I must admit…..northern California was what I imagined. While the Redwood Forest was beyond writing home about, the rest of the towns that trickled along the coast were similar….motels were fairly bland even the higher end ones, and restaurant and cafe options were limited.
The views of the coast were spectacular however and this is clearly the draw….not as breathtaking as the Monterey to Big Sur coast, but worth a frequent stop to meander.
From Crescent City close to the border all the way south along the coast, we stopped in most of the interesting towns worth exploring, including Patrick’s Point, Trinidad, Arcata and Eureka. The latter is the largest town among them, so my hopes were up that we might find a juice bar.
No such luck although many we asked claimed Eureka had a few organic supermarkets bound to cater to our needs. “Can’t miss it – you’ll see the LARGE cow facing the parking lot.” Large cow? What planet are these people from? By whose standards? David and I were both bemused by every set of directions we received and after several passes up and down the main drag, we were ready to give up and then alas, out of the corner of my eye, I saw it. THE COW. The small cow on the wall, indeed facing the parking lot.
No wheat grass but we were able to find some organic nuts and fruit for the car cooler. Funny what a transition the cooler made; full of champagne, wine and soda from numerous summer parties when we left Boston to nothing more than nuts, fiber cereal, blueberries, juice and fruit by the time we reached the California coastline.
We seemed to hit Eureka at the prime of tourist season. While oddly quiet during the day, the streets were bustling in the evening with hour long waits at every restaurant in town. We had dinner at Mazzotti’s, which like our choices the day before, was worth the wait. Old Town is worth a gander – most of the fleabag flophouses, sleazy sailors’ bars and pool halls along First, Second and Third Streets have been renovated to create a new trendy feel along the coast – a smaller but western version of a Newport perhaps.
Gotta love these views.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
