The Babymoon

Go out to dinner and a movie. Repeat. This is the pre-baby arrival advice we've been getting from our new parent friends. Seems sound to me. So we planned one final jaunt as a couple – a babymoon – to our favorite destination, California.

For the past two years, low airfares and a place to stay in Santa Monica have afforded us the opportunity to bask in the good vibes of the golden state about twice a year...yeah, we kind of enjoy it. Our visits usually revolve around active outdoor excursions, food, and of couse, wine. The focus of our trip this time around, however, would have to shift quite a bit:  surf lessons and horseback riding were out; joining in with the acrobats at Venice Beach would be a no-no; and given my temporary oenophilic limitations, we kept our distance from Napa and Sonoma...that would just be cruel and unusual punishment for a pregnant Ali.

Taking it slow...the view from my beach towel.

So what did we do? We took it slow, ate, spent quality time with our favorite French Canadian friend, went to a spa in Palm Springs, finally visited The Getty, ate, went to a zoo, got caught in a flash mob, revisited Santa Barbara County for a day of wine tasting (where I was happy to be the designated driver), ate, took a tour of Hollywood and celebrity homes, drove with the top down in our convertible, spent time on the beach, and of course, ate some more. It was not our typical visit but this babymoon thing is new for us!

Check out photos from our trip here

California Bliss (again)

I realize this getting repetitive but here’s another blog post about California! Yes, our golden state addiction is getting tough to ignore. For this visit – our third within a year and a half – we went to Napa and Sonoma Valley. Due to the fact these are major wine producing areas, it’s really no surprise we enjoyed ourselves tremendously. It was pure, wonderful indulgence.

First, we visited Nancy and Brian in Sonoma Valley, who were fantastic hosts. Brian’s wine industry connections hooked us up with some sweet recommendations for winery visits (and did I mention the food...oh god, so good). All four of us fell in love with Dry Creek Valley in northern Sonoma Valley.

As Andy and I headed west, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about revisiting the commercialness of Napa Valley, especially since I’ve developed an affinity for the smaller, and seemingly more down-to-earth vibe of the central coast (Paso Robles, specifically). Conclusion: It’s no accident Napa Valley wine is considered world-class. It was solid. Pricey, yes, but solid.

We tasted wines in every manner we could: we went on a bike tour of the Stag’s Leap district in Napa, which specializes in Cabernet Sauvignon; we did a wine blending session at Ravenswood; tasted out of barrels; tasted on patios overlooking vineyards; tasted with food pairings; tasted in a wine cave; tasted with vineyard dogs napping at our feet; tasted in house; tasted with a mouse; tasted in a box with a fox. (Ha! Just wanted to see if you were paying attention.)

Traveling in the off-season was the way to go for us: First and foremost, there were no crowds, we were able to kick back and talk about the wine with some winemakers; we were able to get reservations at restaurants like Bouchon (Thomas Keller); we were also able to stay in B&Bs we wouldn’t have otherwise been able to afford by finding last minute vacancy each day. In fact, we found we could get a good deal by just asking for it. Very cool. Don’t feel bad for California, we did more than our share to contributing to the local economy - our wine cellar overflowth with all of the good stuff we brought back with us!

There's really a ton to say about our trip, I'll let the photos finish some of the story. Click here to see images from San Fran, Napa and Sonoma Valley!

Peanuts & Beer

On the way back from wine country, we stopped in Santa Rosa to see what this Pliny the Younger triple IPA was all about. Pliny the Younger is a local favorite released for only 2 weeks annually by the Russian River Brewing Company. We got to the pub at 11:30AM and the bar was already packed, in fact, we almost didn't get a table! All in all, it's worth the hype: wonderfully hoppy and youthful, as the name suggests.

We tried Pliny the Elder as well, which is on tap all year round...let's just leave it at, this place knows its beer. If you are ever in the area, it's definitely worth a visit.

After a few rounds of The Younger, we set out on the streets of Santa Rosa, where Charles Shultz lived while he created The Peanuts comics. In fact, the city wished to pay homage to his life’s work by erecting a statue - but Shultz refused a statue in his likeness, and instead, suggested one of Charlie Brown and Snoopy. They obliged with a lovely bronze statue in the town square and since then, many others statues of Charlie Brown, Lucy, Snoopy and Woodstock have popped up around town.

The Peanuts are a huge part of my childhood (almost as huge as The Muppets) so we set out on an impromptu scavenger hunt to find as many character statues as possible. With each spotting, my giddiness grew - it was a ton of fun and an unexpected way to spend the afternoon! We found quite a few statues - check out the photos here!

(Still) California Dreaming

We just can't seem to get enough of California! This time around we headed to Paso Robles for their zinfandel, which did not disappoint. We visited very small production vineyards - in a few places we tasted with the winemakers themselves. Very cool. After Paso, we covered a lot of ground, revisiting Santa Inez Valley and LA and traveled as far south as San Diego.
See photos of our trip here

California Dreaming

Andy and I had an epic vacation in southern California. We visited our friend, Gilles, who just moved to Santa Monica; went on a couple of wine tasting tours along the central coast (Sideways country); played outside in the sunshine and more. We were just blown away by the scenery; the fresh and delicious food; the consistently perfect weather; and the laid-back, friendly people. We will be back!
We did lots of stuff - check out the photos!