I suggest Sonoma
I would suggest going to Sonoma instead of Napa. It's somewhat closer, there's much more of a "there" there, and, personally, my list of Sonoma wines I like is much longer than my Napa list.
You can have a very nice time by simply driving to the central plaza of Sonoma, parking, and walking around. To visit wineries, continue from there up Highway 12 and once you get out of town you'll start seeing signs. There's a good list
here.
Directions to Sonoma Plaza (nice photo on
this page):
- Get yourself onto Highway 101 north of the Golden Gate Bridge. You could do that by going up 101, through San Francisco and across the bridge, but from the hotel it's slightly shorter (not necessarily quicker) to go up Highway 880. I'll leave it to you to map that route if you want.
- Continue up 101 to the outskirts of Novato and exit at Highway 37 eastbound.
- Take 37 about 8 miles and exit left onto highway 121.
- Stay on 121 and pay attention because at one point it makes a full right turn and you don't want to keep going straight onto a different road.
- Shortly after that right turn, keep eyes peeled for a slightly subtle left onto Broadway.
- Stay on Broadway and eventually the plaza will be smack in front of you.
If you want an address to map online or point your GPS to, try
101 E Napa Street, Sonoma, CA. That happens to be the address of
Maya Restaurant, one of my nominations if you get a group together. It's not a fancy dining experience, but it's a convivial place for a few Head-Fi'ers to have a tasty meal and toast good times. I've always had fun there.
Approximately diagonally across the square is
the girl and the fig, a very Wine-Country upscale dining experience, but one where you don't have to dress up too much. Reservations essential, though.
A few blocks west on W Spain St. is
The General's Daughter, a very upscale dining experience with unique and fine food. Reservations and proper attire essential.
There are
lots of places on and just off the plaza where you can eat, so the just-park-and-walk strategy will serve you well. Be warned that on a Friday night if you don't have reservations you will probably have a long wait at most places unless you arrive very early. (If you are hungry and facing long waits everywhere, retreat back down Broadway to
599 Thai, a terrific little Thai place juuust far enough from the square that most of the tourists don't know about it. 599 Broadway.)
Whereever you go, have fun! This is a wonderful area to visit.
