#carmelbeach

[g-volcano-photo]

Pulls Me Close,

[ohitscamii]

I love home. 🌴☀️🌤

[davidperea-travelart]

Escape from SF. A room with a view. Relaxing in Carmel-Big Sur. Wineries, forests, mountains, beach & fun.

carmel #bigsur #decompress #wine #lifestyle #lifestylephotography #cool #fun #norcal #californiatrip #california #californialove #californiaadventure #weekendtrip #decompressed #roomwithaview

[palandriflorencia]

Carmel by the Sea - Un Paraíso de cipreses, casas salidas de un cuento, galerías de arte, artistas por doquier y las olas más lindas que vi :)

[lowlightphotography]

🐺

[meta-fisikal]

The great Carmel beach 🏝 #9/5/21 #carmelbeach https://www.instagram.com/p/CTdMzsoPdfC/?utm_medium=tumblr

[wegottahouse]

live for a good amber moment

[adamkissoflove]

#ASMR#carmelbythesea#carmelbeach#nightbreak#carmelcalifornia#OLM#OceanLivesMatter#fridaynight#montereybay#BeachLifeMattersMore#carmel#beach#fyp🌊#4u (at Carmel by the Sea) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQUKfqRHuJ7/?utm_medium=tumblr

[totaldankness]

Monterey & Carmel-by-the-Sea 🌊 Central Coast, CA 12.26.2020 #monterey #montereybay #montereycalifornia #montereycounty #carmel #carmelbythesea #carmelbeach #centralcoast #centralcoastcalifornia (at Monterey, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJlwImfMMc_/?igshid=2tasb3ltlsbe

[napavale]

My morning routine has been meditating 🧘🏻‍♀️ . Today meditation was with this amazing view followed by some yoga stretches. I love waking up to the smell of ocean 🌊 breeze @seascapebeachresort Y tu belleza, cuál es tu morning routine? Besos desde #carmel , Wends #winederlust #napavale #carmelbythesea #carmelbeach (at Seascape Beach Resort) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJXbTjcLqJp/?igshid=1gso89j2lzeti

[kmorgantini]

This beach board Walker has a sad.... #carmelbeach (at Ocean Beach, Carmel, CA) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEtwqzhMm1o/?igshid=4zbxfbbjgxmf

[gabyglifestyle]

#carmelbeach today, via my dear @poptart93921, and in her wise words.... #whatcanisay #theworldisonfire #carmelfires #nofilter #mayweallbeprotected (at Carmel, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEJbUptsSRb/?igshid=11piuaj72uuan

[davidperea-travelart]

Escape from SF. Relaxing in Carmel-Big Sur. Wineries, forests, mountains, beach & fun.

#carmel #bigsur #decompress #wine #lifestyle #lifestylephotography #cool #fun #norcal #californiatrip #california #californialove #californiaadventure #weekendtrip #decompressed #roomwithaview

[ronleebrown]

We were going to take a “three hour tour”, like #Gilligans island but the boat didn’t quite look ready or #sea worthy. http://www.ronbrown.photo . . . . . . . . . . . . . #carmel, #carmelbeach #carmelbythesea, #visitcarmel #17miledrive, #pointlobos, #sanfranbayarea #visitcalifornia, #sanfrancisco #sanfran #roadtripping #Itsinmynature #SanFranciso #photography #ronbrown.photography #ronbrownphotographer #ronbrownartist #ronbrownutah #nikon_photography #ronbrown.photo #YourShotPhotographer (at Moss, Monterey County, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9l2VJknir5/?igshid=fwm83vz2c1le

[zachgoldmanproperties]

Quick lunch break. Carmel Beach. That's pretty! #carmelbeach #zachgoldmanrealestate #appreciation #lunch #carmelbythesea #luxurylocations #oceanviews (at Carmel City Beach/Carmel River Beach) https://www.instagram.com/p/B27kn-nAMoc/?igshid=1wauxo3cldxvk

[story-the-world]

Northern California

San Francisco, San Jose, Napa… really all of Northern California. This is an interesting one to write about, since I have been to Northern California around 20 times… however most of them were when I was little. Below are my recommendations on the various areas – with a bias towards activities (rather than going out). I have heard from several people that the best part of living in San Francisco is how close you are to all of the other gems Norther California has to offer – and not the city itself. Which I also believe to be true… this post will not take the usual form of 3 do’s and 1 don’t and will be more of a list of things I like/places to visit – with the most detail on Napa.

Redwoods:

Redwoods are amazing. It’s like going to a giant waterfall, you look up and think “nature is really cool.” There are a bunch of places to see the big trees, and even drive through them. We would always go to (

http://www.roaringcamp.com/excursions/redwood-forest-steam-train

) It is touristy and for little kids but the train is fun and the trees are beautiful. The pro of going down here (about an hour and a half south of SF) is that you are close to Santa Cruz – which has a cool boardwalk (similar to Coney Island). Not much else to do here besides the boardwalk, as the town isn’t that special.

Monterey and Carmel:

Monterey is a cool town another hour south of Santa Cruz. It has a really good aquarium (if you are into that) and some good sea food. The drive from Santa Cruz down to Monterey is really scenic and there are some nice beaches to stop at along the way. One of my favorite things to do is to buy kites, and fly them at Marina State Beach – or one of the other ‘dunes’ along the way. It is super windy and great for flying kites.

If you keep driving down, you get to Carmel… probably my favorite place in the world. White sand beaches, and a quiet, cute little town. Might be the most beautiful sunsets in the country. The restaurants are fantastic.. I like Portabella the best.. but skip the dessert and grab something at Patisserie Boissiere Restaurant.

Napa:

This is tricky because it is really up to you in terms of what you want to do. There are a bunch of options:

-wine train (I didn’t do this and heard it stinks)

-bike tour (I didn’t do this since I did a bike tour in Mendoza but I assume it is similar)

-groupon tour (I actually heard good things about a few of these. If you do your research you might be able to get a good deal on a bus tour/tasting. Only problem is you are stuck to a specific agenda and with a large group. If you want to make friends and not worry about driving, this might be a good option).

-research and take ubers (probably the most expensive, but you get the personalized agenda. This is what my sister did since her and her husband wanted to go to very specific places that were somewhat far apart)

-drive (If you don’t drink too much at the tastings (they are expensive) this is a good option. Probably can only do 1-2 in a day)

-walk (stay in town and walk to ‘tasting rooms’ – I like this option because in my opinion, once you go to one winery and see the ‘process’, you don’t need to go to another. I am spoiled since I have been to plenty of places to see ‘how wine is made’ and I really just like tasting different vintages, and grape varieties)

Some places in various areas:

Sonoma: 

Hawkes Wine tasting room (the vineyard is very cool as well), Tasca Tasca – Portuguese Tapas, Girl and the fig – really good food

Napa:

Regusci Winery – wine is really good, beautiful scenery, great people… highly recommend doing to tour where they take you around on a golf cart. If you are lucky enough, you might get invited to a special concert in the cellar on the 3rd floor! Oxbow market – cool public market with fresh veg. This is a must stop if you want to get snacks or bring a picnic.

Yountville: (this is where I stayed… there are about 15 tasting rooms within walking distance (or bike). At each one, they will give you a map of all the wineries (names, hours…) Don’t try to do them all! Napa Valley Lodge ($300 per night). Good hotel with a really nice pool – easy to walk to all the tasting rooms. The French Laundry (Michelin star… impossible to get in… if you do, the food is wonderful). Hope and Grace – the owner Charles is super friendly and they have really good wines. I purchased quite a few while I was there. Jessup Cellars – cool spot, good wines, and an art gallery. Brix – great place for lunch, beautiful garden with fresh veg for the salad. 

Rutherford/Oakville

Cakebread cellers, nickel & nichel, opus one, Robert Mondavi Winery, Frog’s Leap winery

St Helena

Beringer Vineyards, Newton Vineyard

Calistoga

Schramsberg, Castello di amorosa – wine was meh… views were beautiful

Other (non wine)

Tank – good tasting room in an old gas station, Buster Original BBQ – good bbq – get the pulled pork!

Other tips for Napa:

-bring some small bills and tip the person doing the tasting for you if they are good. This is pretty common in Napa, and it encourages them to be more personable

-if you buy wine, the tasting fees are generally waived. If you buy enough, the shipping might be free as well

-cabs are really expensive, so try some of them, but don’t limit yourself to just cabs. There are some lighter reds and whites that are really good too.

As far as SF goes…

Fishermans warf = time square – avoid.. the seals are cool but there are not many left hanging out at the dock. Otherwise, it is your typical chain restaurants/bars

Palace of fine arts is cool, and so is the golden gate bridge. Recommend going to each and taking a few pictures for the gram

Best bars – in my opinion – are in the mission. There is a combo of dive bars and fancy new places.. it had a similar vibe to division street in Chicago. Some places I like are Zeitgeist (huge beer garden in the bac), Monk’s kettle (unlimited beers on tap), Lolo (tacos), El Techo (rooftop).

Golden Gate Park and Twin Peaks are cool to hike or bike.

Coffee shops – I wasn’t impressed, most were chains and they were all pretty crowded. The ones that weren’t chains had a pretty bad atmosphere… the tech bro stereotype is real