Northern California, January 1-4, 2025

Written By Gary Wong

#NorCalNewYears

I’m gonna make it three for three when it comes to 2025 trip reports that come about due to an absurd airline credit/perks reason. Remember how I ended up in Seattle (then Vancouver) because of expiring Regional Upgrade Certificates (RUC) that had to be used. Yeah, so I had four of them to use or lose and this round trip that began on New Year’s Day from JFK to SFO in Delta One was how I used the first two.

I live a hard life, I know.

This one made the most sense though! I booked with a fairly decent SkyMiles redemption in Main Cabin and was able to confirm a day or so later (after calling their support line) my RUCs cleared into Delta One. So, in short, I paid for cattle class and leveraged a status benefit to get into bougie - a solid use of an upgrade cert, for sure.

With a booking in Delta One, that meant I could start my trip bright and early at the Delta One Lounge at JFK. I’ll refer you to my eventual trip report for my trip to Spain in November/December for a more in-depth recollection of my first visit to that lounge. I’ll note that, even at 5 am, this lounge was eerily empty - perhaps that has as much to do with traveling on New Year’s Day at such an ungodly hour but I basically had my run of the place. I was able to squeeze in breakfast with a made-to-order omelette, a 15-minute sit in a massage chair, and then a mimosa after the bar opened at 6 am, all without any wait. Love it.

Not as loved? The seat in Delta One on the 767-300 - they’re worn and, in the case on my return flight, falling apart. The one thing I’ll say in its favor is that it’s softer than their newer seats. As for the rest of the hard product, the IFE screen is a relic of the 2000s and that’s if they’re even operational (not a problem on this trip, thankfully).

As per usual, the soft product made up for the deficiencies of the seat. The service on the outbound flight was incredible and leant into it being New Year’s Day and the meals on both flights were solid, though dinner on the return flight easily beat out breakfast on the first one. Honestly, it’s incredibly rare to get a good in-flight breakfast, no matter the class of travel and I’d say it’s even more disappointing in business class as you’re (normally) paying for that mediocre meal.

The Food and Drinks

I’ve been to San Francisco quite a few times since the pandemic - this was my fifth time there in the past three years - so I didn’t feel the need to go anywhere too fancy while in town. Good thing as I barely spent parts of two days in town. I did manage to have one “nice” meal at Michelin-starred Hilda and Jesse but it was an incredibly not fancy spot that was actually open on New Year’s Day for brunch. Everything there was solid but that half-order of pancakes, served last, were basically a dessert - it was a perfect sweet-sour end to a savory meal.

As always, no trip to San Francisco would be complete without a trip to the craft beer mecca that is Toronado. Little did I know at the time of my visit that it could very possibly be the last time I get to have a Pliny there as they announced later that month that the bar was on the market. I hope the next owner a) keeps the place open and b) leaves it the same as it ever was (except maybe try accepting credit cards?). If the former isn’t in the cards, I may just have to find a reason to go back out there for one last sit at that bar, nursing a few West Coast IPAs. Or, maybe that is the reason? We’ll see!

I Nature’d

Okay, so I’ve previously established I’ve been to San Francisco and the greater Bay Area quite a bit over the years. Somewhere I haven’t been? Yosemite National Park! That’s something I corrected on this trip, taking a tour bus out there and spending a night at the Yosemite Valley Lodge (I nature’d a bit on this trip but I didn’t rough it by camping). Two days worth of mild winter hiking with a more winter-ish trail run in the morning was absolutely invigorating and the visuals were just magnificent. Few places are more stunning than the magnificent vista laid out in front of you when look out upon the valley and park from above.

It wasn’t all just about getting out in nature while in Yosemite - of course, there was food and drinks to be had and the sit-down restaurant and bar I visited did not disappoint. Nothing quite like throwing back a few cocktails at The Ahwahnee Bar, followed by hustling over to The Mountain Room a mile or so away in the dark to make a 6:30 pm reservation.

My time at Yosemite was brief - all in, it was maybe 28 hours - but I can’t wait to come back for a longer stay. Perhaps, maybe, this time when it’s warmer out?

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Gary Wong
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