I spent a week in Northern California. Here's my review: 1. San Francisco (2 Days) This was my first time visiting SF as an adult. I'd been when I was 10 years old but that doesn't count (although Alcatraz was pretty sick). I had my expectations low, which is key to any first time experience, but can also be tricky. For example: the first time I saw Hot Tub Time Machine, I thought it was the funniest movie I'd ever seen. Had no expectations. Took my wife to see it after hyping it up, and she did not think it was the funniest movie she'd ever seen. I set her expectations too high. I thought SF was cool. Could I live there? Eh. I'm not sure I could ever get used to those hills, but they are super unique to any other American city. Being right on the Bay is pretty badass. The people were friendly and the service was good. I prefer the SF vibe over the LA vibe. Less pretentious and “douchey” for lack of a better word. Also much cleaner than I expected. Someone told me they got a new mayor who's done a good job, or maybe there was a big push during SB. Either way, not the zombie apocalypse you might think from watching the news. My first Waymo ride was fun. Kinda creepy how all the billboards in SF are about AI. Def think it will be the first city where robots outnumber humans when the time comes. 2. Yosemite (3 days) My wife and I love the outdoors but we aren't necessarily outdoors people, if that makes sense. The only way you can get me to camp in the wilderness is with something they call "Glamping" and that's what we did. Highly recommend Under Canvas which just opened their Yosemite location. These tents were awesome, and the food was fucking fantastic. We checked out El Capitan, Tunnel View, some Sequoia trees, hiked the Vista Trail and Hetch Hetchy. Not super touristy which was great. I've heard Yellowstone gets absurdly packed. Could have been the time of year as it was a little cold. This was our second National Park visit and I thought it was perfect for beginners like us. 3. Napa (3 days) This place is gorgeous. I was blown away at how nice of a drive it was (3.5 hours) from Yosemite to Napa. You'd be in flat farmlands that felt like the middle of Kansas, then an hour later be surrounded by mountains and vineyards. Someone told us California is responsible for making 70% of the country's produce. I now believe that. I'm not the biggest wine guy but I like wine. Drank it a lot more before I started getting bad acid reflux. I don't think you need more than 2 days in Napa if you're just a casual wine drinker. The experience overall was great though. Enjoyed the tastings and scenery at every stop. There's only so much red wine I can drink during the day before I need a nap. The town could use an emergency cocktail bar nearby serving Whiskey Cokes and cigarettes to keep you going. Oh and you didn't ask but my favorite winery was Alpha Omega. We bought a few bottles there because they don't sell anywhere else. Pretty cool. Overall I'm left coming away with this impression: Northern California fucking rocks. I can't believe I was not familiar with its game. The people are chill. The scenery is stunning. The weather is lovely. As an East Coast guy who's made multiple drives from NYC to Florida and back, I am beyond envious that the other side of the country is so much more beautiful. They don't have any rest stops though, which is tough for a guy like me that has to piss every 20 minutes. So for that I would like to say THANK YOU New Jersey! I'm not the type to make a lot of life goals (not a good thing) but I think ending up in Northern California after your kids go to college and living out your remaining years there is absolutely the dream scenario. I doubt most of you read this but if you did, please let me know if you have any recs for my next visit. Cheers.