bay area – Natalie's Travels

If you ever get the chance to go to the Oxbow Public Market in downtown Napa, do it.

Seriously. Check it out.

You have all sorts of great vendors parked right inside the building- it’s an indoor market place and you won’t regret going there.

The Oxbow Public Market first opened in 2008 and was modeled after the ferry building in San Francisco- a place which, admittedly, I have never yet been.

Scandalous, I know. Please hold the tomatoes.

But the Oxbow? I go there all the time. It’s one of my favorite places in town. I mean, you could spend all freaking day there.

“What kinds of places and vendors are there?” You might ask me, curiously. Your head is tilted, eyes sparkling with good humor. “What would warrant spending hours in one building?”

“I’ll tell you,” I say, with a knowing grin. “Friend, you are in for a treat.”

Continue reading “Oxbow Public Market”

According to the park ranger at the Mission San Francisco Solano (which I talked about in Part 2), I was to drive three blocks west, and then make a right on Third Street. Had it been colder outside, I would have walked; but I find the heat draining- like my energy is being sucked from my lifeless corpse- so I couldn’t muster up the will-power to do so. Although it generally depends on the temperature. High 70s, maybe. Mid-80s and above? Nope. I wouldn’t do well living in the desert, although I suppose I’d eventually get used to the heat.

The drive leading up to the estate was long and lined with trees; they acted almost like sentries guarding the gates to a medieval castle. I couldn’t make my car go very fast on it (speed limits, you understand), but that worked to my advantage. The slower speed allowed me to not only get to my destination safely, but also to better enjoy my surroundings. Being so close to the main part of the city, I felt like I was in the countryside, miles away from everyone and everything. Had I been able to find a country station that came in, I would’ve been blasting it out my speakers.

A bike path intersected the road and I slowed down, allowing a skateboarder to cross, before continuing on my way. As hot as it felt outside when I was by the Sonoma Plaza, it honestly didn’t feel as warm here at Vallejo’s home. More than likely due to the level of foliage and trees here. Or maybe it was the breeze that decided to greet me?

Hi, friend! Here’s a little something to soothe ya!

From the parking lot, just beyond a pearly-blue gate I could see a two-storied white house. But before I could get there, I first had to go through the gate into another building just to the right. It was here that I triumphantly brandished my receipt from the mission. I was given a laminated pamphlet with information on the home- and a map of the home’s interior- and sent on my way.

First, though, before going outside, I took a moment to gaze at some of the artifacts on display, amongst which was an old carriage once used by the Vallejo family.

Continue reading “Lachryma Montis: General Vallejo’s Estate- SSHP, Part 3”