But I don't need any incense.

Tuesday, April 14^th, 2015.

Los Angeles, CA / San Francisco, CA

It’s 7:30am, time to wake up for Girl’s Wine Trip 2015! My bags are packed, outfit picked out, and work email in order. By 8am I am out of the door. Today I am driving to San Francisco to meet my long time friends-turned-travel-buddies, Sarah and Laura, who are flying in from Austin, TX.

I am out of LA in 30 minutes flat. The traffic gods are on my side.

I make my first stop at the rest stop just over the grapevine. I will end up making 3 other stops over the course of my short drive to San Francisco. 2 of which will involve multiple emails and work-related phone calls. It’s a rough trip but I finally make it to the bay around 5pm. Again I am worried about traffic, but it all seems to be heading out of the city and the lanes heading inward are completely open. I take the bay bridge bay and end up paying the toll twice (once through my FasTrak transponder and once in cash). Oh well, I’m here! It’s awesome!

Our hotel is in Union Square and I quickly find the suggested parking garage. When I go to check in I learn that Sarah and Laura have yet to arrive and that I have to wait for them since the room is under Sarah’s name. I leave my bags behind the front desk and wander off to get coffee. I grab a small drink and snack and sit quietly to wait for my friends. While I am waiting a young man asks me to buy incense and when I refuse he calls me racist. I am offended but slightly amused. I forgot what a real city was like.

Soon my travel companions arrive and we all finally converge in the lobby of The Herbert. Vacation Commence!

We quickly check-in and drop our bags in a large room with 2 beds. Tonight I get my own bed, but I will have to share for the next two nights. My travel companions are sisters, ergo everything is divided equally.

Eventually we pick a brewery for dinner and order an Uber to get there in minimum time. Apparently, there is a Giants game happening (we are sports-oblivious) and we really luck out by getting a table without a wait. I eat fried cheese curds for the first time (I maintain that they are really just stubby cheese sticks) and drink 2 very nice IPAs.

After dinner we wander around the city checking out various pubs. We have a lot to check up on. Sarah has changed cities, I have changed relationship status, and Laura has changed modes of transportation (my first friend to earn a motorcycle license!). Naturally, my relationship status temporarily trumps all topics.

Around midnight my travel companions are getting tired. They are from the Central Time zone and it is 2am for them. I don’t mind heading back though, I am secretly tired too. 

Tomorrow we will leave for Napa!