More then most cities of its size, San Francisco contains a culinary delight of restaurants specializing in cuisine's from around the world. On one block one can find a mix of Chinese and Italian. On another block in the same vicinity one may find a Thai restaurant located next to an Ethiopian restaurant. Several distinct areas in San Francisco are known for certain types of cuisine. North Beach is known for its Italian food, Chinatown for … [Read more...]
Vancouver, Canada – Vancouver City
Vancouver was founded in 1886; today this very cosmopolitan city anchors the west coast of Canada and attracts visitors from around the world. Those who have never been to Vancouver will be surprised by its size when viewed from a distance. Vancouver can be defined by its surrounding natural beauty but more so by its international population. Vancouver is thriving and continually pursuing the future. This is evident when one sees all the modern … [Read more...]
Santa Rosa, CA – Attractions & Activities
Santa Rosa and Sonoma County are home to a variety of attractions, museums and outdoor activities. This is a hub for wine country of course but the Santa Rosa area has much more to offer in addition to wine. The following is a list and brief description of activities and attractions primarily in Santa Rosa - but also some elsewhere in in Sonoma County. 9th Street Rookery Charles Schulz Mus Russian River Santa Rosa Creek … [Read more...]
Santa Rosa, CA – Nearby Towns
Santa Rosa is by far the largest city in Sonoma County - the hub if you will in which all the other towns radiate out on the 'spokes'. Along with Santa Rosa, the 101 corridor is home to the largest cities in the county including Petaluma, Rohnert Park and Windsor. Other towns in the county are generally small. There is a marked difference between the west county and the interior of the county (related to the frigid Pacific Ocean) which … [Read more...]
Santa Rosa, CA – Shopping
Coddingtown is one of two primary malls in Santa Rosa and is the city's oldest mall. It continues to undergo a number of select remodels over the years with parts of the mall torn down and then rebuilt from the ground up. Originally founded by Hugh Codding in 1962 as an open-air mall it was later enclosed in 1979. The name Codding is a long time prominent family in town - Hugh Codding developed a number of shopping centers in town as well as … [Read more...]
Santa Rosa, CA – Farmers Markets
Numerous farmer's markets are located throughout Sonoma County. Unlike in the southern part of the state where year round farmer's markets are the norm, seasonal farmers markets far outnumber the year round ones up here. Seasonal smaller markets tends to have live music while the year round (often larger markets) do not always use music to liven up your shopping experiences. We have visited all of the farmers' markets in Santa Rosa and Sonoma … [Read more...]
Santa Rosa, CA – Wineries
Sonoma County, while not the first destination in the state for growing commercial grapes (that being in Los Angeles County), is certainly one of the state's most historical viticultural regions and posseses a heritage that the county does not necessarily promote as much as they should. While not the first wineries founded in the state, two of the oldest ones still in existence are both in Sonoma Valley - Buena Vista (dating from 1857) and the … [Read more...]
Santa Rosa, CA – Golf Courses
Sonoma County is home to a diversity of golf courses - some 16 are listed here (every golf course in the county); we have personally visited 15 of them. Most are public, but some are private and a number are membership based. The private very prestigious Mayacama Golf Course is located just east of Windsor. Jack Nicholas (who designed the course) teed off on opening day in 2001 to many cheers from the on looking crowds. This private course was … [Read more...]
Santa Rosa, CA – Annual Events
This is only a partial listing of events. Music, arts, wine and food. Common themes. In addition to the annual events listed below, a number of seasonal events are held in Santa Rosa throughout the year. Looking no further then downtown, the weekly Wednesday night market is held from early June to early September. Vendors fill and pedestrians fills some of the space at Old Railroad Square and part of 4th Street is closed to vehicular traffic. … [Read more...]
Santa Rosa, CA – Hotels
The following list is only a partial one, but it provides a sampling of the wide range of places to stay in Santa Rosa. While some hotels are spread out around town, there are two main concentrations of hotels, the most being along Santa Rosa Avenue and then others along Cleveland/Hopper Ave. Most of the hotels in Santa Rosa are located fairly close to the 101 freeway. America's Best Value Inn & Suites is rated 2 stars and is … [Read more...]
