Group camp reopens at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park

The Group Camp
at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park reopened today. The camp was closed
after a break in the water line for several years. 

 

Group
Camp Site A reopened today, while Group Camp Site B will open on
Aug. 6.  Both sites are available to reserve through Reserve America by
phone at (800) 444-PARK and at http://www.reserveamerica.com. 

The sites will
be available for reservations for the season through Oct. 18.  The campsites
are located in a redwood area of the park across the highway from the Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
main entrance. 

Camping is limited to tents because there is a slight walk
required to reach the campsites. The cost of each campsite is $150 a night and can accommodate up to 35 people. 

Ten vehicles will be included in
the price for each site.  Dogs are not allowed in the Group Camp area.

 

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is located 30 miles south of Carmel, off Highway One. The park features
breathtaking views of the Big Sur Valley, the beauty of the redwoods, and access to the
Big Sur River.

 

For park information
please call (831) 667-2315 or online at http://www.parks.ca.gov

Where’s your favorite vacation spot?

So where’s you favorite vacation spot? Everyone has one, so why not share it with our readers.

Who knows, maybe you’ll got a great secret getaway that the rest of us would love to try. Do you prefer California, Asia, Europe, maybe South America?

Please share your travel secrets. We’ll all save lots of time and money for our precious vacations.

Perhaps you know all about camping or RV’ing. Maybe cruise ships are your specialty. Share your ideas with Tanks for the Memories and we’ll change it to Thanks For the Memories!

We’d all love to read some great stories!

Win a week stay at Napili Kai Beach Resort on Maui


Napili Kai Beach Resort is celebrating 50 years on the beach at Maui’s
beautiful Napili Bay.  The landmark resort, situated on ten beachfront
acres on Maui’s western shore, is marking its 50th anniversary with an
online contest to win a free week-long trip for two to Maui.

 The resort’s 50th Anniversary Contest is open to U.S. residents who are at least 21 years of age. No purchase is
necessary, and the entry form, eligibility, rules, and other contest
details are available at www.NapiliKai.com <http://www.NapiliKai.com>
 
Entry deadline is Dec. 31.  The winner of the random
drawing will receive a Grand Prize trip of seven nights for two people
including: Oceanview Studio accommodations at Napili Kai with welcome
leis, roundtrip air transportation provided by Mango Tours from any
continental U.S. airport serviced by Hawaiian Airlines, a seven-day
Enterprise car rental, private oceanfront Na Hoku dinner for two at the
resort, two roundtrip tickets on Expeditions ferry to the island of
Lanai, two tickets to the Grammy Award-winning slack key guitar concert
series at Napili Kai, and a slack key CD.            

Napili Kai was founded in 1960 by a group of Canadian and
American investors. The resort first opened as “Napili Kai Beach Club”
with 11 ocean front units on prime beachfront property facing
crescent-shaped Napili Bay.

Today the property, now called “Napili Kai
Beach Resort,” is a deluxe full-service resort made up of 163 hotel
rooms, studios, and one- and two-bedroom suites in 11 low-rise
plantation-style buildings. Studios and suites include kitchen
facilities (hotel rooms do not have kitchens).

Other amenities include a
large ocean view whirlpool spa, two putting greens (one for children,
one for adults), shuffleboard courts, fitness room, boutique day spa,
and guest barbecue facilities. World-class golf and tennis are available
across the street from Napili Kai in the Kapalua resort area.          

In keeping with Napili Kai’s longstanding philosophy of  “no
nickel-and-diming our guests,” there are no hidden charges or daily
resort fees. Parking is complimentary, as is the in-room high-speed
internet service.

Many complimentary services and activities are offered
to guests, such as: daily morning coffee in the lobby, midmorning
coffee in the Beach Cabana, mid-afternoon tea and coffee in the lobby,
use of the fitness facility, complimentary putters for the resort’s two
putting greens, beach towels, beach chairs and mats, swim masks and
snorkels, and weekly adult putting parties and pool-side Mai Tai
parties. Napili Kai also offers a complimentary children’s program for
families visiting during Easter, mid-June to late August, Thanksgiving,
and Christmas/New Year’s.

For reservations or information, call Napili Kai Beach
Resort at toll-free 1-800-367-5030, direct (808) 669-6271, email stay@napilikai.com or visit the resort’s
website at www.napilikai.com.

Planning guide available from San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau

The San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau
(SFCVB)
has just the thing to tuck into a suitcase or backpack: the 2010
summer-fall
edition of The San Francisco Visitors Planning Guide.

 The guide opens with a “What’s Fresh”
section that includes coverage on “must-see” museum exhibits this
summer, “high profile” tourist favorites paired with lesser-known
local gems and some wallet-friendly tips on 10 things to do for under
$12.
Tucked in between are features on alfresco dining and a new brand of
nightlife:
excursions under the light of the moon, the fuller the better. 

Published semi-annually in June and December, the
guide
includes a six-month calendar of events; fold-out maps of the city
showing
major transit lines and the Greater Bay Area, and interviews with local
experts
including wine blogger Alder Yarrow and amateur astronomer Jeffrey
Schwartz,
who is also a presenter at the California Academy of Sciences Morrison
Planetarium.  “Ask VIC,” is a distillation of F.A.Q.s from the
SFCVB’s Visitor Information Center, which assists more than 340,000
visitors
annually.

Fifteen San Francisco neighborhoods are profiled in
the guide.
Each neighborhood has a brief personality profile and an inset map to
help
visitors find their bearings. The Bureau’s website, www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com,
uses
those same neighborhood designations and offers a directory of all the
businesses located in each area. The  Palace of Fine Arts, home of San
Francisco’s innovative Exploratorium, is profiled “by the
numbers” on a spectacular gatefold; the flip side of the gatefold offers
a map and information on Golden Gate Park. 

For regional expeditions there are suggested road
trips and an
entire section dedicated to “Beyond the Bridge.”  Wineries,
attractions, restaurants and retailers north, south and east of San
Francisco
are showcased in this section. A special section on the wine country
offers
suggestions for wine tasting; wine and food pairings; brief overviews of
Northern California’s major wine regions, and a calendar of wine country
events. 

The “City Basics” coverage in the guide includes
tips on public transit, driving distances to more than 30 destinations
and
information on San Francisco International Airport. Members of the SFCVB
also
have brief listings throughout this section. This is where readers can
easily
reference sightseeing companies, attractions, wineries, restaurants,
retailers
and other visitor-related services. The San Francisco Visitors
Planning Guide
also includes an extensive section on accommodations
ranging
from hostels to luxury hotels.

 To receive a visitor kit, which includes the 142-page
San
Francisco Visitors Planning Guide
, order online at www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com,
send
an email to vic1@sanfrancisco.travel, call 415-391-2000 or write to the San
Francisco
Convention & Visitors Bureau, 900 Market St., San Francisco, CA
94102.

Go San Francisco Card saves money

With so many
options to choose from, the Go
San Francisco Card
is the ultimate pass to over
50 of San Francisco’s best
attractions, activities and tours.  Cardholders
can do as much as they like
each day for one low, affordable price, tailoring custom itineraries and

allowing each person to do what is of most interest. Ranging from only $55 per adult for one day access to $145 per
adult for
seven days of access,
here is the short list of highlights
featured on the Go San Francisco
Card
:

 Red and White Fleet’s Golden Gate
Bay Cruise

Red and White Fleet’s SF Explorer
Cruise

 Full-day Gray Line Wine Country
Tour

        
GO CardHistoric Cable
Car Ride

        
Walking Tours

        
Steinhart Aquarium

        
Exploratorium

        
Chabot Space Center

        
Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)

        
Asian Art Museum

Wax Museum

Palace of the Legion of Honor

AT&T Ballpark Tour

Bay City Bike Rentals

Additionally,
the
Go San Francisco
Card
offers

discounts at many shops and restaurants and is the perfect option for
saving
time and money as well as eliminating hassles during a San Francisco
vacation.  For a full list of
available attractions, visit
www.gosanfranciscocard.com.

How
it works

        
You just carry one, easy-to-use
pocket sized card, available in 1, 2, 3,
5 & 7 day increments.

        
Simply show your Go San Francisco
Card at participating attractions.

        
The card is activated the first
time you use it.

        
It is then valid for that day and
the number of consecutive calendar days
that you have purchased. Free admission is valid until 5:30pm daily.

        
The Go San Francisco Card guidebook
makes it easy to find every
participating attraction, restaurant, shop and historic point of
interest in and
around San Francisco.

For

more information and reservations about the Red and White Fleet’s
specialty San
Francisco bay tours, call (415) 673-2900 or visit www.redandwhite.com. 

Taj Campton hosts the Wine Scene in San Francisco

43339-cp_winescene.jpg

Taj
Campton Place, San Francisco
will host Benziger Family Winery
on July 20 as part of their ongoing series, the Wine Scene. Chef
Gopinathan’s special menu is below along with upcoming winery visits,
including Spring Mountain (September 14), Cakebread Napa Valley (October
26), and Domaine Carneros (November 9).

WHO: Campton Place Restaurant’s master sommelier Richard Dean,
executive chef Srijith Gopinathan, and Chris Benziger from Benziger
Family Winery.

WHAT: Intimate wine tasting and dinner at Taj Campton Place
with Benziger Family Winery, It is Benziger Family Winery’s
belief that wine quality is improved through the reduction of artificial
inputs in a vineyard and by using natural farming practices. Healthier
soils and a healthier environment grow healthier vines that produce
distinctive quality grapes and ultimately, wines.

Wines will include:
2009 Benziger Grenache Ros
2009 Sauvignon Blanc Benziger “Paradisio de Maria” Sonoma Mountain
Estate
2008 Pinot Noir Benziger “de Ceolo” Freestone Estate
2006 Sigaterra “3 Blocks” Sunnyslope
2006 Tribute Sonoma Mountain Estate
2009 Benziger Family Muscat Canelli Bartolucci Vineyard Lake County

WHERE: Taj
Campton Place

340 Stockton Street, just off Union Square
San Francisco, CA 94108
415-955-5574

WHEN: Tuesday, July 20. The evening starts at 7 pm with a cool
glass of 2009 Benziger Grenache Ros; guests then will proceed to the
Taj Campton Place Suite for a regional tasting of Chris Benziger’s
single vineyard wines. Dinner, prepared by executive chef Srijith
Gopinathan and accompanied by wine pairings, will take place at 8:00 pm
in the Campton Place Restaurant (menu below).

HOW: The cost of Benziger Family Winery seminar and dinner is
$110 per person (tax and gratuity excluded). Guests of Taj Campton
Place’s winemaker dinners can “take the elevator home” by booking an
overnight stay at a special $150 “Vintner’s Rate” for a deluxe
guestroom.

For more info on Taj Campton Place’s Wine Scene dinners and tasting
seminars, visit www.camptonplacesf.com
or contact master sommelier Richard Dean at Richard.Dean@tajhotels.com
or 415-955-5574. For room reservations, visit www.tajhotels.com/camptonplace
or call 415-781-5555.

BENZIGER WINE SCENE DINNER
MENU

Local Heirloom Tomatoes Salad Melon, Andante Dairy Goat Cheese
Mousse
Basil Seed Gele
2009 Benziger Family Sauvignon Blanc “Signaterra” Russian River
Valley

Roast Squab, Cippolini Onion, Braised Pistachio Rhubarb Compote and Game
Jus 2007 Benziger Family Pinot Noir “Signaterra” Bella Luna Vineyard
Russian
River

Masami Farm Roast Beef Rib- Eye Steak, Brentwood Corn Dumplings,
Summer
Truffles and Veal Jus
2006 Tribute Benziger Family Sonoma Mountain Estate

White Chocolate Cheesecake Apricots- Elderflower Coulis
2009 Benziger Family Muscat Canelli Bartolucci Vineyard Lake County

Selection of Caf-Filtre Petits Fours

$110 (exclusive of tax & gratuity)
Take the elevator home! ($150 a couple, plus tax)


CONNECTING CONNOISSEURS:
IN THE BARREL

Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Pierre Seillan Wine Dinner
Tasting and dinner with Pierre Seillan $150

Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Dr. Sue Hua Newton Spring Mountain Wine Dinner
Tasting and dinner with Dr. Sue Hua Newton $150

Tuesday, October 5, 2010
ZD Napa Valley Wine Dinner
Tasting and dinner with Founder Rosa Lee deLeuze
and Assistant Winemaker, Brandon deLeuze $120

Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Folio Fine Wine Partners Dinner
Tasting and dinner with Michael Mondavi $150

Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Cakebread Napa Valley Dinner
Tasting and dinner with Dennis Cakebread $150

Tuesday, November 2, 2010
The Great Pinot Noir Dinner
Hank and Maggie Skewis (Skewis Wines) $145

Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Domaine Carneros Wine Dinner
Eileen Crane, Founding Winemaker, CEO $150

Saturday, January 8, 2011
La Crema Sonoma Coast Wine Dinner
With Melissa Stackhouse, Winemaker La Crema Vineyards $130

Tuesday, February 3, 2011
Oakwild Ranch Toboni Vineyard Russian River Wine Dinner
Presented by Joe Toboni $150

Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Nemerever Oakville Wine Dinner
Tasting and dinner with Proprietor William Nemerever $140

Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Groth Napa Valley Wine Tasting & Dinner
with Suzanne Groth Proprietor $140

Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Saintsbury Carneros Wine Tasting and Dinner
with Jerome Chery Winemaker $130

America’s Best Restroom contest

Finalists in the America’s
Best Restroom IX
contest, sponsored by Cintas Corporation, have
established a new standard for restroom quality. These washrooms are
testaments to their proprietors’ sense of taste, flair and attention to
detail, and feature some of the world’s finest materials and customer
comforts as well as a few surprises.
 
The public is invited to vote online through August 31 at
www.bestrestroom.com. The site takes visitors on a photographic tour of
each facility and then encourages them to choose their favorite. The
winner will be announced in September 2010. 

This year’s finalists include the Santa Monica Pier, which features an ocean theme
with undulating roof form that evokes thoughts of a
vintage wooden roller coaster or ocean waves.  

While these
finalists are all quite unique, they have one thing in common: all are
exceptionally clean. Cintas created the Best Restroom award in 2002 to
honor those businesses across America that place high value on hygiene
and exceptional style in their public restrooms.

Over the last eight
years, the contest has attracted tens of thousands of voters. The 2010
winner will receive a plaque of recognition and a coveted place in
America’s Best Restroom “Hall of Fame” section of the program’s Web
site.

 

Relive 1860s at Old Town San Diego State Historic Park

It’s been over a century
since
the last stage line operated in San

Diego. Beginning in 1857, stage lines passed
through
rural San Diego
moving passengers, freight, and mail. These new services helped bring
the
outside world a little closer to this emerging frontier community that
we know
today as San Diego.

Every Saturday in July
and August,
beginning July 10, come celebrate travel and transportation
at the Old Town San Diego
State
Historic
Park.
  Imagine yourself
traveling down dusty dirt roads either by horse, wagon, or stagecoach
making
your way to San Diego
in the 1860s. 

In addition to the permanent collection of historic
wagons on
display at Seeley Stable museum, coaches and wagon will be out in
plaza from noon to 4 p.m. 

 Each week will offer a
different
theme and activities, such as Stagecoaching, Cattle Drive, Women and the West,
Californios, Trades that Shaped the West, Military, and a Mark Twain
Fest. 

Smell
the aroma of food cooking over an open flame as costume interpreters
prepare 19th
century chuck wagon grub.  Hear the sounds of blacksmiths pounding iron
and
carpenters sawing wood.

Try your luck by participating in 19th
century
games for both children and adults. Join the military as they describe
life as a
solider fighting in the Mexican War.  Take the reins as you learn to
handle a
horse.

 Stay the day and enjoy
activities
that reflect life in San Diego
during the mid-1800s. All of the activities are part of Old Town San Diego
State
Historic Park
‘s
celebration of 19th century transportation, especially the
stagecoach.

Through vignettes,
demonstrations, living history, stories,
songs, and stagecoach equipment, visitors will gain an appreciation for
travel
and daily life.

Old Town
San Diego State
Historic Park

along with
the Boosters of Old Town are proud to offer these 
free activities to adults and
children of all ages.

The park is
located on San Diego Avenue
and Twiggs Street
in San Diego, and is conveniently located
next to
the Old Town Transit
Center
, with
Coaster,
Trolley, and MTS bus service.