When and if you find time to look a little further afield than immediate convention activities, you would have many options. Something as simple as a brief stroll across the golf course to the community waterfowl pond to commune with feathered friends (warning, they expect crumbs!). If you take the airporter bus from the San Francisco airport, you will already have crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, seen the sail boats and Alcatraz in and on the bay, and the San Francisco skyline. Continuing on through Marin County, you will have seen the quaint houseboat community of Sausalito, haunt of the legendary beat poet generation. Be sure to look to the east side of the 101 Freeway as you descend the hill just north of San Rafael to catch a close up view of the famed west coast Frank Lloyd Wright architectural marvel, the Marin County Civic Center which stretches its aqua blue roof over several small hills. There is so much to do in Sonoma County within thirty miles of the Doubletree that you would be well advised to investing your sightseeing time right where you will be, with so much less traffic hassle. For example in addition to features already mentioned earlier, if you are a wine buff, there are literally hundreds of tasting rooms locally in the Carneros, Sonoma Valley, Glen Ellen – Valley of the Moon, Green Valley, Russian River, Dry Creek and Alexander Valley appellations without leaving the county. As you tour about, you could take an invigorating and sobering hike in Jack London state park near Glen Ellen, see the unique round pig palace from London’s farming enterprise or the Wolf House. Amble on over to the town of Sonoma and visit the historic square from early Spanish/Mexican days or go visit the first winery in California, Buena Vista, established by adventurer Col. Harazthny from Hungary. Head up northeast towards Mt. St. Helena and the Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, stopping at Safari West for the African mammal experience on the way. Drop in to see the world’s largest petrified forest, giant redwoods turned to stone. Slip your tour weary body into some hot spring spa in Calistoga, before going on to catch the perennial favorite, Old Faithful Geyser on Tubbs Lane. Now if it is too hot to your liking inland on the east side of the county, head west to the tranquility of the endless variety of coastal accesses in the western county, including historic Goat Rock Beach at the mouth of the Russian River where a large pod of harbor seals hang out on the beach. More adventurous? Head north up coastal Hwy. 1 to Fort Ross, a historical reconstruction of the original Russian settlement in Northern California. Or head south to Bodega Bay and see where the Hitchcock thriller, “The Birds”, was filmed. Keep going and sample fresh Tomales Bay oysters at roadside stands. Sonoma County offers a wide variety of hiking and walking trails. If you are a celluloid buff and film historian, you could always do the Sonoma County film trail, featuring dozens of the sites from famous movies. There is so much to do in Paradise; you will have to come back again and again to do it all. So be sure to make October 11 to 18, 2008, one of those trips. It will be worth every cent and every second invested.

Websites of Interest:

www.farmtrails.org

www.artrails.org

www.schulzmuseum.org

www.sonoma-county.org/film/

 

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