Finding Balance in San Francisco

Calistoga - Kid Friendly

Nana is here for the week, and we're just back from a trip up to Calistoga with the boyz

and everyone had a wonderful time

Don't Stay at Manka's Inverness Lodge

We had a wonderful and relaxing weekend in Inverness for our 5th anniversary, but I have to caution anyone considering staying at Manka's that you should stay somewhere else.

Since the lodge burned down in 2007 they've been left with a a huge hole where the center of Manka's should be. Consequently, most of the action now happens in the gravel parking lot with the Airstream trailers as a backdrop. The service is sub-par (and that's being generous) and the "fireside dinner" that sounded so romantic and cost $60 a piece wound up being BBQ chicken and a watercress salad unceremoniously plunked down in our laps by a guy who not only arrived almost a half hour late but was unshaven, dressed like a homeless guy and didn't bother to say hello or introduce himself. The maids unapologetically showed up at 4pm, having left the rotting breakfast in our rooms all day. The concrete bathroom was so shoddy that we refused to take showers there- too scary. And I could go on and on.

Bottom line it's NOT WORTH IT.

There's a cute little place called On the Waterfront that looks nice and it's right down the road. I'd try that one next time instead.

We really enjoyed the restaurants in Point Reyes Station and Inverness is a beautiful place. It's just Manka's that deserves a skip, not Inverness.

Romantic Getaway Weekend- Inverness

Inverness is indeed a wonderful retreat and romantic getaway

and our dog was in 7th heaven

there are tons of hiking trails, enough of them dog-friendly to make it fun for people with pooches

and it was interesting to see the oyster farms

and check out all the Earthquake stuff

though the earthquake fundamentals are a little scary to think about:

Earthquake risk notwithstanding, the area is beautiful and rural and there are several delicious, upscale restaurants in Point Reyes Station.  I recommend in particular Stellina and the Station House Cafe.

Definitely do not stay at Manka's at least until the lodge is rebuilt.  Very overpriced for what you get and the service is sub-par at best.  More on that in a different post.

Romantic Getaway Weekend- Point Reyes

Our 5th wedding anniversary is this Friday + my parents have offered to take our boys for the entire weekend = we've been on the hunt for a local romantic getaway.

I'm always counting my blessings that we live in beautiful, romantic San Francisco, but this weekend we're looking to get out of the city. After pondering various options (e.g., wine country, Yosemite, Vegas even), we settled on Point Reyes National Seashore in West Marin. It's just an hour north of San Francisco and from what I hear it feels like it's a world away. The green part of the map below shows the National Park boundaries.

The National Park is home to crashing surf out by Point Reyes

and also tranquil Tomales Bay, filled with oysters

And to add to the excitement of it all, it's prime earthquake country, sitting right atop the San Andreas Fault, where the earth's North American Plate and Pacific Plate meet.  The "San Francisco Earthquake" of 1906 was centered in Olema in West Marin.

After some Internet research and talking to friends-in-the-know, our front-runners for lodging are Manka's Inverness Lodge and the Olema Inn and Restaurant.  The general concept is to stay at a romantic little dog-friendly B&B and go hiking with our Black Labrador during the day. 

Because we'll have our dog with us, we've scouted out hiking trails and beaches that are dog-friendly so hopefully we can keep the harmony.

Manka's had a big fire in 2007 and their famous restaurant tragically burned down. They now have what's called "Fireside Supper" – where their chefs go out to the local ranches and create a multi- course menu, similar to what they did in the past at the restaurant.  The menu might start with a cheese and charcutarie, then a soup and salad, a entree, and dessert. The chefs can also pair wines and it's all delivered and set up to be enjoyed in front of the fire.

Now if that doesn't sound romantic, what does?

We're also planning to go to the Cowgirl Creamery for a cheese tasting, have lunch at the Station House Cafe and dinner at Osteria Stellina.  Horseback riding is allegedly fun and easily available, as is kayaking.  We're playing some of that by ear- wouldn't want to overschedule.

I'll take some photos and some notes and will keep you posted as to how it all turns out.  Hopefully we'll be ready for another 5 years of marriage after our romantic getaway weekend in Point Reyes National Seashore!