Big Sur, Big Fun

This weeks post is a guest post. Enter Mike Anthony…

Having never been to the bay area before, I was really excited for our long weekend on the other side of the country. As they say, the west is the best. Our time was divided perfectly. The first half of our five day mini-vacation was to be spent hiking and exploring one of the most beautiful places in the country, Big Sur. The second half was to be spent in sunny Saratoga celebrating the marriage of Sam Schiff and Josh Beren

We got into SFO late afternoon on Thursday. Being greeted by a yoga room in the airport terminal was a nice touch, and really captured the difference between the east and west coast attitudes.

Our first priority after getting off the plane was lunch. We got our rental car and headed straight for downtown San Francisco. My dad recommended Fisherman’s Wharf, so we headed straight there and had some of the best fish and chips of all time. Delicious, flavorful, and succulent, to say the least.

Post-lunch we were off to Big Sur. Even though the drive is a few hours from San Francisco, it flew by due to the breathtaking views.

We spent two nights in Big Sur. We were exhausted from traveling the first night, but we still got the lay of the land. The second day we were up and at em’ at the crack of dawn, and started a 12 mile hike along the coast around 9am. We even had a close call with a deer. We saw some sights and did some more driving along Highway 1 late that afternoon, and capped off the day with a fantastic dinner over the campfire.

Saturday marked the halfway point of our trip. We woke up, had breakfast, packed our things, and headed for Berkley, CA. The rehearsal dinner for Sam and Josh’s wedding was awesome. Great people, great location, and great food. I wasn’t sure if the wedding could top it.

But it did! Set at a mountain winery in Saratoga, it was one of the best weddings I’ve ever been to. I’m grateful I got invited. The ceremony was outside overlooking the mountains and was followed by a cocktail hour on an enormous patio. Everything ended with the reception and dinner inside. Everyone had their dancing shoes on that night, so it was a blast. A true celebration.

Overall, both parts of our trip were equally amazing. As we left Big Sur, we both turned to each other at almost the exact same time and said “I don’t think I’ve ever been to a more beautiful place in my life.” And as we flew back to New York Monday afternoon, we both talked about how insanely fun the wedding was. I can see why so many people continue to migrate to the golden state year after year.