We spent 8 chock-full days here. While our base camp wasn't so special (local Fairgrounds RV lot), our time here exploring, visiting with great friends and Mike's Ohio U college reunion with classmates, made this a very memorable visit!
Santa Rosa is located in Sonoma County Wine Country. Napa Valley is just south. We paid a visit to one of the more well known wineries, the Coppola Compound just up the road in Geyserville. It's a beautiful sprawling complex surrounded by vineyards. The main Villa features movie memorabilia, a pool club with cabanas, multi-functions space and a great restaurant.
Francis talked about the Tivoli Gardens as his main inspiration - "So when we began to develop the idea for this winery, we thought it should be like a resort, basically a wine wonderland, a park of pleasure where people of all ages can enjoy the best things in life – food, wine, music, dancing, games, swimming and performances of all types. A place to celebrate the love of life."
Francis talked about the Tivoli Gardens as his main inspiration - "So when we began to develop the idea for this winery, we thought it should be like a resort, basically a wine wonderland, a park of pleasure where people of all ages can enjoy the best things in life – food, wine, music, dancing, games, swimming and performances of all types. A place to celebrate the love of life."
The 1948 Tucker from the movie of the same name starring Jeff Bridges was on display in all its glory. A rear-engine gem of an auto with a headlight that moved with the steering and direction of the the vehicle! Ron really enjoyed seeing and learning more about this jewel!
We enjoyed a beautiful lunch on the patio of the restaurant overlooking the vineyards. Mike had his own truck there at the vineyard. Filled it up and on its way to Wilton Manors!
And of course there was the wine, wine tasting, and the Francis Ford Coppola movie memorabilia.
One of the main reasons for being in Santa Rosa was our good friends Larry and Bob and their fabulous home and gardens overlooking the town and the valley. We shared many meals during our visit, concluding with a family Seder Dinner on our last night.
We visited Cornerstone Sonoma, a market place and art-inspired gardens that showcase Sonoma County and its wine country. A very powerful installation in the gardens honors the Mexican immigrant workers who make Sonoma thrive.
Perched on a bluff high above Santa Rosa sits an unusual vineyard and event space called Paradise Ridge Winery. The property is beautiful and there are amazing sculptures throughout. Local and international artists are represented and several are from the famous 'Burning Man' yearly event in the Black Rock desert in Nevada. We met the founder Walter Byck and enjoyed hearing about the history of his Winery.
A mini-reunion for Mike and his Ohio U friends Chris Flick, Gayle Anderson, Janis Jones Toennisson, and Kirk Dalrymple in SF. The Girls stayed downtown at the iconic Sheraton Palace. They visited the Matisse/Diebenkorn exhibit at the SF MOMA followed by diner at Epic Steak in the Embarcadero with the Bay Bridge in the background.
Saturday we all went to the SUMMER OF LOVE EXPERIENCE at the deYoung Museum. We decided to do a separate post since it was such an amazing exhibit. Afterwards we enjoyed tea in the Japanese Gardens and then back to Chris's Eichler Condo for fun and and a great dinner. Eichler was a famous architect of modern architecture from the sixties who had an iconic open style usually with courtyards.
RSS Feed