San Francisco's Hotel Palomar

Have the travel bug but don’t want to venture too far? Check out these three great packages ranging in location from the city to the wine country.

1 Fun in Napa

Head to downtown Napa for a bit of uptown fun. The lovingly restored historic, Uptown Theater attracts A-listers on a regular basis. Combine dinner, lodging and a show with “A Night in Napa to Remember” package, including lunch or dinner options at French Laundry, La Toque or Morimoto with lodging at Avia Hotel, Villagio Resort and Spa or The Meritage Resort. Starting at $699; uptowntheatrenapa.com

2 San Francisco Fling

Looking for an ultimate San Francisco romantic getaway? Consider Hotel Palomar’s “Date Night,” which includes an executive king room (free movie rental of Date Night); a mixology cocktail kit; a $50 credit at the award-winning, onsite restaurant the Fifth Floor; and use of DBC City Bikes in the morning. Starting at $259; hotelpalomar.com

3 Sonoma Celebration

Head up to Sonoma to celebrate The Lodge at Sonoma Renaissance Resort & Spa’s 10-year anniversary with its “Delightful Decade” package. Includes a luxury guestroom and breakfast. Starting at $259; thelodgeatsonoma.com

Somerston Sauvignon Blanc

What better way to stock your wine cellar than to spend quality time sampling the goods? Here are a few newly opened tasting rooms and events for your sipping pleasure.

1 Yountville

Enjoy a vista-filled vineyard tour on an all-terrain vehicle that also includes viewing spring-fed lakes, natural soda springs, several acres dedicated to farming and 1,500 head of Dorper sheep. somerstonwineco.com

2 South Lake Tahoe, CA

Taste wine from the award-winning Jodar Vineyards & Winery, a small family owned winery located in the Sierra Foothills, at the Sample the Sierra in South Lake Tahoe event September 4. samplethesierra.com 

3 Healdsburg

Visit the Bacigalupi family’s newly opened a tasting room. The family was one of the first to plant pinot noir in Russian River Valley and has been growing award-winning grapes for over 55 years. After three years of planning, the family is showcasing their estate vineyard designate wines such as the John Tyler label. johntylerwines.com

4 St. Helena

Check out Ovid Vineyards, a solar-powered, green-certified winery on Pritchard Hill overlooking Napa Valley, which just released its Experimental A2.7, a blend of entirely concrete-fermented lots aged in French oak barrels. Will they make the list of other Pritchard Hill premium cult wines? Decide for yourself. Appointments only. ovidvineyards.com

5 Livermore

Decompress with a stay-and-play package at The Course at Wente Vineyards, which includes tasting the award-winning 2008 Syrah and 2006 Chardonnay from Annika Vineyards. Both bottles just earned silver medals in the sports and entertainment category at the Los Angeles International Wine and Spirits Competition. Annika Vineyards is a partnership between pro golfer Annika Sorenstam and winemaker Karl Went. wentevineyards.com

Flo-yo at the Fairmont Orchid

If you love to do yoga and stand up paddleboarding, you can now do them both at once. The Fairmont Orchid, on Hawaii’s Big Island, has recently added Flo-yo (floating yoga) to the list of water fitness options for their guests. Practiced on a stand up paddleboard, Flo-yo connects the mind, body and breath of participants who balance above the calm morning waters of the bay in front of the resort. fairmont.com/orchid.

Indeed the Hawaiian-shirted crowd filled the theater with a mostly older audience — although younger fans were not hard to find — ready to enjoy and dance to the music of both past and present.

The evening started with music from the past as Wilson and his band pulled out just about every hit a Beach Boys fan could ask for including “California Girls,” “Wendy,” “Little Deuce Coupe,” “Surfer Girl,” “In My Room” and “I Get Around.” The songs sounded flawless as band members such as guitarist/vocalist Jeff Foskett — who has immersed himself in learning both the surf guitar style of Carl Wilson and the vocal range and sound of a young Brian Wilson — brought new energy to the classic songs while staying true to the original sound. Keyboardist/vocalist Darian Sahanaja and multi-instrumentalist Scott Bennett also helped provide some subtle new twists to the instantly recognizable sound of early Beach Boys music.

Wilson summarized the mood of the opening set perfectly. “Napa is good,” he said. “Now sit back and relax and we’ll take care of the music for you.” Wilson seemed to be having a great time as he lightheartedly “conducted” the band with hand motions as he played and, at one point, just turned his seat around to watch them play. He also had fun referring to Foskett as the “CEO of falsetto.”

The second set opened with the band playing five of the 14 new tracks on the acclaimed Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin album including a standout version of “Summertime.” Then it was time for some top-shelf Beach Boys including “Sloop John B,” “Wouldn’t it be Nice,” “God Only Knows” and, finally, “Good Vibrations” — which was exactly what everyone in the audience left with.

Luna products from the first shipment

Steller Spa and EcoMom Alliance have come together to create Kade’s Aide, which will bring preventive skin care to Afghan women and children. “Skin care for the Afghan people is a need that was brought to my attention via local Marin County residents, Chrise de Tournay-Birkhahn (of Ecomom Alliance), and her husband, CDR Kurt Birkhahn (USN), who is currently deployed in Afghanistan,” explained Steller Spa co-owner Dana Vandeweg. “I  asked if there was anything the troops needed that we could send,” Dana said. “Kurt felt they were comfortable, but that preventative skin care in the Afghan rural community was a huge unaddressed issue; he frequently handed over his personal Chapsticks and sunscreen to Afghan people in small villages.” The thought of  a small child and mom with sunburned faces and bleeding, cracked lips tugged at Dana’s heartstrings, prompting her to look around the spa and send over a large shipment of travel and sample size  products in January 2011.

Since then, the project has gained momentum and the group is reaching out to the public for help. If you’re interested in contributing to the cause, bring your unused, unopened chap sticks, sunscreens, soothing gels and facial creams to one of the Kade’s Aide drop-off locations, including  Stellar Spa (26 Tamalpais Drive, Corte Madera), Stroller Strides in Benicia & Fairfield and Dr. Cheryl Huang’s medical office, Marin Aesthetica (1260 South Eliseo Drive, Greenbrae).

"Miss Suki" Hold Me Bag

So, the other day this cute black makeup bag showed up in our office. Seeing that I am in the process of trying to solve that little “my dresser’s been taken over by cosmetics” problem, the Knew Suede bag caught my eye. It’s called “Miss Suki” from the Hold Me collection, and it’s designed to separate all of your brushes, powders, etc so everything is all neat all the time.

Intrigued? Check it out here.

Blue & Gold's special offers

Friday night trip to the city? You can leave the car in the garage- until October, Blue & Gold’s “Friday Northbay Getaway” is offering late night ferry service from Tiburon to Pier 41 and the San Francisco Ferry Building. Bonus! They’re also offering special deals at Scomas Restaurant in Sausalito and Sam’s Anchor Cafe, Servino’s and Guaymas in Tiburon.

Friday late night ferry service between San Francisco and Tiburon/Sausalito effective Friday, May 25th. The summer “fun run” will offer riders the opportunity to depart the City from either Fisherman’s Wharf (at 10:30pm) or the San Francisco Ferry Building (at 11:00pm) and reach the Tiburon by 11:30pm, depending on destination. Visitors and dinner guests at waterfront restaurants in Tiburon and Sausalito will also be able to take advantage of the service returning to San Francisco’s Fishermen’s Wharf after midnight at 12:30am.

Check out the offers and the ferry schedule here.

Photo courtesy of Dustin Cohen

This August, Jeff Bridges‘s extensive resume is about to get even longer. He will release his first album, Jeff Bridges, with his band Jeff Bridges and the Abiders. Intrigued? The actor (think True Grit, TRON, Crazy Heart) claims that his music will feature his own compositions along with several pieces written by world-class songwriters.  You can check out his performance at the Marin Veterans’ Auditorium on August 24 at 8pm. Tickets go on sale July 11th- call (800) 745-3000, visit ticketmaster.com, or pop by Marin Center Box office (10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael) 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon- Fri.

David, Ryan, Wesley, and Doug Canepa

Mill Valley Wine and Gourmet Food tasting: Sunday, June 26, 1-4pm in downtown Mill Valley’s Depot Plaza. Tickets $35 in advance, $45 at the door.

Every June since 1981, the Canepa family has lived and breathed the Mill Valley Wine and Gourmet Food tasting. Sure, it started out as what Jim Canepa, former owner of Mill Valley Market, called a “little wine and cheese gathering,” but now, thirty years later, the event belongs to the current Mill Valley Market owners Doug and Dave Canepa. This year, they are aiming to kick the festivities up a notch with an array of new additions. For the first time ever, for example, Mill Valley Beerworks will be pouring their Mill Valley favorites, from Crispen Cider to Saint, and an array of local and international brews will be featured. Despite the beer frenzy, foodies haven’t been forgotten; selections from Mill Valley eateries, from Balboa Café to Tony Tutto Pizza to El Paseo House of Chops, will still be present, alongside a couple of bakeries and an array of tapenades. And wine aficionados, they’ve remembered you, too- as if favorites such as Adastra Wine’s Pinot Noir and Spanish and Portuguese wines from Vinos Unicos weren’t enough, new selections from Dragonette Cellar’s Sauvignon Blanc to the unique flavors of Crosby Roamann will be introduced.]

Bonus! It’s also the Mill Valley Market’s 82nd anniversary. Doug Canepa’s thoughts on why they’ve been in business for so long? “The reason we’ve stayed in business for over 80 years is, I believe, because our business focus has always been the community. What’s good for the community is good for us.  We think of Mill Valley as our business partner and we are loyal to its residents. This, along with our ability to adapt to new eating habits and to changes in what consumers want – for example fresh & organic, local produce (which we now control from our own farm,) as well as stock prepared meals for working families, has served us well.” As for owning and running a business with the family? “While all families have their ups and downs, we learned from our father and uncle to ultimately trust each other,” Canepa said. “We have confidence in our family members and know they will do the job well; we don’t question each other. This trust in family also applies to our staff who have been with us for many years and have become extended family.”