Wednesday, September 14, 2011
The first night there we set up camp and proceeded into the downtown area. Tommy was interested it watching the Dolphin game. We happened upon a sports bar, entered, and ordered burgers. After eating what was equivalent to a McDonald's happy meal burger, and consuming one drink each; we almost fell to the floor when the check arrived. $61 for crappy burgers and one very parsimoniously dispensed alcoholic beverage. During our visit, they had some kind of game going on where they gave you raffle tickets. For every item ordered you receive one ticket. Every time a team scored they would pull a number. That person would spin a wheel and win a tee shirt or ball cap, etc. As people left the bar they would pass along their tickets to the table next to them. We ended up with at least 20 tickets. Yet, we won, nothing! Oh well. Welcome to preppy, outrageously priced, foo foo Napa Valley, CA! We also gave away our tickets on the way out.
So we’re in wine country, we wanted to see and taste the wine. The next day we looked up tours. Get this; for $99.00 per person you can take the ‘Wine Train’. What your hard earned money gets you is simple a train ride to 4, of the over 200 winery’s. No tasting, No food, No drinks, just a train ride. We drove ourselves.
As we approached the many many winery’s, and not knowing which ones to hit, we, of course, chose the attractive ones. The very first one looked like a museum. Marble columns and statues. They have water fountains and limos everywhere. The people were dressed to the nines. Hee, hee, we went in nevertheless! In the colossal lobby there is a concierge to welcome you and inquire if you have an appointment. (While they are noticeably looking you up and down and contemplating if you’d make a good nominee for the dress to impress makeover show). Of course we did not have an appointment, but they said we were ‘lucky’, the wine tasting ‘lounge’ just had a cancellation. Yeah, we’re going in! NOT!!! The ‘lounge’ for ‘tasting’ is $30 per person! You get ONE taste of ONE choice of wine! I'm sure, by now they knew we were not going to bite, but we played along anyway. Screw these snobby people! Finally Tommy turned to me and said, if you want to lets go in…I said I was getting a headache and probably shouldn’t drink any wine in fear of it increasing the pain. Tommy said, okay, we thanked the snobby people and left.
Next, we stop at Robert Mondovi. The average bottle of Robert Mondovi at home is $15-$20. We were excited because this was not foo foo wine so the place had to be more down to earth, right? Wrong! Another gorgeous place. As you enter the grounds from the parking lot you have to walk past rows and rows of grapes. All of them labeled what kind of wine they will be processed into.
We entered through this massive archway to again, people dressed in suits and ties and women in 5 inch Jimmie Choos and inquire about tasting. This was a little cheaper. It was only $20 per person for 4 out of 7 choices. Each ‘taste’ was 1 ounce. We did not taste here either. Tommy grabbed a bunch of Cabernet sauvignon grapes off the vines on the way back to the car. They were incredibly delicious.
Being frustrated, we decided to stop for a quick bite to eat. We pulled over at this little deli type store. We decide to split a turkey and brie sandwich, on rye bread. Tommy gets an iced tea from the cooler and we proceeded to check out. They have really pretty set ups in the back yard area where you eat outside amongst the grapes. The landscape is beautiful and water flows all around you. It is very, very nice. Well, guess how much one sandwich, and one drink cost? $16!!! The sandwich was like the size of a PB&J you’d make at home. Not impressive whatsoever! Now, I'm really frustrated with all this foo foo crap!
We decided to just drive around, take in the scenery, which is astounding, and head back home and grill out for dinner. And that’s what we did. Tommy cooked a tri tip steak for the first time and I made homemade salsa from Mark’s garden using his tomatoes and jalapeños. It came out delicious. We laughed and made fun of the people we encountered during the day and drank our own wine…out of a box, lol! (just kidding).
We were told before we got to Napa that it could be pricey, but the people there giggle at you - to your face - as they are completely gouging you. Tommy figured out that at $5, a one ounce pour times the amount in a gallon, they would take in over $600. Are you kidding me>? That is how they can afford these compounds fit for royalty. But the worst part is - its worse than Palm Beach with the noses up in the air. Just ridiculous.
We were also told to check out Sonoma
We took the trolley up through Chinatown. We got off on Powell Ave. and walked 1 ½ miles - all downhill! The city is up and down and angled very steep. We headed toward Fisherman’s Wharf. First stop at the water was Pier 39. It was fun.
Pier 39 is dedicated for tourist attractions. It is filled with shopping, dining and entertainment. It is truly, completely, the epitome of a tourist trap, yet Tommy was okay with it. The entire San Francisco area is spotlessly clean. Not a piece of paper or gum on the ground.
The food was good and plentiful. We were stuffed. Great clam chowder. We walked around some more after eating but at a much slower pace. Fisherman’s Wharf offers many different things for entertainment. They have a carousel for children, a stage set for Pirates of the Caribbean skits. There are street performers, panning for money, just like Malory Square in Key West, except that they are on the outside of the wharf on public sidewalks. Some of them are pretty good.
We continued to walk and explore to take in all surroundings. We had a fantastic day. We walked back to the port along water frontage on Beach Street. It was a 2.2 mile walk. The weather was beautiful. On the ferry ride over it was a bit foggy. By the time we hit the ground downtown, the sun was out, and the skies were completely clear. We are the luckiest people we know when it comes to the weather and timing of things.
Before we got to the pier where our ferry was to take us back, we stopped and booked a cruise to Alcatraz. We will go there on Sunday and are very excited. They have a self guided tour with headphones to educate you as you go. They also have a cell block tour - creepy - but we will do it!
Once back on the other side of the bay we realized it was rush hour. We decided to stop at a local restaurant just off the boat, and had a glass of wine. It took another 30 minutes to get back to the camper with traffic. After walking Sire, we both collapsed and took a nap for an hour. The day, the walking, the salt air, and I'm sure the wine, all contributed to our need to sleep.
