Recoomendations of must-see/ must do/restaurants (castle, trip, beach, items)

[Mooseketeer]

My partner and I will be doing a home exchange from the UK to San Francisco ( mid September to mid October) and would appreciate any recommendations for things to do /not miss etc..
We are both avid fans of history, architecture, archaeology,wildlife watching, going to concerts/plays etc.. and love touring around (we are also swapping cars).

Also we have booked up a nice B&B for 4 days in Mendocino for our joint 40th birthdays and and any recommendations for a "special occasion" restaurant would be great . Can be anywhere from San Luis Obispo to Mendocino as we will travel quite a bit.

"Normal" restaurants also very welcome , we would especially like to try some good Japanese and Mexican restaurants as they are rare in the UK and not that good.

[roanoker 4]

I did a "discovery" type motor tour from San Francisco to L.A. a few years ago and drove down the coastline to Monterrey, Carmel(lovely place) and drove over to Calistoga(wine country-lots of nice Italian restaurants). I visited a town called Solvang. It was like being in a Scandinavian type village with vintage architecture(very rare for Calif). It is also close to Hearst Castle(not interesting to me). I stayed at Pismo Beach at the Shore Cliff Lodge with breathtaking views of the ocean and the sound of the water splashing on the rocks. I drove to Santa Barbara, beautiful spanish mission architecture. I skipped LA and drove to San Diego and went to the border, took the Tijuana Taxi into town and had a wonderful real mexican meal downtown(I can't think of the name) but I remember the margaritas were wonderful(everyone from San Diego knows this place). You may not have time for such a long trip as California was much bigger than I imagined in mileage. Good luck on your travels!!

[Mooseketeer]

Thanks Roanoker4, I think we won't really have time to go much further South than Hearst Castle or further North than Mendocino , but I am hoping to at least have a couple of days in Yosemite as well.
I am so looking forward to it. I love California.

[floridadreamer]

Fisherman's Wharf.

[tvdxer]

Alcatraz prison.

In San Francisco, try the Asian restaurants. As you are in California you should be able to find a good selection of Mexican places too.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Try to book a couple weeks ahead with Alcatraz. It is well worth a visit.
This link has the phone number: The Rock

I loved exploring Golden Gate Park.

City Lights Bookstore in North Beach is a must-see. Actually, North Beach is a must-see. There used to be a cool funky postcard shop, but I think it's closed.

Don't know if it's still good, but we enjoyed this restaurant: Rose Pistola.

That will be a nice 40th birthday celebration. My brother stayed in Mendocino not long ago, I'll ask him if there was a particular restaurant he and his wife enjoyed.

[cleosmom]

Originally Posted by Mooseketeer

Thanks Roanoker4, I think we won't really have time to go much further South than Hearst Castle or further North than Mendocino , but I am hoping to at least have a couple of days in Yosemite as well.
I am so looking forward to it. I love California.

That's what I was going to suggest if you have any time at all to visit Yosemite

Just don't forget when you're ordering some items, we Americans have our own "brand" of English for instance biscuits to you are cookies to us

[Mooseketeer]

Thanks to you all for your recommendations. I have become conversant with American English but it always takes me a couple of days to remember "cilantro" instead of coriander or "egg plant" for Aubergine etc..