by Ester Harrison
The last time I was in California my family was driving through the massive state in our Silverado Suburban and we, the kids, had commandeered the radio for a reprieve from the classical music by shoving in our tapes of Ace of Base and Meatloaf. Needless to say, it’s been a while. This trip, I decided to make limited plans and travel with only a backpack throughout. A foodie excursion, I feasted at mostly farm to table and local restaurants, the price of which was offset by booking various types of nightly accommodations. From an Airbnb booking in LA to a Bed and Breakfast in Sonoma and a Hostel outside San Francisco, I tried it all.
Los Angeles
My adventure started in LA, a new city for me, but one that came with a reputation for bad traffic, serious shopping and culinary delights. Similar to Dallas in many ways, I found myself at home in LA. While there are many amazing food options in LA, I tried to focus on farm to table concepts. Most the I stayed in a sweet little cottage in Hollywood, which made the perfect launching point for adventures throughout West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Echo Park, and Santa Monica. I traveled by UberPool for the entirety of the trip, except for one tourist laden voyage through Hollywood on a topless van and a ticket on the Pacific Surfliner to San Jose Capistrano, a historic mission town an hour south of Los Angeles.
Eat: Salt’s Cure, Fork in the Road, Bossa Nova, and Foodlab
Stay: AirBnb
Monterey
From Los Angeles I ventured along the Pacific Coast Highway with a good friend who I met at San Juan Capistrano. We drove slowly and took many pit stops to see all the beautiful sights along the highway. Along the way we stopped in Big Sur and Carmel. We finally made it to Monterey just in time for dinner. We stopped at Paluca Trattoria, an authentic and delicious Italian spot on the boardwalk. Although we had planned to continue to San Francisco, we loved Monterey so much we decided to stay the night. This gave us plenty of time to enjoy some drinks by the water before heading to sleep.
Eat: Paluca Trattoria
Stay: Accommodations get booked up pretty fast here. With some luck, I was able to find a great room near the center. There are no hostels, so I used Priceline to get a last minute deal.
Sonoma Valley
Since our Highway 1 excursion took a bit longer than we intended, we headed straight to Sonoma from Monterey. I had booked a nice room at The Gaige Inn in Glen Ellen. We were greeted with an upgrade to their Woodside Suite that opened to the Calabaza Creek. After a sweet Wine and Cheese Social Hour int he Bed and Breakfast common room, we strolled to The Fig Cafe, flashlights in hand. The quiet in this area was a welcome retreat after my three days in dense LA. In the morning we slowly ventured up through the Russian River and Alexander Valleys to the Francis Ford Coppola Vineyard, where we feasted on a wine pairing lunch and enjoyed the Mecanique Tour. On our way to Napa we stopped by the picturesque Chateau Montelena.
Eat: The Fig Café and Rustic, Francis’ Favorites
Sleep: The Gaige Inn in Glen Ellen
Napa Valley
Our short trip through wine country continued with a night in the Napa Valley town of Calistoga. From Geyserville we drove across the 128 and took a tour through the Mt. St. Helena park before heading down to some wineries near our destination. More active than Glen Ellen, Calistoga was the perfect little town for some souvenir shopping and a peaceful stroll. After dinner at the Calistoga Inn, we took it easy and spent the night relaxing. Two days of tasting wines and eating rich foods is surprisingly tiring. In the morning we headed to the Beringer and Honig Vineyards before stopping in Yountville for a luxe lunch at Bouchon. With our stomachs filled and in serious need of coffee, we headed to the city of Napa for an affogato, a special Italian dessert of ice cream with espresso, at Frati Gelato.
Eat: Calistoga Inn Restaurant & Brewery, Bouchon, and Frati Gelato
Sleep: Calistoga Inn in Calistoga
San Francisco and Sausalito
Our last excursion before heading towards San Francisco (and the airport back to Dallas) was a night outside Sausalito, in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Completely isolated from all technology and out in the middle of the woods, this was the perfect place to regroup after such a spectacular trip. We roamed the area, read books, and let our stomachs rest for the night. If you are looking for those picture perfect shots of San Francisco and the Golden Gate bridge, I highly recommend heading to this side of the bay. With an evening flight the next day, we woke up and ventured into San Francisco for a quick tour of the Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39. I'd been to San Francisco before and would likely be back, so I decided to focus on the most important things: Ghiradelli Square and a Clam Chowder bread bowl from Alioto's.
Eat: Alioto's
Sleep: HI Marin Headlands in Sausalito
One thing I discovered in California was that mussels are extremely available and incredibly delicious. I couldn’t get enough of them on this trip. Each dish expertly executed and equally delicious. I feasted on various styles at Salt's Cure in LA , at The Fig Cafe in Glen Ellen, and lastly at Bouchon in Yountville. Though wine country was incredibly fun, I was surprised to actually learn something. During my trip I tried upon two types of grapes which I had previously never heard of and fell in love: Mouvèdre and Pinot Meunier.
All in all I was stunned by California's expansive countryside and beautiful scenery. I have no doubts I will be back for another backpacking trip. What are your favorite spots in California?
