Love at first sight exists.

Stars Hollow, somewhere in TV-land


Mendocino, CA - the real deal.


Close your eyes, click your heels three times, and repeat after me, "there's no place like Mendocino."

Tim and I had planned to camp near Mendocino, but our plans changed, as they are want to do on this trip and we only had time to stop there for lunch - or so we thought. We arrived to the town, drove through it completely wide-eyed for 5 minutes, and then simultaneously agreed (in a rare moment of total solidarity) that we absolutely HAD to stay the night and quite possibly, the rest of our lives. You probably think I'm exaggerating, but I assure you, I am not. We immediately changed our reservation at the B&B up North, walked right next door from the cafe where we had an amazing lunch, and got a room at the most perfect cozy inn you've ever seen.

The whole place is pretty much like that - everything you need is at your fingertips -- and by everything you need, I mean incredible organic and delicious locally grown food, organic toiletries and groceries, local art galleries and bookshops on every block, an annual film festival, the greatest chocolate chip cookies known to humankind, and oh right -- the most gorgeous view of the Pacific ocean. The entire town is snuggled low along the cliffs, and you can walk out anywhere -- to beach, to rocks, to flowering meadows, all bordering the soothing aqua blue surf. The air is sweet and cool - not cold - like the most perfect Spring day all the time.

Everyone is friendly - but not too friendly. You have to earn their respect for a few moments, so it doesn't feel too Stepford there. They get a lot of tourists and you can definitely tell the locals from the visitors. The locals are relaxed and happy, young and old, artists, hippies, and weirdos. We felt like locals from the first moment.

And I haven't even mentioned the architecture! Suddenly you are not in California, but a small New England town. There are wooden farmhouses, white picket fences, ducks and geese in yards with overgrown colorful gardens, and these little blue, yellow and white "salt-box" cottages with tiny porches. Adorable, unassuming, and sweet. Like Thornton Wilder come to life. Except you are on the coast of California! There are also these old wooden water towers everywhere, some of which have been converted to tiny homes or guest houses. Strange and homey at the same time, like part lower East Side, part Old West. In fact, that kind of sums up the place pretty well, although there really is no summing it up. You just have to see it.

Now of course we are certainly not the first dewy-eyed couple to fall for Mendocino's abundant charms. It's no accident that there is also a real estate office on every block! But some of the smaller homes are still priced very reasonably (yes, we looked) and the prices at all the stores and restaurants were shockingly cheap -- very atypical of any part of Northern California. There are only local businesses allowed and the entire town is historically preserved. The open land you see will stay open land, the modest Victorians won't become McMansions, and Starbucks won't be moving in anytime soon.

Tim and I kept joking that we'd found the real Stars Hollow. And those of you who don't get that reference can count yourselves deprived. (hint: I've mentioned the show before on this blog and named my car after a character...)

But even more deprived are those of you who will not find a chance to visit Mendocino some time in your life - it is truly a one-of-a-kind homey paradise. And we just might find ourselves living there someday. Just don't tell too many people about it....