Day 2 in Wine Country (Thu. Sept. 13)

Before I go into our adventures in Wine Country, I have to tell you about the breakfast provided at the Napa River Inn, which is prepared fresh by Sweetie Pies in the hotel complex. When we checked in, we were given cards to hang outside our door by midnight to request our breakfast for the next morning. The picture to the right is a picture of a breakfast for two (we probably could have just shared ONE of the breakfasts!). We each got a choice of a pastry or bun, a choice of a breakfast croissant or parfait or quiche, AND a choice of fresh-squeezed juice or fruit. It was all very delicious! It was great to be able to have a leisurely breakfast in the room and not have to find a restaurant first thing in the morning.

After breakfast, we drove out to Sonoma County, which people claim has "better" wineries. I think by "better" people mean less commercialized and more of what a true winery should be. I chose to go to Benziger in Glen Ellen, because they offer a tour on a tram pulled by a tractor, and they are known for their commitment to being green. While this tour was enjoyable, we liked Beringer better. Beringer seemed more interesting and the people there seemed friendlier.

The Benziger tour started with a tour of the vineyards. We stopped and got out of the tram to look over the vineyards toward Mt. Sonoma, and got a quick lesson on the types of soil and why it's good for different types of wine grapes. The tour continued by showing us some of the machinery used to process the grapes, including a tour of their wine caves. Some of the facts provided to us were similar to what we learned during the Beringer tour. The tour culminated with a tasting of two wines in a special tasting room. We were given the option to taste two more wines on our own in the tasting room, but we needed to make a lunch reservation in Santa Rosa, about 30 minutes away.

I made a lunch reservation at a restaurant called Syrah. I chose it based on good reviews, and because I could make a reservation on Open Table. The restaurant was very interesting in it's decor inside and out. The building was covered with vines, and the inside was somewhat artsy and just interesting in general. For example, while looking around, I noticed a Pillsbury Dough Boy resting on the beams.

While the food was pretty good, something about the restaurant disappointed me a bit. I think it was the service, which kind of made me feel as though they catered more to locals than tourists. I also didn't like how our waiter immediately took our wine list away because we ordered iced teas, without even asking if we still wanted to look at the wine list. Too bad, his loss. I probably would have ordered wine had he left the wine list.

Our entrees were a pork, pork, and more pork sandwich, which was an open faced sandwich with pork loin, bacon, and chorizo, topped with a fried egg, and the housemade ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese and topped with a tomato-based sauce. Both were good, although not as good as the dinners we had in Napa. If I returned to this area, I would look for another place to have lunch.

After lunch, we hopped back in the car again for a quick drive to the Charles M. Schultz Museum, also located in Santa Rosa. I have to say that although the entire trip was memorable, this was probably the greatest find. I found myself emotionally overwhelmed by Charles Schultz's contributions to the community which will remain his legacy for generations to come.

We spent 2-3 hours in this area, first exploring the museum, which housed memorabilia, original art, and an exhibit of various Peanuts comic strips. There was also an outdoor area which included more original art and a kite-eating tree.

After the museum, we walked across the street to a Snoopy Gift Shop. We didn't find as much stuff to buy as I thought, but it was still worth a visit. Next to the Gift Shop is a skating rink called Snoopy's Home Ice. The Warm Puppy Cafe, where Charles Schultz spent time almost every day, is located here. We joked that the Warm Puppy Cafe might've been a better lunch choice! We did stop there to pick up drinks and take a quick peek at people skating, before driving back to Napa via Calistoga and the Silverado Trail, which is parallel to the major road there.

Dinner that night was at Celadon, which was most excellent! I read that their calamari appetizer was very good, and it was. It was cooked perfectly and seasoned nicely, and was interestingly served with Japanese ginger, like the kind they give you with sushi. The ginger was a nice complement! Our entrees were a flank steak served with mashed potatoes and yellow and green beans (a special), and achiote rubbed duck served with a corn and bacon risotto. The duck was so awesome! The skin reminded me a bit of a nicely crusted prime rib, and it was nice and crispy with a very thin layer of fat that kept the meat moist.

Celadon was a great way to cap off a nice stay in Napa before we headed back to the City of San Francisco!

Day 1 in Wine Country

After weeks of planning, I am finally in Wine Country! Last night, we arrived in San Francisco from Honolulu sometime after 9 p.m. Before I get to the important stuff, I have to say that our experience with the people at Enterprise Car Rental was wonderful! How many people can say they had a "great" experience with a rental car agency??? They were quick, efficient, friendly, and overall just made us feel like valued customers. Let's hope we have a similar experience with the Enterprise folks in Vegas.

After getting the car and getting slightly lost, we drove to the Doubletree Hotel in Burlingame, just a few miles away from the airport. I got this hotel on Priceline. While there was nothing wrong with the hotel, other than the parking situation which was not-so-good, my general impression was just, "eehhhh." I wouldn't mind staying there again if I got a good rate on Priceline, but I wouldn't go out of my way to specifically book it.

Today was a good day. We drove up to Napa, which took just over one hour. We're staying at the Napa River Inn, which I LOVE! This is a picture of the superior room I booked. It's located in the Plaza Building, and has a balcony overlooking the Napa River (the river really isn't that great, but it's still cool to have a balcony) and a fireplace that turns on with the turn of a dial. I'm really looking forward to the breakfast that is included. We received cards that we checked off to indicate what we wanted, and they will deliver it to our room in the morning! How cool is that???

After checking into the hotel, we went to COPIA. I must admit that at first, I was thinking, "this isn't worth my time." But, the more time we spent there, the more I enjoyed myself. I had to remind myself that it is a museum -- there was a lot of art around, and while I enjoy art, I would prefer that it be created by different people. There was one room with LOTS of paintings done by one artist, and they all were based on the same subject...vineyards. And it got old pretty fast. A lot of the paintings really looked a lot alike.

Things got better when we reached a room that contained historical objects. My favorite was a display describing how vineyards got around prohibition. There were a few legal uses for wine, including for churches and for "medicinal" purposes. I also really enjoyed a section devoted to food. Part of this exhibit explained the diets of different cultures, and their food budget for a week. Another portion of the exhibit contained displays of various foods or food containers. One of my favorites was the Pez dispenser exhibit.

After COPIA, we drove north to St. Helena. We had some time to kill, so we stopped at the CIA. No, not that CIA...the Culinary Institute of America. It wasn't planned, and I had no idea whether it was open to the public, but my noseyness paid off. We walked around a little and also found a great gift shop. The building itself is really beautiful, as most of the buildings in Napa Valley are. There seems to be a concerted effort to ensure architectural fluidity in the area, so everything is beautiful, yet nothing sticks out like a sore thumb.

After CIA, we headed down to Beringer Winery for the Historical District Tour. Beringer is the oldest continuously operating winery in Napa Valley. Remember how I mentioned that some wineries were able to survive even during prohibition? Beringer is one of them that survived by providing wine for "medicinal" purposes and for sacrament. Beringer is a really beautiful property, with a number of historical buildings. The people there were really great too. The guy who conducted our tour started off by giving each of us a bottle of water, with a Beringer label on it...a nice touch!

We toured the Hudson House, an adjacent wooded area and courtyard, caves where wine is aged, and ended up in the Rhine House (shown above) where a gift shop and tasting rooms are housed. Our tour included wine tasting in the reserve room upstairs, which was really nice. The wine was REALLY good, and we ended up buying a bunch of stuff and joining their wine club...hey, these guys are smart. They get you all liquored up and then send you downstairs into the gift shop!

We drove back down to the Napa River Inn where we barely had enough time to change and make our dinner reservation at Angele, one of Napa's premier restaurants. The service was very professional and attentive, and the food was excellent. The bread was nice and warm and toasty, and we started off with French onion soup, which was very yummy and cheesey. For entrees we had a bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin served with a red pepper sauce, and a side of what looked like corn mixed with some kind of rice, and a ribeye (which really looked more like a filet mignon) served in a red wine reduction with french fries. Everything was really yummy!

Napa's only downfall is that there really is not a lot to do at night. We ended up walking around Downtown Napa (this must've been around 8:30-ish), and the only things still open were restaurants and Mervyn's department store. Yet somehow I still managed not to get my blog updated until 4 days later! All in all, a really great day in Napa.

A Wedding, Two Movies, and the Greek Festival

Just for fun, let's try a different font and color today. I'd say it adds variety to my blog, just as my weekend consisted of various events.

Yesterday morning, I attended a beautiful wedding at the Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki. All of my experiences at the Halekulani have been wonderful, and it is the epitome of quality and excellence. Everything about the wedding was perfect...the courtyard setting, the service, and the food at the reception. I don't think I've ever been to a wedding where I actually remembered how great all the servers were. Most of all, the couple that were married are great people and couldn't be more perfect for each other.

Yesterday afternoon, I attended the Greek Festival at McCoy Pavillion (in Ala Moana Beach Park). I have never been to the Greek Festival before, so I didn't really know what to expect other than what I've seen on the morning news shows. While it was a bit smaller than I imagined, it was still a good value at $3 (and I could've used the ticket stub for entry today as well).

There was a variety of entertainment, including dancing and Greek music which was quite good. Although the picture to the left consists of just a few people dancing, it became almost like a disco later in the evening! There was one vendor selling Greek grocery items such as olive oil, capers, and other canned and jarred foods, one selling clothing, and another selling art and music. There were two very popular drink booths selling Greek wine and beer, and about 7 or 8 food vendors. The gyros booth was by far the most popular, with the second being a cafeteria style vendor selling food such as moussaka and spanakopita as a complete meal with rice, salad, and baklava. I decided on a salad booth where I had a combination Greek salad and pasta salad plate. While the Greek salad was good, I was a little disappointed that it was made out of plain iceberg lettuce, although the dressing and particularly the feta were excellent. The pasta salad, however, was very good! I ended up abandoning the iceberg and eating the feta together with the pasta salad!

While I was at McCoy Pavillion, which is a pretty attractive area with a number of water features, I decided to practice my photography skills and test out the new lens I recently purchased for my Nikon D50, a 55-200 mm AF-S VR. I was playing around with various settings, which I am still familiarizing myself with. To the right is a picture I am particularly fond of because of the way the water drops appear to be suspended in mid-air.

Because I was so busy yesterday, today was my "chore" day, which consisted of doing laundry and some minor household cleaning. While waiting for my laundry, I watched a couple of movies that I would occasionally tell myself that I wanted to see, but never really made it a priority.

The first one was Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, which was on one of the HBO channels. I missed the first 3 minutes, but from what I gathered, the mother of one of four teenage girls passed away, further establishing a strong bond between the friends. I was pleasantly surprised with this movie for a number of reasons, and found myself wishing that I had seen the movie when it debuted in 2005. However, the movie is probably more special to me now because of two of its stars, and the timing of my viewing. One of the four girls turns out to be America Ferrera, who stars in one of my favorite new television shows, Ugly Betty (which is deserving of its own post, perhaps when the new season begins in September or October). Her father in the movie turns out to be Bradley Whitford, one of the stars of the ill-fated Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (cancelled after one season) and formerly of The West Wing. His performances and humor in The West Wing turned me into a fan.

Aside from my admiration of these two stars, the movie was really well-done. It's a chick-flick, but a very good one demonstrating the meaning of true friendship and learning to deal with personal insecurities. The four friends, aged 16-17, go into a store where one of them decides to try on a pair of jeans, and she makes the others try on the jeans too. Ferrera, who is chubbier than the rest of them, is urged to try them on too, despite her obvious weight difference. But lo and behold, they fit! They agree that the pants are magical.

The four, going their separate ways on their summer break, decided to make the pants into their very own Travelocity gnome by taking turns with the jeans, and sending a letter together with the "traveling pants" to the next person about their most exciting experience while wearing the jeans. Their separate journeys take them not only to far away places, but also to new experiences of self-discovery and personal challenges. I will leave my description at that, but suffice it to say that this is a good movie that sends a great message of belief, friendship, and self-respect to its viewers.

After I completed Traveling Pants, I decided to watch a movie I ordered from Netflix a while ago that has been sitting around thanks to my now-defunct DVD Recorder, which is a long story that I won't bore you with. The bottom line is that I was able to watch it on a decent DVD player that does not skip. I guess I should tell you what movie it is: Little Children.

I can't even remember why I ordered it, but I think I read good reviews about it and some of the actors received Oscar nominations, including Kate Winslet, who is the female lead. Although it's probably not something I would want to buy, it was a very good movie that is also full of life lessons. Kate Winslet plays a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) that doesn't quite fit in with the other SAHMs that show up at the park every day. Winslet is kind of homely and doesn't always get things right like the other "perfect" and somewhat-snooty SAHMs at the park. Then the "prom king" walks in, ruffling the features of the snooty SAHMs, who dare Winslet to get his phone number. The "prom king" is played by Patrick Wilson, who I've never heard of before, but I would guess will be making quite a name for himself if he plays his cards right. Wilson plays a stay-at-home dad, and his wife is portrayed by Jennifer Connelly. It becomes pretty obvious early in the movie that Winslet and Wilson are both bored with their lives, and that something is going to happen between them.

In addition to this, the story gains complexity with the addition of a creepy man in the neighborhood who has been known for indecent exposure. A former cop is particularly obsessed with hunting down the possible would-be child molestor. The story is complex enough to keep the viewer interested, without giving them a headache like some other movies I can think of (Memento comes to mind). The other thing I found very interesting about this movie is how it is narrated in some parts, almost like a children's story. This is appropriate because in a way, it is childish. I don't mean to say that the movie itself is childish, but the characters, although grown and most with children, are adolescent in so many ways: naming mister mom the "prom king," the former copy bullying toward the child molestor, daring Winslet to get the prom king's phone number, and so many other things. I will also end this review here because I don't want to give away too much to any potential viewers. My overall comment would be that this is a good movie that kept me glued to the tv. I could NOT predict the outcome of this movie until it actually happened, and there were times when I was experiencing feelings that never game to fruition (which is a good thing).

That's about it for my weekend. Next weekend is another wedding, and possibly another festival (the Okinawan Festival at Kapiolani Park)!

Fat Boys (Kailua)

Fat Boys in Kailua is one of my favorite places to go for lunch on the weekend. It's affordable and tasty, and the owners are nice people too.

It's basically a good quality plate lunch place. In terms of quality, I would say it's above Grace's and Rainbows, but slightly below Kakaako Kitchen (mainly because Kakaako Kitchen has brown rice as an option, and their tossed salad consists of Nalo Greens -- Fat Boys has brown rice, but you have to pay extra, and it's some kind of microwavable rice and not something that they cooked fresh). However, if there was a Fat Boys in town, I would definitely go there as much as or more than I go to Kakaako Kitchen.

So what's so good about Fat Boys? Just about everything! I don't think I've had a bad meal yet. They are probably best known for their garlic chicken. Some people would argue that Mitsu-ken still has the best garlic chicken, but after my last taste of Mitsu-ken's chicken, I would say that Fat Boys might have surpassed them. It seems like Mitsu-ken's quality is inconsistent, and while the chicken does taste incredible at times, I've had some not-so-good chicken from there too.

On my last visit, I had the chili, which is also a regular item at Fat Boys. While waiting in line on another visit, I heard a lady ordering the chili and she said to one of the owners, "has anyone told you that your chili is better than Zippy's?" To which the owner replied, "a few people." Well, I wholeheartedly agree! Personally, I have always thought that Zippy's chili is overrated. I like it, but I never really understood what the big fuss was about it. Fat Boys chili is thick and hearty (and yes, it has beans in it, which I like), with a few chunks of veggies like onions and green peppers.

Their plates come with either mac or tossed salad, and they are very accommodating toward special requests such as "all rice" or "all tossed" or "can you put a little curry gravy over the rice, please?" Most of their plates come in mini versions. A regular plate usually comes with two scoops of rice, and a mini with one scoop.

Oh, and if you live in Kailua (they're also opening a Waipio location soon) and need bentos for a picnic or some other outing, stop ordering Zip Pacs!! You will find a much better value with a Fat Boy Bento: rice w/ furikake, mahi, hot dog, teri beef, spam, and garlic chicken, all for about $5.75. The portion is pretty huge too. I've never finished a whole one.

Fat Boys also has some great seafood specials. I like anything stuffed with their crab mixture. They also have fried poke on occasion, which is good, but I still prefer the stuffed fish. And their burgers are also quite excellent as well.

That's not all...they also serve breakfast! They have the standard items, but their fried rice is one of my favorites. Rainbows is still my number one fave, but I think Fat Boys is a close second! Fat Boys fried rice is a little lighter and not as greasy as rainbows, but it has good flavor and nice ingredients. It's also very reasonably priced, at about $4.75, and that includes 2 eggs.

In addition to all of the great food, the owners are just plain nice guys, and I like to patronize places that are locally owned and operated, where the owners and workers take the time to get to know their customers. These guys fit the bill perfectly. So if you're ever in Kailua, go check 'em out! It can get a bit crowded in their tiny space, but it's well worth the wait!

Wine Country, Here I Come!

Napa and San Francisco Itinerary

Yay, I finally have plans for my first trip of the year! (Yes, I have more than one trip planned...)

My first trip consists of a visit to San Francisco and Napa Valley, then an annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas. I will confine this post to the details of the San Francisco - Napa Valley portion of the trip.

First of all, I leave Honolulu on September 11...I know, everyone gasps when I say that. But, it was the cheapest fare that fit our schedule. Surprisingly, even though it was a great fare (Hawaiian Airlines), the plane is almost full! There are only a handful of seats left on the flight.

Day 1: Fly to San Francisco
We arrive in San Francisco around 8 p.m. Obviously, this day is simply a travel day, and aside from picking up the car (Enterprise has very reasonable rates!) and eating dinner, not much else is going to be happening once we arrive. Because we head to Napa Valley the next day, I was just looking for a place to sleep near the airport for the night. I had no preference, other than being in the airport area, so I chose to book on Priceline. This took several attempts, because Priceline thought I was being too cheap. So much for William Shatner and his "Priceline Negotiator" thing!!

For anyone with the guts and desire to try Priceline, I highly recommend reviewing this website thoroughly first: Bidding for Travel. It provides very helpful information on how to strategize your bidding, and also shows what hotels people have "won" by using Priceline. If you decide to try Priceline, please use this link: http://www.amazing-bargains.com/priceline.html. It helps Bidding for Travel keep their services free.

Anyhow, after several attempts, I finally won the Doubletree Burlingame for $83 + taxes and fees, for a total of $102.45. More than I wanted to pay, but apparently that's pretty good for a nice hotel in that area. There is also a $15 charge for parking. The hotel is only a couple miles south of the airport and the rooms look comfortable, so I'm happy. Hopefully we will get a good nights rest before we head off to Napa.

Day 2: Drive to Napa
The plan is to check out of the hotel pretty early, maybe 7 a.m., have a nice breakfast somewhere nearby, then drive up to Napa via the Bay Bridge (the quickest route). According to Mapquest, this should take 1 hour and 8 minutes.

After reading a number of reviews, I had my heart set on staying at the Napa River Inn. I read glowing reviews on Trip Advisor, which I think is saying something since, quite frankly, people who post on Trip Advisor tend to be pretty tough (or whiney). It's located in Downtown Napa, right next to the Napa River -- I know it sounds nice and romantic that it's along the river, but the river isn't really much to look at right now. However, that does not diminish my expectations of Napa River Inn, which is a historic boutique hotel. Although it's a bit pricey at $225 per night (for a Superior Room with a AAA rate -- the most basic room would have been $199), it seems worth it, especially since it provides a freshly baked breakfast from a bakery next door called Sweetie Pies.

Our first stop after checking in will be COPIA, the American Center for Food Wine & the Arts. At first I had no interest in this, until I kept coming across it's name, including in the AAA Tourbook which lists it as a "Gem." After looking at the website, it looks pretty cool! It is a nonprofit museum dedicated to educating its visitors about food and wine...how cool is that??? Admission is only $5, which includes most activities and demonstrations. However, I plan to sign up for Winetasting 101, which is $15 (I think admission is included). It also includes a coupon book worth $500 in savings from various wine country venues, including some vineyards. AAA says to plan on spending 2 hours here, so that's what I'm doing. There's a little cafe in COPIA that serves sandwiches and salads that I'm planning to visit for lunch.

After this, I have an ambitious afternoon planned. At first I thought I would kind of randomly pick a few vineyards/wineries to try, but once I started reading about them, it became quite a difficult task!! What do I choose? Good wine? Someplace friendly to a novice like me? A touristy place without much substance? In addition to all of these factors, I am traveling with someone who isn't into the "wine thing" like I am (which is actually a good thing, since I need a designated driver!). My basis for choosing the vineyards/wineries that I did were, something that would be entertaining enough for my travel partner, scenery, history, and something a little different from what other wineries have to offer. I settled on 3 wineries to cover over a 2 day period. The journey continues...

After lunch, we'll drive all the way up to Calistoga, about 40 minutes away, to Sterling Vineyards. This vineyard is often referred to as "touristy" and "Disneyland-like," which is probably why I'm attracted to it! I was particularly drawn by the aerial tram that you have to take to get to the winery. Admission is pretty steep at $20, but that includes the tram ride and a sit-down wine tasting at your own table, which is a rarity. While some people don't like the touristyness of this, no one has denied the beauty of this location. As for the wine, a friend of mine, as well as reviews from Yelp (a great website to look for reviews on anything from hotels and restaurants, to attractions), told me that Sterling is known for a wine called Malvasia Bianca. Several people on Yelp also recommend the Muscat Canelli.

We need to leave Sterling by about 3 p.m. and drive about 10 minutes back down toward St. Helena, home to Beringer Vineyards. What interested me about Beringer is it's history. It's over a hundred years old, and has been designated a Historic District. They even offer a Historic District tour for $20, which includes a wine tasting. It's a 75-minute tour that covers the historic grounds and a tour of their wine-aging tunnels (some refer to them as caves, which several wineries in Napa have). I also read good things about the service here, and spoke to Linda from Beringer this morning to confirm the tour, who was very friendly over the phone. Beringer seems to be known for its Nightengale dessert wine.

After Beringer, that's it for the touring on this day. After that, we can take our time getting back to Napa. I'm learning that Napa Valley consists of a bunch of little towns including Calistoga, St. Helena, and Yountville, among others, as well as Napa. The general consensus seems to be that Napa wineries have become too commercialized...when people say this I'm not quite sure if they're referring to all of Napa Valley, or just the ones surrounding Napa town! In any case, Sonoma county is supposed to have the friendlier, "what a winery should be" wineries. So that was another factor in deciding where to go.

But, first things first, since the day is not over. I have a dinner reservation at Angele, which is widely known as one of the best restaurants in Napa. It also happens to be adjacent to the hotel. Reviews tell me that I must try the macaroni (like fancy macaroni and cheese, a side dish) and the french onion soup -- we'll see if I feel like eating those things on that day!

After that, I'm not sure what to do! It doesn't sound like Downtown Napa has much of a night life, so I guess we'll just wing it.

Day 3: Glen Ellen and Santa Rosa
The agenda for day 3 goes a different path. On day 2, we're going up north from Napa town into the Napa Valley. On day 3, we're heading west into Sonoma County, which should offer a different type of wine tasting experience.

Again, it was difficult to choose from the wineries in this area. Another factor in my decision was the AAA Tourbook, which lists wineries that were particularly friendly. Also, I purchased The Napa & Sonoma Book, A Complete Guide (7th Edition), by Peg Melnik with Tim Fish, who are residents of Santa Rosa.

Based on all of the things I read, I chose to visit Benziger Family Winery in Glen Ellen, about 40 minutes from Napa. There are a number of cool, somewhat unique, things about Benziger. They have a 45-minute Biodynamic Vineyard Tram Tour, $10, which looks like a tractor pulling a Disneyland parking lot tram. The tour goes through vineyards, and includes a walk through their barrel caves and a tasting. Another cool thing about Benziger is their commitment toward sustainable farming practices.

After Benziger, we drive about 30 minutes to Santa Rosa, where I have a lunch reservation at Syrah. Deciding on places to eat in Napa and Sonoma County was as difficult as choosing wineries...there are so many really great choices! One of the reasons I chose Syrah is its proximity, as well as good reviews and what seems to be a not-so-pretentious atmosphere in comparison to some of the other restaurants in the area, which apparently cater to business people in Santa Rosa. The popular items here are the cheese course and the crab cakes.

Syrah is only a couple minutes away from our next stop, the Charles M. Schultz Museum and Research Center, or what I refer to as "the Snoopy Museum." When I was a kid, the first comic I had to read every Sunday was Peanuts, and I had to watch all of the Snoopy tv specials. It would be blasphemous for me to be near Santa Rosa and not pay homage to Snoopy and his creator. Admission to the museum is $8, and they also have a store which I know I will be spending lots of time and money in.

New development: while writing this post, I just discovered that in addition to the museum store, there is another store in Santa Rosa, Snoopy's Gallery and Gift Shop! So I guess I know what I'm doing after the Snoopy Museum! Originally, my plan, if we still have any energy left, was to go to Bodega Bay. But the more I think about it, I think we will probably end up going back to Napa after our day in Santa Rosa. Besides, there may be other things in Napa that I want to explore.

But, I digress...dinner on Day 3 is set for Celadon, another notable Napa restaurant adjacent to the hotel. Here, everyone raves about the calamari appetizer. By the way, I set all of my dining reservations through Open Table, which is a wonderful service that I hope more restaurants will take advantage of. While being listed on Open Table wasn't initially one of the factors in selecting restaurants, it ended up being a swaying factor. What's nice is that a lot of the popular restaurants in Napa and Sonoma are listed on Open Table, saving me a lot of long distance phone calls.

Day 4: A Day in the City by the Bay
This will be our last full day in California. To avoid any rushing around on our departure day, as well as to visit a city that I enjoy but have not been to in over a decade, we will be heading to San Francisco.

I hope to depart Napa at around 8 a.m. and take the scenic route. I've always wanted to visit Sausalito, acros the bay from Downtown San Francisco, so we'll stop there on the way. Sausalito is about an hour away from Napa. After a visit to Sausalito, we'll cross the Golden Gate Bridge (a $5 toll coming into San Francisco) and check into the Best Western Tuscan Inn. Now, I have to stop and say that this is no ordinary Best Western. In fact, it hardly seems it should be a Best Western at all, and it is actually managed by Kimpton Hotels, which is known for running boutique hotels. We'll see if it lives up to my expectations when I get there.

One reason I chose Tuscan Inn is for its location. My last visit to San Francisco, we stayed in the Hotel Mark Twain...while I am all for historic hotels, this is one that crosses the line to pre-historic! I would not recommend that hotel to anyone, as its rooms were very old and unattractive, and unpractical, and it's not in a good area of town. During that visit, we spent a lot of time near Pier 39 and the Wharf, and I would look at hotels like the Sheraton near Fisherman's Wharf and wished we were staying in that area. So that's why I chose the Tuscan Inn -- it's in a good location, at a good price, $224.10 (AAA rate). Parking is still sky high, but AAA members save $5, for a net cost of $29 plus tax.

After checking in, it'll probably be around lunch time. I think we'll just wing it, but I'm either thinking of finding an Italian restaurant in North Beach, or dim sum in Chinatown.

One thing I have always wanted to do is ride a Cable Car. A one day passport for all types of public transportation, including Cable Cars, is $11. The Tuscan Inn is right next to a Cable Car terminus, so my plan is to ride the Cable Car up to the Union Square area. I don't think I've ever been to Union Square either, so I want to check out some of the shops there.

For dinner, I'd like to try a place called the Crab House at Pier 39. While it is admittedly touristy, with a location overlooking the water, even the locals admit that they like the food here. The crab is roasted in garlic and is supposed to be yummy in numerous forms, including a crab chowder. At night, we'll probably stroll around the Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, or maybe even ride the Cable Car around since they're available until after midnight.

Day 5: I Left My Heart...
Well, I guess it's too early to start singing Frank Sinatra since I haven't even gone on the trip yet, but I'm sure I will love it as much as I did the last time!

We don't depart for Las Vegas until 3:45 p.m. (Southwest Airlines), so we'll have about 1/2 a day to explore. Another thing I've wanted to do is to go to the Presidio, primarily because I always see pictures of a gazebo-like building with the Golden Gate Bridge behind it. I found out that it is a part of the Palace of Fine Arts in the Presidio. We'll probably go there after breakfast.

After that, I'm not sure what we'll do. We need to check out of the hotel by Noon and have lunch before heading off to the airport to drop off the car and check in for our flight.

Then we start the next phase of the trip...Viva Las Vegas!!!

Hair Spray Movie Review

Hair Spray was a great movie in many different ways: the music was great, the cast was full of talented people, and it was just a very lighthearted, fun film, that sends a message of "can't we all just get along?" A word of warning: it is a musical. I know some people don't like it when almost the whole movie is full of singing -- to be honest, although I saw the '80s version of Hair Spray with Rikki Lake, I have a horrible memory for things I only see once, and I didn't really remember much of what the movie is about. I expected it to be mostly dialogue with a song here and there, but it was mostly singing with a few portions of dialogue.

Why did I want to see Hair Spray? Mostly because of how hilarious John Travolta looks dressed as a woman! I also learned that Christopher Walken was in the movie, and because I think he's kinda creepy, I just had to see how he fit into this picture. I was not disappointed, and I actually enjoyed the movie much more than I thought I would. I think I would even consider getting the DVD, because I like to have funny, heartwarming DVDs in my collection. The singing was so great and the songs so fun, that I would also like to get the soundtrack.

Here's a link to the official movie site: http://www.hairspraymovie.com/

Nikki Blonsky stars as Tracy Turnblad, who immediately left me with a great impression with her opening rendition of "Good Morning Baltimore." Blonsky exudes a wonderful, fun-loving spirit, and made me believe that she is someone I would want to be friends with. John Travolta is Edna Turnblad, Tracy's mother, who suffers (obviously) from weight issues, but handles them in a much less optimistic way than Tracy does. Christopher Walken is Wilber Turnblad, Tracy's father. Suffice it to say that Walken and Travolta share some interesting and hilarious moments in the film!

Other notables are Queen Latifah and Michelle Pfeiffer, as well as Brittany Snow (from the tv show, American Dreams) and Alison Janney (one of my favorite characters in the West Wing series that ended last year). Amanda Bynes is also in the movie as Tracy's best friend Penny.

The movie begins with Tracy's quest to become a regular on the "Corny Collins Show," but turns into a quest for acceptance and equality on many levels. Tracy's demeanor is one that doesn't allow failure as an option. She doesn't see her weight as an obstacle to achieving her dreams. Her ambition extends beyond her own personal goals, and she is resolved to help others be able to realize their dreams as well.

I would recommend this movie to anyone that enjoys a feel-good movie, a musical, or a comedy. While some men may think this is a typical chick flick, my guess is that most will find the antics of John Travolta and Christopher Walken worth being dragged along to the movie by a wife or girlfriend.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Review

I have finished reading the Deathly Hallows, about 40 hours after picking up the book. My initial thoughts are that I really enjoyed this book, and thought J.K. Rowling did a great job wrapping up the loose ends. Do I think all Harry Potter fans will be happy with the ending? No -- without giving anything away, I will say that I don't think it would have been possible for J.K. Rowling to make everyone happy. I equate it to the Sorpano's ending (which I hated). It'll be a love-it or hate-it issue for many people.

I did not read any of the supposed spoilers that were appearing on the internet the days leading up to the book release, but I heard that some of those people were downright angry about the end of the book (there is an Epilogue). While I was happy with it, I can see why people would be upset. I'm not even really sure an Epilogue was necessary, but given how much I hated the uncertainty left by the Soprano's, the Epilogue was a good thing for me.

The emotions I felt while reading the book varied greatly. While there was some of the doom and gloom felt in the previous two books, I think it was dominated mostly by exhilaration and adventure. There were a number of parts where there simply was not time to think (for me or the characters) because they were thrown into a dangerous situation where they had to act immediately. Definitely not a boring book!

I also experienced sadness -- it is no surprise to anyone, as J.K. Rowling stated herself that at least two characters would die. I had guessed which two I thought were most likely to go, and I got one right. I would say I had to pull out the tissues about 4 or 5 times, although some of the tears shed were out of happiness or a bittersweet moment.

Another emotion I felt while reading the book was a sense of pride for the characters who chose to stand their ground and who remained loyal. Of course, anyone who had read the previous books knows that that feeling cannot be expressed for all the characters, but the loyalty expressed by a number of characters is quite admirable.

For those of you who plan to read the book and haven't yet, go and do it! I seriously had a hard time putting the book down for any reason. Even if you don't like the end, I think you will at least like the parts leading up to the end. Now that I'm done reading, I will now start listening to the book on CD. The list price is $79.95, but it was available at Sam's Club for about $47-$48.

ETA: a friend found the CDs at Costco for $39.99.