California Bucket List: San Francisco annd Bay Area

A California Bucket List could hardly be complete without some icons of "the city", "the Bay" and/or wine country. This trip was especially significant to Jaiman and I, because we had both gone separately before we knew each other, and I found some absolute gems I wanted to encore, while his trip was largely a bust in his opinion, so we had strong urges for different reasons to go back and do it right, and together. Moving to LA county afforded us the shortest road trip from home ever for us, so it was decided that we'd finally go! We picked a weekend and I took Thursday and Monday off (I have all Fridays off already) to make it an extended weekend. We did some rather unique things as well as some typical touristy things, and I hope this post helps you find some gems as well as prepare for what to expect in the touristy things.

 

Day 0 - Wednesday

We actually left Wednesday evening when I got off work, to break up the drive. It afforded us the opportunity to stop in Paso Robles, a last minute recommendation from one of my employees that ended up being a fantastic idea. I might go so far as to add Paso Robles to the California Bucket List - it made that big of an impression on me! We arrived pretty late and checked in to the hotel before venturing out for some dinner, so our options were limited. That ended up not being a problem at all, as it led us to The Alchemist's Garden, where the way-too-cool-for-me bartenders weren't the only ones brewing up amazing concoctions! Notably, they have a fancy setup for the absinthe Jaiman wanted to try, and my mojito cocktail was also quite delish. But the food was the most interesting, there. We started with a Sweet Potato Quasadilla which wasn't too sweet potato for me, and very cheesey. I got the Duck Chalupa with spicy slaw, and Jaiman got the Coffee Rubbed Skirt Steak with sweet potato mash. There were at least a half dozen other tantalizing options on the menu that we'd go back to try. And that was just one place in the picturesque downtown Paso Robles!

Day 1 - Thursday

I wanted to split up the drive for two reasons - for one, there was something very specific on Thursday evening that I wanted to make sure we go to (more on that later), and two, I was hoping to drive up the Pacific Coast Highway a bit, which takes a lot longer, but is so much more scenic. We compromised, and decided to drive direct to Santa Cruz, and take the scenic route from there. This allowed for an unplanned stop to get additional roller coaster credits in Santa Cruz.

The main planned event for Thursday was an adults-only evening at the immense immersive science museum, the Exploratorium. I had visited before, but during the day while they allowed those short people to run around. Given our dislike of other people's kids, we were both stoked to have an adult bevvy and kick it kid-free. Jaiman's only complaint: 4 hours was not enough time! And truly, it's the kind of place at which you could spend all day. We had no problem parking at a meter across the street, and booked the first entry time reservation to maximize our time (and still left wanting more). If I were to do it again, I'd have dinner before the event because the meal wasn't super special (although it did hit the spot after we worked up an appetite playing with the exhibits) to devote more time to the museum. I thought dining there would be nice with a view, but it was too dark to see much anyways. The gift shop is a lot of fun, too, but you could also do that outside of the limited adults-only hours to maximize time in the museum.

Day 2 - Friday

For Friday we knew we wanted to do Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. We have annual passes to Six Flags, so parking and admission were free, but if you have to buy one-day admission, this is one of the cheapest parks. The annual passes are good deals, though, if you're going to go to more than one park or go a few times, they pay for themselves pretty quickly. Labor Day weekend has the best deals.

Our focus was getting on the rides, which we were successful at early in the day, even waiting out the testing of Batman in anticipation of it opening. But unlike other Six Flags parks, this one has animals, too. We touched the rays, watched the sea lion and dolphin shows and laughed at the penguins waddling around. Unfortunately, we missed the land animals, they had gone in for the night by the time we made our way over there. So if I was going to do it again, I'd pop over there first thing and then worry about the rides, so I could see some giraffes!

The bag / loose item policy is always vague and often inconsistent for theme parks, so here's some ride-by-ride info to help you plan.
    • Superman - Had cubbies - Can only have one train so you're pretty safe to leave things
    • Batman - Had cubbies - the ride is loading / unloading continuously so leave items at your own risk
    • Medusa - Had cupholders, some people left hats and other items - Can run more than one train so leave items at your own risk
    • Kong - Had cupholders - Can have more than one train so leave items at your own risk
    • Cobra (family ride) - Had cubbies, but it's mild enough you can probably just keep things in pockets or a bag at your feet - Only has one train so relatively safe
    • Joker - Had big bins to hold items

That was also the order we rode the rides in, notably, Joker was closed almost ALL DAY... we wrapped up our day - we thought - with shopping and then literally were walking out of the final turnstile when we saw the Joker run - with people on it! The staff was kind enough to let us back in since we had just exited, but normally you would need a stamp. So, if you're interested in riding something that's been closed, get that hand stamp just in case. We couldn't believe how late it had opened, we thought certainly if it hadn't opened by two hours prior to the park closing, it wouldn't open at all that day. Six Flags showed us! Again, it worked out, and while that was the longest wait all day right around 45 minutes, we were grateful to snag that coaster credit.

For dinner, we drove over to the Fisherman's Wharf area for reservations at the Bistro Boudin. The food was incredible from start to finish. The Argentinian Empanadas appetizer could easily be an entrée, and they were served with beets and cauliflower which I really enjoyed as well as  a creamy avocado-cilantro mousse, which Jaiman really enjoyed despite neither of us liking avocado normally. I went with the Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich, with amazing coleslaw which I don't usually like. Jaiman had the Angel Hair Pasta with Herb Grilled Shrimp.

Day 3 - Saturday

After a late night, we slept in maybe a little too late, and groggily made our way back to the car for one of my favorite drives ever. The drive up to Six Sigma Ranch and Winery is quite a haul, but it is gorgeous, packed with windy, hilly, tree canopy-covered roads and mountainy landscapes. We saw two deer on the way back. Once you turn in, there is a 2 mile dirt road passing by the vineyards and sweeping views with opportunities for wildlife sightings. There are hiking trails at the property, they just ask you to check in with them. We opted for a low-key visit with the day's special tasting, seated on the patio eating street tacos paired with Sauvignon Blanc. As we indulged, we were treated to the sights and sounds of dozens of blue birds and woodpeckers.

I like Six Sigma Ranch in particular because of the namesake certication which has been a major enrichment and part of my career professionally. Also, my first experience here has been other-worldly. One of these days, hopefully I'll make it for an actual tour.

After buying a case to bring home (I was gladly upselled), we made our way to Lagunitas Brewing Company. I had tentatively planned both Russian River Brewing Company and Lagunitas, but given the late time of day, we only really had time and energy for one, and Lagunitas was my preference between the two. Partially because I'd been to Russian River twice and Lagunitas only once with a tour, and partially because I prefer their beers and knew their food would be off the hook. I was right, suffice it at that.

Day 4 - Sunday

We managed to get home Saturday night at a decent time so we could get up earlier on Sunday. Our first planned stop was the Walt Disney Family Museum. I had visited this museum on my first trip to the area 10 years prior, and I tell everyone going to the area about it for this reason: I am not a museum person, but this museum moved me to literal tears. Plus, it's about all things Disney: the man himself (and his family), the start of an empire (and how it adapted over the years), and the theme park projects. Mr. Disney's vision for EPCOT is immensely more elaborate than the park we've come to know and enjoy, and while his vision was not even close to realized, I still find a lot of inspiration in it.

The Walt Disney Family Museum is located very near the base of the Golden Gate Bridge, so for planning purposes, if you're going to be taking in the site of the bridge, this would be a great addition to that outing (or vice-a-versa).

We then ubered to Fisherman's Wharf to let our inner tourists out. Jaiman found a place called the Codfather at which he wanted to eat fish 'n chips, and I ate some of my own "chips" there as well. Jaiman ranked the fish very high in his taste, and that's saying something because he's quite picky in that arena. But the highlight for me, not being a fish eater myself, was the deep fried Oreos.

We wandered to Pier 39 and visited shops to our liking, most notably a Christmas store at which I found a Torii Gate ornament I just had to have.  We walked to the north west part of the pier to find the viewing area for wild sea lions. It was super windy and a bit chilly, but we braved the cold to watch and listen to the ridiculous creatures fight and bark and wrestle and cuddle.

Jaiman wanted to shop at a specific store in JapanTown so we decided to uber that way and maybe eat some Japanese food for dinner. We were a little unpleasantly surprised to find that there was a Cherry Blossom Festival that was just wrapping up when we arrived, so there were lots of crowds everywhere in JapanTown and we were too late to join in on the festivities. Nevertheless, Jaiman got into the store he wanted to go to, but they were sold out of many of the items he was interested in because of the festival. We had not brought jackets for the day, but it started to get a little chilly so we visited a Japanese grocery store and then ubered back to Fisherman's Wharf for dinner. We called it a night early, but had snagged reservations for Monday morning to go to Alcatraz.

Day 5 - Monday

I hadn't intended to do anything in town on Monday, just leisurely pack up and drive home. But instead, we got up early, packed up in a rush, checked out and left our bags at the hotel, then ubered over to the Alcatraz ferry terminal. It was a small boat over, so there weren't enough seats for everyone, but we managed to make the most of it by getting a look outside. It was chilly and rainy at the start of the morning, but the short hike up the hill to the prison got us warmed up and the sun came out by the time we finished the audio tour. The audio tour was free / included in the price - you can either use one of their devices or download the tour on your phone using the QR code and wifi at the dock. Jaiman opted to use their device while I opted to download it on my phone. I wished I had headphones, but it was just fine without. I stopped my tour to take lots of pictures. Unfortunately, Jaiman's tour restarted and there was no way to fast forward, so he missed out on the backend of the audio tour, but otherwise got most of it. After our audio tours, we walked around outside where, even though the sun had come out, it was very windy and chilly. We watched for birds and identified a few species, but the peregrine falcon alluded us.

Since we got back to the pier around lunch time, we opted to eat lunch before leaving town, so we trekked up a couple terrific San Francisco hills to a pizzeria Jaiman found on Google. "Sometimes you have to let Google take the wheel," he said. Google did not disappoint! We landed at Tony's Pizza Napoletana and were floored by the menu. It had so many different styles of pizza, let alone different and pretty unique ingredient combinations. We had Tony's Double Roasted Garlic Bread with cheese, Classic Italian Diavola pizza with hot red pepper oil (hot oil pizza, anyone?), and the Detroit Rosa. All were incredible, and I wish I could try about ten more pizzas!

Sadly then, it was finally time to turn south. We took the fastest route home to Palmdale, which took us through farmlands, and got home in time to unpack and unwind just a bit before going to bed. Back to reality Tuesday. All in all, it was a well overdue trip that lived up to our long-standing aspirations, and we are already thinking about our next San Francisco visit!

Planning Tips

1. Pick the main things you want to do, at least one per day, and then arrange your travel dates and activities around the specific activity restrictions. 
• Alcatraz tickets can sell out, so you may want to plan and buy those in advance. We lucked out, but had to stay longer than I expected on Monday as a result.  
• The adults-only Exploratorium events only happens every Thursday evenings.
•  The Six Sigma tours happen only on Saturdays. We didn't make it for a tour, but landed ourselves at an event anyways.
•  For difficult-to-get-in restaurants, look at what reservations you can get on OpenTable if it's available.   
2. Check for festivals / events that may alter your ability to visit areas and/or may be of interest to add to your itinerary. 
3. Then arrange other far-flung activities around geographic proximity. 
• The two breweries I wanted to visit (Lagunitas and Russian River) were both relatively on the way back from the winery, so we opted to them the same day (even if that did imply a lot of drinking - ah well, vacation, right?).  
• The Charles M. Schulz Museum is in the same area (Santa Rosa), so if that's of interest, you may want to plan that in.  
4. Finally, arrange the remaining items based on expected crowds.
•  We opted to do Six Flags on a Friday which would limit the crowd because some people would be in school or at work. Monday or Thursday would have likely been even better, but it was minimal on Friday so that worked out nicely.  
• We went to the Walt Disney Family Museum as soon as it opened on Sunday to minimize interactions with crowds, and then dedicated the rest of the day to the tourist stuff at Fisherman's Wharf.