It’s nearing the end of the quarter and soon you will have a long break. Congrats to you for finishing (or nearly finishing) your first quarter here at UC Irvine! With the end of the quarter comes a long winter break in which you will be able to relax and enjoy anything that you like to do. However, why do the same things you do when you finish your work or school day? Take a break from it all and plan a visit to Northern California!
Now… why would you want to spend your precious free days visiting NorCal when you could be spending it down in Irvine? First off, this is a great opportunity to do so since a drive up north takes an average of 8 hours! This is something that most people wouldn’t be able to do over a weekend unless you choose to fly as your mode of transportation. Did you want to go to Disneyland? Do it over a weekend during the quarter. Six Flags? Again, do it over a weekend during the quarter! This long break period should be taken advantage of and so you should visit places far away from Irvine!
Why would you want to visit NorCal anyway? As someone from SoCal, I should be saying that you shouldn’t… However I have been converted to love all of California! There are many places to visit if you travel to NorCal. The first place you should consider is a popular tourist attraction in San Francisco: Fisherman’s Wharf
Fisherman’s Wharf is one of the busiest and well-known attractions in San Francisco. It is famous for their numerous seafood restaurants and serves some of the best clam chowders on the coast. At the edge of Fisherman’s Wharf is Pier 39, a popular location due to the numerous California sea lions hauled out on docks in the marina. Numerous shops, street performances, and restaurants line up at Pier 39, however if you want to enjoy a meal (especially clam chowder!) during your visit there, I would recommend holding your appetite down and travel down to Ferry Building Marketplace!
The Ferry Building is one of my favorite places to visit when I’m in town. Although not as famous as Fisherman’s Wharf, I believe that this building actually serves some of the best foods in town. For example, Hog Island Oyster Company serves one of the best clam chowders I have ever had! In addition to the clam chowder, the grilled cheese sandwich is a must to have. It will literally convert you into a grilled cheese lover. In addition, they also house Humphry Slocombe, a ice cream store that has been rated within the top 10 within the United States numerous times over the past years. Their signature flavor, Secret Breakfast, is a must have for those who love drinking bourbon. In addition, if you are lucky you may be able to stop by the Farmers Market held at the Ferry Building. This Farmers Market is highly exquisite in that many of the best chefs in San Francisco will put up a stand to serve their dishes! If you are limited in vacation time then you must stop by here to enjoy the different cuisines and food that is served in the city!
If you are a breakfast lover like me, then there is one place that I recommend to go to: Plow. This is one place that I never miss to visit since it serves some of the best breakfast I have ever had! Although it is on the pricier side, the money is totally worth it since you will not be able to enjoy a meal such as this. The ingredients they use are top notch and they also serve the best potatoes (plow potatoes) that you will ever have. If you’re lucky, you may even be able to enjoy their eggs benedict that is served occasionally and has been ranked as one of the best in San Francisco.
Outside of the city, I would recommend going on a wine tasting tour in Napa or Sonoma Valley. These two locations are world renowned for producing some of the best wines and is an opportunity any Californian or tourist should take advantage of. Although there are many wineries that you could visit depending on the type of wine you may enjoy, I would like to recommend at least one place that you should not leave out of your planned tour: Castello di Amorosa, or the Castle of Love. Not only do they serve great wine, this place is an actual castle that you can walk around in! A great place to impress a date and friends who have just came to the States.
With all of this, I hope I have convinced you to take a few days to visit NorCal. You will not regret this trip and I hope you enjoy it!