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Best North American City to Spend a Week?

Gator Dave

By Gator Dave
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troph

troph 24,892

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I’d go south only but either way I’d say both north and south is too much. You can spend one full day in Carmel by the sea and one full day driving down PCH 1 to Big Sur from Carmel by the sea. Counting travel days that’s 2 south and 3 in SF and 2 for travel. If you’re flying in and out of SFO, I’d consider getting in the car and going out of town first bc of the two hours you steal on time zones on the flight out. It’s not crazy to expect to land there before lunch time even as early as 9am if you leave early morning from Texas. You can be in Carmel by the sea by early afternoon and steal that first day back from travel. Then on the travel back day if you’re already close to the airport in the city you can do one more breakfast and site seeing before heading to the airport if you have a late afternoon flight back.

 

I prefer San Jose from Austin over SFO as it’s nonstop direct and the times are for commuters early and late times to maximize travel and the airport is small and easy.

 

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Nueces River Rat

Nueces River Rat 5,539

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The Napa/ SF Bay Area  is on my radar as the wife (no pics) wants to really go for the wine country thing.   Me--- I rather go camping,  drink beer, and skinny dip,  but oh well.

Question.  How is the traffic in the San Fran area compared to some of the metro areas here in Texas?   The good thing as noted my troops, you can leave here and because of the time zone end up in California before what is considered a normal rush hour.

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South Austin

South Austin 52,523

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1 hour ago, Nueces River Rat said:

The Napa/ SF Bay Area  is on my radar as the wife (no pics) wants to really go for the wine country thing.   Me--- I rather go camping,  drink beer, and skinny dip,  but oh well.

Question.  How is the traffic in the San Fran area compared to some of the metro areas here in Texas?   The good thing as noted my troops, you can leave here and because of the time zone end up in California before what is considered a normal rush hour.

SF traffic pretty much sucks, but like anywhere timing is everything.  The good thing is that we were on Texas time, so we got up super early and headed out for a day trip to Muir Woods and Sonoma, and the traffic out of town was a breeze.  We headed back around 4pm or so, and I didn't think it was really any worse than Austin traffic. 

One key is that we stayed in North Beach, so we were on the north end of the city and didn't have to fight traffic through town to get to and from to our flat. 

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Ollie Slatt

Ollie Slatt 289

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1 hour ago, Nueces River Rat said:

The Napa/ SF Bay Area  is on my radar as the wife (no pics) wants to really go for the wine country thing.   Me--- I rather go camping,  drink beer, and skinny dip,  but oh well.

Question.  How is the traffic in the San Fran area compared to some of the metro areas here in Texas?   The good thing as noted my troops, you can leave here and because of the time zone end up in California before what is considered a normal rush hour.

If you are into the camping/nature thing and the wife wants wine country, then check out Sonoma County (especially the coast) or maybe even Paso Robles (with a side trip to Big Sur).  Napa is beautiful and has fantastic wine/food, but it also has a kind of Disney Land feel to it.  Some of the other wine regions in California feel much more natural.  

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Grippe

Grippe 313

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2 hours ago, Gator Dave said:

Thanks for all the tips guys, tons of great ideas here, will have to bookmark this for planning the next vacation.

I think you've sold me on the SF/Napa/Carmel thing. If we have 7 days, which includes the day we land and the day we return, is it too much to try and squeeze in Napa + Carmel/Big Sur? I figure we'll stay in SF a couple days, then take off north or south, but I'd really like to do both if it's not unreasonable.

 

Napa is an overnight trip (so 2 days accounted for) and Carmel/Big Sur is another overnight trip (another 2 days).  Accounting for travel days and SF itself (overnighter) it will might feel a little rushed at the book-ends.

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ShaggyBevo RIP

ShaggyBevo RIP 3,868

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2 hours ago, troph said:

I’d go south only but either way I’d say both north and south is too much. You can spend one full day in Carmel by the sea and one full day driving down PCH 1 to Big Sur from Carmel by the sea. Counting travel days that’s 2 south and 3 in SF and 2 for travel. If you’re flying in and out of SFO, I’d consider getting in the car and going out of town first bc of the two hours you steal on time zones on the flight out. It’s not crazy to expect to land there before lunch time even as early as 9am if you leave early morning from Texas. You can be in Carmel by the sea by early afternoon and steal that first day back from travel. Then on the travel back day if you’re already close to the airport in the city you can do one more breakfast and site seeing before heading to the airport if you have a late afternoon flight back.

 

I prefer San Jose from Austin over SFO as it’s nonstop direct and the times are for commuters early and late times to maximize travel and the airport is small and easy.

 

I’m of a similar mind with the time change and a direct flight arriving before noon. I would fly into Oakland or San Jose and back out the other.  Then do two nights South or North then two nights in SF and the last two nights North or South as that is less backtracking than using SFO. 

Keep in mind losing a couple of hours on the return flight. A noon flight lands back in Texas at 5 pm. 

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Gator Dave

Gator Dave 14

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39 minutes ago, ShaggyBevo RIP said:

I’m of a similar mind with the time change and a direct flight arriving before noon. I would fly into Oakland or San Jose and back out the other.  Then do two nights South or North then two nights in SF and the last two nights North or South as that is less backtracking than using SFO. 

Keep in mind losing a couple of hours on the return flight. A noon flight lands back in Texas at 5 pm. 

This is what I'm thinking. Fly into San Jose, drive straight to Big Sur, stay the night. Drive to Carmel next day, stay the night. Drive to SF, stay 2 nights. Drive to Napa, stay 2 nights. Fly home from SFO or OAK. Would that feel rushed? I could probably add an 8th day if necessary, which I guess we would spend in SF.

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Ollie Slatt

Ollie Slatt 289

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9 minutes ago, Gator Dave said:

This is what I'm thinking. Fly into San Jose, drive straight to Big Sur, stay the night. Drive to Carmel next day, stay the night. Drive to SF, stay 2 nights. Drive to Napa, stay 2 nights. Fly home from SFO or OAK. Would that feel rushed? I could probably add an 8th day if necessary, which I guess we would spend in SF.

You may want to consider staying in Carmel w/ day trip to Big Sur.    The drive between Big Sur and Carmel is spectacular (and what many people are actually referring to when they say "Big Sur").  And there are more options for places to stay in Carmel -- unless you are Surly 1% and want to stay at the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur. 

Also, I know there are multiple Napa threads here you can check out, but, FWIW, I would book a place to stay in St. Helena or Calistoga rather than the town of Napa.   

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South Austin

South Austin 52,523

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1 minute ago, Ollie Slatt said:

Also, I know there are multiple Napa threads here you can check out, but, FWIW, I would book a place to stay in St. Helena or Calistoga rather than the town of Napa.   

Ditto on that.  I've been to Napa three times and always stay in Calistoga.  It's one of the quieter towns on the northern edge of the valley.  And a 40-minute drive will take you across the mountain to Healdsburg where you can check out some Sonoma County wineries.

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ztejas

ztejas 43,523

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9 minutes ago, Ollie Slatt said:

You may want to consider staying in Carmel w/ day trip to Big Sur.    The drive between Big Sur and Carmel is spectacular (and what many people are actually referring to when they say "Big Sur").  And there are more options for places to stay in Carmel -- unless you are Surly 1% and want to stay at the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur. 

Also, I know there are multiple Napa threads here you can check out, but, FWIW, I would book a place to stay in St. Helena or Calistoga rather than the town of Napa.   

Yeah unless you're camping out Big Sur isn't really going to offer much in the way of lodging. Plus, it's going to be hard not to stop in Carmel along the way anyway (since it's one of the most gorgeous cities in the United States). I would just find a nice place in Carmel to do 2 nights, and do a there and back day to check out Big Sur. Ollie is right when he says the drive is the main attraction, although there is a lot of cool hiking and stuff. It's very doable to take in the whole thing in a day trip. 

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pops

pops 7,005

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I would so much rather be in SLO, half Moon Bay, Pismo, down through slovang and santa Barbara. Monterey is gorgeous, don't get me wrong. But I think sf and Napa are asswhips. 

And don't tell anyone, but the wine is better down there, too. 

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troph

troph 24,892

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2 hours ago, Ollie Slatt said:

You may want to consider staying in Carmel w/ day trip to Big Sur.    The drive between Big Sur and Carmel is spectacular (and what many people are actually referring to when they say "Big Sur").  And there are more options for places to stay in Carmel -- unless you are Surly 1% and want to stay at the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur. 

Also, I know there are multiple Napa threads here you can check out, but, FWIW, I would book a place to stay in St. Helena or Calistoga rather than the town of Napa.   

I was about to say this exactly.  don't stay in big sur, except for the hella expensive resorts for the uber rich there really isn't much there.  carmel is much better.  Bernardus in the valley is easy access to big sur, carmel by the sea and carmel valley and I prefer the tasting rooms in the valley over by the sea.  if you eat in carmel by the sea be picky because there are some nice spots but a lot of mediocre food catering to tourists too.... if your a foodie, do your homework before you go on where you want to eat.

I'd say wake up one morning, go grab a bottle of wine from a place you've enjoyed the tastings, stop at a cheese shop in carmel by the sea and get some cheese and baguettes and take a picnic.  drive down PCH 1 and find a beach and enjoy the picnic.  or there are a couple of restaurants with spectacular views too.  I really enjoyed waiting for the sunset there.  if it's a nice sunset it will be downright magical.  but also note it can get chilly.  Pffiefer Beach - public access, hard to find but it's on google maps is amazing.  you should check it out.  that drive down and drive back could take 8 hours if you are moving slow on vacation mode.

you could probably do all 3 in 8 days.  you can easily do 3 days south including travel on day 1.  then day 4 through 6 in SF and the rest in wine country with a late flight back or something like that.  I would feel a little rushed, but  you can do it.

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Gil Bang

Gil Bang 25,984

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On 4/23/2019 at 8:52 PM, troph said:

 


Yes. Amazing though they sold the hotel to a hotel company and it’s now separately owned. Still bad ass. Carmel valley and Big Sur are my soul’s home. If it’s your jam and you discover it (OP) you’ll go back a dozen times. There is something about the Carmel valley road that gets me every single time. Say hi to Patricia Qualls - artist in the village if you go. She’s a precious human and amazing painter. I’ve got 5 of her pieces in my collection. The wines in the valley are nice - I love their Chardonnays and I hate chardonnays. Pinots are good too.

 

i enjoy adding a "piece" to my "collection", but I don't care much for art

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Onboard 2.0

Onboard 2.0 9,083

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16 minutes ago, UTGrad98 said:

The people who are mentioning Pampa are kidding. I grew up in Amarillo and there are only about 17,000 people who live there. I doubt there is much to do. Might I suggest a stay-cation? It will help with getting someone to watch your kids for a week. 

Uhhhhh.... ummmmm......   never mind.......

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hornbri

hornbri 1,400

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On 4/24/2019 at 12:15 PM, Gator Dave said:

This is what I'm thinking. Fly into San Jose, drive straight to Big Sur, stay the night. Drive to Carmel next day, stay the night. Drive to SF, stay 2 nights. Drive to Napa, stay 2 nights. Fly home from SFO or OAK. Would that feel rushed? I could probably add an 8th day if necessary, which I guess we would spend in SF.

If you are going from Napa straight to the airport you might also consider SMF - depending on the time of day it is often quicker and a smaller airport. 

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zork

zork 629

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The PCH South of Monterrey is best done in the daytime as the curves can be quite severe and dangerous at night.  As a result it takes about 2 to 2.5 times as long per mile to drive it so plan accordingly on your daylight hours.  Fill up your car in Carmel or Monterrey as the already expensive gas is unseemly in the Big Sur and surrounding areas when you can find a station.

The Hearst Castle further south is pretty cool with just the general tour being awe inspiring at what early 20th century weath bought in expanse in that area. (seeing the view from the castle to the coast and realizing he owned virtually all of it as far as you could see around it)

On your Northern part of your trip be sure to allocate 2-4 hour to experience the Muir Woods Giant Redwoods.  It isn't the biggest stand of Redwoods in CA but is a representative example of the giants that you really can't experience unless you see them in person.  

We stayed in Santa Rosa for a couple nights as a jumping off place to NAPA and Sonora, at the Flamingo(old resort hotel).

If you had the chance, on a future trip further North of SF perhaps, check out the stand of Redwoods at the Avenue of the Giants.  121 acres of Redwoods you can drive through and experience.  Phenomenal.  We did that on the way to Ferndale to chill in the old Victorian village.

Great places to visit but glad I live in Texas.  Camping out in the near panhandle of Texas(state parks from DFW to Amarillo) is great to get away to fresher air.(away from the cattle feedlots though)

 

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ImissWallyPryor

ImissWallyPryor 9,046

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My wife and I spent a long week in San Francisco four years straight back in the 80s. We were poor(ish) then, but my sister lived in SF and Palo Alto, giving us a place to stay when we weren’t spending a couple of days north or south. I can’t imagine going anywhere else that many times and not getting tired of it.

It was almost like having a time share.  

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