I'm a part-time writer, editor, and full-time eater from Los Angeles. I live with my husband/travel partner, our rescued senior chihuahua and grumpy-ass cat.
We just got back from a weekend away in Miami. It was MY first trip to Florida, and Mike’s millionth… approximately. (He used to work on a show called Burn Notice that filmed in Miami.)
But the difference for Mike this time was that he had his dog in tow!
Actually it wasn’t just OUR pooch, our friend and The Gifted castmate Skyler Samuels brought her dog Matey along too!
If you’re looking for a pet-friendly trip to Miami, you’re going to have to stay at The Standard Miami Beach.
Which means that Mike and I are adding a third person to our future travel and restaurant reservations. This is both exciting and scary as hell for me.
I never expected to have a baby, so the idea of becoming a parent is quite daunting. I’ve spent a lot of time freaking out about how our truly wonderful life is about to drastically change. And, at least for a while, become a lot less wonderful.
During conversation number eleventy-one about my having a baby panic, Mike (who seriously, has been so wonderfully patient with me) said the one thing that was able to finally calm my existential parenting crisis. He said… Continue reading “How becoming a parent is like going on safari…”
Brunch is A THING in Atlanta, y’all. Like, we think it’s awesome in LA, and we definitely devote entire daylight hours to it. But brunch in Atlanta is a whole different experience… It’s starts later, people dress up for it, and have full-on debates about where to get the best brunch in Atlanta.
You know that I’m all about waffles. But sometimes I get a massive craving for pancakes. But not just any pancakes — life-changing pancakes. Pancakes that you can’t get anywhere else but at certain restaurants.
We not only used our time in Vancouver seek out all the best restaurants, but we also accomplish one of my lifetime goals: TO RIDE ON A FREAKING SEAPLANE!
I have long believed — since growing up watching Baloo von Bruinwald XIII pilot the Sea Duck in Talespin — that seaplanes are the most kick-ass of vehicles. They are magical. They are amazing. They are boats that become planes and then planes that become boats, and sometimes they can even ski!? My mind boggles.
Mike discovered my love of seaplanes when I forced us to stop, mid-bike ride around Stanley Park, to endlessly watch the Vancouver seaplanes become boats and then turn into planes again.
The look on my face is pure excitement.
We were hoping that we could take advantage of a free weekend in Vancouver to fly from Vancouver to Victoria by seaplane. But since it we only had Canada Day weekend free, the prices were inappropriately high (even for magical modes of transportation).
So you’ve read our post about how amazing Anderson Valley is, and you’ve decided that a weekend getaway to Anderson Valley sounds like the perfect trip. Congrats, you make good choices. But where should you stay?
From the fanciest hotel in Philo, to the budget option in Cloverdale, and even camping and the best places to stay for groups… we’ve rounded up where to stay in Anderson Valley for your perfect wine tasting trip!
The Boonville Hotel is smack dab in the middle of charming Boonville. Conveniently, it’s walking distance to many awesome wineries and eateries. And it also houses one of the best restaurants in town — Table 128.
The Toll House is located on 650 acres with private trails, gorgeous views, and is 5 miles from Boonville. With three different multi-room accommodations that sleep from 12-6 people, it’s perfect for large families, or groups of close friends. So if you have a larger crew in tow, book the Toll House.
The Madrones is a winery, restaurant, and hotel with several guest rooms. There are also two cabins available at their neighboring property The Brambles. It’s located right next door to our favorite winery in Anderson Valley — Goldeneye.
They have a total of fifteen rooms divided between three buildings. The Standard rooms are small. The Deluxe Rooms are more spacious. And the Suites offer a master bedroom and an additional bedroom which are designed for a family of four. And the other building has a dining and living room area are shared by five rooms — perfect for a group of around ten people.
The Cloverdale Wine Country Inn is basically Best Western (because it actually used to be a Best Western). It’s a great budget option — save that extra cash for more bottles of wine!
The Highlands Estate is a super-cute B&B in the Yorkville highlands. It’s a retreat for adults, so no children under 18. Which means, this is the place to go if you want a grown-up weekend get-away.
We spent a lot of time in Vancouver when Mike was producing a TV show. Every night and every weekend (when he wasn’t working) we’d scour the city for the best places to eat in Vancouver, and found a little over twenty places we loved.
If you’re looking for some amazing places to stay on your luxury safari, we’ve rounded up our favorites from our honeymoon in Tanzania. Some of these luxury safari lodges are places where you’ll definitely splurge, and some were sneaky deals.
We’re both writers, so we spend most of our days eating and typing, and sometimes doing both at the same time. This means we are in need of great cafes and restaurants with wifi in LA.
Our needs are this: comfortable seating, free wifi, not so busy that we feel guilty for camping out at a table for a couple of hours, bonus points for access to outlets.
Northern California’s Anderson Valley is a very special place for us — it’s where Mike’s ancestral home is, it’s where we got married, and it’s where we go when we have time for a weekend getaway. As we’re prepping for an upcoming visit, we thought we’d share our best Anderson Valley travel tips. Because who doesn’t love awesome wines that’ll give you some major sommelier cred, popular local beers, and staggeringly giant trees!?
