If someone handed you the keys to a car, told you to take few days off and go for a drive, where would you go? Your answer to this question depends a little bit on where you live and what is around you, as some people might want to spend some time visiting family and friends nearby and some might want to leave town for a real road trip. For me, the answer is to take a drive to Napa – which is just far enough away from my home in Southern California to feel like a real vacation and is where you can find some of the best food and wine in the country.
Luckily for me, Acura recently offered to give me the chance to put this plan into action by allowing me to borrow a brand new Acura ILX for a week to do with it what I wished. Obviously, I don’t write about cars, but then again most drivers aren’t die-hard gearheads, so it’s not such a stretch to find out that they wanted to know what some real people thought of the car. They extended the same offer to 19 other LA-area bloggers (including some other food bloggers) and 20 bloggers in the NYC area. I will admit, however, that getting to drive a brand new car makes me feel like I’m a guest host on Top Gear!
Naturally, I wanted to do some foodie things with the car, which is why I decided to drive it to Napa. Acura is just giving me the ride, the rest of the trip is up to me (and something I’ve been planning to do for a while, anyway!). Stay turned for wine country updates and pictures of my journey both here and on the Baking Bites social media pages, including Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.
BUT WAIT – THERE’S MORE! You can win something, too! By following my trip – which I will post about here, on Facebook and on Twitter – you have the chance to win your own week with an ILX from Acura (or a gift card for some cash!). The winners of this contest will be picked by Acura (not by me, though you should know that I would pick ALL of you). To enter, answer the the question I posed at the top of this post: What would you do with an Acura ILX for a week? A wine country weekend? A Vegas getaway? A visit to out of state family? Post your best answers to this question here in the comments, on my Facebook page or tweet the to @bakingbites with the hash tag #weekwithILX and that dream road trip could be a reality!
In the meantime, check out a few posts from my last trip to that area:
- A Tour of the Bouchon Bakery in Yountville
- Yodels at Sweetie Pies, Napa
- The French Laundry, YountvilleÂ
- Kitchen Stores to Visit in Napa, CA
#weekwithILX
Linda B.
November 26, 2012I’d drive to the Florida Keys!
grace
November 26, 2012i would absolutely explore the east coast, from the frigid northernmost point of maine to the mild southern tip of florida, with several stops in between, of course!
Beth L
November 26, 2012My husband and I would take a road trip to the Santa Fe and Taos New Mexico area.
Heather @ Bake, Run, Live
November 26, 2012I have 2 trips I would love to take…
1- I have never been “out West” (I live in Ohio), so I would love to take a week to just drive and see the sights!
2- We have dear friends just outside of Chicago that we don’t get to see very often. To drive and see them would be wonderful!
Stephanie-Oh
November 26, 2012I’d drive to NYC to visit my daughter. She didn’t get to come home for Thanksgiving and won’t be home for Christmas so I am missing her terribly!
Sarah
November 26, 2012Oh man, a week with that pretty car would be fun! My husband is originally from New York, but now we’re stationed in San Diego. He’s been deployed virtually the entire time we’ve been here, and he hasn’t gotten to explore the west coast. Now that he’s home for a little bit, we’d drive north along the coast as far as we could: Santa Barbara, San Francisco, the redwood forests, the Oregon coast…amazing.
Caitlin Johnson
November 26, 2012I would go to Vegas, and to Southern California
kayla
November 26, 2012i live on an island, so i’d take an acura ilx on a “around the island” trip, playing “tourist” and stopping at all the scenic lookouts and attractions!
Cindy
November 26, 2012I would go to Santa Fe, New Mexico, stopping to see some of the Indian pueblos and national monuments on the way there and back.
Karen
November 26, 2012I’d drive up the coast of New Hampshire and Maine enjoying the view and the ride.
Jenny
November 26, 2012I’d take a cruise to the Grand Canyon!
karen
November 26, 2012I live in the Bay Area, so Napa is too close. I think maybe a foodie trip to Oregon, a place I haven’t visited since I was 11 years old.
Ashley
November 26, 2012I would drive from my native Spokane over to Seattle and then down to Portland stopping and enjoying every single restaurant on my way to food truck heaven!
Cathy D
November 27, 2012I’d love to drive an Acura ILX up the Pacific Coast. I live in San Diego so driving the Coast route through Santa Monica, Cambria, Monterey, across the Golden Gate Bridge, visit the Redwoods and the Oregon Coast ending in Portland. That would be a dream drive come true!
N.S
November 27, 2012I would drive to NYC with my family!! Enjoy good food and shopping.
lisa
November 27, 2012I would visit my friends In Chicago who helped me out when I came to U.S by myself in age 15. They were like my MOM,DAD,SIS,Brother. Miss Them.!
Erin
November 28, 2012Wow, lucky you; Napa AND an Acura! Are you going to stop in Monterey on the way? So much good food there! I am a gearhead and I can tell you those are great cars. If I had one for a week I’d drive from Atlanta to Chicago to see my best friend, do some Christmas shopping, stop at the Field Museum, take a cooking class and get some deep dish pizza.
Maria
November 28, 2012If I could drive anywhere for a week, it would have to be somewhere fairly close (I live in MN) so that I had time to enjoy being there and making stops on the way. If time wasn’t an issue, I’d drive out to the East coast to visit college friends and the Finger Lakes wineries. I went to Napa a few months ago for my honeymoon, and as much as I want to go back there, I also want to visit other wine regions. However, if I had a week, I’d go to South Dakota (I’ve never been, despite living in MN for nearly my entire life) and see the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore. I’ve heard it is beautiful out there!
Stephanie P.
November 28, 2012Probably a drive down to the Carolinas and maybe Savannah, GA, always nice to smell the ocean air, especially with winter looming in Ohio.
Lisa S
November 29, 2012I would drive to Tennessee to hike the Blue Ridge Mountains; a welcome escape from all of the concrete in NYC
Julie
November 29, 2012I would go on a road trip to Portland.
Nicole
November 29, 2012I love hearing about everyone’s road trip plans! Keep the great ideas coming!
Cathy K
December 1, 2012We are stationed in upstate NY at the Army base. Winter is here and freezing temps. (Only 18 degrees yesterday!) We need a drive South to warmer weather! Visit my aunt in Florida!!
Jennifer J-W
December 2, 2012I live in Illinois and would love to go see the Grand Canyon. I’ve never been and neither have my two children (very soon to both be adults!) I think it would be a fabulous adventure!
Sherrie D
December 6, 2012I moved from New York to Nashville several years ago. I’d love to drive back to New York, stopping to visit relatives in North Carolina, and once back in New York, stop and eat my way through the pizza joints! How I miss the good stuff!
C
December 22, 2012I’m likely late with this but just in case:
First – what a wonderful opportunity – for you (loved your travel-eat-scenery-enjoy-logues) and for a lucky winner. I live in Canmore, Alberta, Canada, a charming town in the Canadian Rockies. As lovely as it is, there are times when we want to leave one ‘paradise’ to explore another. My destination would be Bend, Oregon. My husband is a cyclist, and we’ve traveled to Bend for the last four years, where he competes in the Cascade Classic. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Bend. And if I won, I’d be heading that direction in a heartbeat! Merry Christmas to you Nicole. Your blog is one of my daily go-to places via Google Reader. Awesome site; fantastic recipes!