Ideas for fun on a business trip to Lafayette/San Fran area?

Question

Hi,

I'll be in the San Fran area - staying in Lafayette and working in Walnut Creek - for 4 days in September. The hotel itself looks gorgeous, and has a nice pool area.

I arrive around 12:30 pm the first day, so I have that day/evening free. I should be done work each day around 5:00 and back at the hotel (or wherever) around 5:30.

My last day there I'm taking the redeye home at 10:30 that night, so after I check out, I'm free till about 8:00 pm.

Would I be able to get to Napa and visit some wineries that last day? Or should I stick to maybe Tiburon and Sausalito?

What can I do the first day? Maybe Berkely or something? What is the Lafayette Reservoir area like? I wouldn't mind taking a jog there. Could I just bring a book and blanket too and hang out?

Any suggestions for dinner any day? (I can't spend more that $65 on dinner - budget reasons).

Thanks everyone!!!

Answer 1

Downtown Berkeley is great.  Good restaurants to check out are Chez Panisse (the café upstairs; the downstairs is outside your budget) and The Cheese Board (absolutely delectable vegetarian pizza).  Triple Rock Brewery serves its Monkey Head Ale on Thursday nights only; if you're a beer person, it's worth checking out (their food is mediocre but edible).  Biriyani House (University & Shattuck) is a very good Indian place.  La Rose Bistro (also Shattuck & University) is a reasonably priced French place that's also very good.

Unless you have a rental car, it will be tricky to get to the North Bay (Sausalito/wine country).  San Francisco is about 40 minutes away on BART.  For endless good restaurants, get off at 16th St Mission, hang a left out of the station, another left onto Valencia St (the next signal), and take your pick.  Highlights there:

Limon (Peruvian, 16th & Valencia)

Dosa (Indian crepes, 21st & Valencia, busy on weekends)

Luna Park (comfort food, outstanding mac & cheese, 18th & Valencia)

Cha-Ya (vegetarian Japanese, 19th & Valencia)

Pizzeria Delfina (18th & Guerrero, 1 block west of Valencia)

Answer 2

Sure, go to Berkeley your first day. You would have time to explore both the campus, which is beautiful, and Telegraph Ave. (colourful and action packed). You can take BART from Lafayette into SF in the evenings. http://www.bart.gov/

Wine country or Sausalito....hmmm...you can't go wrong either way.