Whoever coined the phrase “shop ’til you drop” must have been a regular to the outlet malls of Northern California, because that’s exactly what I did recently during a three night/two-day marathon starting in Vacaville and ending in San Francisco.
My trip began with a short flight to San Francisco out of YVR, followed by a 90-minute drive to Vacaville with a small group of Canadian travel and fashion writers. This was my first trip to the region, and while I was impressed with the beauty of the landscape, with shopping in mind those rolling hills and ocean views had nothing on the 120 shops that make up the Vacaville Premium Outlets located about halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento.
With a Christmas list in hand, I checked out stores to fit every budget, from Kate Spade to Dress Barn, Gap Outlet to Gucci. One of my fellow writers, a Toronto-based fashion stylist, told me the stores carry a lot of what he called “signature pieces” not yet available in Canada. Meanwhile, what I noticed were the prices. Keep in mind, even with deep discounts, a $500 or $600 purse or pair of shoes still isn’t cheap but a bargain compared to what I’ve found at home. (And no, I did not buy a $500 purse.) Instead, I kept an eye out for gifts inexpensive enough to make up for the drop in the Canadian dollar and light enough to pack home. Needless to say, I had no problem matching both those criteria.
But one cannot live by shopping alone and on the first night of our visit we headed to an olive oil tasting event at Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company in Suisun Valley, owned and operated by Ann and Mark Sievers, a couple passionate about sustainability and dedicated to growing and milling the finest quality artisanal olive oil. There we were treated to an olive oil and balsamic tasting paired with tiny bites made from those same ingredients, while the Sievers explained to us the intricacies of creating a quality product.
From Il Fiorello we headed to Mankas Steakhouse in nearby Fairfield where chef Peter Halikas created a menu for us made from ingredients grown or raised in the Suisun Valley, including lamb heart salad, bacon-wrapped pork loin with apples and chard and rib eye steaks. It was over peach crumble we learned Fairfield is home to Travis Air Force Base and is the headquarters of Jelly Belly, the jelly bean made famous by past U.S. president Ronald Reagan.
The dinner supplied us with the fuel we needed the next morning when we hit the road for Vacaville followed by more shopping at the Livermore Premium Outlets. Again, I hit the sales and picked up several gifts, including two gorgeous scarves at Saks Fifth Avenue for $10 apiece, which I had originally planned to give as gifts but might just keep because I like them so much.
After several hours of shopping, we headed to Underdog Wine Bar at Concannon Vineyard to partake in another popular Northern California activity — wine tasting. The weather was still nice enough in October that we were able to sit outside and watch the sunset over the vineyard as we enjoyed flights of wine — including samples from California and around the world.
Then it was off to dinner at Lokanta, a popular Mediterranean eatery in Pleasanton where we sampled more wine and enjoyed delicious rustic dishes including moussaka and the restaurant’s famous flaming halloumi cheese.
The next day of our marathon we headed to the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, which, thanks to the number of high-tech companies in the area, has become one of the most expensive cities to live in the U.S. That opulence was reflected in the shopping centre, home to some very high-end stores. But it was here that I also found some of my best bargains at Neiman Marcus, Macy’s and Nordstrom. We were also given a tour of the “smart” dressing rooms in the brand-new Bloomingdales, where there’s a tablet attached to the wall of each room used for communicating to staff without getting dressed. The dressing rooms also allow customers to adjust the lighting for day, office or night.
For our final night in California, we headed to San Francisco, where we checked into the Argonaut Hotel on Jefferson Street directly across from Fisherman’s Wharf. From my room I could not only watch the world go by on this exciting first night of the World Series, but I also had a great view of Alcatraz Island, once home to the infamous prison. While the Argonaut has a nautical theme throughout, its clean modern lines and vintage-inspired details make the hotel more hip than historic. The hotel also offers bike rentals.
Our whirlwind visit to northern California ended with dinner at Scala on Powell Street, a San Francisco icon just steps from Union Square. Over wine and pasta our small group traded stories of bargains found and shared advice for future visits, which in my case will definitely be longer than two days.
