
3PM hotel healdsburg check in- CONFIRMED
front desk-707.431.2800
relax/ spa time
dinner at 8pm farmhouse inn about 20 minutes away
reservation requires $25 deposit for each person.
SUNDAY:08/10
Richard Five Star Limo
11am-4pm pick up at hotel: car service to wineries of our choice.
J wine- sparkling
Mauritson (driver’s pick because it was on the way)
Jordan Winery - reservation made for 1pm
Ridge
Bella
(I had provided the driver, Richard, with a list of about 9 places. Overly ambitious of course. We took our time at each place and enjoyed the luxury of having a driver.)
9pm dinner reservation (this must be canceled 24 hours in advance to avoid cancellation fee of $50 per person)
29 North St
Healdsburg, CA 95448
Cross Street:
(707) 433-3311
2 michelin stars- very reasonable prix fixe menu. when in rome….
MONDAY:08/11-
Head thru napa back to SF.
1.5 hour drive - stop in yountville for lunch at bouchon 2pm
some other things to do on the way back to SF from napa: 1.5 hours back to SF area.
hess estate for art
Leave Napa area by 4pm
8:15 pm flight. be at SFO by 6pm to return car.
Wallflour Travel tips:
- Plan ahead to get good rates on flights, hotels and get into highly sought after restaurant reservations.
- Research the region and a good time and season to visit. I like getting in on the tail end of a low season to get the better rates at hotels, yet basically experience the region with a less of a crowd than during the high season.
- Plan more than you can actually do so there are options while you are there.
- Next time, I would fly to Santa Rosa directly. Though the flight times are less than ideal, renting a car and dealing with SFO was something I would try avoid altogether. Because of fog, we couldn’t land in SFO and almost got locked out of the rental car place that closes at midnight. Also on our return flight, we were diligently waiting at our gate and all four of us did not hear the 2 announcements made for the last minute gate change, resulting in having to purchase tickets on a different airline to go home. The acoustics in the airport are terrible and there were no visual prompters on the monitors to indicate a gate change. American Airlines sucks. Flying to Oakland would be a good option for going to Napa.
- Don’t make too many time sensitive reservations, especially since most the restaurants up there will penalize you for not showing up. It’s sometimes nice to not have any plans!
- Re-confirm all your reservations a few days before leaving town.
- If you are running more than 10 minutes late, call the restaurant and let them know you are on the way. They will give your table away for anything over 15 mihnutes late.
- Always ask the locals (the concierge, your fellow foodies, wine pourers, sommeliers, servers, pool attendants) what places they like and what they would suggest to do or eat.
-Petty cash- we all put in $100 bucks. This paid for meals at airports, tips, drinks, snacks, coffees, tolls, etc. It was a great idea since no one ever wants to feel slighted in what tab they pick up. It’s petty to get upset off a couple bucks, but it can also add up when it’s always the same person.
- Remember to allow for alone time and also to allow others to have theirs. I don’t need to sleep and spend 72 hours straight with anyone. An hour alone can go a very long way. : )
-Book a hotel that has breakfast included. This will save you on money, time and painful decision by committee and well worth the few extra bucks.
- As difficult as it is to hear in the airport, listen up and be aware of last minute gate changes. Not a good time to be zoning out to your ipod. We saw the visual prompter on our way at LAX when we had the gate change there, but in SFO airport for our return flight, they did not bother to do a visual on our return flight and we didn’t hear the announcements over their horrible loud speakers and missed our flight home. Total bummer.
Upon returning from Sonoma and the long awaited bachelorette weekend for Bethany, a friend asked, “So which one of you slept with Sandra Oh?” No, no, nothing of the sort happened and I will spare you all the gory details since I was forced into signing an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) at the airport, but in short, it was a sensational weekend, a couple extra scratches and bruises, joined a wine club, a few scuffles, a missed flight (this was not our fault!), an Excursion Limo (hehe), and a busted digital camera later, amazing meal after amazing meal, we have memories to last a lifetime.
On these trips with multiple people so many thing can go wrong. This is where the planning comes in handy. I made a point not to bring my laptop either, so I really had to plan ahead with the maps and the options and contact information readily available. I don’t rely on iphones since I wasn’t sure what network was available where we were headed.
The itinerary this time included a couple surprises too for the bride to be, that we were able to pull off. Champagne awaiting us in SF, a caricature at Fisherman’s Wharf for a unique keepsake, and treating her to a day of decadence on Sunday, from wine tasting to dinner. For the most part we stuck to our itinerary, despite our delayed flight on the outbound. We ended up getting to have some great SF style Mexican food in the Mission at El Florita at 2 am on Friday.
Al pastor (adobo seasoned pork) tacos
Carne asada super burrito
Before leaving the city, we stopped at Falletti’s, a specialty foodie supply haven, and got some gourmet treats and pastries for breakfast and snacks for the road trip and the hotel room. Lucky for us, our hotel room offered complimentary bottled water and the included breakfast spread was very impressive. One pastry we munched on in the car from Delessio’s, the ready made food market, charcuterie attached to Faletti’s, that was surprisingly good was a piece of Brazilian French toast that tasted like deep fried, crusty french bread that was rolled in cinnamon, sugar and butter about ten times. Oh my. We also had a brown sugar fennel dried saucisson. Not at the same time. Delicious, nonetheless.
We stopped at Kendall Jackson Winery on the way. Even though I was more into the idea of stopping at places where they weren’t household names, trying the special reserves and comparing the boutiques wineries to the mass produced was a good excercise. The drive was shorter than 1.5 hours as Google maps had indicated. Even with traffic, we did the 67 miles in about an hour. The drive was gorgeous. I felt like I was in a Steinbeck novel with the rolling amber colored hills speckled with dark green, gnarled trees. Driving over the Golden Gate Bridge is something I always enjoy, and it was almost entirely masked by fog this morning.
I was lucky enough to ask my friend, Danny, who grew up in the Santa Rosa area, where we should eat. His suggestion of Farmhouse Inn impressed everyone we came across, from the foodie couples celebrating their milestone wedding anniversaries that we met at Jordan winery, to our lively server at Cyrus. We were told what a hidden gem Farmhouse is and that it is mostly locals that know about the spot.
You can jab and jeer all you want at the control freak I am, but i can plan a mean, fun-packed weekend of food, wine, and good times. We were never at a loss for things to do or eat but also managed to get some much needed rest and relaxation in.
Sometimes, the hardest thing on a vacation with a group is making decisions that everyone is happy with. Overall, the trip was pulled off with success. I had my doubts. Success also being, a weekend void of tiaras and strippers for a bachelorette party. Mission accomplished. Taste prevailed.
Sonoma Itinerary August 2008:
FRIDAY: 08/08
leave for airport at 6pm- MEET AT MY PLACE
9pm flight-rental car
stay one night in SF at Bruce’s place
SATURDAY: 08/09
leave sf 11am.- 1.5 HOUR DRIVE.
coffee blue bottle hayes valley/ etc.
stop and get snacks and drinks at Faletti’s
Jon Casey Caricature in Fisherman’s Wharf- (surprise)
heath ceramic store- sausalito?
lunch at hotel? poolside.
Healdsburg is the northern most point in Sonoma, so we will be driving through a lot of places.
3PM hotel healdsburg check in- CONFIRMED
front desk-707.431.2800
relax/ spa time
dinner at 8pm farmhouse inn about 20 minutes away
reservation requires $25 deposit for each person.
SUNDAY:08/10
Richard Five Star Limo
11am-4pm pick up at hotel: car service to wineries of our choice.
J wine- sparkling
Mauritson (driver’s pick because it was on the way)
Jordan Winery - reservation made for 1pm
Ridge
Bella
(I had provided the driver, Richard, with a list of about 9 places. Overly ambitious of course. We took our time at each place and enjoyed the luxury of having a driver.)
9pm dinner reservation (this must be canceled 24 hours in advance to avoid cancellation fee of $50 per person)
29 North St
Healdsburg, CA 95448
Cross Street:
(707) 433-3311
2 michelin stars- very reasonable prix fixe menu. when in rome….
MONDAY:08/11-
Head thru napa back to SF.
1.5 hour drive - stop in yountville for lunch at bouchon 2pm
some other things to do on the way back to SF from napa: 1.5 hours back to SF area.
hess estate for art
Leave Napa area by 4pm
8:15 pm flight. be at SFO by 6pm to return car.
Wallflour Travel tips:
- Plan ahead to get good rates on flights, hotels and get into highly sought after restaurant reservations.
- Research the region and a good time and season to visit. I like getting in on the tail end of a low season to get the better rates at hotels, yet basically experience the region with a less of a crowd than during the high season.
- Plan more than you can actually do so there are options while you are there.
- Next time, I would fly to Santa Rosa directly. Though the flight times are less than ideal, renting a car and dealing with SFO was something I would try avoid altogether. Because of fog, we couldn’t land in SFO and almost got locked out of the rental car place that closes at midnight. Also on our return flight, we were diligently waiting at our gate and all four of us did not hear the 2 announcements made for the last minute gate change, resulting in having to purchase tickets on a different airline to go home. The acoustics in the airport are terrible and there were no visual prompters on the monitors to indicate a gate change. American Airlines sucks. Flying to Oakland would be a good option for going to Napa.
- Don’t make too many time sensitive reservations, especially since most the restaurants up there will penalize you for not showing up. It’s sometimes nice to not have any plans!
- Re-confirm all your reservations a few days before leaving town.
- If you are running more than 10 minutes late, call the restaurant and let them know you are on the way. They will give your table away for anything over 15 mihnutes late.
- Always ask the locals (the concierge, your fellow foodies, wine pourers, sommeliers, servers, pool attendants) what places they like and what they would suggest to do or eat.
-Petty cash- we all put in $100 bucks. This paid for meals at airports, tips, drinks, snacks, coffees, tolls, etc. It was a great idea since no one ever wants to feel slighted in what tab they pick up. It’s petty to get upset off a couple bucks, but it can also add up when it’s always the same person.
- Remember to allow for alone time and also to allow others to have theirs. I don’t need to sleep and spend 72 hours straight with anyone. An hour alone can go a very long way. : )
-Book a hotel that has breakfast included. This will save you on money, time and painful decision by committee and well worth the few extra bucks.
- As difficult as it is to hear in the airport, listen up and be aware of last minute gate changes. Not a good time to be zoning out to your ipod. We saw the visual prompter on our way at LAX when we had the gate change there, but in SFO airport for our return flight, they did not bother to do a visual on our return flight and we didn’t hear the announcements over their horrible loud speakers and missed our flight home. Total bummer.
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