This is the second part of the “throwback” San Francisco post.

Our second full day in San Francisco started with us all packing in our 8-person passenger van and driving out across the Bay Bridge towards Napa Valley. We started at Domaine Chandon for some sparkling wine, and Vikram and I explored the vineyards up close and personal. We also got some charcuterie and a cheese board—and since I was the designated driver, I made sure to thoroughly enjoy the food!

Through the rest of the afternoon we went to a few other vineyards and the Lagunitas brewery, but my favorite part of the day was actually driving around wine country—beautiful view of vineyards on the hillsides and a whimsical sunset over the mountains. Unfortunately, since I was driving I don’t have any pictures, but I don’t think the pictures would have done it justice anyway.

Sunday started with a luxurious buffet brunch at the Cliff House, a San Francisco landmark. Included in the brunch was bottomless champagne and harp music—ooh la la! —and epic views of the Pacific Ocean.

Following that, we moseyed (read: ubered) to Fisherman’s Wharf to walk around there, try some Boudin sourdough bread, and eventually embark on a ferry to Alcatraz. I had not been particularly excited about Alcatraz ahead of time, but it turned out to be a fascinating experience—and very haunting at times to wander through the prison where, although designed for the worst of the worst prisoners, it seemed that so much humanity was taken from them. The weather that afternoon was also perhaps appropriate for the location—foggy, windy, and chilly.

One of the strangest things I learned was that some of the prison guards actually lived on the island with their families. There was a basically a small town on the edge of the island, where people lived out their (almost) ordinary lives, in such proximity to the infamous prison … what a strange juxtaposition of freedom and confinement. Luckily for all those who come to Alcatraz today, there’s a ferry to take you back to the mainland.

Travel Notes:

• Domaine Chandon is one of the most popular vineyards, and while I did enjoy it, it was more fun exploring the smaller vineyards. Do some research if there are particular ones you want to visit and that require reservations, but it was also pretty easy for us to show up day-of to some places.
• We had lunch at a new place called “Heritage Eats”, which is basically assembly-line style fast food that mixes popular street food and sandwiches from around the world. It was delicious!
• Once you arrive at Alcatraz, you will get gear for an audio tour. From when we got off the ferry to returning from the audio tour, we were there for about an hour and fifteen minutes, though we only spent a few minutes in the bookstore.