Month: November 2017

But after this year’s wildfires, for the first time ever, Constellation rejected the Old Hill fruit.

But there’s no place quite like it on the West Coast, and the ship’s operators have been talking up some ambitious plans.

Is it true that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger?

If so, then it feels like we’re witnessing remarkable stories of superhuman resilience, recovery and revitalization along the Pacific Coast in October.

Devastating fires in Wine Country. Past and future earthquake reminders in San Francisco. Iconic Big Sur rebounding from fires, mudslides, bridge and business destruction and  community  isolation.

Oh, and some good stuff too.

So let’s start our review in the North Coast Region and travel to the South Coast Region, ok?

Highlights and Headlines: October 2017

North Coast Region

“Find a special treasure that helps you remember your time in Humboldt County with fondness. Old Town Eureka is home to a wide array of restaurants, from fine dining to casual eateries. Grab a bite while you’re on the go.

Throughout the year, the neighborhood is the site of exciting events, including the weekly Farmers’ Market during the summer and fall, and the Redwood Coast Music Festival in the spring.” (http://www.humboldtbayinn.com/things-to-do/historic-old-town)

Sonoma and Napa Valleys

The Bucklin family’s relationship with Constellation Brands stretches back more than three decades. That’s how long Constellation — a global wine corporation expected to generate $7.33 billion in revenue this year, and owner of California wine brands like Robert Mondavi and Ravenswood — has bought grapes from Old Hill Ranch, the Bucklins’ 35-acre Sonoma Valley vineyard. But after this year’s wildfires, for the first time ever, Constellation rejected the Old Hill fruit. (Photo: Peter DaSilva, Special To The Chronicle)

California fire officials have updated the number of buildings destroyed by wildfires that ripped through Northern California to 8,700.  (Kent Porter / Santa Rosa Press Democrat)

Following wildfires, urban areas tend to build up more densely despite the remaining fire risk, and residents tend to build in only as many fire-defense measures as regulations require, researchers with the U.S. Forest Service and University of Wisconsin found from studying rebuilding after past U.S. wildfires. Rebuilding also often takes years longer than residents realize. In California wildfires studied, just 35 percent of buildings lost were rebuilt within five years, the researchers determined. (Photo: Jeff Chiu, AP / http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/)

“Tourism officials remain optimistic, saying huge swaths of verdant wine country in the western end of the region remain unscorched and open to wine lovers. Hotels, short-term home rentals and tourist attractions there are operating as usual.”  (MABANGL / EPA-EFE/REX/ Shutterstock) / Los Angeles Times)

North Bay Region

Interior rendering for 135 Belvedere Avenue in Belvedere. The site is for sale for $65 million, which includes the completed structure and the whole property. (Courtesy David Kotzebue Architecture / Marin Independent Journal)

San Francisco Region

Earthquake in? The potential impacts of this quake on San Francisco are severe. Heavy, dense apartments built above cavernous garages (also known as soft-story housing), will buckle as the marshy soil beneath them — added in the latter half of the 19th century by zealous developers wanting to extend the peninsula’s real estate — behaves like a liquid. (Business Insider / Google Maps / USGS)

Earthquake in 1906: Chinatown managed to secure the previous location for their community, and began to refashion San Francisco’s Chinatown as an exotic wonderland for non-Chinese visitors. Look Tin Eli and other Chinatown leaders had a vision of an “Oriental city [of] veritable fairy palaces filled with the choicest treasures of the Orient.” (The Conversation / louisraphael/Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA)

Peninsula Region

Half Moon Bay. “This quintessential beauty spot has all the hallmarks you’d dream of in a Northern California beach—rugged cliffs, dramatic dunes, fine golden sand, and a magnificent sweep of Pacific Ocean. Extra style points for being home to the regal Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay.” (Coastal Living / Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

Central Coast Region

Welcome to the new and improved Ventana Big Sur, reopening today after months of renovations. As you approach the familiar, rustic façade of the building situated on the coast, you’ll almost wonder if anything is different. (Urban Daddy)

With the opening of the bridge, the restaurants and resorts are back to full service, including Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn with a new menu and Ventana Big Sur celebrated its grand reopening and reimagining this month. Highway 1 is not yet passable from Big Sur to San Simeon due to the Mud Creek Slide. Caltrans expects to have that portion of the highway open late-summer 2018. That project will fully reconnect Big Sur and the Highway 1 road trip experience. (Lonely Planet / ©Phitha Tanpairoj/Shutterstock)

South Coast Region

The local family that has operated the iconic Hotel Laguna for more than three decades intends to close its doors next month and has filed a lawsuit alleging they are being illegally forced out by the property’s owners. (Laguna Beach Indy)

“General manager Jay Styles, left, and owner Robert Mardian at the Wind and Sea restaurant in Dana Point, which is celebrating its 45th anniversary. Mardian opened the restaurant after realizing he didn’t want to become a lawyer. (Daily Pilot – Los Angeles Times. Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)”

Long Beach. “But there’s no place quite like it on the West Coast, and the ship’s operators have been talking up some ambitious plans.  If you’re not ready to spend the night or brave Dark Harbor, the hour-long Glory Days Historical Tour is offered eight times per day, every day.” (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)