womantraveler

Pleasanton, California: Perfectly Named

As a woman business traveler and proactive fan of leisure day trips, I've learned time and again that some of the best adventures are close to home. Pleasanton, California, originating in the Gold Rush and existing comfortably today next to the Livermore Valley wine country east of San Francisco, is one of my recent "finds." History, luxury and quality wines and food within a few blocks -- my fundamentals!

Since I often stay overnight in nearby outlying communities when I have an evening event -- to avoid rush-hour traffic, windy country roads at dusk or late-night driving alone -- I calculate at the front end a pleasant evening in new surroundings to finish off my business or leisure commitment. And, Pleasanton, California, has definitely earned its name in my travel journals.

  But the secret -- absolutely -- is the right hotel or inn. A male friend recommended Pleasanton's Rose Hotel, and it turned out to be the right combo of stylish but casual luxury and welcoming service. To wit -- a spacious and well-appointed room with windows that actually open to fresh air, a jacuzzi tub (superb after an afternoon on the links at a Women on Course event at Poppy Ridge Golf Course in the Livermore Valley,) and Peet's Coffee brewed in my room's own French press. That was the first part of the wake-up experience before I went down to the Victorian lobby/loungefor an ample continental breakfast (which comes with the room). Men and women business travelers, a leisure travel couple from Pennsylvania, and more personalities crossed paths in this quietly confident and charming space.

For dinner, I hiked up and down Main Street to check out the multiple options (40 nearby restaurants), from lively outdoor gardens to indoor white table cloth candlelight -- but chose the originality of The Oasis Grille across the street from the hotel and its Afghan/Middle Eastern specialties and featured wine list. Grilled shish kebab and a Riva Ridge Chardonnay from one of the California originals, Wente Vineyards in Livermore, were perfectly matched!

Napa Valley's CIA Cooking (the Other One)

Wine inspires, but food sustains in the San Francisco Bay Area, so the Culinary Institute of America (the other CIA) in Napa Valley is a must-do for cooking classes. And they're quick and easy -- 1 to 2 hours. This ongoing series of classes the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena makes it easy to actually develop a small skill in the midst of experiencing the marvelous vineyards.

We girlfriends were jaunting through the Valley one spring day and discovered the Spring Table series at Greystone, the former home of the Christian Brothers Winery. Classes are Friday-Monday and a demo is held the first Tuesday of the month. The 1-hour public cooking demonstrations ($15) include the recipe and tasting while the 2-hour hands-on cooking classes (75)consist of a 30-minute lecture, 90-minute cooking and tasting with a glass of wine. Classes in May, for example, include "Terrine of Salmon with Spring Vegetables," "Lamb Carpaccio with Greek Feta Cheese, Black Olives, Lemon Vinaigrette and Mint Oil" and "Sweet Pea Ravioli with Sauteed Pea Tendrils." I'm getting so hungry I don't think I can finish this post!

There are also Wine Enthusiast classes and elegant dinners at The Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant, which you can check out on their website.

Spotted by Locals: European Insiders' View

We heard about Spotted by Locals, a smart new website on which local handpicked bloggers dish out tips about cool spots, both traditional and offbeat, to visit in their own European cities. So we tested Paris, which we know pretty well, and, bien sur, our favorite Left Bank resto, Fish la Boissonnerie, was one of the features. Plus, les Parisien bloggers suggested ways to experience some of the typical sights in new ways, such as the picturesque gardens Luxembourg and Jardin des Plantes.

Not that some of these recommendations wouldn't be in a typical guidebook, but the perspective is definitely "from the ground up," where everyday people enjoy something fabulous that outsiders are not going to find easily unless we have their lens. You feel like you're talking to someone you know, who's sincere and believable, and there are maps to help get you to their choices. This is a site to use as part of your broader searching -- it's not all-inclusive, but a welcome peak into an authentic experience. Bravo!

Sonoma's Cottage Inn and Spa: Spoil Me

Downtown Sonoma's Cottage Inn and Spa is my home away from home. And even though I can drive up in 30 minutes from San Francisco's North Bay area, guests last week from Hawaii and Boston clearly had caught onto the same idea. (One couple was hanging out in the dreamy upstairs Vineyard View Suite after just getting married following 27 years of dating. Another arrived with a group for a surprise anniversary event.)

Romance and relaxation are the overwhelming themes in this architecturally inspired hideaway only a 5-minute walk off the Sonoma Square. But a solo woman traveler like me can comfortably slip into one of the individualized rooms -- most with jacuzzi tubs and fireplaces --  for a timeout from the rat race of the typical day to day. And, yes, there's free Wi-Fi in my suite and public spaces whenever I want to fire up my laptop and check back into the real world.

The Cottage Inn is different from the quaint or "wine country elegant" inns that dot Sonoma. The carefully chosen painting, photographs and sculpture in the rooms and the spirit forms and Buddhas in courtyards and walkways create a soothing, healing presence. Cloistered Santa Fe-style with adobe walls around two converted houses, the inn declares "cozy retreat" whatever your intention. 

Now that it's Mustard Festival in next-door Napa Valley through March, vineyards across both valleys are brimming with yellow gold flowers. So the Cottage Inn is a perfect anchor for taking in the wine country sights -- and then pulling back to more serenity in the evenings. I arrange for a Zen Garden Spa treatment, then unwind even more beside the open pit gas fire that burns up through a floor of crushed glass in the Romantico Paradiso Room.   

Each room has a unique decor, designed by the late founder, who was an architect. All have similar amenities, including coffee and juice and refrigerators stocked for breakfast. Each morning fresh breads arrive in a basket at the door.The largest North Suite is one of two with full kitchens, and most rooms have open or covered outdoor patios. 

I like the convenience, too. Hiking trails and bike routes start nearby and go in all directions, including over to General Vallejo's 19th century estate and historical museum to the west and a vineyard walk to Sebastiani and Ravenswood to the east. Sonoma Square offers some of the Valley's best dining -- including The Girl and the Fig, Cafe La Haye and El Dorado Kitchen, while the former General's Daughter restaurant in an 1864 Victorian on the Vallejo estate is generating a lot of buzz as Estate, the new venture of Girl and the Fig's Sondra Bernstein. 

Napa Valley Wine Country's Carneros Inn

Splurging for the best room (one of the east vineyard-facing Vineyard View Cottages) at Napa Valley's Carneros Inn was worth the stretch price, especially the outdoor shower and vineyard views.    Now in off-season there are deals worth considering across the property for a peaceful winter get-away. There's lots of good buzz about the place, most of it worthy. Besides the privacy, we especially liked the patio with overhead heaters, the fireplace, French doors and flat screen TV/DVD/CD combo. I'm told by Womantraveler friends that a girlfriends spa visit at the Carneros Inn tops the list in the highly competitive Napa Valley spa scene, including a room for the day for relaxing and changing. On another visit to the Valley, simply stopping for a glass of wine at the outdoor lounge was a delightful treat. Just inside was the highly rated Farm restaurant -- we can't vouch for it directly but the word of mouth is tantalizing. 

Tea Time in Paris, So Civilized

Paris, the "city of light" has many awakenings -- and taking time for tea is one of them.  Espresso is a slam-dunk (see next post) but tea is perhaps an acquired taste -- and an acquired pace. And Paris has a true tea culture. It can be lively as a cafe or a subtle reflective haven. I experienced both.

On a miserable spring morning, after standing in line fruitlessly for an art museum exhibit in the cold drizzle (the lines can be interminable whatever the weather), I gave up on Marie Antoinette at the Grand Palais for a Marie Antoinette restorative China tea at Laduree, the renowned tearoom at 16 rue Royale (8th), a merciful few blocks away in the Right Bank's Place Madeleine. Understandably, it was jammed, but accepting the first table in the less crowded upstairs was a smart move. I settled in to a banquette. Laduree, with several locations, is a mixture of a cafe (for tea) and a cake shop. During the emergence of cafes in Paris in the late 19th century, Laduree (founded in 1862) welcomed women, unlike the traditional cafes. Today it is also patissier, chocolatier, confiseur, restaurant and, iconically, salon de the.

Ironies of ironies, my eye lands on the Marie Antoinette -- a delicious China tea mixed with essential oils of subtle citrus fruit, flavors of rose and jasmine flowers, scattered with small pieces of dried fruits and honey. She -- and I -- at that moment in time never had it so good! Laduree is terrific people-watching. My banquette seat along the wall gave a view inside and out -- tourists and locals -- families and solos. Sitting in Second Empire decor, I experienced the modern world. And helped along by a raspberry macaroon.

The next day I was over on the Left Bank in the 6th and settled into one of the Mariage Freres tearooms, at 13 rue des Grands-Augustins. You have to know where you're going on the winding back streets of St. Germain des Pres to land here, nearby the famous restos of Jacques Cagna and Les Bouquinistes. I sat alone in the late afternoon with a myriad of choices, settling in simply with a full pot of "Afternoon Tea" for $12 (my own completely unhurried pot at a white-table clothed table where I could write and think for an hour). The shop downstairs has hundreds of teas from around the world.

"Un parfum d'aventure et de poesie s'evade a l'infini de chaque tasse de the," said founder Henri Mariage back in 1854. D'accord!

Paris Bistros: The Real Thing

How does one choose where to eat in Paris anyway? Quick answer -- a combination of research and serendipity.  Here's a place to go -- Au Bon St-Pourcain. I myself, moi-meme, prefer simple home-style cooking without all the drama. That's harder and harder to find, not because it doesn't exist, but with all the ratings and rankings and (shooting myself in the foot here) self-defined experts that we've all become tend to overlook "le vrai gout."

Upon the recommendation of my driver, who was a budding filmmaker partly educated in LA), I had visited the stunning exhibition of the little-known French foundational Fauvist Maurice de Vlaminck at the Musee du Luxembourg. This exhibition, which closes mid-July is a must-see.

Afterwards, I was meandering toward the St-Sulpice church, of Da Vinci Code fame, when I crossed paths with Au Bon St-Pourcain on a narrow street.

This resto was on my list, and Paris insiders already know about this 26-seat corner bistro (10 bis, rue Servandondi). Imagine my surprise to be the only guest at 1:30 pm. (It's the euro-dollar imbalance, the owner told me with great chagrin. Such establishments are truly hurting this year, even after 20+ years in the business.) But also to my surprise today's "plat du jour" special at 20 euros is blanquette de veau (blanquette of veal), the type of meal that chefs don't throw together at the last minute. It is best stewed for several hours, in expectation of the guests who will arrive. That's the type of care that owner and former Deux Magots waiter Francois (and his daughter Fabienne, who was managing the cozy room) put into the cooking and reception.

This is an "old friends" place. I felt like an old friend -- and was treated that way.

A Dining Rhapsody in Chicago

After a busy client day in the Windy City, trusting my intuition for a light dinner at Rhapsody's bar in the Chicago Symphony Center was really smart. And the choice of a flight of three cheeses with a salad of fresh greens, a crab cake and white wine was brilliant. Going solo on business, I've learned to ask the bartender what's hot -- and usually that recommendation is a winner.

I'm savoring the reminiscence of Raschera (Italian Piedmont), Garrotxa (Spanish Pyrennes) and Tete de Moine (Switzerland), an assortment of both goat's and cow's milk with a variety from sharp to balanced and sweet, different textures, and so on. A glass of the sturdy Sanford Chadonnay just nailed it.

Here's my formula for a successful dinner alone in a big U.S. city as a Womantraveler. Do a little research. Read the brochures in your hotel room or ask your clients for some options. Typically the local office workers drift to the bars and early dinners straight from their jobs, so 5 to 7:30 is the worst. If you don't have a reservation, especially in a busy downtown scene like Chicago, you have to improvise. And I don't typically have huge expense budgets so I do like the bar or light meal options.

Rhapsody was smart because the early crowd is headed to the symphony and the rush begins to dissipate between 7 and 7:30. And, often bar and lounge seating (which I prefer because of the abbreviated menus and quicker service) is pretty jammed. So I got there as soon as I could, in this case about 6:30, and was willing to wait (with a smile). I make sure the staff knows I'm there and waiting patiently. It pays to be friendly -- there are lots of pushy people who aren't. When a seat opens, I take my place.

Another good choice in Chicago was 1492 Tapas Bar at 42 E. Superior Street off upper Michigan Avenue. In a rainstorm, it was a haven -- and my own bar table with an ample choice of appetizers felt novel, was definitely tasty and the budget was right, too. Candidly, I would put it in the "good but not great" category, but it certainly was far above an ordinary meal at a hotel or familiar chain. When I'm traveling for business, I seek dinners out of the ordinary. It makes the day feel not so routine -- and in my  life, every day counts.

April in Paris: Hooked on Fish

My friends got married 25 years ago and spent their honeymoon in Paris. I didn't know them then. So when the subject of the 25th anniversary came up  this year, la voila!...Let's celebrate in Paris! New friends from California, we were coincidentally going to be in Paris anyway. So knowing about "Fish" --  Fish la Boissonnerie on the Rue de Seine in the 6th -- made me very popular. Everyone wants to say we have a neighborhood favorite that we keep returning to in Paris. For me, Fish is the resto for all occasions.

No need to put on your fancy pants. Fish, though not created by locals, is the most local of Paris restos. The owners -- from the US and New Zealand -- lived out the dreams we all have to reinvent ourselves in Paris. The building on the stylishly bohemian Left Bank is old and quaint. Good solid antique stones and half-timbered construction. Sort of a "cave" look, but authentic. An intimate bar (and a no pressure environment place for solo women). A small and cozy dining area. Solid wood tables, benches and chairs, no white table cloths. Welcoming and friendly in a generously multilingual way. English, French, Spanish, locals, tourists, whoever -- we're all treated the same. No pretense, no drama. Upon choosing Fish, we all immediately belong.

I happened upon Fish three years ago, so upon returning twice this year, I tried Fish again each time. It's a Patricia Wells favorite, and as an respected expert on Parisian cuisine, she counts for a lot. And clearly I'm hooked. Why -- because of the thousands of blinding choices in Paris, I know what I'm getting. It's excellent, and it's easy. Delicious, careful preparation, inventive yet simple, affordable and comfortable. Carefully chosen and featured wines, with an extensive selection, from around the world. The Fish-related wine shop, La Derniere Gout, is five minutes away. We hung out for three-plus hours and had no clue of the time. Back home in California, 10 minutes apart, we keep wondering for our next get-together, when can we rendezvous at Fish?

Email for reservations at laboissonnerie@wandaoo.fr. You'll hear right back.

Women Traveling Safely

The Turkey blogs raised some interesting questions about women traveling solo safely. We found this an interesting discussion, along with the comments to our Turkey travel series.