Last month, we spent two weeks traveling in California, U.S. We visited Sacramento, Napa/Sonoma County, and San Francisco. It was one of the best trips we’ve had, and food wise we never had a miss.
Sacramento
Our first leg of the trip was three days in Sacramento. It’s a very charming city. It reminds me of Seattle, WA. We spent most of the time walking, exploring some landmarks like Old Sacramento, the State Capitol, and visiting some great places to eat.
Napa / Sonoma
We primarily went to Sonoma to participate in the Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Rosé 5k, but decided to take advantage and go to some vineyards and experience the area.
We visited Domaine Carneros which was a beautiful property. I purchased the red wine flight which consisted of Pinot Noir tastings. While we had a good time during our time in Napa / Sonoma, we struggled with transportation. Uber and Lyft were expensive, even for relatively short rides. That’s something to keep in mind if we ever return, I think it’s best to rent a car, since it’s not as easy to get around from place to place compared to a major city.
The Rosé 5K was a great experience. There were around four thousand people if I’m not mistaken. I had very bad knee pain so I took it easy. After the race there were vendors and other experiences in the finish area and some free wine tastings. I’ve completed three 5Ks so far, and all in 2025.
San Francisco
This was the city I was looking forward to the most from our trip. I had watched so many videos about restaurants and experiences to try, and it all clicked in terms of my preferences. I loved this city, it has a charm about it that I really can’t explain.
Surprisingly, we visited during San Francisco’s coldest summer since 1982. Temperatures wouldn’t go beyond 62-63 degrees Fahrenheit. We tried to visit all the must-see spots like the Painted Ladies, Palace of Fine Arts, Alcatraz Island (we did the night tour!) and the Golden Gate Bridge. But we also went to some of the more hidden-gem places, particularly restaurants that are not overly advertised on social media.
In terms of food, San Francisco had the best food. We were only there for five full days but we tried a little bit of everything. Everything from mochi donuts to handmade fresh pasta. I could definitely make a separate post just about the food (and honestly, I think I will).
Overall, these vacations were much needed, and I had a great time. I’d definitely love to visit San Francisco again in the future.
