Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Up North
Spent the weekend with Marah and her 'rents up in Marin County, which may be one of the best places. Ever. I mean, walks through the winding, wooded streets off Highway 1 are sometimes interrupted by giant SUVs that barrel through like they were God's gift to nature. But the views and small-town-in-the-mountains feel of the place make the yuppie-dodging worth it.
Sunday we were decidedly cultured, and drove out to Napa for wine tasting. I'm told the better, less crowded places are in Mendecino, but that was a few hours away and for another trip. Some vineyards charged for tastes, some didn't. Coppola jacked us the most (like the dude needs more money), but it also had the nicest exteriors -- huge courtyard and fountain. Nicely done. There was also a Coppola mini museum inside, which sounded only tacky at first, but actually featured some cool family memorabilia (the score for the first Godfather -- Frances's cousin or something was the composer), as well as props and costumes from different movies. Those Italians, they make pasta, wine, AND they're creative. Is there anything they can't do?
The only thing missing for me was a Giamatti-esque spectacle of desperation. I really wanted a disgruntled wine-taster to pick up one of those expectoration bowl things and dump it all over himself. Sadly the alcoholics were on their best behavior.
Spent the weekend with Marah and her 'rents up in Marin County, which may be one of the best places. Ever. I mean, walks through the winding, wooded streets off Highway 1 are sometimes interrupted by giant SUVs that barrel through like they were God's gift to nature. But the views and small-town-in-the-mountains feel of the place make the yuppie-dodging worth it.
Sunday we were decidedly cultured, and drove out to Napa for wine tasting. I'm told the better, less crowded places are in Mendecino, but that was a few hours away and for another trip. Some vineyards charged for tastes, some didn't. Coppola jacked us the most (like the dude needs more money), but it also had the nicest exteriors -- huge courtyard and fountain. Nicely done. There was also a Coppola mini museum inside, which sounded only tacky at first, but actually featured some cool family memorabilia (the score for the first Godfather -- Frances's cousin or something was the composer), as well as props and costumes from different movies. Those Italians, they make pasta, wine, AND they're creative. Is there anything they can't do?
The only thing missing for me was a Giamatti-esque spectacle of desperation. I really wanted a disgruntled wine-taster to pick up one of those expectoration bowl things and dump it all over himself. Sadly the alcoholics were on their best behavior.
