I know I’m lucky. We live in a beautiful city, within a beautiful state. We are a 45 minute drive along bucolic roads to some of the most photographed views of the ocean (and where Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" was filmed. So much better claim to fame than "Psycho" don't you think?)
If you haven’t been lucky enough to have spent time in Mendocino, let me acquaint you with this "Northeast whaling village" conveniently located in California. What we know as Mendocino today started as a logging community in the 1850’s. Many of the same buildings and wooden walkways are still standing. (They're also very uneven and will trip you up without a backwards glance. Don't ask me how I know.)
A quick side note: If you only make it to Mendocino once in your life, please stay at The Mendocino Hotel. It’s historic, it’s old and creaky, it has ancient plumbing, it’s still decorated with vintage furniture, rugs, and portraits and it’s perfect. It’s the only hotel on Main Street that has unobstructed views of the ocean. And, if you’re a book lover like I am, you can spend most of a day curled up in their lobby near the crackling fire with views of the ocean in a wing-backed chair sipping on a glass of wine brought by a friendly server. Yeah, it’s as amazing as it sounds.