#  >  > Non Asia Travel Forums >  >  > Travel the World Travellers Tales Forum >  >  Back to San Francisco

## tomcat

...We took the champagne flight to Tokyo and then the JWGold flight to SF. One day in the city and then up to Sea Ranch for a fabulous weekend with old friends...stay tuned for pics (if possible) and entertaining commentary once I put the glass down...

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## Topper

AND........

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## SKkin

Is it Pride Month again?

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## Dragonfly

> ...We took the champagne flight to Tokyo and then the JWGold flight to SF. One day in the city and then up to Sea Ranch for a fabulous weekend with old friends...stay tuned for pics (if possible) and entertaining commentary once I put the glass down...


you lucky bitch, have a red for showing off

Chardonnay or Sauvignon? you come across as a Chardonnay Queen

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## Norton

> One day in the city and then up to Sea Ranch


Take a nice warm jacket. Your friends live on cliff side or up on the mountain?

Hard putting the glass down up there. So many fine wine choices, so little time.

Stop for lunch on the way up at Bodega Bay or Jenner. Best to stay clear of birds in Bodega Bay.  :Smile: 

Enjoy your stay in one of the world's most beautiful places.

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## misskit

^


Definitely hard to put down the glass in Sea Ranch. Have fun, TC.

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## aging one

Looks like no fog this weekend at Sea Ranch so you hit it right. As Norts says stop and eat in Bodega Bay. Have a bucket of steamers and a nice white at the Tides just as Sir Alfred did while filming The Birds. Enjoy..

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## David48atTD

Maybe a side trip to ...



See why New York is delighted to host the largest Pride celebration in the world, spanning the entire month of June in 2019.

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## bsnub

> Is it Pride Month again?


It is June so the answer is yes.

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## Luigi

Nice trip TC.  :Yup: 

I think you were planning a food based tour/trip of the East Coast before. Is this part of it, or just a trip to SF. 

Would be interesting to see a map of the route if it's the former.

Looking forward to the pics and shirts.  :Smile:

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## Chico

> AND........


Maybe because he/she has the money to spend.

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## Dillinger

> I think you were planning a food based tour/trip of the East Coast before. Is this part of it,


That would be some drive :Smile:

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## Luigi

Me compass kicks in after me 3rd cup of coffee.

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## armstrong

San Fran? You are *such* a cliché TC

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## Norton

Don't forget an essential.  :Smile:

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## tomcat

...much to show and tell but pics will have to wait until mid-July or so...we did stop in Bodega Bay for lunch on the way to Sea Ranch: little neck clams, spectacular clam chowder and clam cakes, excellent local wine. We’re renting a place called Monette House at Sea Ranch: unbelievable views of the Pacific from a cliff-side location. In-house cuisine from Whole Foods (I was responsible for a caprese salad and a cold pasta sauce) and dinners out at local trendy places. Best local wine discovery: Chalk Hill Hook and Ladder Bordeaux-type red: excellent! We return to SF tomorrow for shopping before going to the Legion of Honor to see a Rubens expo. On to the Monterey Aquarium and a stop at Carmel-by-the sea for lunch. July 4th at a friend’s place in Berkeley for a holiday barbecue. Three days of intense shopping will follow that before we finally board the JWGold flight for Tokyo and points east...time to view the sea lions at a local beach (warning signs posted everywhere as they can be aggressive) and stop at the local wine shop to stock up. Life (so far, anyway) is good...

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## NamPikToot

Tom, sounds like a full itinerary, looking forward to the piccies & write up. Watch them Sealions, there's loads on the Falkland Is and yep they can shift. I was on a small outlying Island wildlife watching with a small group and someone disturbed a male and female, they came thundering towards me and whilst i was still deciding which way to run they just shot past ....luckily, the males are big buggers too. Stay safe.

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## Norton

> Monette House


Sea Ranch, CA United States - Monette | BEACH RENTALS

Nice digs. Very much typical Sea Ranch design. Sea Ranch has very strict building codes. I worked for a construction company whose owner was one of the first to have a "weekend" house at the ranch. He and I went abalone diving on weekends. Great times. Fantastic food!

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## Dragonfly

> Sea Ranch, CA United States - Monette | BEACH RENTALS
> 
> Nice digs. Very much typical Sea Ranch design. Sea Ranch has very strict building codes. I worked for a construction company whose owner was one of the first to have a "weekend" house at the ranch. He and I went abalone diving on weekends. Great times. Fantastic food!


Abou 500 USD a night, looks ok inside, but very nice view

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## Klondyke

> pics will have to wait until mid-July or so


In the meantime I can help out, from somewhere there nearby +/-10km

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## Norton

Some excellent red wines come out of the Alexander Valley. Suggest you give Clos du Bois Merlot or one of their other reds a try. The founder of Clos du Bois was one of many who often hung out at my bosses Sea Ranch house. 

Learned a lot listening to Hugh (my boss), Frank and the rest of the gang of rich Republicans. Learned how the rich pretty much got what they wanted via the influence they had with local politicians. Same as now but done in a more discrete manner.

Looking forward to your pics and commentary.

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## tomcat

...drove by but didnt get to Alexander Valley. Ill keep an eye out for the wines you recommended as Im in charge of vino for our 4th barbecue. Back in SF now: Rubens expo this morning, shopping this afternoon, dinner at a nearby fish restaurant and an evening pick-me-up with JWGold before bed: Monterey tomorrow!

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## tomcat

...we enjoyed the (traveling) Rubens exhibition at the Legion of Honor and the permanent collection of Rodin sculptures and preparatory drawings...the 2.5 hour drive to Monterey and the aquarium was more pleasant than I remember (probably because I wasnt driving)...stand-out exhibits included the penguins, puffins, the gigantic central tank (3 stories high of ever-swimming fish) and an enormous display of moon jellyfish. Down to Carmel-by-the-sea and an excellent lunch at Portabella...the town was packed to the rafters with Chinese, Brazilians and Europeans...The 4th was spent in Berkeley at the home of friends: a pleasant backyard barbecue in the company of Italians, a Russian Jew, a number of WASPS, and a Thai (SD)...delicious wines (Maimoni and J among other Pinot noir labels). Down to Bloomingdales and Nordstrom on Market this morning on a hunt for shoes...I think my liver is swollen...

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## NamPikToot

> ......I think my liver is swollen...


 :Smile:   Tom if you are worried about your weight you can cut bits of it off and it'll regrow - wonderful thing

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## Bettyboo

Everyone loves a photothread...

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## tomcat

...^^the problem is wine at lunch, cocktails before dinner, wine with dinner and a very generous nightcap...every day...facing the rigors of Union Square is becoming more of a challenge in the morning...teetotaler SD is up at 5:30am preparing the day’s schedule...he’s relentless with his shopping and touring while I tend to linger at the Whole Foods wine section...*sigh*...

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## NamPikToot

Tom, don't think of this as a holiday, its an endurance test. Just make sure you have your affairs in order and your travel thread / restaurant reviews filed and ready for reading should you not see the challenge through, God forbid. Hang in there.

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## Klondyke

> Everyone loves a photothread...





> facing the rigors of Union Square


Helping out again:

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## Dillinger

Did you feel that earthquake Tom?

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## Norton

> Did you feel that earthquake Tom?


Nowhere near him Dilly. He would not of felt it.

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## SKkin

> He would not of felt it.


You sure? They felt it in Vegas and detected on instruments all the way over on the East Coast.




> Southern #California magnitude 7.1 #earthquake registered on the seismograph in Palisades NY, north of New York City -- some 2,500 miles away.#EarthquakeLA #EarthquakeVegas pic.twitter.com/uQ0qe4DbFZ
>   Ben Noll (@BenNollWeather) July 6, 2019


edit: guess Vegas is closer than where tom is though...

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## bsnub

> edit: guess Vegas is closer than where tom is though...


You really need to travel more.  :Smile:

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## fishlocker

Wow, we ain't all geography majors snubbs.

Next you'll be telling him to teach us how to bake pie.  I meant .7854 times the diameter squared or something like that.  :Smile:

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## NamPikToot

Tom, you are missing Pride in London. If you post SD out on another Hill Climb you could kick back and catch up with a nice chilled white. wine of course.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2019/jul/06/pride-london-2019-marchers-50-years-since-stonewall-live

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## tomcat

> Did you feel that earthquake Tom?


...no ripples were noted in my cocktail glass...while missing London Pride, we are watching Wimbledon: Coco Gauffs win was a real crowd-pleaser...Ubering to the Ferry Building this morning to pick up local cheeses and other offerings; dinner at Monsieur Benjamins before going to an Aretha tribute concert this evening...had to pick up a second suitcase...decided against packing wine...*sigh*...

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## Norton

> Aretha tribute concert


Should be great. I went to see her at Fillmore West in 1971.
Where are they holding the tribute?

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## Chittychangchang

One of the great soul legends, would have loved to have seen her live.

She was brilliant in the first Blues Brothers movie.

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## tomcat

> Should be great. I went to see her at Fillmore West in 1971.
> Where are they holding the tribute?


...at SF Symphony Hall...mostly an older white demographic whooping, clapping and enthusiastically singing along with very talented vocalist Capathia Jenkins...Denzal Sinclair offered the accompanying and entertaining tribute to Nat King Cole: a bouncy happy full house for the performances...pics of an excellent dinner at Monsieur Benjamin will be posted on or about Wednesday...

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## Bettyboo

> Did you feel that earthquake Tom?


In this thread, are you doing some kinda gay bonding? Is this a euphemism?

Watching girls in sport as athletes rather than sex objects, bonding with SF-ites, wtf is the world coming too, or should I say cumming too... All very worrying.

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## tomcat

...as promised: Monette House at Sea Ranch, north of SF: every room has a wonderful view...and a shot of the Arrabiata sauce I prepared on our last night there...served with local Pinot Noir varieties

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## NamPikToot

Nice shirt

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## tomcat

...filling Greek omelet and hash browns at Pine Crest Diner to begin the trip to Sea Ranch; clam chowder and little neck steamers at Lucas Wharf in Bodega Bay: excellent seafood at every stop on this trip...

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## Dragonfly

2016 Pinot Noir? that's not going to taste too nice, except for Americans of course  :Smile:

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## Stumpy

Nice view TC,

I have a friend who lives on West cliff drive in Santa Cruz. His view is like that. I always loved the pine trees that have grown sort of sideways based on the constant breeze off the Pacific Ocean. When I return and smell the ocean it reminds me of my days surfing at steamers lane.... :Smile:

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## Bettyboo

Finally some pictures... &, the place looks fantastic; beautiful scenery, great looking food, and some nice wines - no wonder Dilly is trying to butter you up...

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## Dragonfly

that Monette House with a view is indeed great, but the US is full of great places like that, a nice change from miserable Thailand for sure

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## Dillinger

^^ hey? i'm a family man :Smile: 

Here you go Tom... I've straightened up. I've 'straightened' up your pics darling  :Wink:

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## Stumpy

> the US is full of great places like that, a nice change from miserable Thailand for sure


I dunno man, having grown up on the Pacific Ocean coast and living here and going to the various beach locations, I think in many ways its about even.  A lot depends on time of year.

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## tomcat

> A lot depends on time of year.


...and personal preference, of course...

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## Stumpy

> ...and personal preference, of course...


Agreed. I knew many that absolutely hated living in Santa Cruz/Monterey bay area and would travel to tropical beach locations because they hated the cold and the fog.

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## tomcat

...more shots of Sea Ranch...

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## Stumpy

Again beautiful Cypress trees. Unique to the Pacific Coast

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## Luigi

Great pics and thread, cheers Tom.  :tumbs:

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## tomcat

...still to come: an excursion to the Monterrey aquarium and nearby monastery...

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## tomcat

...Monterey aquarium: among the mesmerizing attractions are the tanks of swirling sardines that are strategically placed as sort of night lights around the darkened 3-level facility, the enormous display of moon jellyfish and, of course, the gigantic 3-story central tank that recreates the environment of Monterey Bay...

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## Loy Toy

Great thread with fantastic pictures.  :goldcup:

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## Norton

> the US is full of great places like that


Yes there are many but as pointed out a personal preference. For me the northern Calif coast is the best. Yes, plenty rain along the coast but a short drive over the coastal mountain range and very little anual rain fall. Perfect for production of fine wines.

Climate and physical geography diversity of California is incredible. There are very few places in the world you can go sking in the morning and surfing in the afternoon.

Having grown up in the Sonoma valley, it will always be for me top of the list of perfect places to be. However, not the least expensive these days.

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## Stumpy

> Yes there are many but as pointed out a personal preference. For me the northern Calif coast is the best. Yes, plenty rain along the coast but a short drive over the coastal mountain range and very little anual rain fall. Perfect for production of fine wines.
> 
> Climate and physical geography diversity of California is incredible. There are very few places in the world you can go sking in the morning and surfing in the afternoon.
> 
> Having grown up in the Sonoma valley, it will always be for me top of the list of perfect places to be. However, not the least expensive these days.


True True Norton. I always loved California for its activity diversity. However as noted, it comes with a steep financial price, lots of over governing, rules, regs. I LOVE visiting it now. Would never want to live there again. Of course easy for me to say being I was born and raised in California and enjoyed all those things.

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## Bettyboo

Lovely house, great location.

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## NamPikToot

> Lovely house, great location.


Seconded, i love the way the trees have been shaped by the prevailing wind. I've got a piccie of a lone tree that got bonsai'd due to its location in the Torres Del Paine NP in Chile see if i can dig it out.

Looks like you are having a great time Tom, keep em coming.

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## tomcat

...after the aquarium, we stopped at the quiet little tourist trap Carmel-by-the-sea...trendy shops, streets and restaurants, one of which is Portabella where we enjoyed a tasty corn and crab bisque, creamy hummus, a satisfying chicken avocado sandwich and delicious seafood pasta...it was here that I discovered the local pinot noir Meiomi: excellent wine...

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## aging one

> ..it was here that I discovered the local pinot noir Meiomi: excellent wine...


The reserve from the Santa Lucia Highlands?   If so we found it last year.  Wow.. :Smile: 

Really good reds were such a treat.  Being able to drink them room temperature was also a real pleasure. Happy you had or are having a great time Tom.

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## tomcat

...thanks, ao...after lunch, we pushed on to the Carmel Mission, a relic of Catholic aggression:

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## Norton

> Carmel Mission


Did you get a glimpse of Paul's spirit to make your day.  :Smile:

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## cisco999

Excellent photos and thread.

Don't forget to put on a wet suit if you even  THINK  about venturing into that  freezing water.

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## tomcat

> Did you get a glimpse of Paul's spirit to make your day


...if that spirit inspires devotional retailing in the Mission gift shop (crosses in all shapes and sizes, prayer cards for the long dead, prayer beads, inspirational plaques, portraits of Jesus, etc) he was indeed present...



> Don't forget to put on a wet suit if you even THINK about venturing into that freezing water.


...never occurred to me: I don't even eat abalone...

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## MarilynMonroe

Looks like a great trip, TC. The food at Porta Bella looks delicious. 
I always wanted to visit San Francisco. I have a friend that  lives there and believe he works at Yale.

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## cyrille

> I always wanted to visit San Francisco. I have a friend that  lives there and believe he works at Yale.



He commutes from San Francisco, California to New Haven, Connecticut?

That's about 3,000 miles.  :rofl:

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## MarilynMonroe

Ya I meant Berkeley. lol

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## tomcat

> I always wanted to visit San Francisco


..let this thread inspire and guide your travels...

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## Humbert

Great thread TC. Love Northern California having worked in SF for several years.

Good to see that the usual suspects here who trash everything American have left the thread alone.

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## tomcat

> Good to see that the usual suspects here who trash everything American have left the thread alone.


...sh-h-h-h....

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