One of the most enchanting lodging options literally a stone’s throw from San Francisco is Cavallo Point, tucked into Fort Baker cove at the base of the hills right off Golden Gate Bridge in Sausalito, gazing out at SF, the Bay and the Bridge. Besides its breathtaking views, it could almost be a part of the city, it’s so close. Yet it’s worlds away. Read more →
The old Russian River logging outpost of Guerneville has long been a redwoods escape, tucked away in West Sonoma County towards the ocean. It also has been a LGBTQ+ haven (and weekending or second home for San Franciscans) since the 1970s. It’s the kind of small town where over the years (a couple of my past articles here and here) I’ve stumbled upon Pride parades and fire station BBQs, American flags alongside rainbow flags, and where I restore with sacred walks in one of my favorite redwoods forests, Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, which reopened late fall 2021 — majestic and nurturing as ever — despite the charred scars it wears from the Walbridge fire.
Here’s your latest Guerneville checklist:
As COVID rages on, local trips and overnights beckon for easy, close-to-home getaways that don’t require flights. It was 2011 when I last wrote about Santa Cruz highlights, though I’ve stayed there and passed through numerous times in between, including visiting the chill town of Aptos, eight miles down the road. Here is my guide to a few highlights in the laid back, surfer city of Santa Cruz (SC), a brief 70 miles south of San Francisco.
Published at Haute Living Magazine, the November-December 2019 issue includes my feature on Wine Country Inns — from Mendocino to Sonoma Counties — that offer exceptional, world class dining and grow their own produce in their gardens or farms: SingleThread in Healdsburg, Harbor House Inn in Elk, Boonville Hotel in Boonville. Online here. MY HAUTE LIVING ARTICLES— A visionary San… Read more →
Visionary businesswomen can be found all over Wine Country. But one place has a high concentration. Healdsburg’s peaceful town square is home to shops, boutique hotels, wine tasting rooms and restaurants. Though miles of vineyards, rolling hills, farms and redwood groves surround Healdsburg, it’s easily Sonoma’s most chichi, high-end town. Healdsburg female Winemakers roundtable discussionWell, good news is that the… Read more →
My June print article in Oakland Magazine and Alameda Magazines covers Peninsula/South Bay/Silicon Valley hotels and where to eat around them, from luxury escapes to walkable downtown urban hotels. Article online here and below. My other Oakland and Alameda Magazine articles:— Walkable OC: Huntington Beach in one walkable mile— Romantic getaways in Beverly Hills and Santa Monica — Going well… Read more →
My first experience at the 5th annual 2019 Lexus Culinary Classic at gorgeous Cavallo Point Lodge And Spa was a special weekend, April 26-28, with the dinner at George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch being the highlight in a weekend full of national guest chefs, winemakers, cycling and racecar figures, wine blending. Highlights in photos — and stay tuned for info on next… Read more →
In my latest Time Out column, here are my top three new openings of the month — article here: East-meets-West, under-the-radar fine dining at Ambience Coffee geek haven at Red Berry Coffee Bar German bakery queen: Esther’s German Bakery Japanese gem for curry, donburi (oyakodon), udon, tempura and saké: Sumika Sleek wine/beer/low proof cocktail respite, Honcho Paris meets the Peninsula: hotel… Read more →
My August 2017 Alaska Beyond Magazine 5-page travel article on the best in Chicago food, arts and hotels now… www.paradigmcg.com/digitaleditions/abm-0817/files/99.html As Alaska Beyond magazine called it quits in 2021, the articles have all been taken down. My article content is below: The Windy City has long been one of the country’s great food cities for sheer diversity alone. From rare… Read more →
My July 24 Liquor.com feature article on a Marriott hotel in touristy Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, that surprises with its own tequila line produced exclusively for the resort and its many tequila and food pairing options, including sunset guacamole with tequila and margaritas. More on the resort’s offerings here. An Effective Solution Available at the Cheapest prices. Unlike before, you will… Read more →