I didn’t expect I would be laughing so much and fearing being hit by a small ball at the same time. I mean it was mini golf after all. What could possibly cause such reactions? It wasn’t the different holes that recreated iconic Bay Area sights, from Lombard Street to the Winchester Mystery House, nor even the fact that many holes needed a bit retouching so that it didn’t take 500 strokes to get past the tee off marker. It was the fun and interesting group of E&Aers that made it so fun ! Ken the expert golfer could be counted on to make a hole-in-one while I think we all ran for cover whenever it was Catherine’s turn to putt. Best of all, no matter how many strokes it took to complete the crossing of the Golden Gate or the skateboard park, there was much laughter and smiles all around. If I had even the slightest worry about playing mini golf, it was replaced with smiles and fun by the 2nd hole. 

Bryan Event Manager San Francisco

Although I had never been there despite my many trips tasting in Napa Valley, I was repeatedly surprised by the party, wines, and, best of all, great E&A group at the event.  With our gold wristbands firmly fastened, we were given large wine glasses and told to roam the property.  Want to enter the barrel room?  Go ahead, and we’ll even have the winemaker meet you there to try barrel samples.  We wiped the delicious grape juice from our chins and roamed out for some lunch.  What a great spread, salads, Cuban sandwiches, and two types of tamales.  Oh, and even more wine to sample.  The salsa band started to play, and under the shade of the little grove we ate gourmet food, listened to great music and just soaked in the wonderful weather.  

Then the competition began.  Take off your shoes and socks, step into a barrel and you get 60 seconds to crush as many grapes as you can.  The person with the most volume of juice wins.  I didn’t realize grape stomping is a lot like dancing; everyone has their own method and rhythm.  Super Stomper Richard from E&A even won 2nd place and a bottle of wine!  Even better, Elizabeth grabbed Richard and turn the vineyard into a Salsa dancing machine.  The band was so thrilled that they gave her a recording of their music.  

Wine, food, perfect weather, an idyllic scene, uncontrollable smiles, and wonderful diverse E&A company.  A perfect  day in wine county.

I’ll admit I worried a little during the day of the Hayes Valley Pub Crawl last week.  I created this event and I know Hayes Valley so well, but, what if it didn’t work and no one had fun?  Why did I worry?  Not only was there a great group of people but everyplace we went was different and friendly.  After our second stop we ran into a taping of a short film in Octavia park.  That led us to the Noir Lounge with great seating, tasty food, and even a screening of “Some Like It Hot” in the back room.  I thought we weren’t going to leave!  It felt good to see satisfied but tired faces by the time we reached our final destination, Sugar lounge.  It was a great night out.

Bryan- S.F. Event Manager