So Lisa and I left Lodi on Saturday for our first wedding anniversary which we spent in Napa with the baby. On the way we stopped at the Jelly Belly factory and did the tour, which was the first time for me. Andrew was great the whole time and enjoyed all the bright colors.
We stayed at the Westin Verasa a hotel that opened up last year and has very modern rooms and a classic feel. The room comes with a 32" LCD TV, an XBox you can play DVD's on, cordless phones, and iPod enabled alarm clocks. The hotel has a HUGE pool and spa, as well as a large workout room.
Saturday we settled in and had a killer lunch in the hotel restaurant, called Bank, which is what it cost to eat there. But seriously one of the best chopped salads I've had in a long time. That evening we went to the pool and took Andrew swimming for the first time. He had a blast. We stayed for quite a long time, Lisa and Andrew posting up eventually in a covered cabana where Andrew ate and mom read about the "John and Kate plus Eight" shenanigans, and I swam and enjoyed the hot tub. We had dinner again at the Bank. This time I tried their steak and fries. The garlic fried were great, but the flank steak was the fattiest, piece of crap I've had in a long time. Back to the room, Lisa was tired and slept while I watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on the XBox.
Sunday we hopped in the car and started driving north. We stopped at BV Vinyards and had some wine. Then to Franciscan Vinyards, and had some more wine. Then to S. Vattui... this place is pretty special. Across the street from Dean & Delucca's the amazing kitchenware store, S. Vattui is a quaint little Vineyard offering a large tasting room and small grocery store where one can choose from a huge variety of cheeses, meats, olive oils, and such. It's situated in a nice, cool, tree covered, grassy park complete with benches and tables to enjoy your purchases at. By this time it was getting a little warm, and dad was feeling a little tipsy, so we took the opportunity to relax on the grass under the trees, feed the baby, and enjoy some salami, tomato-pesto cheese, and smoked cheddar on some water crackers. All while enjoying copious amounts of water to dilute the vino.
That done, back to the car and we continued up CA-29 into Calistoga. Here we saw signs for the Old Faithful Geyser, so we stopped, paid our $8/person and each got to see the famous Geyser, one of only three in the world, erupt two or three times. The grounds also had Tennessee Fainting Goats as well as other petting-zoo sort of animals. I tried my damnedest to get a goat to faint, but all they'd do was run from me. :o/
Back to the car, we returned to downtown Calistoga and did some window shopping of the old stores, until we came upon a book store. By this time it the temperature was
up to about 102 and cresting. So we spent this hottest time in the nice air conditioned book store, where Lisa found a good novel she's been reading all week. When we were finished there, we cruised down the street and decided on Pacifico's Mexican restaurant for dinner. Pacifico's had outstanding food, and great service. I recommend the Tres Marias.
Back to the hotel and burnt out. I went to the spa for an hour or so, while Lisa started watching Benjamin Button that she missed the night before. I came back to the room and finished the movie with her, enjoying the rest of our smoked cheddar and the bottle of merlot we bought at the Franciscan.
Monday we began our trip back, stopping only once at an IHOP for some good 'ole home style eatin', and finish off our trip.
