Muir Woods and Sonoma

This past weekend, we went to Sausalito, Muir Woods, and Sonoma. I was quickly reminded that I don't leave the San Francisco bubble nearly as often as I should.

For this trip, I rented Zipcar for the day so that we would have enough time to see all three sites. First, we headed to Sausalito, one of my favorite places in the Bay Area. As you walk along the coast, you have a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Bridge, and the city. We didn't stop for lunch in Sausalito this time, but I have eaten at Sartaj on other occasions. Sartaj is a hole-in-the-wall Indian cafe with tons of choices and lots of character. Another go-to restaurant in the area is an amazing Puerto Rican restaurant called Sol Food. Get the lemonade or you will regret it.

After leaving Sausalito, we headed to the redwood forest to hike through Muir Woods. Hike might actually be a bit of an overstatement. Muir has both wood planked walking paths and winding trails through the woods, but we chose the easier of the two since it had recently rained and the trails were pretty muddy. Regardless, the woods were serene and beautiful, despite the large numbers of visitors passing through on the busy Saturday that we chose to visit.






After a morning hike, we set off on Highway 1 towards Sonoma for a wine tasting at Bartholomew Park Winery. Upon entering the vineyard gates, we immediately wished we had more time to spend on the 400-acre grounds. In addition to the wine tasting and museum tour, visitors also have access to picnic grounds and hiking trails. We had just enough time for a tasting before heading back to the city.