Before I officially start this blog, Loredana and I want to give a big thank you and many hugs to the Torkes (Rochelle, Karl & baby Jonas), who hosted us while we were in the city. They provided a very welcome home, wonderful advice and endless friendship. Thanks, Torkes!!!

While we were sad to leave San Francisco, today was the day we had been awaiting for a long time – the start of our trip to the Wine Country! Our first day starts off in Napa Valley. We headed out EXTREMELY early in the morning to miss the traffic on the way to our first meeting at a beautiful Tuscan winery in Calistoga. They were happy to meet with us and excited to show us all of the ways in which the winery is accessible. One is able to travel the Medieval courtyard, the wine cellar, through the wine caves and up to the top of the main building to experience breathtaking views of the entire vineyard. See a shot of their Medieval private dining area here.

Our next stop was another fully accessible winery with a modern sculpture garden, beautiful caves and a friendly staff. It was fun to juxtapose the different styles of the two wineries and the wines they offered. Each winery truly has its own unique personality, with vintners putting their own spin on flavors and winemaking methods. After our winery adventures, we dashed off to the Calistoga town square, where we found many accessible shops, restaurants, mineral pools and spas. We also visited some hotels and saw some beautiful and accessible rooms.

One very cool thing we did was take a cruise down the Napa River. It was really a fascinating way to see the valley. We learned that the Napa River is home to several exotic and beautiful varieties of bird. The cruise we took is currently accessible only to “Slow Walkers,” but the company plans to get new equipment which may assist with making their boat wheelchair accessible as well.

After the relaxing river cruise, we visited two more resorts and spas, both resorts full of accessible amenities, with gorgeous rooms and friendly staffs. We ended the day with a trip to Napa’s town square, where we visited many local restaurants, shops and walked along the water. We stopped at a great tapas place for dinner, allowing us to sample several of the restaurants dishes at once, one tiny bite at a time! Everything we tried was delicious, and the restaurant was completely accessible on the bottom floor. Albeit long and busy, it was a wonderful way to spend a day!

Well, the weather finally cooled down a bit, which is a good thing since no one quite knew what to do with the unseasonably warm weather. It was the talk of the town!

We started off the day researching the famed Chinatown district. Once we crossed the famous China Gate, we found ourselves in a world of ornate decorations, great shopping, and delicious Dim Sum. We really enjoyed checking out the sites – Buddhist temples, WonTon Factories, hotels, shops and restaurants.  In fact, the wonton factory pictured below is the only operating fortune cookie factory where the cookies are still made by hand.

Chinatown has a fascinating history to it, and it’s well worth taking the time to learn about! This has been a highlight of our trip to this point - the architecture and colors of the building really evokes the mystical imagery of Asian Culture.

After partaking in the tea and Dim Sum of Chinatown, we headed out to the North Beach area, heralded as the “Little Italy” of San Francisco. Adorned with beautiful historic churches, green parks and restaurants, this neighborhood is also famous for supporting the creative minds of the Beat Generation. Loredana and I visited the Beat Museum – it was fascinating learning the stories of this important period in our cultural development.

We ended our day with a final walk to Pier 39, home to the Aquarium of the Bay. This accessible pier is buzzing with activity. By the end of our day we were exhausted and hopped on a city rickshaw for a quick riding tour - what a fun and interesting way to see the city!

The pictures from our day tell the story much better than we can. Hope you enjoy! Tomorrow we’re off to the wine country for a full day of touring, wine tasting and meetings. Come back for notes from the beautiful Napa and Sonoma valleys!

Thursday - We wrapped up our touring yesterday with a stop to check out the accessible restaurants at Fisherman’s Wharf and to take the Alcatraz tour. Loredana and I feel it is extremely important to personally check out every site, accommodation and restaurant on our suggested itineraries. It’s a good thing we do that because we were given a list of “accessible” restaurants and through our inspections learned that some of the restaurants have closed and others are not as accessible as they claim. However we find a great crab shack located at Fisherman’s Wharf called Sabella and La Torre. They have two dining options: Order from the street stand (accessible), or take a seat inside the restaurant. Although the bathroom is not wheelchair accessible, there are accessible public restrooms nearby.

Sabella and La Torre is a terrific place with deliciously fresh seafood dishes and an amazing staff. After discovering that we were eating at the wrong pier to just hop over to the Alcatraz tour, Loredana and I discovered that we only had 15 minutes to eat and run to the appropriate pier!

However, Sabella and La Torre’s friendly and entertaining manager Don McFarland, took personal care of us, making sure our food was out in minutes and packing whatever food was leftover quickly so we could take it on the ferry. Here Loredana is pictured with Don.

The night tour of Alcatraz is just beautiful; it was every bit as fascinating as we had heard. The ferry to Alcatraz is very accessible, and the needs of guests with mobility challenges are considered at every point of the ride. As we exited onto the island, an announcement was made that anyone who needs to take the accessible tram up to the prison should come up to the front of the line. As I am injured and we like to check everything out personally, we stepped forward. Seating on the tram is limited to wheelchair users, slow walkers, etc., so companions walk alongside the tram, ensuring that you are never far from your group. After speaking with the tram operator, I was allowed to sit up front with him! The operator gave me some excellent behind-the-scenes information and went out of his way to ensure that Loredana and I were able to participate in a special tour below Alcatraz, which was limited to only 10 people. We totally lucked out! You’ll see us behind bars, wearing hard hats for the exclusive tour and enjoying the scenery at Alcatraz.

Friday – it was another scorcher today. Luckily, the first part of our mission this morning included a trip to the Ferry Building near the water. At the Ferry Building, we joined up with a tour group for a fantastic chocolate tour. We journeyed through the city tasting a wide variety of delectable chocolates. See Jen’s smile as she chooses which chocolate to taste.

Thanks for checking in with us! Tomorrow we check out Chinatown, North Beach and more!