Inside Sonoma

It may still technically be winter for a couple of more weeks, but Sonoma County bursts into bloom about this time of the year – in fact, the region’s many cherry trees began bursting with pink blooms back in mid-February, and everything from magnolias to nectarine trees are showing plenty of color about now. Another [...]

With a population of about 1,000 and a village center that’s easy to miss if you’re simply zooming down Hwy. 12 through eastern Sonoma County’s fabled “Valley of the Moon,” Glen Ellen is one of
those quintessentially easy-going yet sophisticated Wine Country villages that’s perfect for whiling away an afternoon. This peaceful village is less than [...]

I spent a couple of nights at this Tuscan-inspired hotel in the heart of Santa Rosa recently, and I wholeheartedly recommend the Hyatt Vineyard Creek to others. Here are a few things that stand out…
1. I’ve of the mind that all of Sonoma’s major chain hotels are ostensibly gay-friendly – this just isn’t a big [...]

One of the best ways to meet fellow “family” (and allies) around Sonoma is to get involved with one of the county’s GLBT social organizations – there are several, they’re generally very open to both residents and visitors to the region, and they’re a wonderful way to meet like-minded souls and gather travel advice about [...]

Westside Road has long been one of my favorite spots for wine tasting in Sonoma. The picturesque, pastoral road snakes in a northeasterly direction roughly parallel to the Russian River from about five miles east of Guerneville up nearly to downtown Healdsburg.
AThe emphasis here is on Pinot Noir grapes, but the more than a dozen [...]

A sign caught my eye while tasting wines at Rodney Strong Vineyards last week (beautiful tasting room, by the way, with interpretative panels  in adjacent barrel room that tell the story of this prestigious, historic Sonoma winemaker.  The sign was promoting one of the several outstanding food-related festivals and events that take place in the [...]