Cali

#30: Part 2

This post isn't quite on my 30 Before 30 list, but it’s technically an extension of #30. After successfully seeing the sunrise in NYC and the sunset in SF on the same day, I spent a few days in Napa and San Fran (apparently a term only used by tourists).

Anyone in NYC and the Northeast can understand the brutal winter we've been having. Freezing temps and snow galore. Being an upstate girl this is something I grew up used to, however my last 5 years in NYC have been relatively mild. But not this year! So when the opportunity to go see California sunshine—I was like "hell yeah!"

After flying in on Wednesday and seeing a beautiful sunset, it rained 3 days in a row in Napa! Excuse me!? One morning it was 36 degrees! Meanwhile, a beautiful early spring was hitting the East Coast—getting up to 60 degrees!

So what's a girl to do? Well go drink wine in one of the most famous valleys in the world of course. So my brother Zach and I checked out Bounty Hunter in town and also went to Clos de Val and Black Stallion on the Silverado Trail. We also had to a drive-by of Darioush (see Persian architecture below).

Our cousin Tyler also gave us a private tour of Newton where he works. We got up and personal with the wine making process if you know what I mean.

After lots on vino we decide to switch it up and headed into San Fran to meet up with friends and drink a few beers. Well at least that is what I was doing. We had a good time partying it West Coast style. The bars closed early! No 4am night in SF.

Luckily the weather decided to clear up and get a bit warmer over the next couple of days. We checked out the coast at Lincoln Park, got ice cream at Ghirardelli (it was still a bit chilly for ice cream but I had to have it), walked around Fisherman's Wharf, and went running in a T-shirt and shorts! The first time since November!

Last on the agenda was grabbing dinner with an old high school friend, Kristi. We caught up on our each other's lives and enjoyed some good seafood on the Wharf. Good times.

As with any good vacation, there must be something that goes a bit haywire. Well it turned out my 9-hour red-eye return trip turned into a 14.5 hour trip. Ugh. My flight in SF was delayed which of course caused me miss my connecting flight in Detroit. I finally get on a flight hours later and landed in Newark 3 hours after I was originally supposed. But wait its not over. I wait for the Air Train and that takes forever to come. Then we hang out on that for a while. I finally make it to NJ Transit (within Newark Airport still). Where I just make it on the train. BUT then we hang out in the depths of Jersey for a while. We stop and don't move. And don’t move. And don’t move some more. Then we finally do move and it sounds like we are on the wrong tracks. I thought the train was going to fall apart. Then we move backwards towards Newark. Seriously!? Finally 2.5 hours after I landed at Newark I finally make it to Manhattan. Needless to say I was a bit cranky after that whole ordeal.

But the actual vacation was a lot of fun and for the most part relaxing. Except I’ve brought the cold weather back to NYC.

Now to plan my next trip. Maybe Asia?

P.S. 9 months until my deadline.