Tuesday: Arrived in San Fran in time to get a recommendation from our hotel (Hyatt on Stockton) to go watch the USC National Championship game 2 at Lefty O'Doul's. Can you imagine 11 southerners in need of a stiff one walking into a S&S Cafeteria? You just envisioned what happened. We sat. Looked around. Looked at a menu. No nachos. No bar food. Only a buffet with a cold brisket at the front of the restaurant. They did have liquor and TVs but seriously, atmosphere (and food) is everything. We sent G on a run down the street to scope out some other bars. He quickly found a better alternative and we happily found ourselves watching the 1st inning of what would become the Gamecock's 2nd consecutive baseball National Championship at Fourth Street Bar and Grill in the bottom of the Marriott. After a Gamecock victory, 2 Patron shots, Ghirardelli chocolates, and jet lag we headed to the next bar atop our hotel for a night cap.
Wednesday: Slept in. I think? Who knows when you're schedule gets thrown off by 3 hours. I wasn't sure if I was waking up early or late. Either way, it was relaxing enough to find myself in a gym at 8:00 am. Even though I hadn't worked out in months, I was able to last on the elliptical well over 30 minutes because I was able to watch the Casey Anthony trial right there on the equipment (and the view of the bay wasn't too bad either from the 35th floor). We registered for the conference and then found ourselves at a fabulous Mexican lunch at Chevy's Fresh Mex (fajitas were great). After we finished classes that afternoon, McKesson treated us to dinner at the Franciscan Crab in Fisherman's Wharf. The full crab was amazing (as well as the buratta). Seriously rivals the fresh lobster I've had on the coast of Maine. We ended our night at a table at the Starlight Room atop the Sir Francis Drake Hotel with plenty of dancing.
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| This is intimidating |
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| Getting ready to get messy |
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| Starlight Room |
Thursday: Conference too early. Ashley and I took a lunch break at Tropisueno mexican restaurant. Yes, mexican again. It smelt great and had a Michelin rating and we were sold. It lived up to all expectations. Food was awesome, prices were better. And the margarita was great and prepared me to do it. Buy my wedding shoes. Ashley and I went to Barney's and found the pair of Christian Louboutins that I had been eyeing for my wedding shoes. Also bought a pair for my engagement party. Also bought a pair for my sweet sister who is allowing me to wear her wedding dress in my wedding. My honor, really. Dinner that night continued our amazing cuisine in SF. The Slanted Door, a Vietnamese restaurant on the water, was amazing (everything was great). My favorite part...the cotton candy they served post dessert. A new wedding idea.
Friday: Napa Valley. Need a say more. The 12 of us rented a party bus and took the 1 hour commute to Napa in time to arrive at our cave tour appointment at Del Dotto at 10:00am. Yes, good wine is even better that early in the morning. We picked up lunch at Oakville Grocery and moved onto our next appointment at Round Pond Estates. This is a favorite of mine (view and wine). Our bus couldn't make it to Kuleto so we detoured to Sterling Vineyards. We had a great mix of views and tastings. Weather was beautiful. We went straight into Sausalito for dinner at the Harbor View Restaurant where we saw a water plane get hit by a wave while trying to take off and sink to the bottom of the bay. Both passengers got out safe, but quite the drame to witness. The tuna was amazing! I'm not sure how we did it, but from there we headed towards Ghirardelli Square and The Buena Vista bar where the first Irish coffee was served.
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| Round Pond |
Saturday: Ashley and I got up and walked around looking for brunch. We roamed into an area and quickly realized we shouldn't be there. We confirmed that with the concierge later who said 'Do not go into the Tenderloin area'. oops. We found G and breakfast at Sear's Pancake House famous for their little pancakes. You can skip this place...especially if they seat you downstairs in the hot/muggy area. We rented bikes and rode to lunch at Zuni on Market Street to celebrate Cyndi's belated birthday. G and I had been to Zuni previously and it was as good as I remember it. I would recommend the oysters (get a couple from each region and compare) and the cheese platter for dessert. Our final night party was at the new Giant's stadium (AT&T park) where the Beach Boys serenaded us. We ended the night and the trip with a ride on the cable car.
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| Thank you, Dad. Here's to you.... |
It was a great trip with great people. Rebecca, Grant, Ashley, Ben, Kenneth, Cyndi, Christi, David, Kimberly, Curt, Marshall, Erin
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