Ducati Monster Forum

Hey Guys and Gals,

SheMonster and I will be coming up to Tahoe in June as part of the annual Team in Training ride at Lake Tahoe. We've never been up that way from Arizona and are otherwise unfamiliar with northern California - ie things to do, places to go, places to stay. We're taking some extra time to explore after the event so we've allocated June 3rd - 13th as VACATION! (woohoo!!!!)

If anyone can drop us some suggestions we'd really appreciate it! We do plan on renting a car so we should be mobile enough to explore the area. We'd love to see San Francisco while we're up your way!  [thumbsup]

Thanks so much!


Monster Dave.

Come on down! We'll do an impromptu Zeitgeist night. If you can stay for a day or so, we can probably get you out on a ride :)

As for Tahoe, there'll be no shortage of things to do/see. Emerald Bay is a great start.

Hey that sounds like fun! I can't even begin to imagine how nice it would be ride up your way!

If we do come down to San Francisco, are there some decent (not uber expensive) places to stay?

Lots of couches down here...those are cheap ;D

Plenty of motel type places south of Market too.

[thumbsup]  Thanks!

San Francisco (aka The City, but NOT SanFran) is less than 4 hours from Tahoe.  Lots of things to do in The City.  There's an awesome California Academy of Sciences that's fairly new.  Lots of touristy things like Fisherman's Wharf/Pier 39, riding cable cars, Alcatraz Island (former high security prison), high end shopping at Union Square, Lombard Street (crookedest street in the world), etc.   Check out citypass.com for hitting the highlights. A drive up through the Giant Redwoods is awesome if you've never seen trees large enough to drive cars through.  The Carmel/Monterey areas are very nice coastal areas for incredible golf.  Depends what you're into...

Lodging is quite expensive depending on your tastes.  Great time of year, but can be cool, especially compared to AZ.  We can always spot the tourists during the summer.  They're the ones expecting warm California weather in the City.  But due to the coastal fog, they are easily spotted wearing short pants and just-bought San Francisco logo sweatshirts.

The city sounds like a lot of fun! Are there by chance any bed and breakfasts outside of the city that anyone would recommend?

Time an $$ are always factors in deciding what to do and where to go, but we would LOVE to see the red woods - those must be amazing!

Thanks for tips about the cool weather too! We're expecting Tahoe to be cool too and are going to pack accordingly!

If you want to be out of the city near the redwoods, you could try this place: http://www.sananselmoinn.com/ (http://www.sananselmoinn.com/)

One of my favorite breakfast/lunch places, Comforts, is next door: http://www.comfortscafe.com/ (http://www.comfortscafe.com/)

 

Thanks for the links!

We'll it looks like we'll be flying into and out of Oakland airport. If anyone would be willing to let us take advantage of a sofa either on the 3rd of June (the day we fly in) or the night of the Friday the 11th (the evening before we'll fly out) we'd really appreciate it!

We're still confirming our exact flight dates but should have that set by this weekend. Feel free to PM me.

We're curious about this "Zeitgeist night" that Desmoquattro is talking about and it would be a lot of fun to get to meet some fellow DMF members!  [thumbsup]

Thanks everyone!

Just let us know which night works! Zeitgeist is a bar & beer garden in San Francisco.

BTW - Check out the Local Resources & Visitor Info (http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=562.0) thread. Tons of great info.

Will do!  [thumbsup] [thumbsup]

Maureen's been to Zeitgeist.  More than once. 

Shhh!  All the "evidence" was left back on the old board.  ;)

Looking forward to our trip!  When we knew we were going to Tahoe, I tried to figure out a way to be able swing through San Francisco as well.  It's always been one of my favorite cities :)  I haven't been back there in quite a few years now. 

If you want to go behind the "Redwood Curtain" I recommend the Benbow inn  near Garberville. http://www.benbowinn.com/blog/ (http://www.benbowinn.com/blog/)
However there is a smaller (By comparison) stand of Redwoods in Marin County that is quite nice. The Muir woods. http://www.nps.gov/muwo/ (http://www.nps.gov/muwo/)

Also the wine country Napa/Sonoma/southern Mendocino county is nice to visit. But If your going to be in Tahoe anyway you might just want to check things out around there, Maybe even "The biggest little city in the world"

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Reno_arch.jpg/250px-Reno_arch.jpg)

If you plan to go north and check out Reno, you might as well pop into Scheels sporting goods superstore.  If you want to check out a 300,000 awesome store, it's quite a destination stop in itself.  Right next to Reno, in Sparks, NV.  http://www.scheelssports.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ScheelsLocationsView?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001 (http://www.scheelssports.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ScheelsLocationsView?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001)

I think that our tentative plan is to fly in to San Francisco, rent a car, see the city then head over to Lake Tahoe. After our event there, we're planning on a day or 2 over recovery there, then checking out Napa, returning back a day or 2 later to San Fransisco the night before we fly out.

Reno and the Red Woods will have to wait this time!

Ok, so our flights have been confirmed! We'll be flying in to Oakland airport on the Thursday June 3rd. If anyone would mind us crashing on a sofa or guest bed Thursday evening we'd be grateful.

Our plan is to spend the one afternoon/evening in San Fransico then Friday morning getting up and heading out towards Napa/Lake Tahoe. Our return to San Fransico will happen on Friday the 11th of June. Again if it's not asking too much, we'd appreciate a couch, floor, or guest room for the evening if anyone is willing to host us (and if it's not too much of an imposition). Friday night might also work out as the best night for the  Zeitgeist night meetup that you guys were talking about.

Our flight back to Phoenix leaves Saturday (the 12th) in the early afternoon. 

Thanks guys!  [thumbsup]

We're outta town on 6/3, but may be able to put you up in SF the Friday before you leave.  Lemme check with the Blonde and get back to you.  You're flying out of Oakland as well?

Hey thanks Spidey! We'll be happy to pick you guys up a bottle of wine or something for the trouble!

Yes that's correct - in and out of Oakland. We were actually thinking that the day we get in we might just search out a B&B so that we can just drop our bags and do the whole tourist thing and not be an imposition on someone on a Thursday night.

Any B&B suggestions from anyone? 

Spidey's a bourbon guy.

Good to know!  [thumbsup]

You should also know Spidey's a "two bottles of bourbon a night" kind of guy...

 [evil]

big (geez I felt ordinary the next morning...  [coffee] )

Hey Spidey, any word from the Blonde?

You guys are good for Fri, June 11.   [thumbsup]  We've got a will-be-17th-month-old-when-you're-here, so please don't challenge the baby to a bourbon drinkin' contest.  She'll kick your ass (and she'll wake up butt-early in the morning).  Also, after her stellar championship season of Jan. 2009, The Blonde has finished off-season testing and is currently involved in another championship run for season 2 (set to conclude on Oct. 17).  So she can't drink.  Which means more booze for us.

 [beer]

 Oh alriiiight....[laugh]  Seriously though that sounds great! I'll contact you via PM and send you our contact info!


Thanks so much! We really appreciate it!  [thumbsup] [thumbsup]

Congratulations!

I'll set the girl a project to knit another silly hat!

big

THANK YOU!  No worries, we don't take up much space and don't really drink much past the glass of wine with dinner.  The bourbon is safe :)

We have a spare room, and plenty of garage space.

Don't forget to bring your citizenship papers. Oh wait, you won't need them until you go back home. Oh wait, you won't need them b/c you're white. Forget I mentioned it.  [cheeky]

ducleaner, (http://elouai.com/images/yahoo/58.gif)

Hey guys/gals!

You're crack'n us up with the AZ immigration humor!! Anyway, we're all set to stay with Warren and the blond when we come back through at the end of our trip. But we're staying 1 night next week in San Francisco and were wondering if there are any iconic or unique restaurants that we should check out.

Any ideas?

Sutro's at the cliff house is one of my faves and very iconic. http://www.cliffhouse.com (http://www.cliffhouse.com) (take the time to watch the intro)

The Tadich grill is also one of my favorites. Also very iconic. Their website isn't much but the food is delicious. http://www.tadichgrill.com (http://www.tadichgrill.com)

You might also explore North beach for some good Italian food. The stinking rose comes to mind but there are plenty of good resturaunts to choose from. Or if you just want drinks you might try Vesuvios right next to city lights bookstore. 255 Columbus ave @ Jack Kerouac alley  http://www.vesuvio.com (http://www.vesuvio.com)
Both the book store and the cafe/bar are once again... very Iconic.

Thanks for the suggestions. I've never been a huge fan of sea food so the Italian places sound particularly appealing! We'll certainly check out your suggestions! Thanks!

It may not be an iconic San Francisco restaurant but one of the best Italian restaurants in North Beach: Franchino, 347 Columbus Avenue, SF. Delicious fresh homemade pasta and an owner who will serenade you with Italian songs.

Really, any place that isn't at a tourist location (i.e. Fisherman's Wharf) is going to have good food. This town doesn't abide bad food  ;D

OpenTable  (http://www.opentable.com/)is as good a guide as any, plus you can make reservations.

I need to confirm a time with MonsterDave and Shemonster, but we're planning the 'geist on Friday.  Clear your schedules.

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for those who came out on Friday night. It was really nice to finally put some faces with names!

We'd like to offer a special thanks to Warren and The Blond for hosting us Friday night and for showing us all around the city Saturday morning.

Thanks again! We had a great time!  [thumbsup] [thumbsup]

Nice to meet you guys too!  I hope enjoyed your taste of San Francisco.

It was fantastic!  [thumbsup] [thumbsup]