Historic Santa Rosa

Our lunch at East/West Café. It's located in Montgomery Village on which I will expand later. I had a successful visit with a major stamp manufacturer in Santa Rosa, which made our stay that much more enjoyable. Picking up a copy of the North Bay Bohemian was also a great experience. It's an intelligent newspaper with pointed views on current events; one of the most enjoyable articles for me was entitled "Living Well Is the Best Revenge" and addressed the population at large, specifically those who questioned the very point of existence after September 11th. A particular sentence sums up the flavor of the article: "I'm also suggesting something more than making sure we don't sacrifice the full spectrum of experience in the name of fear and uncertainty." Well said. Also, this was the starting point of ArtTrails, an open studio tour in Sonoma County which introduces you to about 145 artists. The sign is quite noticeable all over the area.

Quick Tips:

Pick up local newspapers when you're in town where you can find discounts and coupons for goods and services, and half-off meals. You'll also get a good idea of what's happening where. There's a great consignment shop for women called Bella Due Volte at 1040 - 4th Street.

Best Way To Get Around:

Drive.

For more on San Francisco and other Northern California Cities:

San Jose

Healdsburg

Go West!

Petaluma

Sebastopol

Slumming in San Francisco

San Francisco II

Rohnert Park Berkeley

This is one of those places Chuck and I fell into by accident. He had been telling me about Montgomery Village and that he used to come to the area some 15 years ago. We went around the complex a couple of times looking for a parking spot. We saw an outdoor cafe offering wraps and were going to stop there for lunch. Another spin around, and we decided to try the East West Cafe. There was actually a line here! We took a cue from the customers ahead of us who were studying the menu while waiting.

As I looked around the establishment, I noticed a lot of blue tiles on the wall, and mentioned to Chuck that this place undoubtedly had moslem owners, as they believe in the evil eye, which is warded off by the color blue. A few items on the menu also hinted at some mediterranean background.

We saw some of the serving plates being brought out of the kitchen and they were positively huge portions. I quickly made up my mind to have a plate of babaganoush with pita bread. Chuck went for a hummus plate, and we simply couldn't finish either one.

Our waiter informed us that the owners were Damascan Syrians. He was very friendly and gave us extra helpings of pita for dipping the leftovers. The lemonade was delicious. Some of the other things served were mounds of salad, burgers with melted cheese, creative wraps, dolmas, armenian potato salad (lemon/garlic), chicken thai and greek salads; entrees under $10 included moussaka, taco or falafel plates, shish kebab, hummus quesadilla, braised Tamari Tofu. Also Chicken twists - burrito, teriyaki, asparagus, pasta, espresso based drinks, teas including hot chai, calistogas flavored waters, smoothies, cakes.

I got some birds nests which are made of filo dough in the shape of a nest, filled with walnuts and topped with honey syrup. They were only $2.50 each!

The LBC, as it is known here, was named after Luther Burbank, a man who earned celebrity by developing the Shasta daisy, the Santa Rosa plum and the Burbank potato. I bet you didn’t know that, and guess what? Neither did I. So what does agriculture have to do with performing arts? It seems that Mr. Burbank hung out with the celebrities of his time, such as Thomas Edison and Helen Keller and prominent artists and screen stars. Some 50 years after his death, a group of civic leaders formed a foundation in his name with the hope of establishing an art center. Twenty years ago, community leaders purchased the site of the Christian Life Center and its 53 acres, and thus the genesis of the LBC in 1981.

This Center for the Arts truly earns its name; it is also home to several other cultural groups such as the Sonoma Country Music Assoc., the Santa Rosa Symphony, Ballet California, Actors’ Theater and a few others. It also rents its many conference and dining facilities to the public. I was very impressed to learn that they sponsor over 100 cultural programs a year. When I picked up the North Bay Bohemian Paper , there was a half-size page ad listing future performances, and it was wonderful to see the diversity of the programming. It appeared to me to be a compendium of the offerings of Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center , the Joyce Theater and the Manhattan Theater rolled into one. Just read a portion of the roster: Julio Iglesias, Dennis Miller, Maya Angelou, World Music & Dance (my favorite), The Temptations, the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, and Navidad en Mexico. And there were many others.

Something which sets the LBC apart from other performing art centers is its Art Reach Program which donates tickets to families with limited incomes, to include ethnic minorities and disadvantaged children.

For instance, the LBC Family Shows is bringing "Frogz" to Santa Rosa on January 24, 2002. Tickets are quite reasonable at $16.00 for children. Frogz which was already on Broadway, makes for great family fun with its life size lizardz, penguinz and frogz with toe tapping music and gleeful atmosphere. Moreover, an hour prior to show time, you can come and enjoy free art tables and live music…something on the order of the Berkshires’ Jacob’s Pillow . To view that journal, go to Jacob’s Pillow

Among the many rental facilities, the Outdoor Tent seats 800 people theater style. It can hold up to 900 people, reception style, and if they all sat down, 625 people. That’s a heck of a lot bigger than the tent where we had lunch! It’s a beautiful venue, whether you are here for a specific program or just to look around.

Fourth Street, coincidentally here too, is a stretch of fine restaurants and shops in downtown Santa Rosa. It’s a microcosm of chic, hoopla, global, healthy, relaxed, and history. If you do Fourth Street, you’ve captured the essence of Santa Rosa’s people.

There are so many wonderful shops to see; if you are inclined to go tribal, Gado Gado International will delight you with all sorts of imported sculpture, furnishings, dolls, and other objets d’art from the Far East. Exquisite jewelry can be seen at E. R. Sawyer , a family that has been in the business since 1879. One of my favorite shops will have to be Corrick’s ; there I can linger and look at their stationery, art supplies, books to my heart’s content. There is also an ecclectic selection of China, Crystal, Silver, and gifts from the Wine Country. As everywhere else in California, Mexican food reigns; The Cantina on 4th Street has been named best Mexican Food, best cocktails, best place to dance, best place to party. So this is not just food, but also much cheer and good feeling. Café des Croissants , a few doors down from The Cantina, has a location here as well. We very much enjoyed having breakfast at their location in Rohnert Park. See journal here.

Luckily, the Santa Rosa Convention and Visitors Bureau is located at 9 Fourth St., so it would be an important stop to make if you are visiting for the first time. Also if you are interested in wineries, they will have lots of information on vineyards, tasting rooms, and places to stay. The Matanzas Creek Winery in Santa Rosa offers lavender for culinary purposes in addition to fine wines. At the Kendall-Jackson Winery website, they have a great way of matching wine to various foods including cheeses, sauces, vegetables, etc..If you are a neophyte, or someone like me, this is a great starting point in learning which wines go with what foods.

If you walk around 4th Street and Courthouse Square, you’ll do some people watching, enjoy California’s nouvelle cuisine, and enjoy window or actual shopping.

Down further on Fourth and Wilson, you’ll find Santa Rosa’s Historic Railroad Square , which is yet another acclaimed shopping area with much by way of antiques, consignment stores, cafés and other shops. We did not get to see the restored Santa Rosa Depot where you can view the Rail Room Gallery.

You’ll need four wheels at first, and a pair of legs after you’ve parked.

The dates for this year's tour were October 13-14 and 20-21 which was perfectly timed for my trip. This is presented by the Cultural Arts Council of Sonoma County. Essentially this is a self-guided tour which allows you to visit 145 artists spread out all over the county. The ArtTrail sign tells you that you have come upon a member of the council. There is a map which you can pick up which is numbered; each number corresponds to an artist's studio in the catalogue.

We found a great memorial Statue of Liberty by an artist in Sebastopol to the victims of the World Trade Center. This comprises Santa Rosa, Healdsburg, Sebastopol, Petaluma and Sonoma. While visiting the artists, stop by and enjoy the foods, wines, and local culture. They have this every year, but I kept the brochure as the studios are open year round. The pictures which accompany this journal are from Santa Rosa artists.