This is a long-overdue review of a very special place that is near and dear to my heart…read more Napa Valley is a destination that people travel from all over the world to experience. Living in the Bay Area, we are lucky enough to have it right in our backyard. My partner and I have not taken our good fortune for granted, and have spent many weekends and mini-vacations in Napa. Napa Valley is a place of relaxation, romance, enjoyment, and incredible natural beauty. It is the perfect reprieve from the stressors of urban life. A short trip from the Bay Area, but a different world. In accordance with the serene environment, the locals of Napa Valley are so welcoming, and genuinely kind. We have experienced so much kindness from the people here, even total strangers. Truly some of the nicest people we have met. One time we pulled over on the road to get something from the trunk of our car. A truck pulled up in front of us, and in all our urbanite disillusionment, we were both sure something nefarious was about to go down. Instead, an incredibly nice gentleman came up to us and asked if we needed any assistance, being on the side of the road and all. We were floored. Napa Valley is one of the world's premier wine-growing regions, so obviously the area's many outstanding wineries are a huge draw. Our favorites include Trefethen, Paraduxx, Duckhorn (Paraduxx's older, more stoic sibling), Vine Cliff, Rutherford Hill, Pine Ridge, Conn Creek, and Black Stallion. Fun fact: if you go to Black Stallion, you will find a picture of my partner in the tasting room from his horse-riding days when what is now Black Stallion used to be an equestrian center! Napa Valley is also the destination for many incredible eateries. Most notably, the world-famous French Laundry, which we have had the privilege of dining at multiple times. Take a look at my review for The French Laundry for more about this very special restaurant. Another restaurant I would highly recommend, in the heart of downtown Napa, is Cole's Chop House. Unparalleled service and food in a classic steakhouse atmosphere. The owner Eric is wonderful, and you can usually find him on the floor of the restaurant, actively checking in on everything. I don't even eat steak, but this is one of my favorite restaurants; they have the best salmon I have ever had in a restaurant, hands down; I order it every time. If you go to Cole's, ask for Andrea & Richard's corner table, and you will find our picture on the wall. While you're in downtown Napa, check out a very sweet little store called Miyamo on 1st Street. Beautiful gifts to get for yourself or others, especially the bracelets with different sayings on them. I have a collection of them and wear them constantly. Oh, one more place to add to your list, also in downtown Napa, is Downtown Joe's. Right on the Napa River, this is both a great place to party/karaoke late into the night, and enjoy a leisurely all-American breakfast at in the morning. When looking at places to stay, the Indigo is our usual go-to. Fairly-priced, it meets our needs and is a short Uber ride away from downtown Napa and many wineries in the area. Speaking of Uber, listen to your ride-share drivers, they have a lot of good recommendations to share about the places to check out (and occasionally avoid) in the area. I can't say enough about the Napa Valley in one review, but feel free to message me if you want more recommendations. This magical part of Northern California has kept me sane throughout many years of living in the rat race. I can't wait for our next visit.

Napa Valley is absolutely gorgeous! It's known for its incredible wine and food! Many of the…read morewineries are on stunningly beautiful properties. There are lots of spas and Calistoga, the northernmost city in Napa Valley, is known for its geothermal hot springs and mud baths. It's an excellent place for relaxation with stunning vineyard views. If you are a foodie, you will love the restaurants in Napa Valley. The food is so fresh and flavorful. If you are into hiking and being in nature, there are plenty of places for that as well! I would consider Yountville the most upscale city in Napa Valley. All of the towns are charming with the town of Napa being the most city like. There are plenty of places to shop as well. For all of these reasons and more, it's an excellent place for a girls getaway, romantic couples getaway, and so much more! The biggest drawback in my personal opinion is that since this is a destination location, it comes with a price and things can add up with resort fees and other fees that come along with it being a destination location and the prices of things having gone up over the years significantly.

Day or night, it would be hard to miss this large sculpture that stands in front of the Archer…read moreHotel. The piece is by artist Gordon Huether and there's a caption. It reads, "This sculpture is inspired by the masterful baskets of the original people who inhabited the Napa Valley and were known for their precise basket making. They wove using parts of local plants such as gray willow branches, sedge and redbud to create beautiful ceremonial artistic baskets and baskets for more utilitarian purposes such as gathering food. The baskets were woven so tightly they could even hold water. Gordon Huether's unfinished basket could be interpreted as a metaphor for an ever-evolving community, never stagnant and always dynamic, weaving together the past, present and future of the Napa Valley." It is pretty and the daytime and with the underlighting at night, even more so after dark. [Review 17661 overall - 452 in California - 1182 of 2022.]

The City of Napa has a requirement that in any new large building development, the developer must…read moreinclude public art in some form or they can pay into a city fund for the art to be displayed elsewhere. For the Napa Century Center https://www.yelp.com/biz/south-napa-century-center-napa?hrid=lBDQBbt2cFO-Xb0ARD25ag, they decided to install the art locally. This one in yellow is the second installation and is located along the southern end of the parking lot near the CREAM Napa ice cream shop and the Trek Bicycles Napa and adjacent to the Southside Century cafe https://www.yelp.com/biz/southside-century-napa. It is formed from sheets of folded, yellow-painted metal and designed by Phoenix-based artist Peter Deise. It was installed in 2018. The artist described it: "The mix of hues and textures are intended to capture the impression of grasses and wildflowers along the nearby Napa River...[symbolizing] a confluence of energies twisting and turning ... reacting and rising beautifully like this spire into a cool misty morning sky." This $97,000 sculpture is formed from sheets of folded, yellow-painted metal, the Deise-designed spire will be supported by a bundle of tubes in rust-coated steel. It is specifically untitled, "in keeping with the artist's desire not to hang any written influences or directions onto his work." From the developer, "[this] newest sculpture is meant to add atmosphere and interest to outdoor spaces as the complex gains more businesses, especially eateries." In such a bright yellow hue, it is pretty and interesting and it definitely added atmosphere. When I look at it, I see the wind blowing through the grass and reaching for the sky. [Review 17568 overall - 364 in California - 1086 of 2022.]

A beautiful suburb of San Francisco. Most oft heard phrase here? "Every picture is a postcard!"…read more Hands down the best "family town" in Marin. Great youth sports, wonderful people and great community in "Slovato".

Before heading to Sonoma, we debated briefly... Napa or Sonoma? Most of the folks I know have been…read moreto Napa but all the wine aficionados said we absolutely MUST go to Sonoma. Well good thing we listened because Sonoma's just about the nicest place I've ever had the pleasure of going. Oh... and when I say nice? I mean the people. Of course the city was adorable, the vineyards stunning, the wine fabulous but the people, the people are what set this place apart. Every day we met people who were so nice I was a little scared they were actually going to eat our brains. "Oh we're so excited to have you here... step into this small room... BRAINNNNNSSSSS" but no, we came out of the city intact and more than a little bit in love. The wine was outstanding, the options for things to do abundant and just the overall feeling of the place being really local and non chain-y was exactly what we were looking for. Annual trip? Yes please.

The Sonoma Wine Country is more laid-back than the Napa one. While Highway 29 becomes a traffic jam…read moreduring tourist season, you can kick back&relax in Sonoma. There are delightful places like St. Anne's Crossing, with its Columbia River Gorge-like view of Sugarloaf SP's basaltic flows. Cline Cellars has the California Missions Museum tucked behind it. Jacuzzi Cellars shares space with an olive oil company, has a view of the Napa/Sonoma wetlands, and has a beautiful, understated chapel with paintings of St. Teresa of Avila. Nearby Cornerstone Gardens offers wine tastings as well. The Sonoma Wine Country is spectacularly diverse.... by this, I mean Sonoma County in general, not just the Sonoma Valley. In the course of a day, you can go to a Mexican mission, presidio&plaza, the end of the mission trail, behold the Petaluma Adobe... and then http://www.fortross.org the sole Russian colony in the continental US. There are plenty of wineries along the way. There's a winery in Annapolis that's beside a newly discovered earthquake fault with breathtaking views of the Pacific. Sonoma Wine Country encompasses the redwood coast, the Santa Rosa Plain, the Sonoma Valley... so beautiful you can taste it!

Truly breathtaking views of the Napa Valley from high on Pritchard Hill. Takes a bit of time and…read moreeffort to find and is understandably, by appointment only, but well worth it. Magnificent setting and exceptional wines. I highly recommend coupling a visit to David Arthur with Montagna as they boast the same winemaker, but each offer their own style of wine. Call for an appointment. Go. Take your camera! Enjoy.

We loved our trip so much we've organized a group ride & can't wait to be on the trail with joanread more

this is a dangerous operation. ask to see their business insurance before you ride. it doesn't…read moreexist. horses are poorly behaved and the guide regularly breaks park rules and federal Law by leading rides into protected habitats.

Sonoma County is diverse compared to the small Napa Valley. One can enjoy the vineyards of the…read moreSonoma Valley, see the Sonoma Plaza (the largest Spanish plaza in California), St. Francis Solano in Sonoma (the youngest mission), the redwoods along the Russian River, Luther Burbank's experimental gardens in Santa Rosa&Sebastopol, go to a yerba mate factory/cafe in Sebastopol (as well as a Japanese Buddhist temple), a raw vegan restaurant in Healdsburg... and the spectacular Russian settlement of Fort Ross out by Jenner. In Sonoma, one can indeed see Russia from one's front porch. In Sonoma County, one can go to an ashram, a Buddhist temple built in Chicago for the World's Fair, meditate in an otherwise bland office building, and go to a Zen Center atop Sonoma Mountain. Jack London called Sonoma County home. Some have speculated that his spectacular Wolf House was burnt down because of his socialist views (his capitalist dystopia in "The Iron Heel" has been cited in the OWS protests) There is the Petaluma Adobe, the largest adobe in California, that lasted only a decade. The only Revolutionary War veteran buried on the West Coast is at a cemetery outside of Sonoma. Other than Detroit, Cotati is the only city with a six-sided plaza. Sonoma County has PLENTY to offer locals&tourists!

Sonoma is the new Napa, the relaxed Napa…read more I prefer to call it- Nuevo Boho Gourmo ( New Bohemian Gourmet)