southern wife

When is the best time of year to visit San Fran and Wine Country?

I went there in June of 2001 and the weather was nice. Is that the best time, or another month even better?

Thanks!

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~~~ SW ~~~
~ A woman was sipping on a glass of wine, while sitting on the patio with her husband. She says, "I love you so much, I don't know how I could ever live without you". Her husband asks, "Is that you or the wine talking?"...She replies, "It's me ... talking to the wine.

shy_guy

I used to live there. One of my daughters still lives there.

San Fran is pretty mild year round, but you don't have to get too far away from the bay for the weather to start changing.

For Wine Country (Napa and Sonoma Counties), summer is pretty nice. Most of it doesn't get too hot, so most of the time, it's no hotter than 85 degrees. In the winter, you can hit freezing.

There is tasting pretty much year round in most of the wineries.

The area will be green up until sometime in May, then the grass on all the hills turns brown until about December when it will green up again.

The fruit trees (other than citrus) start blooming in January, and there is usually something in bloom up until June.

In San Francisco, in the Summer, you have temps in the 40's or 50's at night. Some days, it will get up into the upper 70's, but very seldom into the 80's. I have walked home along the bay in August when it was 57 degrees f at 5:00 PM. Summer mornings tend to be foggy, but most days, the fog will burn off about noon, or early afternoon. If you plan to visit the Golden Gate Bridge, plan to go in the afternoon - it may be clear in the morning, but chances are better of a good view in the afternoon.

In the winter in the city, it usually is 40's or 50's at night with the occasional night dipping below 40, and winter daytime highs get up into the 50's or sometimes 60's with some days never warming into the 50's. What really feels cold is the wind. Basically, if the wind blows (like it does 90% of the time in the daytime) it feel really chilly. If not, it feels comfortable.

Does that answer your questions? Ask away if you have more.

EDIT: BTW, San Francisco is a beautiful city, and that entire area of California is just beautiful. There are SO MANY things to do depending on what you like. Even if you stay directly in the city, there are so many things you can do on a day trip from America's most beautiful lake (Lake Tahoe) to the Monterey Bay Aquarium ... so down to the south bay and look at all the Tech companies, wine tours, sight seeing, champagne cruises, etc. etc. etc. If those types of things interest you, let me know - even if it is PM. I LOVE the bay area.

southern wife

Thanks so much guys!! Our wedding anniversary is in May and my b'day is in Oct - planning for next year possibly.

So it sounds like Spring, Summer, or Fall would be best.

I went to Sausalito for one night during my 2001 trip, but can't remember how far the drive from San Fran was...

Also, how long is the drive to Sonoma? An hour or more?

__________________
~~~ SW ~~~
~ A woman was sipping on a glass of wine, while sitting on the patio with her husband. She says, "I love you so much, I don't know how I could ever live without you". Her husband asks, "Is that you or the wine talking?"...She replies, "It's me ... talking to the wine.

Shaggy

October . Great weather and it's harvest time so the place smells fantastic!
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shy_guy

Sausalito is basically just right across the Golden Gate Bridge, and turn right . You can also take a ferry across. If you take the ferry, there are some restaurants with beautiful views across the bay to San Francisco. Lovely places with great seafood.

Sonoma is about an hour to an hour and a half north of San Francisco. On my younger daughter's 21st birthday, for her present, we went champagne tasting at Korbel's.

In case you haven't tried this before, it's nearly impossible to park in San Francisco, and it will be expensive to park anywhere. When you're in the city, it's best to just leave the car parked, and take the MUNI pretty much anywhere you want to go. MUNI tickets are about $2.00 (IIRC) for 2 hours. If you need to go a little longer, the BART covers the northern half of the Peninsula and the northern half of the East Bay area. You can take Caltrain to the south bay area, but I'd drive if going that direction because the transportation gets a little more sparse in the San Jose area. Of course, take the car when you go to Sonoma or Napa, or for longer trips.

You can plan your trips all over the bay area at www.511.org. I did that even when I lived there .

southern wife

Yes, there is alot to do and see there! I LOVE that area, too! Can't wait to go back and take hubs! I was there when they did the swim from Alcatraz "swimming with the sharks". I still have my T-shirt - no I did not swim!

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~~~ SW ~~~
~ A woman was sipping on a glass of wine, while sitting on the patio with her husband. She says, "I love you so much, I don't know how I could ever live without you". Her husband asks, "Is that you or the wine talking?"...She replies, "It's me ... talking to the wine.

southern wife

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!


Keep 'em coming........................the suggestions!

__________________
~~~ SW ~~~
~ A woman was sipping on a glass of wine, while sitting on the patio with her husband. She says, "I love you so much, I don't know how I could ever live without you". Her husband asks, "Is that you or the wine talking?"...She replies, "It's me ... talking to the wine.

shy_guy

Thinking as I go here: May, the weather should be spectacular.

How active are you guys? I used to love to ride my bike in the city. You can rent bikes near Fisherman's Wharf for probably $20.00/day. If you're pretty active, a VERY nice ride from there is up and across the Golden Gate Bridge. From there, you can turn and go back, or you can continue on to Sausalito or Tiburon. It'll be about 15 miles if you continue on to there. If you want, stop and have a drink at one of the outdoor restaurants there, then hop on the ferry back across to Fisherman's wharf. If you don't drink too much, you might enjoy the ride back .

Some other nice things in the city:

Especially if you have kids (but it's neat for adults, too), go to the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. Be sure to go to the planetarium in there. It's usually very crowded on weekends, but if you go on a week day, it's not so bad.

Probably only if you have kids, you might like the Exploratorium. This is more hands-on and has a lot of engineering stuff, but also a lot of science stuff. The kids love it. I love it, too, but recognize that it's for a rather specialized interest.

Of course, you should visit Haight Asbury. There's not much there now, but the history is what interests me.

If you like shopping, go to the Westfield Center which is right at 4th and Market. Take your time in there. It's actually more than shopping since it is a beautiful place.

Stop in the farmer's market at the Ferry Terminal inside the clock tower just across the embarcadero from 1 Market. The Farmer's market is only on Fridays and weekends I think.

Walk along the Embarcadero, and if you have time, have lunch (or dinner) at one of the restaurants with a waterfront, outdoor dining area.

You can go to Fisherman's wharf and see the human zoo. . If you go to this area, Boudin's has the best Clam Chowder in the US, and you can get it in a sourdough bowl. They have other good seafood as well. Closer to the water than Boudin's is another nice restaurant, but I can't remember it's name. It has a large window to the water, and waterfront dining. Very nice. Oh, and be sure to go over to the water and check out the sea lions basking on the floating docks there.

Near Fisherman's wharf is the National Maritime Museum. You'll see it because you can see the 3 mast ship that is moored there. It's okay, but not great. It was interesting enough for me to pay the ticket and spend a couple of hours there.

If you plan to do Alcatraz, get your tickets early. They're not available same-day, and sometimes they're sold out the day before.

Lombard Street and the "Crookedest street in the world."

The west part of the city is not as nice, but Ocean Beach is over there. The west part of the city is more likely to be foggy, and stay foggy later in the day.

For warmer water (It's not warm anywhere, but warmer ... ) go to Chrissy Fields which is near the Golden Gate Bridge. A lot of people get in the water in that area.

Girardelli Square and the chocolate factory ... need I say more?

China Town. The gate to China Town is in Union Square - another touristy spot. The San Fran Chinatown really is like going into an Asian city - smells and all.

If you want to see Wild Sea Otters, or Harbor Seals, you have to get out of the city. Let me know if you're interested in these, and I'll tell you where you can see them.

Moneterey Bay Aquarium is the best Aquarium in the US in my opinion. I love that place.

17 mile drive south of Monterey - see crashing waves and celebrity houses.

I told you I love the bay area. Shall I continue? I'm just getting warmed up, here.

Coffee Amore

I love the Bay Area. I've lived there. As to the best time to visit....What's that quote by Mark Twain "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."
The weather can shift fast in the city so always have layers of clothing.

We went on a tour of several wineries in Sonoma when I was pregnant. I drank maybe half a glass of wine. That was it. I told myself French women drink more than that during their entire pregnancies.

Stow Lake at Golden Gate Park has these neat boats that you can paddle with your feet. The newer ones have steering. You can row too if you want to but I like peddle powered boats.

Chinatown is great for cheap souveniers and food.

I find Fisherman's Wharf touristy and filled with predatory birds, but it's something you should see at least once.

There are so many neat restaurants, stores and places to see. You'll need to do more than one trip.

Have fun!

southern wife

Yes, please do continue!!!


We are pretty active, probably do alot of walking in San Fran. There's alot to do and see by foot for a day or so, then rent a car and go to Sonoma and Napa for a few days, then come back down and go to Sausalito. We will not be taking our 6 year old daughter on this trip. This would be for our anniversary most likely.

Hubs want to visit Haight Asbury, so we'd definitely check that out.

__________________
~~~ SW ~~~
~ A woman was sipping on a glass of wine, while sitting on the patio with her husband. She says, "I love you so much, I don't know how I could ever live without you". Her husband asks, "Is that you or the wine talking?"...She replies, "It's me ... talking to the wine.

southern wife

I ate here the last time I was in San Fran:

http://www.thestinkingrose.com/pdf/menu-sf.pdf

Where else would you recommend?

__________________
~~~ SW ~~~
~ A woman was sipping on a glass of wine, while sitting on the patio with her husband. She says, "I love you so much, I don't know how I could ever live without you". Her husband asks, "Is that you or the wine talking?"...She replies, "It's me ... talking to the wine.

that_girl

Early/mid fall

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southern wife

I went here, too, for lunch:


Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

__________________
~~~ SW ~~~
~ A woman was sipping on a glass of wine, while sitting on the patio with her husband. She says, "I love you so much, I don't know how I could ever live without you". Her husband asks, "Is that you or the wine talking?"...She replies, "It's me ... talking to the wine.

southern wife

Mama always said… when you’re laughing out loud, you’re healing
your soul !

__________________
~~~ SW ~~~
~ A woman was sipping on a glass of wine, while sitting on the patio with her husband. She says, "I love you so much, I don't know how I could ever live without you". Her husband asks, "Is that you or the wine talking?"...She replies, "It's me ... talking to the wine.

shy_guy

We're all forgetting one VERY important detail. You simply CANNOT forget this.

If you're going to San Francisco, be sure You know what comes next

(that goes double if you go to Haight Asbury.

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