Please note it only took me a year to write this out instead of two like it did for my trip with Dad, so I call that a win! š Also, I took A LOT more photos, because I regretted not having more after his, especially ones of us together. So again, success! Look at me making progress! ^_^ Now, for the backstory…
My mom and I have certainly had our fair share of family adventures over the years, like driving split over two days from WNY to Minnesota or down to OBX for Easter, plus the Alaskan cruise a few years back. But my favorite travel memories with Mom are the ones when itās just the two of us!! When I earned my second cruise with Beachbody in 2019, I decided she deserved the opportunity to go with me since Ricky got to do the first one haha. Sheās also accompanied me for a few state races, including a unique trip to car-free Mackinac Island! And yes, I suppose we have to count that interesting 20 hour drive from Florida to WNY in March of 2020. š«£ All this to say that when I was creating my annual Bucket List for 2025, I put āGo on a fun adventure with Momā in my āDo it Againā category. Weāre not getting any younger and who knows what the future brings, right?
31 Years in the Making
So when I reached out to Mom in late February 2025 asking what she might want to do to help me fulfill this task, I offered up a few ideas. Another cruise? Head back to San Francisco? Something simpler? Her response, āI do want to take an Amtrak trip some time, to somewhere.ā Heck yeah!! Ricky and I love taking the train up to NYC, but Iād always wanted to do a longer trip. My first thought was up to Maine, since she had never been, and I had only visited at a time when it was 9 degrees! š„¶ So we decided on some dates so I could start some research and entered it into our calendars. A week later, I was putting in the info, getting some budget figures, and asking some friends who visit Maine often for recommendations. But in the back of my mind, I couldnāt stop thinking about my San Francisco suggestion. You see, back in 1994 my oldest sister got married in the Napa Valley, and we visited San Francisco before heading to the countryside. I was only 12 at the time, but it was a trip that stuck with me and weāve always talked about going back. But of course the west coast isnāt really a quick, easy, or inexpensive trip to take from the east coast, especially now that we live 400 miles apartā¦ so it remained a pipe dream we joked about for 31 dang years. But for shits and giggles, I decided to just price things out for comparison. And surprisingly enough, the price difference was only about $200 more apiece.
I presented all of the information to Mom in multiple paragraphs (have I mentioned Iām a planner, yāall?!) and gave some pros and cons for both. But ultimately I pushed the pipe dream, since New England is so close we could likely do that in the future and we never know how much time weāre promised either way. She responded, āI was thinking the same thing – go big or go home? May never get this chance again!ā So, the epic mother-daughter adventure plan was set into motion.Ā š
Whatās the plan, Stan?
I had really enjoyed my drive from Seattle, Washington down to Tillamook, Oregon a few years back, but San Francisco was the primary destination on our itinerary. And though we could have driven the whole thing, a train ride was part of the plan from its onset, so that was non-negotiable. I quickly learned that Amtrak has a Coast Starlight route that runs between Seattle and Los Angeles! Having both already explored Seattle the previous summer, we decided flying into Portland, Oregon and taking the train down to Oakland would fit our itinerary best, and be close enough to both San Francisco and the Napa Valley! Woot! āļøšš
I had already planned to head up to my parentās house to be there for my dadās 80th birthday as it was, so that made it way more convenient. Mom and I could fly out together rather than trying to time things out arriving from different locations. And on the flight back, she could do her layover in Baltimore, so I could hang out with her until her flight left and sheād only have to do the last little leg by herself. Boom – thanks Southwest! Once we got transportation booked, I was able to continue my research of the best food, activities, and fun in the San Francisco Bay Area and boy is there an awful lot to choose from! We made a list of must dos and want tos, with hopes of not overdoing it while still enjoying as much as possible. And believe it or not, we didnāt even finalize everything until we were on the train! I know, I knowā¦ Cat leaving opportunities for spontaneous decisions? Whoa! š
The Adventure Begins
Two great things about flying from the east coast to the west, beautiful mountain sights from above and gaining hours! So even with a layover, we still landed at 10:10 a.m. and had a little time to kill before our train departed at 2:22 p.m. When I visited Portland before, I never got to Powellās Books, which is literally the first thing on any āwhat should I do in Portland ORā list. So we decided to trek the half mile over there to browse, even though we got to walk through some seriously questionable areas haha. Let the adventure begin, for sure, eh?! š Let me warn you, if you ever have the same idea, leave yourself wayyyy more than an hour because itās HUGE. So much fun stuff to look at and places to just sit and chill. And great little shops nearby that youāll definitely want to peruse!Ā
We had booked a roomette on the train, so we were able to check our larger luggage to be placed directly on board for us before we took our walk. And the Amtrak lounge had a holding station for our smaller overnight bags, so it made it super easy to just come back, grab a free water and coffee, and await boarding. We were slightly worried the roomette might not be super comfortable, and not having a private bathroom for us to use, but we were placed only two doors down from a toilet and right upstairs from the showers. It was also only two car lengths from the dining car, so everything ended up being super conveniently located. Any meals served during our time on board was included in the cost, including drinkies, so we made sure to take advantage of any and all benefits! We had a quick lunch shortly after boarding then returned for a late dinner. The portion sizes were HUGE and the food was definitely better than expected! Our room attendant made up the beds while we were at dinner and we were definitely ready to crash by 9:30 p.m. (3:30 a.m back home š«©). There was a big thunderstorm happening outside, so I did take some pics and video of that because it was pretty cool to watch. But exhaustion ultimately ensued and won the battle haha.
Good Morning, California!
The train made 4 stops overnight, which I thought would be super noticeable, but they really werenāt! The train was swaying more from the overnight storm than the stops itself haha. We woke up pretty early to catch some scenery out the window and grabbed breakfast when the dining car opened. We made it a priority to hit up the glass-domed observation car again, too, so we could catch more sights as we approached Oakland. Once the train reached our stop, we thankfully didnāt have to wait long for our luggage, caught a Lyft with a super nice driver, and picked up our rental car. We thought weād drop off our luggage at the hotel first, so it wasnāt in the car while we explored, and surprisingly enough our room was ready at 11 a.m.!! I had booked us right in Fishermanās Wharf so we were able to walk most places, and it really was the perfect location.
When researching attractions in or near San Francisco, obviously there are some things that are a givenā¦ but I wanted to make it a priority to experience stuff we werenāt able to see when we were last in town three decades prior. I had seen so many amazing pictures from Twin Peaks, so we decided to drive up the windy path to take in our āmost spectacular 360-degree panoramic views.ā Well, San Francisco was certainly San Francisco-ing and the fog made it so that we could only see basically the path we took up haha. But onward and forward, we didnāt want to waste the day while everything in the sky burned off. It was still a cool view either way!
When we visited Seattle the year prior, we had purchased CityPass to give us access to more things for less, so I decided to do something like that again for us in San Francisco. We went with GoCity this time and holy options – TWENTY SEVEN to be exact! I highly recommend something like this for any bigger city you visit, because it takes a lot of stress out of planning and for most of the things you just show up! ! It was hard to decide what all to squeeze in, but we made a few things non-negotiable, and decided to let the rest fall into place as we made our way around the city.
GoCity Selection #1 – San Francisco Zoo & Gardens
Though I have mixed feelings about animals in captivity, I have always enjoyed zoos. Iāve never found two to be exactly the same, and love seeing the variety each location has, especially in various regions and different parts of the country. Iāve actually visited quite a few during my state race adventures! And while this place seemed a little run down in certain areas, with some parts completely closed off, there was still lots to see and we LOVED Gailās Fragrance Garden. I certainly used Google Lens on so many plants to learn what they were and the smells were DIVINE!
After the zoo, we wanted to get a good view and take our first official selfie at the Golden Gate Bridge together! Crissy Field offered easy parking and even had a warming hut with the āCrissy Mochaā – a delicious blend of hot chocolate and coffee that hit the spot on our first chilly day in CA. We didnāt quite know what we wanted for dinner, so we took a quick break at the hotel to do some research and rest our tootsies. We knew we wanted to explore Fishermanās Wharf, since we hadnāt been there in sooooo many years, but didnāt want a fancy schmancy sit down meal. I happened to find the Boudin Bakery & Cafe, which had a more quick service option for us to snag food, and boy am I glad I did! We HIGHLY recommend their soup and sandwich combo, which was a perfect portion for a light dinner and super affordable, too! Be sure to catch the public viewing area of the bakers with their cute little window displays! We stopped by the famed sea lions at Pier 39, checked out a few shops, but then settled in for the night, knowing we had a lot to accomplish the next day!
GoCity Selection #2 – Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour
We had only rented a car for the day before, since overnight parking in SF (and most other big cities) is astronomical, so we opted for the bus tour. That way we could see what we wanted, have transportation to and from each place as we went, or just stay on the bus if we got too tired! We had decided to ride about halfway so we could take the bus across the bridge while sitting up top and boy was that an adventure. First, our bus had a bit of a run-in with a Waymo vehicle that had gone into safety mode and basically locked its passengers inside after getting too close to us. About 15 minutes later, thankfully everything cleared but wow was there a lot of honking and choice words uttered by cars around us trying to get on with their day! We finally made it to the bridge and HOLY WIND AND FOG. The rest of the areas we were in were sunny and pretty warm, considering, but riding on the top was certainly a choice š. Mom and I were just hoping they rushed things along so we could warm up!Ā
We decided to get off the bus shortly thereafter so we could check out the Painted Ladies by Alamo Square Park. Iām glad it was a glorious day for a walk, because walking we sure did while trying to locate the house from Full House. We had access to buses, street and cable cars with our GoCity Pass, so we tried to use those to our advantage while traversing across the city, but I was disappointed to learn that we had been super duper close to the house from Mrs. Doubtfire, not realizing it until we were many streets away (with no willpower to trek back š«). Oh well, guess we gotta go back, right?! ^_^ After that adventure, we finally got our Cable Car experience and headed back toward Ghiardelli Square. We had some delicious dinner and drinks at San Francisco Brewing Co. then proceeded back to the wharf for our bay cruise.
GoCity Selection #3 – San Francisco Bay Cruise
I cannot say enough about getting on the water to go UNDER the Golden Gate Bridge. Itās certainly breezy in the bay, so wear layers and brace yourself, but get outside on the boat if you can. The views are PHENOMENAL! On the way back, we went slowly by Alcatraz and got some history while taking in the sights. We both agreed we didnāt need to tour the facility, as that would take up a bunch of time, but they provided just enough info for my mild fascination with old prisons š. We hopped on a streetcar to save a little time, and headed to Lombard Street to check out the crooked lane. So cool! I walked all the way down to see if I could get a better picture than from the top, but without being directly on it, itās nearly impossible even with wide angles haha. It was very amusing and slightly terrifying to watch people attempt to drive it! Little did I know I would be doing the same thing the very next dayā¦ but weāll get to that later š Day two in the books!
GoCity Selection #4 – Aquarium of the Bay
Weāve visited so many aquariums together itās almost tradition at this point, so we had to make this a stop on the SF tour! Starting day 3, we enjoyed an amazing breakfast at the Eagle Cafe first, which is right next door to the aquarium. Again, large portions and the pricing wasnāt horrible for its location and service. This aquarium is slightly on the smaller side, but still a lot to see and do. Plus itās super conveniently located to everything else in the wharf! Be sure to check out all the painted sea lion statues! There are THIRTY of them, but I think I only captured 16 of them on camera! š®
GoCity Selection #5 – GoCar Tour
If there is one thing that you do in San Francisco, besides seeing the Golden Gate Bridge, please please please do this! I almost backed out, because we were quite tired and mom decided not to join me. But it looked so freaking fun so I said YOLO!! And let me tell you, it was by far one of the coolest experiences I have ever had while traveling. I had to watch a training video before going to the car, and Mom hopped in for a picture before I left, but then I was on my own! I was scared I wouldnāt be able to pick up the maneuvering of the vehicle or find where Iām going but they make it so freaking easy. Thereās audio telling you where to turn, plus you have a map that leads you in the right direction if anything were to go wrong. I had a 30 minute tour included with our GoCity Pass, and got to see so many awesome sights PLUS IT TAKES YOU DOWN LOMBARD STREET!! I didnāt even know until I was at the top and itās like HERE WE GO. š The video sucks cuz I had my phone up against the map so it gets out of focus a lot, but itās still PROOF š (video at the bottom of this post). 10/10 stars, highly recommend. Iāll definitely do a longer tour next time!
Goodbye San Francisco, Hello Napa Valley!
After my last little tour around the San Francisco area, it was time to pick up our rental for the final leg of our California adventure. I had found us an AirBNB with a beautiful view in nearby Mill Valley, so we were able to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge on the way! I had hoped to at least pass by a few more sights we had missed on the way there, but there happened to be a Grateful Dead Festival in Golden Gate Park that weekend. It had closed down a bunch of roads, plus had thousands of people in the streets, so we only got to see the Dutch Windmill from afar. We did get to take a quick stop at the Sutro Baths on our way out, though!
Our little place in Mill Valley was so quaint and had amazing views of the Richardson Bay. It was also near Sausalito, where we wanted to check out the floating homes, plus grab dinner at The Spinnaker. Even though our waiter chastised us for not ordering any seafood at a restaurant known for it š, our dinners were delicious and came with a side view of seals playing in the water! Before bed, we were able to enjoy the beautiful scenery from our deck, wrapped in cozy blankets, and I even got up early the next morning to watch the sun come up over the bay. Check out the photo carousel!
āFrom the Redwood Forestā¦ā
The last few times I was on the west coast, I was never able to see the redwoods up close, so I made sure Muir Woods National Monument was on our list for our final day. Wow, what an amazing place to visit! There were a variety of trails to pick from and we kept it on the easy side, but still got to see so many beautiful sights. Unfortunately we were never able to spot a banana slug in the wild, so againā¦need to go back!! My neck started to hurt with how many times I was looking up and I was also very thankful for wide angle shots on my cell phone haha. We were sure to enjoy a steaming cup of hot chocolate in the cafe before heading back to the car, and also enjoyed watching baby salmon and trout swim upstream!
Wine Country
Finally, being this close to the Napa Valley, we couldnāt resist visiting a winery! I had done MASSIVE research on where we might want to visit, but also wanted to be realistic about our time restraints. We were taking a red-eye out that evening and didnāt want to rush ourselves through multiple locations (plus one of us had to drive obviously š„“). And while I really, really wanted to visit Artesa (because it looks so freaking cool), it wasnāt the most conveniently located winery on our trip, plus I wanted to see a wine cave! So I settled on Beringer Vineyards, which was actually kind of ironic and funny because my mom used to drink their White Zinfandel and I think it was the first bottled wine I had ever tried (I refuse to count Franzia box wine in this scenario hahaha). I was slightly hesitant because I was like cāmon, Beringer is mass produced and available EVERYWHEREā¦ shouldnāt I pick something more rare and āelegant?ā Well, we quickly learned that though itās the same company, the wine we would be tasting (and ultimately purchasing for shipment) was nothing like the mass-market varieties and definitely had more high-end reserve selections. We also learned that one of the Beringer brothers, Frederick, settled in BUFFALO NY of all places before moving to NYC and eventually purchasing the land in Napa. Small world! The property is beautiful and I would have loved to have spent more time there, but yet againā¦ guess we just need to come back!!
After our tour and checking out the property, quickly running out of time, I wanted to stop at Oxbow Farm Market because it just sounded like a neat place to check out. I definitely want to visit there again, because there were so many shops I didnāt get to see! I did end up snagging a delicious looking cupcake to enjoy later. š But the last thing I wanted to do before heading to the airport was to see if we could find the property where we stayed when my oldest sister exchanged vows with her husbandā¦where this whole thing basically began many decades ago! Churchill Manor still indeed exists and continues to serve as a bed and breakfast and event venue! So crazy to see it still looking basically the same as it did 31 years prior, so we snapped a few photos to share with the family and reminisce.Ā
Until next timeā¦
All good things must come to a close, so we made our way to the airport. Mom and I were on the same flight for the first leg of her flight home, which stopped for a layover in Baltimore. So once we landed, I stuck around with her until her connecting flight left, then Ricky picked me up. It really was a jam-packed vacation but, while Iām sure we were perpetually exhausted during our adventures, Iām really glad we made it happen. If we hadnāt made this a priority a year ago Iām not sure we ever would have, as health issues for myself and multiple family members have basically been arising ever since! So again I will close with thisā¦ TAKE THE TRIP. And if you can, āgo big or go home,ā because we certainly never know how much time we are promised and may never get the chance again. This trip was chock full of amazing memories and spending quality time with my mother that I will never forget (and still think about often). I certainly hope to do it again in many other locations before one or both of us canāt anymore! ā„ļø
