Looking for Northern CA Travel Agenda (9 days in October)

Hello,

My husband and I will be flying into and out of San Francisco for an October 2009 trip. We are looking to spend a few days in San Francisco and the Bay Area. Also, we would like to spend some time in Sonoma Valley and Redwood National Park. We have suggestions on where to stay in Sonoma already (as well as in San Francisco). However, we are still looking for suggestions during the rest of our trip. Our last night we%26#39;ll be staying back in San Francisco.

Please suggest an itinerary that works for our time frame. We are renting a 4WD car and we love to hike, take photos, and eat gourmet food. We%26#39;re flying in on a Saturday and out on the following Sunday so not all 9 days are full days (flying from Boston so that%26#39;s pretty much a day of travel each way).

Thanks!! :)

Looking for Northern CA Travel Agenda (9 days in October)

Even though I%26#39;m certain that the helpful CA TA posters will have an abundance of wonderful suggestions for you, I thought I%26#39;d chime in as a fellow tourist. My husband and I spent a week in SF/Monterey Bay area in October 18-25, 2008. Our itinerary included San Francisco (two nights in North Beach), Sausalito, Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Carmel, Moss Landing, Point Lobos and Big Sur. You can read my daily narratives by searching the topic ';SF/Monterey Bay Area First-Timers'; in California forums.

Looking for Northern CA Travel Agenda (9 days in October)

Wow! Thank you so much!! I%26#39;ll check out your posts. What should I expect for weather?

From various sources we understood that Sept. and Oct. are generally the warmest months in Northern CA. In fact the day before we toured Elkhorn Slough, the boat captain told us, it reached 80 degrees -- the hottest day of the year and much too hot for him. We never felt overheated...and there was none of the humidity we sometimes get with hot days in OH.

Be aware of SF%26#39;s microclimates. Generally I focused on layering as TA posters had suggested. I was very grateful to have brought a knit scarf and rolled-brim fleece hat when the fog rolled in, and my husband actually did wear long underwear (a long-sleeved silk shirt from L.L. Bean) on occasion. Instead of a purse I generally carried an L.L. Bean bag with room for whatever layers I%26#39;d removed.

Pat, Thanks--great idea with the layers and a LL Bean tote to bring along. :)

That is so interesting that the fall is warmer (with also cold spurts)!

Just a general note on weather: the closer you are to the water the more temperate it will be (not so hot in the day, not so cold at night). So Sonoma might be quite warm in the daytime but will get cool (possibly into the 40s) at night.

It%26#39;s not generally foggy at the coast in October but if the days are warm inland it could indeed pull some cool air in from over the Pacific, causing fog along the coast.

Definitely layer but (except possibly for Sonoma daytimes) you probably won%26#39;t need short sleeves (I wear short sleeves in SF no more than 5-10 days a year). And if you%26#39;re visiting wineries, it%26#39;s usually quite cool inside those buildings.

Onesnap, though we didn%26#39;t travel to Sonoma ourselves, I did notice an article in the online version of Sunset Magazine that might help with gourmet suggestions. See sunset.com/travel/… for ';Taste Sonoma';.

Let me know if you want any more info on the places we ate -- not necessarily gourmet but distinctively different from options at home.

RamblinSal,

I told my husband what you said and he was so happy to hear that. :)

Thanks!

Pat,

Thanks...yes, it does not have to always be gourmet--just tasty!

Thank you and have a Happy New Year!

%26lt;%26lt;does not have to always be gourmet--just tasty!%26gt;%26gt;

The following are some of the more memorable and notably CA tastes of our trip:

DUNGENESS CRAB

Dungeness Benedict for me and a Dungeness omelet for my husband at Mama%26#39;s on Washington Square. (See “The very first in line...our strategy revealed” at http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60713-d353897-r21407159-Mama_s_on_Washington_Square-San_Francisco_California.html)

Dungeness crab, fontina, avocado and red onion pizza at Calzone’s on Columbus Ave in North Beach. (See “Sidewalk tables perfect for people-watching” at http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60713-d354024-r21551679-Calzone_s-San_Francisco_California.html)

CIOPPINO

Dinner at Phil’s Fish Market in Moss Landing included cioppino for my husband (while I enjoyed my first taste of grilled SAND DABS and also an opportunity to listen to “Filet of Soul” play 50s and 60s music as they do at Phil’s every Thursday evening.)

We%26#39;d both eaten cioppino for the first time in Santa Cruz at Stagnaro%26#39;s Bros. on the Municipal Wharf...after a local exiting the restaurant delivered his enthusiastic recommendation, particularly urging us to take advantage of the Monday special of $10.95 for a large bowl of cioppino (stew made of several kinds of fish and shellfish, tomatoes, and white wine) which we’d never tasted. (See “Caught today, cooked today”

at http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g33048-d778798-r21578434-Stagnaro_Bros_Seafood-Santa_Cruz_California.html)

OLALLIEBERRIES

I confess we%26#39;d never heard of olallieberries before the server at Mama%26#39;s made a point of offering us their homemade olallieberry jam. After we walked Redwood Grove Trail, a flat, easy .8 mile loop around the giant redwoods at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, we satisfied our hunger with red snapper sandwiches and our first-ever taste of homemade ollallieberry pie at Carpo’s in Soquel.

Oooh Pat!! You are awesome!! *grin*

Thanks!