This town of Yountville is super upscale and everyone would be so fortunate to visit this beautiful…read moretown!! I absolutely love being here and feel so lucky to be here! Fly up here on JSX and make a reservation and check out the chic town

This little town has oh-so-much to offer. It's a little pricey, but to be honest, everything in…read morethis area has lots of delicious restaurants, beautiful views, the wineries, the tastings, what more would you need? I go there at least four or five times a year, and if you're from out of town, it's definitely worth a trip. You might see me there. Cheers, my friends SYOY 11/19/25

The city of Sonoma is a perfect place for a getaway and a place that I personally love for so many…read morereasons. I personally prefer Sonoma County more than Napa Valley because it is so charming and has a small town feel that I love. It feels less crowded and more laid back, which I also love. The Sonoma Plaza is in the heart of town and this area is very quaint and charming. This is a perfect area to sip and stroll, shop, enjoy the amazing restaurants, and/or to enjoy a picnic. The city of Sonoma is also great for both foodies and wine lovers. The vineyard views in this town are also absolutely gorgeous. There are lots of amazing wineries if you enjoy wine tasting. There are lots of farm to table restaurants that are amazing as well as events throughout the year that are fun to partake in. You can also take a hot air balloon ride and soar above the vineyards. There are spas if you are looking to relax and this is an excellent spot for a girls getaway. If you enjoy hiking, there are lots of places to enjoy within a short drive. There is also the Sonoma Overlook Trail which is an easy loop that offers panaramic views of the town and the valley below.

I love this small town for a quick getaway. I like it much better than neighboring Napa which is…read morejust a short drive from here. Napa has evolved into a much more commercial and bougie destination that I can see the glaring changes each decade brings. I mean I will still visit the Napa area, but if given the choice, I will take Sonoma any day. I've been preferring this wine valley over on Hwy 12 versus the one on Hwy 29. The actual town of Sonoma is very quaint with good California history in its tow. And I don't find it as pretentious as Napa and their neighboring appellations like Yountville and Calistoga. I have stayed in small hotels, camped, hiked, wine tasted and dined at many places in or nearby Sonoma. And on every visit, I always make an effort on spending some time near their main square where there are several beautiful parks with shady mature trees, beautiful rustic buildings, lots of great places to eat/drink and just people watch. A great local gem for a getaway where I don't have to significantly travel. Been in my back pocket since the early 90s. And still madly in love with it. Trust.

I'm impressed someone bothered to make a Yelp page for this room at Castello Di Amorosa... then…read morenever bothered to check in or write a review for the place. Well, I don't like wasting a perfectly good page, so allow me to put some life into it. The Castle Torture Chamber is an underground room inside the winery castle known as Castello Di Amorosa in Calistoga. It cannot be accessed with general admission - you must take a tour of the castle to gain access. With good reason... can you imagine if some of the kids tried playing hide and seek in the Iron Maiden? Tours are $20 for wine club members, otherwise $40 for adults. Minors are also allowed to go on the tour, but I believe there is a minimum age. So why is there a torture chamber in the winery castle? Because back then, all castles had one. Dario Sattui wasn't going for a Disneyland castle... nope, he wanted it to be authentic as it could be (w/ indoor plumbing and electricity). In fact, he spent decades sneaking into castles in Europe to investigate their inner walls. Thus, we have the torture chamber with all the tools used for interrogating and punishing misbehaved men, treacherous wives, traitors, etc. While he went for authenticity, most of the torture chamber props are high quality replicas - Sattui had them hand crafted in Europe. While not as sharp, they're still likely to cause pain. The only authentic piece is the Iron Maiden, a coffin like piece that has spikes inside. The spikes were strategically placed not to kill anyone but still cause an immense amount of pain. I guess there's no point in torture if the person you torture dies quickly? I also wonder how one manages to purchase an authentic Iron Maiden from the medieval times, but I shouldn't question a man who had the money to build a castle in Napa. ;) Again, pretty neat space to be in, albeit a little creepy. Props to Mr. Sattui for getting his castle down to the nitty gritty.

I'm impressed someone created a Yelp page for it, and that they advertise it in the actual Chamber…read more Now just to get cell service to check in while I'm in the actual castle. It was both neat and odd to be in this room, which was included in the Wine Train tour we booked. All in all, which I will go into more detail in the actual winery review, I wasn't the biggest fan of this tour. I found it too long and while the air quality was better than expected, the torture chamber added an extra squick factor to the fact we were underground (this is California) and many of these items are high quality replicas of items that were actually built back in the middle ages. Which, why build a room of replicas? I honestly didn't get it and don't think I was the target audience for the tour. The chamber could have been much better utilized or sold, especially since a few minutes after we left the chamber we were then "locked" into small cells for the wine tasting. They could have built a bar into the iron maiden and had 'blood wine.' or used the room to sell a specific brand of the wine 'Torture Red.' Instead all the attempts to make it authentic just rang hollow. Either the space could be a fantastic museum where art, history, and literature of the age could be shown because it's attempting to replicate the time period, or it can be what it is, a highway attraction that hosts a winery and puts a lot of effort into making it "authentic." It just came off poorly and I don't think I would come back for another tour.

******************************* 977 *******************************…read more The 3rd annual Flavor! Napa Valley will be held November 20-24, 2013 at the Silverado Resort and Spa, and The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, Meritage Resort and Spa, Beringer Vineyards, and many other locations throughout the beautiful Napa Valley. I got the chance to attend this year and what was an amazing food and wine event. The best in America if you are a wine lover. You are in treat for the best of the best. A TASTING TO HONOR THE LIFE OF ROBERT MONDAVI - WINE TASTING WITH WINEMAKER GENEVIEVE JANSSENS - Moderator Peter Marks. Iconic vintner Robert Mondavi was an inspirational advocate for the Napa Valley, building the first winery after Prohibition and quickly producing wines that stand in the company of the world's finest. In honor of his 100th birthday, enjoy a retrospective tasting with Director of Winemaking Genevieve Janssens, who will unlock Robert Mondavi Winery's treasured library of older vintages to showcase more than forty years of unparalleled winemaking history. We got to taste 1976 JUDGEMENT OF PARIS Cabernet Sauvignon that won the blind tasting that year. 2 bottles of Chateau Margeaux 1995 and 2006, I was SPOILED. TOP TASTERTM BLIND WINE TASTING COMPETITION - Host: Andrea Robinson Panelists: Gillian Ballance, Bob Bath, Alder Yarrow and 10 Master Sommeliers around the US. I wrote this event so much, I got 5 wines out of 6, so much fun, so much to learn, and the beautiful resort Meritage. THE APPELLATION TRAIL: TASTING NAPA VALLEY - Take a journey to the epicenter of abundant Napa Valley as you taste wines from its 16 sub-appellations at this grandest of Grand Tastings. Gather your friends for an indulgent night of sipping and feasting from nearly 100 wineries and 25 restaurants - all under one roof of the majestic Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. Throughout the evening, you'll be saying hello to the winemakers and chefs who make Napa Valley the premier wine and food destination in America. And you'll discover how the various terroirs and micro-climates of the region make each Cabernet--along with other varietals--unique expressions of where they were grown. Over 100 wineries and 25 restaurants participated in this event. We had so much fun, so much wines, so much food, so many awesome chefs, so little time! ABOUT: Flavor! Napa Valley® Celebration of Wine, Food & Fun is an annual event that features world‐class Napa Valley wines alongside the Napa Valley's master chefs and graduates of The Culinary Institute of America's culinary education programs. Net proceeds from the event support programs and scholarships at The Culinary Institute of America's Greystone Campus in St. Helena, CA. The event is hosted by founding sponsors Silverado Resort and Spa and Dolce Hotels in partnership with VisitNapaValley.com, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, and the Napa Valley Vintners, and is produced by Karlitz & Company. DO NOT MISS THIS EVENT NEXT YEAR IF YOU ARE TRULY NAPA VALLEY WINE LOVERS!

My husband and I truly enjoy attending this wonderful event!!! My husband is a professional chef,…read moreso food is his passion. I love to bake, and because my husband is passionate about food, so am I. We love watching the demos, touring the CIA facility, picking up things in the bookstore, participating in events, and meeting the chefs! This is a great event for anyone who's interested in wine, cheese, good food, baking, and/or fun! This year, I attended a cake decorating session with Duff Goldman of Charm City Cakes. The event was held at Beringer VIneyards in the Hudson House, which was lovely. We were able to get hands-on assistance and guidance from Duff and his staff, and our cakes turned out great! This was my first time airbrushing a cake, and working with fondant - not my favorite cake decorating item, but it was so much fun; I even had my cake box autographed by him. :-) Next,I headed to CIA to watch an Iron Chef Morimoto demonstration. Last year, we watched him break down a monkfish and create 5 spectacular dishes. This year, it was a yellowtail and 6 dishes! He is always entertaining and of course, the room smells terrific as he cooks! His knife skills are amazing! The other event I attended was an interactive demo with Rocco Dispirito. He demoed the gnudi we would be making, but also made pork saltimbocca as well. He is definitely passionate about altering traditional dishes to be healthier - he was more than happy to share some of his tips and tricks for healthier eating. I got to cook in the CIA kitchen, which was a lot of fun, too! Students were there to help anyone who needed assistance. Participants were able to enjoy 3 wines with our meal - Beringer, Stag's Leap, and Etude. I must say, my entire table enjoyed the Beringer cabernet sauvignon the most. In fact, I bought a bottle for our Thanksgiving meal this past weekend! The gnudi was tasty, the saltimbocca was great, and we had a dessert as well. It was a great experience - Rocco made a point of going around in the kitchen when we were cooking and checking up on everyone, as well as visiting every table during the meal. I bought his book and got it signed afterwards - picked one up for my boss, as well! I would have loved to attend a few more events, but scheduling conflicts prevented it, and a couple of the events sold out quickly. I highly recommend attending this event if you're in the business or if you're just interested!!! It's a lot of fun, the scenery is beautiful, and you'll have a great time!!!

Quality/Quantity - As a "kid," this was the city to be in because they were one of the first to…read morehave "Outlet malls." Still a good place to visit, but again, nothing beats the Livermore Outlet mall. Other things to do in Vacaville, not in any order: Also one of the first Costcos. Nut Tree Plaza, Nut Tree Park, etc; across the street from the outlet malls. Lagoon Valley/Pena Adobe Regional Park. Nearby attractions/cities. Fairfield - Jelly Belly Factory, Travis Air Force base, etc. See my City of Fairfield Yelp review. Vallejo - Six Flags; WAIT, how do I not have a City of Vallejo review?!?! I have been spending the last 6 months in this city. Adding to my list to review. Sacramento is 35 miles away. San Francisco is 55 miles away. Atmosphere - Other than shopping and taking a break from my road trips, I do not see much of a need to visit this city. The city was founded in 1851 and is named after Juan Manuel Vaca. Population of 102k (2020 census). 30 sq miles, 0.23 of which is water. Top employers: Kaiser. Amazon. Genentech. Service - N/A. Price - Outlet shopping prices, so reasonable. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 1892.

Went to Merriment on Main tonight, and it was fabulous! Well over a 1000 people, with the kids,…read moreSanta Claus, Mrs. Claus, the Grinch...etc! So much fun, a great atmosphere, all the local businesses got involved. Lots of free cookies, drinks, refreshments, little stuffies for the kids. Loads of live music, the Air Force band who were amazing, the Crossroads local church brought their choir to sing, the Vacaville Drumline! There were animals for the children, bunnies, piglets, chickens, sheep, and a donkey...the crowd were enthusiastic, and when the tree was " LIT UP" everyone cheered and you could seriously feel the comraderie! If you have never been, I recommend you put it on your list for next year. Such a family friendly event, and it really WAS A LOT of fu...

Natalie is a super talented, professional and kind artist who creates amazing work for her clients…read more We commissioned Natalie to paint a mural in our home and every step was fun and exciting -- we could not be more happy with how it turned out. We consider this work an heirloom for our family. Along the way, Natalie helped guide our vision and was mindful of expenses, timing and what materials to use (as our mural is indoors). She was also open and great on pricing. Cannot say enough good things about her and her work!

2 of 2 reviews as the City of Fairfield has two listings…read more Cut and pasted from the internet: "Fairfield was founded in 1856 by clipper ship captain Robert H. Waterman, and named after his former hometown of Fairfield, Connecticut." Quality/Quantity - My dad has one distant cousin that lives here. As a kid we only came out here once. Known for Travis Air Force Base and the Jelly Belly Factory. I think my daughter had field trips to the Jelly Belly Factory?!?! I was never a chaperone for that... My wife used to take my daughter here often, really to shop at the Vacaville outlets. Tours used to be free, I believe they are $8 an adult now. It is the location of Travis Air Force Base and the headquarters of Jelly Belly. The population was 119,881 at the 2020 census. Today I discovered my new favorite Bahn Mi Sandwich place - Sai Gon Nho! See other Review (5 Stars). But in summary, not much to do. The best is to go next door to Vacaville. Another nearby city is Vallejo. If you are following, I have been spending more time in that city also. Just noticed that I do not have a review on that city?!?! Atmosphere - 41.4 square miles, 0.26 of which is water. 2020 population - 129k. Jobs Obviously the # 1 employer is our government with the Travis Air Base here. Actually the first 3 top employers are from our the government. Service - Depends on what you do, eat, or drink. Price - Depends on what you do, eat ,or drink. Seems affordable, below average prices. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 1903.

The City of Fairfield is exactly the mid point between Sacramento and San Francisco, ~45 miles…read moreapart, and only ~15 miles to Napa! Most visitors take a break off of I-80 and Travis Blvd. Hotels, In N Out, Trader Joe's, indoor mall, gas, and even a Bev Mo are all within a 1-mile radius. My in-laws have been here since 1984, when my FIL retired from the Navy. Why did he choose Fairfield of all places? Well, it's an affordable community in the Bay Area and only 5 miles away from Travis Air Force Base. He had envisioned jumping on an AMC flight at a moments notice to travel the world. Luckily, he was able to do just that before staying at home became the norm in his senior years. Things to do in small town Fairfield: Jelly Belly Factory, Western Railway Museum, American Armory Museum, Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company, and downtown breweries! In nearby Suisun, you can visit a few wineries. On my last visit, I walked around downtown and saw quite a lot of improvements. Hope to see the place grow even more in the near future!

Calistoga is located in the northern part of Napa Valley and is an excellent place to stay or visit…read morefor so many reasons. This city/town in the northernmost part of Napa Valley is known for their geothermal hot springs and mud baths. For this reason, it's an excellent place for a spa getaway with friends or a romantic getaway. It's a great place to pamper yourself with spa treatments, amazing wine, and delicious food. It has a small-town charm to it and the downtown has lots of shops, restaurants, and wine tasting rooms. This town is very walkable, which I love. There are lots of hotels, cottages, and bed and breakfasts within walking distance of downtown area so the town is laid out well in my opinion. They have amazing restaurants. I personally love Lovina restaurant in their downtown area. They have lots of wineries all around you can take the Vine Trail and ride a bike and view the vineyards. If you don't ride a bike, it's a great place to walk and take in the vineyard views. There is lots of hiking. I personally love Oat Hill Mine Trail there and the views are stunning. This trail is open so if you go during the sunny time of year, go early as there is not much shade, bring hiking shoes, and lots of water. There are benches along the way if you want to stop and soak in the views.

This is a cute, old style town in the "cul de sac" of the Napa Valley... at the top, sort of where…read morethe mountains come together. Definitely worth visiting. Plenty of store fronts, eateries, wine tasting, etc to see and do there. Not quite as "upscale" at St Helena, but very nice.