[Josh Tarble]

My wife and I are headed out to San Fran later this fall...it's our first time out there so looking for some suggestions for food/hotels/general..

 As for golf, right now we're scheduled to play Pasatiempo and probably the Stanford Course, depending on access at other places.  I may see if we have any luck with the Cal Club as the pictures of the reno look pretty sweet.  

So I guess is there anything we absolutely can't miss?  I know we'll check out Fisherman's Wharf but what else?

[Mark McKeever]

Headed out there tomorrow for a week in Napa/Sonoma.  I will have some comments when we return!

MM

[David_Tepper]

Josh -

Having lived in San Francisco for the past 41 years, I can say with some confidence that the one thing you can miss is Fishermans' Wharf.

So much depends on how many days you expect to be here, your budget, whether you will be renting a car, how much walking you are comfortable doing daily, etc. By the way, where are you coming from?

chowhound.com is an excellent website for info/suggestions on food/dining & drinking matters:

http://chowhound.chow.com/boards/1

Feel fee to message me with any questions you may have.

DT

[JC Jones]

Any SF GCA'ers who are WOWed by the long ball and all around good players ought to try and host a game with Josh. 

The old guys at the Mashie were following him around like lost puppies after they watched him tee off. I though Jud was going to propose.

[Josh Tarble]

David,
thanks for the response....we are coming in from Indianapolis.  Our plan is to spend a few days in Napa and then the rest in San Fran, so we'll have a car.  But would probably prefer to walk everywhere in the city that we can.  We should be in the city from Thursday until Monday morning so 4 days 5 nights.  On a bit of a budget but if something/somewhere is worth staying we will definitely look into it.

Really, we're just looking for good food and good booze    And stuff to keep us occupied in between.

[JLahrman]

Seeing the sea lions at Pier 39 is pretty cool, but otherwise Fisherman's Wharf has become a bit of a tourist trap. The new Applebee's at Fisherman's Wharf was the last nail in the coffin, as far as the locals are concerned.

I would recommend that you get one of the double decker bus passes that take you around the city. They're more expensive than you'd probably think, but I believe they are good for two days, and you can hop off and back on as you desire so you can immediately get off and check out something if it looks interesting.

PM me if you'd like suggestions. I just moved from the area after living there for five years...having played tour guide for a lot of visitors I can probably give you a nice mix of the local and tourist viewpoints. Hard-core residents like Mr. Tepper haven't even been to Alcatraz! I'm a two-timer, and it's a pretty cool tour.

[Howard Riefs]

My standard recommendations for SF and Napa. Let me know if you have any questions:


SAN FRANCISCO

Sights...

*  Alcatraz (really)
*  Ferry Building
*  Architecture tour from Rick Evans (http://www.architecturesf.com/)
*  Walk the Embarcadero and see the Palace of the Fine Arts
*  Coit Tower


Restaurants...

Zuni Cafe
1658 Market Street  
415.552.2522
www.zunicafe.com
*  Favorite in SF. Relaxing. Contemporary American. Renowned roasted chicken...really.  

Slanted Door
1 Ferry Bldg Marketplace #3  
415. 861.8032
www.slanteddoor.com
* Vietnamese, One of the top ethnic restaurants in the city. Check out the Ferry Building while you’re there.

Mission Chinese
2234 Mission Street
415.863.2800
www.missionchinesefood.com
*  No-frills, authentic, newish Chinese restaurant. Quite popular. No reservations.

Flour & Water
2401 Harrison Street
415.826.7000
www.flourandwater.com
* Top pizza place

AQ
1085 Mission Street
415.341.9000
www.aq-sf.com
*  Mediterranean, Beard award winner, locally sourced food, etc.


NAPA

Restaurants...

Ad Hoc
6476 Washington Street  
Yountville
707.944.2487
www.adhocrestaurant.com
*  Thomas Keller restaurant. Set menu for the evening. Reservations a must.

Bouchon
6534 Washington Street  
Yountville
707.944.8037  
www.bouchonbistro.com
* Keller's bistro in Yountville. Divine.  Open for lunch, too.
 
Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen:
1327 Railroad Avenue
St Helena
707.963.1200
Www.cindysbackstreetkitchen.com
*  Perfect destination for a relaxing lunch.  Comfort foods and more.

Auberge du Soleil
80 Rutherford Hill Road
Rutherford
800.348.5406
www.aubergedusoleil.com/
*  Go for a cocktail/wine and watch the sunset on the deck.


Vineyards...

Pride Mountain Vineyard
4026 Spring Mountain Road
Saint Helena
707.963.4949  
www.pridewines.com
* Favorite vineyard. All varietals are wonderful. Make an appointment. Bring a lunch and go there for a picnic. For picnic eats, go to nearby Oakville Grocer (856 Saint Helena Highway)

Schramsberg
400 Schramsberg Road
Calistoga, CA 94515
800.877.3623
www.schramsberg.com
* Likely the best sparkling wine producer in Napa. Make a reservation for a tour and tasting.  

Joseph Phelps
200 Taplin Road  
Saint Helena, CA 94574
707.967.9153  
www.jpwines.com
*  Very very good tasting. Known primarily for reds. Wonderful Insignia wine.

Robert Sinskey
6320 Silverado Trail  
Napa
707.944.9090  
www.robertsinskey.com
*  Primarily known for Pinot. Good tasting and selection of large bottles.

[JC Jones]

Howard,

How come I don't see Kendall Jackson on your vineyard recommendation?

[Kyle Casella]

Josh- There is no shortage of either of those things in SF/Napa! I will message you the list of restaurants for Napa / Sonoma that I sent to Mark. The public golf options in Napa are not stellar. Hope you can arrange Cal Club, as that is a real treat post-reno!

One fun idea for you not on usual lists is to spend a half day in West Marin. I highly recommend going to Hog Island Oyster farm, where you can sit outside, eat BBQ oysters, and drink some good wine and beer.

[Howard Riefs]

Howard,

How come I don't see Kendall Jackson on your vineyard recommendation?

It's not located in Napa Valley.

[Alex Miller]

Check out Aetna Springs? (I haven't yet)

[JC Jones]

Howard,

How come I don't see Kendall Jackson on your vineyard recommendation?

It's not located in Napa Valley.

Otherwise....

[Mark Chaplin]

If you can find a sponsor I highly recommend staying at the Olympic Club, great staff and facilities bang in the centre if town.

[PCCraig]

Howard's list is mighty fine, but I would add Frances ( www.frances-sf.com/‎ ) and Mama's ( www.mamas-sf.com/‎ ) as musts for food in SF. I also recommend taking a brewery tour at Anchor Steam. If you like beer bars Toranado is epic.

Ad Hoc is great in Yountville (as is The French Laundry if you can get a reservation). As for wineries there is no shortage but I really liked Duckhorn and Cade.

[JLahrman]

Howard's list is mighty fine, but I would add Frances ( www.frances-sf.com/‎ ) and Mama's ( www.mamas-sf.com/‎ ) as musts for food in SF. I also recommend taking a brewery tour at Anchor Steam. If you like beer bars Toranado is epic.

Ad Hoc is great in Yountville (as is The French Laundry if you can get a reservation). As for wineries there is no shortage but I really liked Duckhorn and Cade.

It's probably too late for him to sign up for a tour at the Anchor Steam Brewery (reservations usually fill up months in advance), but it's never too early to start DRINKING Anchor Steam. Personally I enjoyed drinking it at the Old Ship Saloon.

[Andrew Buck]

Second Joseph Phelps, and while a lot of it is preference, I've always had a blast at Cliff Lede Vineyard in Stags Leap.

Being from the midwest, I've always been jealous of how much variety there is to see and do within a 2 hour drive of San Francisco.

[Sven Nilsen]

Josh:

Just did the same trip about three weeks ago.  You're going to have a blast.

In SF, you can do a perfect night out in North Beach by hitting up Capp's Corner (discussed on this site before) for cocktails and then walking around the corner to Firenze for Italian or Sotto Mare for Seafood.

Also, the fried chicken at Wayfarer is ridiculous.  Go at lunch and sit at the bar.

My only recommendation for Napa is to stay in Calistoga or St. Helena.  You'll be able to see the rest of the valley on your drive up and your drive back, and most of what you'll want to do will be close to your home base (or you can chose options that are).  Gott's for lunch is a must, and I've heard good things about Cook in St. Helena for dinner.  Sonoma is a bit more spread out and not quite as traveler friendly as Napa, so you might want to save it for a separate trip.

Sven

[Adam Clayman]

I'd recco NOT calling it San Fran. It's either the full monty, or, the city.

If you don't have any luck getting an invite to the Cal Club, or SFCC. Lincoln Park is a nice walk. Horrible conditions, great quirk, and you'll see sites, you won't see anywhere else.

[Kevin_Reilly]

I'd recco NOT calling it San Fran. It's either the full monty, or, the city.

Thanks, Adam..."San Fran" is becoming all too common.  

[Kevin_Reilly]

I'd recommend a drive over the Golden Gate Bridge.  Park at the northern end of the bridge and walk back on the bridge (even if you just walk half way it is a pretty fun thing to do).  Then drive up the Marin Headlands that faces the bridge.  There are a couple of places to park up there.  The view is something.  Here are my boys at that spot from several years back (time flies, looking at this picture!).

[Mark Saltzman]

I'm going to be out in a few weeks too, so may as well piggy back on this thread.  Anyone know the latest on Sharp Park?  Last I recall it was still open..

[Jim Nugent]

A magical place called John Muir Woods is around 10 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge.  JMW holds groves of old growth redwoods, that soar up to 260 feet high.  Lots of hiking trails.  I think you can bike there as well.  Everyone who went there with me there found it stunningly beautiful.    

Also, go south from San Francisco on Highway 1, 20 miles or so.  At one point you drive along some cliffs that are (a bit) reminiscent of the ones around Big Sur.

 

[Bill_McBride]

A stay in The City is not complete without a late breakfast at the Buena Vista of a hangover omelette and a few Irish coffees.  

(With a tip of the cap to Stanton Delaplane, a local columnist who had an Irish coffee at Shannon Airport and suggested it to the owners of the Buena Vista.  At one time more Irish whisky was poured there than any retail establishment in the world.  It's still a fine place to waste a morning.)

[David_Tepper]

"Anyone know the latest on Sharp Park?  Last I recall it was still open."

Mark S. -

Sharp Park is indeed open.

DT

[Josh Tarble]

Wow, thanks for the responses!  Looks like we're going to have too little time and too much to do.  

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