I guess photographs of your kids in front of the Christmas Tree are a holiday season requirement.  So here ya go!

A few weeks back at Shikha & Manmeet’s wedding, I was killing some time before their reception at Chicago’s Trump International Hotel & Tower with John Moon of Northern Light Film Works.  John and his wife Jennifer are actually from Indianapolis, In. and while we were chatting outside the hotel,  John commented on how beautiful and interesting the architecture is along the Chicago River.  John mentioned that last fall he made a weekend trip up here with a bunch of friends and took in one of the architectural boat tours that are a fixture on the river in the summer.  Sadly, despite the fact that I’ve lived in the Chicago area my entire life, I have never “bothered” to actually take one of the boat tours, or really partake in any of the “tourist” type of activites downtown.

It’s easy to take for granted the city you call home.  In fact my job as a wedding photographer in some ways causes me to take it for granted even more.  Every week I’m downtown photographing a wedding, an engagement session, meeting with a client, or having lunch with a vendor.  In the back of my mind it’s easy to think “hey I enjoy the city all the time!”  Unfortunately creating bridal portraits in and around the Chicago skyline isn’t quite the same as spending a day on a tour bus, shopping on Michigan Ave, exploring Navy Pier, or taking the kids to Lincoln Park Zoo.  Sure, it might sound “touristy” and maybe those aren’t the things that “real Chicagoans” do all the time.  But if you stop and think for a minute, those are the things that visitors to Chicago experience, which then helps spread the word about what a great city Chicago is to visit.

So if you live in San Francisco, take a tour to Alcatraz and spend a day at Fisherman’s Wharf.  If you live in New York go visit the statue of Liberty.  If you live in San Diego, check out the world famous San Diego Zoo.  If you live in LA, take a tour of movie star homes.  Regardless of what city you call home, we all can benefit from reconnecting with where we live on a level that we don’t necessarily experience on a day to day basis.

Every Wednesday is garbage day in our neighborhood.  And like everyone else I have to make sure that everything is out on the curb bright and early because who knows exactly when the big green truck is going to rumble by and clean the slate until next week.  Unfortunately in our neighborhood they don’t give out a prize each week for the household that produces the most bags of trash.  If they did, we would have that bad-boy locked down, no contest.  Some weeks it’s not uncommon for our curb to have as much garbage waiting to be picked up as two or three houses combined.  Seriously, our house is a garbage factory due in part to the fact that on some days there are as many as 5 kids under the age of 5 here, and due somewhat to the fact that we’re just a bit lazy when it comes to separating out recyclable stuff from the rest of the trash, and not using the garbage disposal to actually “dispose” of uneaten or bad food.

However, determined to remove the label as being the most prodigious garbage producing home on the block, I actually made a concentrated effort to toss everything that is remotely recycle-able into the proper bin, and let the garbage disposal annihilate and pulverize as much as possible for one week.  It actually worked!  This week we were down to one large plastic garbage bag and one very full recycling bin (as well as the grass clippings, but I don’t count those, they’re seasonal).  It’s not quite as good as our neighbor who somehow is able to only put out the recycling bin and his yard waste.  Which means he’s either a super recycler and doesn’t waste ANYTHING, or he’s a hoarder and only throws away his beer cans and the rest of his house is accumulating garbage.

Over the weeekend I was rummaging around our basement, and I stumbled across a series of journals that I kept through most of high school, college, and for a few years afterwards.  At one point  in life I had aspirations of becoming a writer, and one of my favorite daily columnists was Bob Greene of the Chicago Tribune.  Greene published a book entitled “Be True To Your School” which essentially was his own journal of 1964  growing up in the small town of Bexley, Oh.  Later on while at the Tribune, Greene wrote about journaling as the single best exercise to practice, develop and improve your writing skills, so naturally I picked up a pen and started filling up legal pads with whatever was going on in my life that day.

Like most projects that I dive into head first, the entries (or “posts” in today’s interweb based vernacular), were frequent, long and dense.  Over time the content tended to wax and wane due more to procrastination and laziness rather than any real inspiration.  But a quick skim through a couple of the volumes sitting on the floor of my basement was like attaching a couple of jumper cables to the memory batteries in my brain.  Some of the stuff I did and wrote about was amusing, some of it embarrassing, and some of it just plain weird, but it was interesting to see how I viewed the world then, compared with how I view it now.

Several of the volumes had sustained some flood damage, some were faded, and some were just plain difficult to read because my handwriting was (and still is) even hard for me to read sometimes!  I’m looking forward to continuing to re-visit my past, and possibly sharing some of it here.  While my outlook on the world may be the complete opposite of what it was 20+ years ago, I’m a firm believer that some things never change, and for better or worse, your experiences of the past eventually manifest themselves in the person you are today.

“Yo….I’m up from my afternoon siesta….I need my sippy cup and my iPhone….gotta take care of some major business…….”

“OK let’s see……stock market closed….everything looks good……Oh, I totally PWNED that ETrade baby today!  SUCK ON IT you commercial shill….that clown couldn’t trade his way out of an equity option spread if his 18month old life depended on it……”

“Seriously….everyone knows he just piggybacks his trades on his babysitter’s….who happens to be an unemployed Lehman Bros. analyst with an MBA from Harvard…..man if she ever finds a job on Wall Street or starts her own hedge fund….he’s not going to know what hit him…….as my older brother would say ‘too bad, so sad’….”

“One last check on the opening quotes from the Asian markets…..stop loss orders are all set…..now I have to check Facebook, and send out a tweet about the hot steamer that I just unloaded into my diaper……OH, DADDY!”

I want to make one thing very clear, I’m not a travel, food, or wine writer/blogger.  However when your clients are primarily soon-to-be newlyweds or parents of young children, the subject of honeymoon and vacation spots often becomes part of the conversation.

A few months ago I posted an article on the blog describing a few of my favorite spots throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Last week Amy and  I spent a few days in another of my all-time favorite destinations:  northern California’s wine country.  If you’ve never experienced this part of the country, it is arguably the perfect destination for a short vacation/long weekend type getaway.  I don’t know if I (or my liver) could handle a full week up there, but you could easily spend a few days in San Francisco to round out a longer vacation.

I’m not going to recommend particular wineries because wine is a very personal thing, and what I like might taste like gasoline to someone else.  Rather, I wanted to write this up as a type of starter guide for anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of exploring this unique and incredibly sublime part of the country.

A Tale of Two Valleys

When you mention the term “California wine country” typically the name that immediately comes to mind is the Napa Valley.  However the Napa Valley is one of two main wine producing regions in the area, along with the Sonoma Valley.  the two valleys are very different, both in terms of geography, layout, and the types of wines featured in the local wineries and tasting rooms.

Napa

The Napa valley is probably the most famous and heavily trafficked  wine producing region in the United States.   The valley has two main roads, highway 29 and Silverado Trail road which run parallel to each other in a North/South direction, which are then connected by a handful of East/West roads running across the valley floor.  Both the highway and Silverado trail roads are dotted with wineries running the entire length of the valley.  As you move north through the valley on the highway after leaving the town of Napa, you’ll work your way through the small, quaint towns of Rutherford, Yountville, St. Helena, and Calistoga.   The geography and road layout of the valley makes enjoying this area incredibly easy.  Wineries are often directly next door to one another or across the street.  Quite often you can leave one tasting and be at the next spot on your list within 10 minutes.

Sonoma

The Sonoma Valley is located just to the West of the Napa valley, the east side of the Sonoma Valley being defined by the same hillside that creates the western border of the Napa Valley.  An assortment of small towns dot the valley floor, however I’ve always felt that the towns that make up the Sonoma Valley are bit more challenging to work through because they’re not laid out in a straight line the way the towns in the Napa Valley are.  As you work your way north and west through the valley towards the towns of Santa Rosa, Geyersville, Healdsburg, Forestville and Windsor, the hills get steeper and the twists and turns in the road more numerous.  A good GPS systems is a must-have accessory for navigating the Sonoma Valley.

The Tasting Experience

It makes no difference what type of  wine you like.  In fact if you start your trip with an open mind, and engage the pourers in the tasting room, quite often you may come to realize that wines you thought you’d never drink quickly become favorites.  Amy is a great example:  prior to our first trip, she wanted nothing to do with red wines.  She always associated red wines as harsh and hard to drink, which can be characteristic of some cabernet and merlots.   However after explaning to a few pourers what she didn’t like about “red wine” they suggested she try more fruit forward zinfandels and pinot noirs.  Guess what, now Amy actually prefers red wine to white!

Without exception, almost everyone that works in a tasting room is not only passionate about wine, but is more than willing to share what they know and answer any questions you might have.  If they mention a process or term that you’re not familiar with, simply ask them to explain it in detail and they’ll be more than happy to educate you.   If you like white wines and don’t see a lot of white wine varietals on a tasting menu, simply ask and quite often your pourer will be more than happy to allow you to substitute wines in a tasting flight.  I can’t quantify how many, but I’m sure we’ve purchased bottles of wine from wineries simply because the pourer was engaging and fun to chat with, regardless of how good the wine may have actually tasted.

If you don’t like my advice, here’s a few tasting room tips from a real wine blogger…..http://notesfromthecellar.com/2010/03/8-rules-for-visiting-tasting-rooms/

The Wines

The geography of the two regions isn’t the only difference.  In the Napa Valley, you’ll often hear the phrase “Cab is King” in reference to the abundace of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and vintages that are featured throughout the valley.  You’ll still find excellent Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Zinfandel wines at the Napa wineries.  However it wont’ take you long to figure out that Cabernet is staple varietal of most of the wineries.   If you venture over to Sonora, you’ll find a larger selection of Chardonay, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel.  The point to remember is that regardless of what your wine preference is, you’ll find more than enough to interest you palette in either area.  If you’ve never been to this area, I’d recommend spending at least one day in each area to get a feel for which valley you like.

Where to Stay

We’ve been fortunate enough to stay at different types of lodging in each of our trips to the Napa Valley.  We’ve never stayed in the Sonoma Valley, but have always made a day trip to the Sonoma Valley wineries each trip.  Our first trip we stayed at a bed ‘n breakfast in the actual town of Napa called the BlackBird Inn.  The inn is fantastic, however we weren’t as impressed with the actual town of Napa.  The largest challenge is the fact that it’s decent drive to get up into the valley proper to begin tasting each day, and depending on which wineries you want to visit, you can easily be an hours drive away if you head all the way up to Calistoga at the far end of the valley.

Amy has stayed at a Marriot property which is a bit further up the road, and in her words was “just another Marriot.”

We’ve also stayed at a guest cottage that is part of the Dutch Henry winery in Calistoga.  We had joined their wine club, and the guest cottage is an offer they extend to wine club members.  While we didnt’ have the creature comforts of maid service and dining options in the hotel, there was something very hypnotic about waking up every morning looking down over the Silverado Trail and watching the sun start to light up the vineyards on the valley floor.  Being at the far northern end of the valley presented some of the same challenges as staying in Napa.  You’re just a bit far from certain areas.

However our last trip we stayed in St. Helena at the Harvest Inn on the recommendation of one of Amy’s colleagues, and this place was the best of everything.  Located right in the middle of the valley, our room backed up to a vineyard, and included complimentary breakfast each morning.  The lobby lounge also featured complimentary tastings from local wineries each night on the weekends.

Where to Eat

Great wine and great food go hand-in-hand.  Whether you decide to stay in Napa, or in one of the other towns located up the valley, there is no shortage of amazing restaurants to fit any taste or budget.  Just like the wineries, you can visit the area multiple times and never eat at the same restaurant twice.  A couple of great spots for lunch are the Rutherford Grill in Rutherford, Ca, the TraVigne pizza place in St. Helena, or our favorite lunch joint, Taylors automatic refresher in St. Helena.  It’s definitely touristy, and the line can be long, but a greasy double cheeseburger or fish taco from Taylors is a great way to take a break from tasting in the valley. For dinner we’ve eaten at Bistro Don Giovanni (italian), Fume (italian), Go Fish (american seafood and sushi), Tra Vigne (crazy good italian), and The Flatiron Grill (american steaks/chops) and the bar at Auberge de Soleil which probably has the most incredible view in the area.

If there’s one area I haven’t had the greatest luck with out there, it’s steaks.  There are several fine steakhouses that have friendly service, great atmosphere, and amazing appetizers/deserts.  However being from Chicago where there is no shortage of world class steakhouses such as Gibsons, Wildfire, Mortons and the Chophouse (or insert your other favorite), the steaks I’ve had in Napa are finely done, but not nearly as well rounded as what you can get back east.

I mentioned earlier that I didn’t want to recommend any specific wineries.  But if you’re completely confused and looking for some places to start your search through wine country, I’ve included a list of most of the Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley wineries that we’ve tasted at.  You’ll have to see for yourself whether any of these float your boat!

Napa Valley

Chimney Rock, Heitz Cellars, Louis Martini, Dutch Henry, Grgich Hills, Cakebread Cellars, Elizabeth Spencer, Franciscan, V. Sattui, Hall, Duckhorn, Freemark Abbey, Merryvale, Silver Rose, Frank Family, Rombauer, Joseph Phelps, Fleury Estate, Silver Oak, Jarvis, Stags Leap, Hagafen, Del Dotto, PlumpJack, Cosentino, On the Edge,

Sonoma Wineries

Everett Ridge, Gary Ferrell, Sausal, Valley of the Moon, Ledson, Landmark, Simi, Hook & Ladder, DeLoche, Joseph Swan, Kunde Estate, Hartford, Viansa

Heights dont’ freak me out all that much.  Earlier in my photography career I spent a good deal of my time climbing around the catwalks above basketball arenas which are usually at least 100 feet or so above the court.  However when the stability of the structure I’m standing on is (in my mind) questionable, that’s another story.  Last week I was back updating a continuing personal project I’m working on, and came across this dude working on a construction crane downtown……..

The operators will tell you otherwise, but something that tall and skinny just doesn’t look all that stable, especially on a windy day……….

Every now and then I’ll sneak into either Jack or Conner’s room while they’re sleeping and just watch them for a few moments.  Jack is downright comical with the number of stuffed animals and the various ways he contorts his body when he’s asleep, while Conner adopts more of a straightforward “baby pose” while sleeping.  One thing I’ve never been able to do is actually make a decent photograph of either of them because it’s usually so dark in their rooms.  Yesterday I was able to sneak into Conner’s room during his afternoon nap and even with the blinds pulled, there was just enough light coming in to help me out with this image.