The BLT Guidebook

Less than two hours from the bay area sits Sonoma County- the perfect getaway when you just need a break but don’t have a lot of time.

Over Labor Day weekend, we ventured to this small town called Occidental for one of our last summer adventures. Luckily, we had a gift certificate for an inn in the area. The town was already bustling (if you could call it that?) at 4 PM when we rolled in. With only one street, everything you wanted to see and do was within a 360 view.

I’m a sucker for the one-main street type of towns, always have been.

“Day” One

After we checked in, we walked down the hill from the inn to see a row of businesses- grocery store, wine shop, store that sells crystals, gems, etc.- the usual. The Farmer’s Market was being set up by the local businesses in the area- a different vibe from your standard market. They seemed to know each other, lived in the hills, and were a part of the wider community.

We stumbled into a small wine shop (not sure why- I really wanted to wine taste) and had a tasting from a porch chair in front of the store as we took it all in. The sun was setting and the crowds were gathering outside the only two restaurants open in town during that time. We walked across the street to Negris for some fabulous Italian food and cocktails.

Day Two

Waking up slightly early and hitting Howard’s Station Cafe for homemade pastries and delicious coffee (highly recommend!), we hit the road toward Healdsburg-a half hour drive from Occidental-for kayaking, fishing, and Russian River Brewery’s (home of the infamous Pliny the Elder for you beer drinkers) newer facility.

At Del Rio Woods, we unloaded our kayak for at least a half-day of fishing and paddling around. It was already warm at 8 AM and the parking lot was filling up fast. An hour later, there were all kinds of people filing in the water to sunbathe, swim, and kayak (mostly tours).

After kayaking, we drove into downtown and made a pit stop at Amy’s Wicked Slush. I’m not going to lie- my inner 5 year old was ECASTIC!

It was a nice pit stop in the heat and made traveling to the new Russian River bearable. We weren’t really in the mood for beer at that point, but we loaded up and took in the massive facility. It reminded us of Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Or.

Back in Occidental, we hung out in our room until early evening. Before heading back to Negris (who could blame us?), we stopped by the Union Hotel and took our drinks at the hay bales (true story). It was quieter than the night before- the locals replaced by dressed up out-of-towners having some type of rehearsal dinner or bridal shower. The evening was warm, and the feeling of the last days of summer were lingering in the air.

Day Three

Sunday morning, we headed west on the Bodega highway. Our first cup of coffee was at a hole-in-the-wall called Colleen’s in the town of Bodega. When we got to the first parking area, the lot was already full, telling us it will be quite a crowded Sunday. The highway meets up with Highway 1, so we followed it up the coast to check out the view. I’ve probably been to this area 3 or 4 times, but it’s never not nice to look at.

The morning was a bit cooler than the day before, so we took a side street to circle Bodega Bay, parked, and unloaded our kayaks again. This was the opposite of the day before- wide open ocean next to us and no one swimming in the water between us.

I saw a small tasting room on the side of the cliff on the way in, so we tried to see if we could get a tasting. It looked upscale, but they were letting people picnic on the side hill overlooking the ocean. It was warm again, but the view was worth it.

To recap:

Food: Negris you can’t go wrong with any pasta dish on their menu- we went more than once

Drinks: Union Hotel if you are looking for something easy, Negris for that cocktail of your dreams, and Sonoma Fine Wine for great service and a friendly face

Coffee: Howard’s Station Cafe: you can’t go wrong with homemade pastries and a latte

What’s your perfect close getaway?