What can you do in Northern California for two weeks in June and July?

[Mark Walberg]

Ride a rented bike from Palo Alto area to Pescadero an back. A great ride. A beautiful ride. Be sure to stop for espresso in Pescadero.
You can rent a good bike form Bike Connection, or several other places.

[Lionel]

Ride a rented bike from Palo Alto area to Pescadero an back. A great ride. A beautiful ride. Be sure to stop for espresso in Pescadero.
You can rent a good bike form Bike Connection, or several other places.

If you do this let me know, I'll go with you !

[ChristianWong]

There is also the possibility of visiting Soulcraft in Petaluma and Steve Potts in Point Reyes, but I imagine they only have time for customers.

Or pay Bruce Gordon (Petaluma). He has an incredible collection of bikes he's made for himself over the years and he was more than happy to show me and my wife around his shop for close to an hour one day. I walked out with a pair of his famous Rock n' Road tires.

You can't go wrong with Northern California. Reading this thread has me itching to get back there.

[jclay]

The huge, scale, operational hydraulic model of the bay is worth visiting.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Bay Model - Wikipedia
Sausalito.

Top of The Mark for a drink and the view.

[NYCfixie]

Ride a rented bike from Palo Alto area to Pescadero an back. A great ride. A beautiful ride. Be sure to stop for espresso in Pescadero.
You can rent a good bike form Bike Connection, or several other places.

If you do this let me know, I'll go with you !

I would like too but I think my wife is pushing for a spa/pool/drink/walk/drive vacation rather than an active one.

We might get on a scooter or motorcycle but that might be the extent of our two wheeled adventures. As I have yet to be an active participant in the planning, I only booked the flights, I am not sure how much choice I will have at this point but how can we go wrong with 2 weeks in Northern California.

[Lionel]

how can we go wrong with 2 weeks in Northern California.

You can gain 10 pounds. Trust me on this one.

[ericpmoss]

Or pay Bruce Gordon (Petaluma). He has an incredible collection of bikes he's made for himself over the years and he was more than happy to show me and my wife around his shop for close to an hour one day. I walked out with a pair of his famous Rock n' Road tires.

He's looking for a buyer for his shop, so depending on one's mood...

[snotrockets]

There is also the possibility of visiting Soulcraft in Petaluma and Steve Potts in Point Reyes, but I imagine they only have time for customers.

Steve Potts just moved out of Petaluma, I think to Scotts Valley.

[brc]

Sounds like you've got a better plan now. Going to Tahoe and Yosemite as well would have been too much to pack into a 2-week trip in my opinion.

In Napa Valley, I highly recommend Robert Sinskey Vineyards on the Silverado Trail. Their Pinot Noir is great. Yountville has countless restaurants. Make sure to try Thomas Keller's legendary fried chicken at Ad Hoc or Bouchon. Oh yeah, Bouchon Bakery. Hike Mt St. Helena for the gorgeous views of the valley. For brunch you have to go to the Fremont Diner in Sonoma.

In Marin the original Sol Food in San Rafael is worth the trip for Puerto Rican grub. Drive along Highway 1 where many of us regularly train on. A few years ago the ToC went from SF across the Golden Gate Bridge to Santa Rosa and rode along Highway 1. You can drive north from around Muir Beach to Stinson Beach and Pt. Reyes. Bovine Bakery in Point Reyes is a great rest stop. The quaint little town of Inverness and the lighthouse is worth the extra travel time if you have some to spare.

SF. My city. Too many things to do so I"ll just mention a few places that are, to me, uniquely San Francisco. The Tonga Room under the Fairmont with their colorful little umbrella drinks and kitschy pool/live music float/thunderstorm effects. La Taqueria for some of the best burritos in the world. And it would be a shame to spend time in San Francisco and miss out on Asian food. San Tung and Burma Superstar are two popular spots for Chinese and Burmese, respectively. And while you're at Burma Superstar, Green Apple Books is, in my opinion, the coziest bookstore in the city. Also Amoeba Music in the Haight for their impressive music and film collection. Be prepared for hot weather in Napa and Marin and cold foggy days and nights in SF.

It looks like this so far: 4-5 days in Sonoma taking it easy, 2-3 days in Santa Cruz, 4-5 days in San Fran, and then home. Now need to fill in the details of things to do.

Pro tip: no one calls it "San Fran" or "Frisco." It's simply "San Francisco" or "SF." Same thing with public transport and the highway system. It's not "the BART" or "the Muni" or "the 101," it's just "BART" or "Muni" or "101." We're not Los Angeles.

[donevwil]

Steve Potts just moved out of Petaluma, I think to Scotts Valley.

Actually it's Scott Valley, as in the town of Etna of Siskiyou County, CA.