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Old     (psudy)      Join Date: Dec 2003       09-13-2021, 7:33 AM Reply   
I was thinking of taking my wife to NAPA next month for her 50th. I am not much of a wine guy myself but she is. Are there specific tours or places to hit? What are the best places to stay? Do you rent vehicles or are rides readily available?
I know basically nothing about this so help would be appreciated.
Old     (markj)      Join Date: Apr 2005       09-13-2021, 8:14 AM Reply   
Mostly a Cabernet guy, but one of the most memorable tours we’ve ever done (and we’ve done over 50) was the cave tour at Schramsberg Vineyards. The caves were hand dug with picks by the Chinese back in the 1800’s and you can still see the pick marks. It’s super cool. I’m pretty sure it’s one of the oldest wineries in the Napa Valley. The gondola ride up to the tasting room at Sterling Vineyards is also something you’ll enjoy. Pretty spectacular views from up top. On the valley floor, Round Pond Vineyards is a nice place with great views as well. Just be prepared to dig deep into that wallet everywhere you go there. Pricing there is borderline offensive. That includes hotels. Pretty much any restaurant in Yountville will impress even the most snooty diner. Don’t forget to say hi to Gavin Newsome when you pass the French Laundry.

It’s hard to have a bad time there as long as money is no object. So many good places to visit. We’ve spent a lot of time there over the years and seen the transition from quaint to tourist trap.

Last edited by markj; 09-13-2021 at 8:17 AM.
Old     (psudy)      Join Date: Dec 2003       09-13-2021, 8:27 AM Reply   
Thanks Mark. Money isn't a factor but I don't like getting ripped off either. I was trying to take her to Mexico and she mentioned the NAPA thing. Are the fires affecting the area at all?
Old     (shawndoggy)      Join Date: Nov 2009       09-13-2021, 9:10 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by psudy View Post
Thanks Mark. Money isn't a factor but I don't like getting ripped off either. I was trying to take her to Mexico and she mentioned the NAPA thing. Are the fires affecting the area at all?
airnow.gov is a good resource for air quality. also check out calfire's incident list for nearby fires. Looks like the closest fire this season to Napa is up by Clear Lake and it's no longer being administered by CalFire, so I assume it's NBD.

Most of the current fires are 75-100 miles east in the Sierras (Dixie and Caldor being the big ones). Prevailing winds are generally from the West this time of year, so Napa gets that clean clear air off the ocean, and all of that smoke blows to the other side of the sierras (i.e. where I live!).

TLDR: people from Reno are going to Napa to get out of the smoke. At the moment, you should be fine.
Old     (markj)      Join Date: Apr 2005       09-13-2021, 1:32 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by psudy View Post
Thanks Mark. Money isn't a factor but I don't like getting ripped off either. I was trying to take her to Mexico and she mentioned the NAPA thing. Are the fires affecting the area at all?
Crush will be over by the time you get there, the summer crowds will be gone and things will be pretty settled. It’s a good time of year to be there. Fires are not a problem there now. I’m just an hour east of there. If you’ve never been before, it’s an awesome place to see with beautiful views galore. Lots of history too. Fair warning: don’t buy any wine after your first two tasting room stops. Your taste buds are shot by then.
Old     (brettw)      Join Date: Jul 2007       09-13-2021, 4:18 PM Reply   
I like Anderson Valley. It's not as well known, touristy, or as expensive but plenty of great wineries and some breweries to hit up.
Old     (DeltaHoosier)      Join Date: Mar 2018       09-30-2021, 8:45 AM Reply   
V Sattui Winery on the main drag there is really good. I don't believe you can get them in stores. They have a Off Dry Riesling and Rieslings are awesome. I am more of a red wine guy, but that stuff is really good.

You can also stop by Coppola Winery near there as well. Sounds like Mark knows the good spots, but those 2 are pretty good.

Not sure, but you may be better off flying into Sacramento. Maybe others have a different opinion.
Old     (psudy)      Join Date: Dec 2003       09-30-2021, 10:13 AM Reply   
Thanks for the replies. We are actually going to Vegas now. Direct flight.....
Old     (shawndoggy)      Join Date: Nov 2009       10-01-2021, 4:45 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by psudy View Post
Thanks for the replies. We are actually going to Vegas now. Direct flight.....
Please put me squarely in the "I don't get it" camp re Vegas. My wife and I grew up there and our parents are still there. Went down to the strip (aria/cosmo) last weekend because we had tix to the van gogh interactive exhibit (aside: it was cool, but not worth driving to LV to see). Anyhow, we went early, paid the $20 to park (really?) and saw the show. Then walked next door to the cosmo to get a pizza to go at secret pizza (great old school NYC style pizza in what seems like a service closet).



Just a bunch of overweight drunk people stumbling around. Ugh. And now add "smell-o-kush" while walking anywhere outside because everyone feels compelled to be burning one down (what happens in Vegas, and all that**). Crowd was sort of like a combo of cruise ship and music festival.

** quite possibly greatest ad campaign of all time.

Anyhow, not a comparable trip in my eyes to going to Napa.
Old     (psudy)      Join Date: Dec 2003       10-01-2021, 5:18 AM Reply   
I understand. We only have an extended weekend though and Napa is a lot of travel from here. I would want to do that over 4 or 5 days. We were going to hit Mexico but have heard some local horror stories of people getting stuck there due to covid. Since neither of us have been to Vegas and its a direct flight we figured we would check it out.
Old     (shawndoggy)      Join Date: Nov 2009       10-01-2021, 6:16 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by psudy View Post
I understand. We only have an extended weekend though and Napa is a lot of travel from here. I would want to do that over 4 or 5 days. We were going to hit Mexico but have heard some local horror stories of people getting stuck there due to covid. Since neither of us have been to Vegas and its a direct flight we figured we would check it out.

Totally makes sense!

As much as I don’t like the strip, the local mountain biking is fantastic.

Old     (psudy)      Join Date: Dec 2003       10-01-2021, 7:36 AM Reply   
Nice. Is the indoor skydiving worth the money?
Old     (DeltaHoosier)      Join Date: Mar 2018       10-04-2021, 9:46 AM Reply   
This insinuates a lot of blowing. Is this a euphemism for alternate lifestyles on the back side of the casinos?
Old     (psudy)      Join Date: Dec 2003       10-20-2021, 5:14 AM Reply   
You can add me to the F&*k Vegas camp........
Old     (shawndoggy)      Join Date: Nov 2009       10-20-2021, 10:10 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by psudy View Post
You can add me to the F&*k Vegas camp........

Ugh. Anything noteworthy or just general suckage?
Old     (psudy)      Join Date: Dec 2003       10-20-2021, 1:00 PM Reply   
Stupid people, stupid crowds, & stupid expensive. Couldn't do half the crap we wanted because everything was booked. Wife really wanted to go to that Van Gogh thing. The best day we had is when we went to the art district.
Old     (DeltaHoosier)      Join Date: Mar 2018       10-27-2021, 10:30 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by psudy View Post
Stupid people, stupid crowds, & stupid expensive. Couldn't do half the crap we wanted because everything was booked. Wife really wanted to go to that Van Gogh thing. The best day we had is when we went to the art district.
I am pretty basic. While I can get behind some art stuff, I would not make a trip for it. I would dig like the air museums, cars or motorcycle type of places. My favorite in Vegas is heading down to the old strip under the canopy of lights and listening to the live music. That was fun.

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