Bay Area NewsGroup, June 2024
A couple from Dallas found their slice of wine country paradise recently.
Far from the crush of Napa Valley tourists, Roby and Connie shared a bottle of Chianti in Yountville’s lovely little Van De Leur Park. Laced with flowers, including an ancient pink climbing rose, the park is one of several “secret” spots in this tucked-away town in the heart of Napa Valley.
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DIABLO MAGAZINE: February, 2024
Have you ever cuddled a cow or hugged a hen? If so, you’ve experienced the healing power of connecting with animals. Research shows that the act of petting a puppy can boost your level of beta-endorphins (natural painkillers). It works with everything from donkeys to ducks.
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DIABLOMAGAZINE: December, 2023
Winter in the Sierra. It’s a magical time for sleigh bells and snowflakes, playing in the powder, and warming your toes by the hearth. Mountain resorts put on their best show in winter, with family activities that focus on snow play in the West’s most beautiful settings.
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BAY AREA NEWSGROUP: December 1, 2023
In the fog-kissed environs of Half Moon Bay, Chef Pablo Estrada picks produce from nearby growers like Sarafino Farm. He buys tuna, halibut and Dungeness crab from fishermen at Pillar Point Harbor.
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NAPA-SONOMA MAGAZINE: Oct. 2023
The town of Glen Ellen is known for its wine and for Jack London State Historic Park—but surprisingly, it is also a yacht club destination.
In a nod to one of America’s great adventurers, the philanthropic Jack London Yacht Club has its official clubhouse at the Saloon at the Jack London Lodge. Every spring, members race miniature boats on Sonoma Creek behind the popular bar, in an homage to the 1907 journey London took with his wife, Charmian, on his two-mast sailboat, the Snark.
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LOCALEMAGAZINE: September, 2023
San Francisco may have a saintly name, but is known more for its role as a sinner. It’s a city that plays by its own rules and celebrates being different, if not deviant. Since the pandemic, San Francisco nightlife has grown even more alluring, with an element of danger that sets the scene for the secret bars and underground lounges that are springing up in the urban core.
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DIABLOMAGAZINE: July 28, 2023
If you love the outdoors but don’t want to give up your creature comforts, chances are you’ve tried glamping—and you are not alone. Glamorous camping is projected to bring nearly $3 billion in global revenue this year, with much of it in the United States.
Here are four upscale glamping spots in Northern California that will let you explore your wild side while leaving you refreshed.
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MERCURYNEWS.COM: September 1, 2023
Fourteen miles north of Jenner in Sonoma County, there’s a stretch of coast so stunning that Ansel Adams would spend hours on it just sitting on the cliffs above the crashing surf.
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MERCURYNEWS.COM: July 18, 2023
That downtown San Francisco has been struggling since the pandemic is no secret. To borrow a quote from Mark Twain, though, reports of San Francisco’s death may be “greatly exaggerated.” In fact, there are many neighborhoods that are thriving in the City by the Bay. Below are four of my favorites.
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SOUTH BAY MAGAZINE, VENTURA BLVD. MAGAZINE: June, 2023
Bison, bobcats and bears. These creatures are common in our national parks. Garibaldi, island foxes and island scrub jays—not so much. Yet the waters off Channel Islands National Park are teeming with the bright orange garibaldi—the California state marine fish. And the tiny foxes and scrub jays are among Channel Islands species found nowhere else on the planet.
Ginny Prior 