Author Archives{TravelAndrew}

Photo by Andrew Collins.

Guerneville’s Applewood Inn Offering Great Winter Deals

2 weeks ago in Deals, GLBT.0 Comments

Some of the region’s top inns have introduced enticing discounts and specials this winter. With its outstanding dining room, relaxing spa, and elegantly appointed rooms, the Applewood Inn and Restaurant (13555 Hwy. 116, Guerneville) is a perfect place to savor a long weekend – many rooms even have fireplaces. If you book a weekend stay (Friday and Saturday nights) in {…}

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Sonoma GayDar’s Next Party Set for HKG Glen Ellen

3 weeks ago in GLBT.1 Comment

The region’s always-festive Sonoma GayDar group, which regularly plans GLBT-oriented gatherings around the county, has scheduled their first event of 2012. The party will take place at the Glen Ellen tasting room of the excellent Hop Kiln Winery, which many visitors to the area know well from their distinctive, original winery and tasting room on Westside Road, just a 20-minute {…}

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Petaluma’s Viva Cocolat Hosts Decadent Drag Photo Show

3 weeks ago in GLBT.0 Comments

Lynn Wong, owner of downtown Petaluma’s Viva Cocolat (110 Petaluma Blvd. N, 707-778-9888), takes a creative approach to operating her sunny chocolate shop and cafe. Each month, she features the products of a different artisan chocolatier, and the walls of establishment are always hung with works for sale by talented artists. The shop’s current art exhibit is “When Life is {…}

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Support Sonoma County’s Many GLBT-Owned Businesses

1 month ago in GLBT.0 Comments

There’s a nice article this month in Sonoma County online gay newspaper, We The People, encouraging shoppers to check out some of the area’s many shops and galleries owned by members of the GLBT community. You may have already done your holiday shopping, but it’s worth checking out this story for retail ideas throughout the coming months – here’s the {…}

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Drive-In Delights: Pick’s, Carr’s, and D’s

2 months ago in GLBT.0 Comments

A few months ago I wrote about southern Sonoma County’s sterling Fremont Diner, which occupies a drive-in known previously as Babe’s Burgers. The owners of the Fremont have taken the humble diner/drive-in concept and raised it to new heights, serving inspired farm-to-table versions of comfort-food classics. I love what they’ve done here, but that’s not to say I don’t still {…}

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Sustainable dining at Kenwood’s Vineyards Inn

2 months ago in GLBT.0 Comments

Open for nearly 30 years, the unassuming but handsome Vineyards Inn (8445 Kenwood Hwy./Hwy. 12, 707-833-4500) is both a seasoned culinary institution and a cutting-edge experiment in sustainability. The rambling roadhouse-style restaurant set amid some of Kenwood’s most celebrated vineyards is along busy Highway 12, which cuts through Sonoma’s fabled Valley of the Moon. Steven and Colleen Rose are the {…}

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Sonoma County’s Dining Out For Life is back Dec. 1

2 months ago in GLBT.0 Comments

Sonoma County’s deliciously successful fundraiser Dining Out For Life, which raised more than $105,000 last year, will take place again exactly one week after Thanksgiving (perhaps by then we’ll all be hungry again?). On Thursday, Dec. 1, dozens of restaurants will donate 25 or 50 percent of the food portions of your meal tab, and a handful of eateries pledge {…}

Sonoma County has 13 wine regions - start exploring!

Sonoma Wine Country Basics

2 months ago in GLBT.0 Comments

Often I travel with a friend of mine, Alison Stein Wellner, who’s also a travel and food writers – in fact, she and I have explored Sonoma County together on a couple of occasions. Alison runs the Culinary Travel site for About.com, the same website (owned by the New York Times Company) for whom I run the site on Gay {…}

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Wine Road’s Wine and Food Affair set for Nov. 5-6

3 months ago in GLBT.0 Comments

Wine Road, the popular Wine Country resource I blogged about recently, is producing the 13th Annual “A Wine & Food Affair,” Nov. 5-6, celebrating vintners and restaurants in Sonoma County’s Alexander, Dry Creek, and Russian River Valley areas. Wineries involved each have contributed a recipe to the event’s official cookbook, and you’ll have the chance to sample these treats as {…}

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Touring Michel-Schlumberger Winery

3 months ago in GLBT, Insiders Guide.1 Comment

For many of us, myself included, a great winery visit is as much about the overall experience as it is about the wine. Set back along a remote, windy road in the Dry Creek Valley, Michel-Schlumberger Wine Estate has quickly become one of my favorite tasting stops because of its passionate staff, ethereal setting, and striking architecture. The winery also {…}