The idea came to us easily. It was our 30th birthdays, Kelly’s on Valentine’s Day and mine two days later, and we wanted to drink lots of wine. February in Chicago is also when I start to hit my winter breaking point, so we figured Napa would be perfect and warm. The four of us – Kelly, Mike, me and Kevin – rented a house in Napa for a few days but decided to extend the long weekend and begin the trip in San Francisco. Due to our flexible work schedule, we caught an earlier flight, arriving in the early afternoon, and got settled at the Union Square Hotel. I always like to stay in Union Square when I’m in San Francisco, not because the neighborhood is particularly interesting, but because it is so central and you can walk to most other, cooler neighborhoods easily. Ready to get my birthday trip off to a good start, we walked straight to the famous Ferry Building and got succulent oysters and a bottle of wine at the Hog Island Oyster Company.
As I’ve mentioned before, Kevin and I prefer to walk around when we are traveling as opposed to taking public transportation or taxis. With no plans and an entire day to kill in San Francisco, we left the Ferry Building and started making our way north along the water. At some point, we cut over through Chinatown, through Pacific Heights and eventually made our way to our destination – the San Francisco Columbarium. As we walked, we looked in awe at the contrast between the new and modern mansions constructed directly next to the old and historic Victorian homes. We also couldn’t help but notice the amount of slick, high-tech Silicon Valley buses driving around, escorting programmers to their jobs at Google and Facebook, because god forbid they commute to work without also working at the same time. I’m not sure exactly how Kevin found the Columbarium, but he was determined to see it while we were there. Created in 1898, the Columbarium is an architectural gem featuring a large copper rotunda, stained glass windows and mosaic floors. Essentially a funeral home, the space houses a small chapel and unique, ornate cremation niches.
Continuing on our epic journey, we walked further from the Richmond District through the Panhandle to the Castro. When we got thirsty, we drank (wine). When we needed a break from walking up and down the hills that grace the San Francisco terrain, we stopped. After a lively cocktail sports bar in the Castro, we walked over to the Mission District where we ate dinner at one of our favorite spots – Mission Chinese. Having previously only been to the New York restaurant, we were curious how the west coast, and original location, would match up. It didn’t disappoint – we shared some appetizers and some mapo tofu with the infamous mouth-numbing Sichaun peppercorns. After dinner, we finally gave in and took a cab back to our hotel. Kelly and Mike ended up having a delayed flight and were exhausted by the time they got in, so we decided to start fresh in the morning.
When we met up with Kelly and Mike the next day, we got some coffee and wandered around Union Square before heading to Chinatown for a dim sum lunch. I think this is a necessity when visiting San Francisco. The Chinatown neighborhood is such a treat, it has such a vibrant atmosphere with colorful shops and restaurants around every corner. We chose the Great Eastern Restaurant, where we had been on a trip a few years previously, and enjoyed a smorgasbord of Chinese dishes, such as pork buns, dumplings and, Kevin’s favorite, chicken feet. It was Kelly’s first time trying this delicacy, and she was only a bit cautious before digging in. After lunch, we checked out some North Beach bars and a vintage map shop called Schein & Schein where Mike bought a lovely print of San Francisco. We told them about our grand adventure the day before and they responded with “holy crap, you walked the entire city!” A quick look at our iPhone steps and yes, we had indeed walked about 12 miles around the city.
In need of a pick-me-up, we went to a tourist trap that I actually quite enjoy – the Buena Vista Cafe. Famous for introducing Irish coffee to America, the Buena Vista has been a staple in the Fisherman’s Wharf area since 1916. Shortly after we started drinking said Irish coffees, a group of Korean tourists sat down at the next table and we started talking to them, as we had visited Seoul last year for a family wedding. As we were all having a great time with our new friends, we bought another round of coffees. Before we could realize it, they had also bought us another round. We all left the bar with our hearts racing, so wired from 3 coffees mixed with Bailey’s that we were practically shaking.
I had heard great things about the restaurant State Bird Provisions, but since we couldn’t get a reservation before we left for San Fran, we decided to try our luck and ask if they had a wait list for walk-ins. Turns out they did and we were able to give them our number while we waited for our table at a bar closeby. When we got the call that our table was ready, we started heading over. Stumbling toward us on the street was a homeless woman, down on her luck and possibly on something. As she walked by us, she glanced over at Kelly’s beautiful statement necklace and within a flash, reached out to grab it. Mike’s State Department training went into effect immediately…he grabbed the woman by the head and neck and quickly but gently disabled her, bringing her down to the ground where she started yelling in complete shock. We all stared at our friend, stupefied yet in awe, knowing that if we were ever in a real jam together, we would probably be pretty safe. As we walked into the restaurant, a group of patrons stopped Mike with a “I saw what you did out there and it was awesome – good job!”
After dinner we lost Kelly to her hotel room, as she was really tired, and the 3 of us pushed on to the Tonga Room, a tiki bar located in the basement of the Fairmont Hotel. As luck would have it, the hotel had a very important guest that night – President Barack Obama. Due to this news, we were required to go through airport-like security before we entered. It was a little tough doing that with the amount of alcohol we had already consumed, but we made it through and got a little goofy at the bar, where we drank fruity cocktails and enjoyed the fun band, tropical decor and lagoon, located smack dab in the middle of the bar.
The next day we got our rental car and were on our way to Napa for our birthday celebrations. Along the way, we stopped at Sam’s Anchor Cafe in Tiburon for lunch, a funky little spot with a great view of the water. We got to our Airbnb in Napa in the late afternoon. It became clear as we were driving around the area how much the large earthquake from the previous August had affected Napa – we saw several houses and buildings with clear structural damage still visible. As it was Kelly’s birthday, and Valentine’s Day, we got all dolled up and headed out to her choice of restaurant – Redd – in nearby Yountville. Funny enough, we both brought red shift dresses for the occasion and basically looked like twins.
Since we came to Napa to drink wine, that’s what the next day entailed. Mike had done some research and found us George, a driver who picked us up and drove us around to several wineries throughout the day. The first stop was Domaine Carneros, a chateau-like property known for their sparkling wine. It’s like France, but not. Still, it was quite beautiful and we were able to sit on the nice patio that overlooks the rolling hills of grapes. The next stop, Cliff Lede, was my favorite. The weather was perfect that day and by the time we got there, we had a nice buzz going, and it was lovely to sit there and have a tasting flight on their shaded patio. For lunch, George had made reservations for us at Auberge du Soleil, where we sat on the picturesque patio and took in the beautiful surroundings. Two more wineries were on the agenda for the day. At the first, Ehlers Estate, we drank some delicious wine in a rustic and quaint barn setting. George claimed the last winery, Cakebread, was his favorite, but it was our least. It was large and crowded and didn’t have quite the same atmosphere as the other two. Somehow we ended up having more to drink back at the Airbnb, where we blasted 90s tunes and Kevin started speaking in only a British accent while trying desperately to keep a fake flower that he had found in his hair.
The next day, which happened to be my 30th birthday, we all slept in, tired from our overindulgence from the day before. When we finally woke and got ready, we headed into downtown Napa, where we hopped around to various tasting rooms. At Alpha Omega Collective, we tried such a delicious and buttery Chardonnay that we all had to buy several bottles. We also checked out the Oxbow Public Market, a large marketplace with a modern West Side Market-vibe. For dinner that evening, we were lucky enough to get reservations at ad hoc, Thomas Keller’s casual fried chicken restaurant. We shared a large cobb salad and, of course, a huge basket of chicken that was a perfect end to a wonderful birthday trip with great friends.
Recommendations:
- Union Square Hotel. 114 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94102. https://hotelunionsquare.com/
- Hog Island Oyster Company. Ferry Building, One, #11, San Francisco, CA 94111. https://hogislandoysters.com/.
- San Francisco Columbarium. 1 Loraine Ct, San Francisco, CA 94118.
- Mission Chinese Food. 2234 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110. https://www.missionchinesefood.com/.
- Great Eastern Restaurant. 649 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA 94133. http://www.greateasternsf.com/.
- Schein & Schein. 1435 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133. https://www.scheinandschein.com/.
- The Buena Vista Cafe. 2765 Hyde St, San Francisco, CA 94109. http://www.thebuenavista.com/home/home.html.
- Tonga Room. 950 Mason St, San Francisco, CA 94108. https://www.tongaroom.com/.
- Domaine Carneros. 1240 Duhig Rd, Napa, CA 94559. https://www.domainecarneros.com/.
- Cliff Lede Vineyards. 1473 Yountville Cross Rd, Yountville, CA 94599. https://cliffledevineyards.com/.
- Ehlers Estate. 3222 Ehlers Ln, St Helena, CA 94574. https://www.ehlersestate.com/.
- Napa Valley Chauffeurs – George Stone. https://www.yelp.com/biz/napa-valley-chauffeurs-george-stone-napa.
- Alpha Omega Collective Tasting Room. 1245 1st St, Napa, CA 94559. https://www.alphaomegacollectivenapa.com/.
- ad hoc. 6476 Washington St, Yountville, CA 94599. https://www.thomaskeller.com/adhoc.
