Something to keep in mind if you're looking forward to walks along the beach, maybe even a quick swim or two...

In Northen CA you'll freeze your *** off if you try it! We've got some beautiful beaches up here, but especially that time of year, you need a wetsuit to brave the waters. Great for surfers, lousy for swimmers. If you're looking for a good beach experience, you'll need to head down south to San Diego, Los Angeles, etc.

As far as attractions go, tom911, 0524, and Karen2 have given a pretty good rundown of major spots. You're best shopping is likely to be in San Francisco and maybe Carmel, depending on what you're looking for. Have tea in the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. Have a drink at the Top of the Mark in the Mark Hopkins Hotel Intercontinental, or the Cityscape at the top of the San Francisco Hilton & Towers. Monterry Bay Aquarium is definitely worth a stop, especially for the jellyfish exhibit!

And, of course, if you like wine you've got to go wine tasting. Actually, if you're only so-so on wine, it might be worth it as well; going on wine tasting trips is how I gained my appreciation of good wine. Napa Valley has a lot of good wineries and tends to have the best tours, but my partner and I tend to prefer Sonoma Valley wineries. They're less crowded than the Napa wineries, and most of them still don't charge for tastings. Sonoma gives a more relaxed experience, and you're more likely to get into an engaging conversation about the wine -- and the person behind the counter is more likely to be the owner of the place -- than in Napa. Actually, our favorite wineries are in a little spur of Sonoma called Alexander Valley. Along that route, we especially like De Lorimier, Field Stone, and Sausal. You might also want to spend the night before or after tasting at one of the B&Bs in Napa, Sonoma, or the Russian River area. By the way, Monterrey and the Santa Cruz Mountains have some great wineries as well, but they tend to be smaller and tastings are more likely to be by appointment only.