Anniversary Trip to San Fran {Part I}

With the happy coincidence of ASU playing in a bowl game in San Fransisco and our 25th wedding anniversary this year {and our children being complete duds in not throwing us a silver anniversary party}, we decided to take an extended vacation and drive to San Fransisco and enjoy the game.

{And, if you buy that, you don't really know us very well}

The true story is:

• We'd have gone to the game anyway.
• I don't travel well and now that we know that I have inner ear problems that contribute to the migraines, flying is out. And since there isn't a slow boat to San Fransisco, we have to drive.
• And our anniversary is on the 19th, so it was so close to when we'd leave for the trip that we'd just called it an anniversary trip.
• Bonus - free guilting of the kiddos on no anniversary party {you gotta love it when that happens!}

So, we left December 27th and drove to Ventura.

At home, we have a heat bubble that wards off all but the most heaviest rains. When we drove into California, we saw this ring of cloudless sky and thought of home.

Usually, I'm fascinated with clouds, but this trip it was mountains. We always seemed to be driving towards them.

We drove to Ventura the first day and stayed the night. The next day, we drove from Ventura to San Fransisco

The first sighting of the ocean!

We drove on highway 101 so we had ocean views for a while and then we drove through the most beautiful farming country.

Acres and acres of vineyards. Very fascinating. It brings out the inner farmer in me. After driving though the countryside, I so wanted to have a vineyard!

Once we got into the city, we drove on the infamous highway that collapsed in the 1989 earthquake {or at least it looks like the same highway}. A little freaky. Luckily, we were only on it for a very short drive.

We drove by the ball park on our way to the hotel.

And the Bay Bridge

We stayed in the Marriott. It was a little unassuming on the outside but was a very nice hotel.

We went to dinner and ate at Scoma's, which was very nice. It was highly recommended by the concierge. We waited about 45 minutes for our table but we waited right by the hostess and watching her work was like watching a floor show, how she directed the waitresses and the different guests, some pleasant, some not so much. The dinner was amazing. I had left my camera and my phone back at the hotel, why, I cannot for the life of me figure out, so I cannot show you the wonderfulness, but I can assure you that if you go to San Fransisco, you must go to Scoma's even if you must take out a loan to pay for dinner.

One day if I go to heaven…
I’ll look around and say “It ain’t bad, but it ain’t San Francisco”.
~ Herb Caen