Road trip through north Bay Area and to Napa (Sonoma: appointed, rent)

[josh u]

In early May, I'm thinking of taking a road trip starting from SF into the north bay (eg, Sausalito) and then to Napa. What's a good scenic route that would let us see parks, redwood trees, any interesting natural scenary as well as architecture, downtown districts, etc.

We will be stopping in Sausalito. What's a good place to see the Bay and maybe take a stroll or get something to eat?

What do you recommend in Napa? I took the Wine Train once and was disappointed. People said how beautiful the ride was but I thought the view was nothing special because the train runs next to the freeway. How about a balloon ride?

[tstieber]

In Sausalito, a good place to eat (but without a view) is Poggio downtown. But, you can sit at the sidewalk tables and watch people go by. You could eat at the Spinnaker for an amazing view with overpriced, average food, so it's a tradeoff. It's generally nice to walk around there, get some ice cream at Lappert's, etc. For lunch with a view, you can also head over to the next town of Tiburon, which is smaller but has some great waterfront places to hang out. Sam's Anchor Cafe is a classic for beer and seafood, and Guaymas is a fun upscale Mexican place. Both have great patios right on the bay. Muir Woods are not far from Sausalito (maybe 1 or 2 exits, exit Highway 1 to Stinson Beach and follow the signs to Muir Woods. In Napa, the Silverado Trail (parallel to the Highway, but about a half mile east) is the place to see the best scenery. There are definitely balloon rides, but not sure where to go. You can also rent bikes and go all along the country roads and the vineyards. If you are seeing Muir WOods, BTW, it's also beautiful to stop by Stinson Beach and take a walk along the beach, especially the northern end near the lagoon, where it's quieter and there is good beachcoming (the southern end is more of a beach scene). The town also has a couple of fun places to grab a bite and get some sun, eat some bbq oysters, etc. I would break this whole trip into several days to get the most out of it. The Sonoma valley is also really nice, and there is lots of hiking, kayaking, and much more up in the North Bay.

[Snort]

In the Napa wine country, I recommend a visit to Hendry's Winery. You'll learn more about wine and pairing wine with food than you could anywhere else. It's nearly a 3 hour tour (free), but you have to call ahead to reserve.