California Dreaming: The Golden State
After four long years, we finally made it back to the Golden State to visit family and friends. A busy, but a much-needed trip to reconnect with some many important people in our lives.
It has been four years, in April 2019 to be exact, since our last trip to the Golden State of California. To put things in perspective, our daughter was then 15 months old and now she is five; Donald Trump was President; and Boris Johnson became the Prime Minister. Where has time gone? Time has flown by even through the mundanity of lockdown. This long-awaited trip to California was much-needed to refuel and reconnect with friends and family.
CowTown, Sacramento
Naturally, with so many friends and family living in Northern California, the trip was very busy. We started off in my hometown of Sacramento, aka, CowTown, to spend time with my family. Our trip coincided with the Chinese festival Ching Ming, so we visited my mom’s resting place to pay our respects.
When not with family, we hit up some fun places around CowTown. We met up with Kenz’ college roommate and his new girlfriend at Drake’s Barn on the River in West Sacramento, a lively brewery with an expansive outdoor space overlooking Tower Bridge. Yes, CowTown has their own “Tower Bridge”. I had a lovely reunion with my childhood best friend and her three kids at Leatherby’s Ice Cream. Kenz and I managed a kid-free dinner with my good friend and her boyfriend at Alaro Brewery in Midtown.
Lady Yeya enjoyed the tour of Old Sacramento, the historic riverfront district from the Gold Rush era, and the State Capitol Building. There was a nice vibe around the GoldenOne Centre in downtown Sacramento as the beloved Kings made it into the NBA playoffs in 16 years. With some down time, we took Lady Yeya to a massive indoor trampoline park and visited The Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg for some leisurely wine-tasting along the Sacramento River.
We took Lady Yeya to visit her Dad’s alma mater at UC Davis. The famous Egg Heads and the Arboretum was the highlight. It was spring break so we missed the student vibe on campus. Then it was off to Napa to visit ex-Londoner friends who relocated back to California for a tasty smoked brisket on the Traeger. Enroute we stopped by Frog’s Leap Winery, enjoying the gorgeous vistas around the Silverado Trail.
A Little Farm Town Called Tracy
Then it was off to visit Kenz’ parents in Tracy. Enroute south on 1-5, we stopped off at Michael David Winery in Lodi, the ‘Zinfandel Capital of the World.’ This is a beautiful winery with gorgeous grounds and an outdoor play area for young kids.
We spent time with Kenz’ parents who were very kind to babysit their only granddaughter so we can have some adult-only dinners with our singleton friends. Extended aunts and uncles came by for lunch. Whilst in Tracy, we always make a trip across the Altamont Pass to Livermore Wine Country. Yes, wine is everywhere in the Golden State. Kenz’ high school friends organised a family-friendly picnic at McGrath Winery featuring live music and Jelly Belly wine-pairing. We also had a little Berkeley reunion with my college roommates at Retzlaff Winery, an unpretentious and low-key winery. It was lovely to soak up the California sunshine and catch up on the past four years with old friends.
The City By the Bay
On our way up from San Diego (more on that later), we spent a few nights in the Peninsula before catching our flight back to London. Back in the Bay, we had more lunches, dinners, coffee and desserts. We had a delicious lunch at Taishoken Ramen in downtown San Mateo with old friends from UC Davis. Then it was time to burn off some calories with a stroll and park playdate at Central Park where there is a lovely Japanese garden.
It was on to the Dutch Goose, an all-American diner in Menlo Park, to watch the NBA playoffs. The next morning we enjoyed a beautiful morning at Stanford University where my dear friend is now a Lecturer and Teaching Fellow. Finally it was more family time with Kenz’ sister and her family of four teenage boys. Kenz’ oldest nephew was four when we moved to London. He is now 18 and off to university in September. It is crazy how time flies. Lady Yeya had a blast with her boy cousins and we enjoyed a fun evening of homemade pizzas on the Ooni.
With heavy hearts, it was time to bid a fond adieu. It was a busy trip, but wonderful to reunite with family and friends. It is not goodbye, but see you again. Hopefully it won’t be four years until our next trip to the Golden State.
