3. California

Month: December 2014

Location: San Jose & Napa

Christmas in California

Well before I started on 51/51, I had already made plans to go to California for Christmas and meet my friends.  I also decided to combine the trip with a couple of days in Napa Valley.  I mean why not. I looked up things to do there and one of the key attractions was something called “Wine Train”, and I got behind that quite quickly.  Just as I was finalizing all of my wine tours and visits, my friend Elizabeth said that she wouldn’t mind coming over to Napa as well.  That led to some reshuffling of dates and I pushed back my departure to Napa by a couple of days.  But before that, there was still a matter of Christmas.

There were going to be 4 kids that would be there on Christmas morning and so rather than carrying presents with me, I asked their parents for advice and then had the presents shipped directly.  I arrived in San Jose on a bright California day and my graduate school roommate Mathew picked me up along with his kids Ethan and Rachel.  We arrived at his place and both, the community as well as his house was typical of the region.  I have known Mathew for a long time and not only were we school together, but also worked in the same company in Pittsburgh for over 4 years.  So there is a lot of affinity and familiarity that I have with his family and it was wonderful seeing them after a long time.  Also present were Som’s family from Connecticut, and he would be joining us a few days later.  It was certainly a full house, perfect for the holidays.

The beautiful Pacific Bay

Christmas morning dawned with kids making a beeline for the presents.  There is something enriching about watching kids opening Christmas presents.  After the mayhem and excitement, we settled down for what turned out to be a relaxing and enjoyable Christmas Day.  The next day we all drove down to the beach in a little town called ‘Half Moon Bay’.  The bay itself was absolutely gorgeous and during a stopover at a lighthouse, I spotted what may be one of the best seats that I have ever seen – a solitary bench on a small mound overlooking the magnificent cliffs alongside the Pacific.  The next day we went into San Francisco, which is as charming as it gets.  As I walked down the pier at twilight, I realized that I will need to return back to do complete justice to the city.

Wine under the sun

Next day I took a train to San Francisco airport to meet Elizabeth.  We picked up our rental and were on our way to Napa.  As we crossed the ‘Bay Bridge’ into Oakland, it was bright and sunny; exactly what people say when they refer to the “California Sun”.  We arrived in Napa and even before checking into the hotel, we knew where we were going – ‘Domain Chandon’.  They are one of the premier ‘Sparkling Wine’ producers in the nation and that just happens to be my favorite beverage.  So, as can be imagined, I was keen to get there fast and it was well worth the visit.  With fantastic gardens through which the visitors can amble along with a glass of bubbly, it was a perfect start to our expedition.

After exploring downtown Napa and its restaurants and bars that evening – including a delightful drink called “Jalapeño Margarita”, - we were ready for a tour of the wine country the next day.  But before we set off, one of my absolute pleasures is exploring local coffee shops and there was a charming one in downtown Napa.  A bus picked us up for a 4 winery tour with an enthusiastic guide, who started by teaching us the basics of wine tasting.  We then proceeded to visit wineries with private tastings in their cellars, tasting rooms, gardens and at one place, something that looked like an industrial park.  The lady there mentioned that the place was in huge demand for weddings, and well it must be the wine.  After the day of wine tasting 2 things were evident – (1) I was “wined out” and (2) Next time rather than take a tour, I would rather choose a a couple of wineries to focus on and go there.  That evening, back in downtown Napa, there was nothing more that I wanted than a beer.  Plus there was one more day left in Napa…this time on a train.

Yes, this is a train

Before getting on the train, we visited an indoor market which was an essentially a “food court”, not with your traditional mall based chains, but all local establishments.  It reminded me of a similar place that I have seen in New York city.  But the main attraction for the day was of course the train and so we went over to the station, and the entire process of boarding was what I imagine would have been like in the golden age of train travel.  The carriages themselves were luxurious and the dining room would have done any restaurant proud.  We were to be served a 3-course lunch while the train ambled through the wine country.  After the main course we were asked to relocate to a lounge for dessert and oh boy, it was a lounge all right.  It was like travelling in a nice living room on a comfortable chair while viewing the beautiful countryside. 

As we exited the train, we passed through Napa’s version of the famous Parisian “Lock Bridge”.  Then it was time to drive back to San Jose.  Elizabeth had rented an “Airbnb”, while I went back to Mathew’s place, where Som had joined us as well.  ‘New Years Eve’ was spent going on another drive, followed by chatting with old friends…just as we used to back in the day.  The next day I went to San Francisco since Elizabeth was leaving and before going to the airport, we drove through downtown, including the famous ‘Lombard Street’ and we even stopped at a local donuts shop.  The next few days were spent relaxing at Mathews place and on the final night of my stay, we went and had a few beers with some of our old colleagues from days in Pittsburgh.  The next day I flew back to the Chicago winter after what had seemed like a long visit.  It had been great, ranging from the wide open Pacific bay to the lush vineyards of Napa.  But of course, nothing compared to the real thing that made it special…spending Christmas break with family.