Sleuthing Around in Mendocino: Murder, She Wrote

Wednesday 20 August 2014

Hello lovelies!


Sadly this post will be the last of my Californian diary on the blog because we spent the next two weeks just doing family stuff and going for hikes and all that malarkey when were were staying by the coast. However I am leaving you with a cracker of a post today because today's post is all about Mendocino and a certain J.B Fletcher....

Mendocino is a really quaint little postcard town on the coast where you can imagine your 70 year old self going to peacefully retire and knit and play cards on the veranda  in the sun for the rest of your golden years. All the buildings were pastel coloured Victorian style with wooden boarding decorated with cute little potted plants or pathways leading up from the garden gate.

As you walk down the streets you can mosey around the gift stores that aren't full of mass produced touristy knick-knacks but pieces from local artists or homemade jam and chocolates. It's a lovely place to visit on a day trip with the grandparents.



All around the town you'll spot various structures covered in rainbow yarn. I thought it was just another cute Mendocino thing but it's actually something of an art exhibit made by an artist who carefully looked at the colours of the buildings and came up with died yarn to compliment them.








I couldn't resist sneaking a photo outside this house.



But I must admit all the chocolates, jams, and yarn covered trees were not what got us excited about Mendocino. No, it was something else much more exciting. Something I'm sure will make my sisters and I sound like we're already grannies. Before heading off to Mendocino we were doing a bit of research and found out that some episodes and exterior shots for the hit show (well at least my guilty pleasure) Murder, She Wrote were shot in the town. After that there was no stopping us.

We found out that the house shown in the opening credits is actually a B&B called Blair House, which we promptly Google Mapped and hunted down...



As if that hasn't made us look like complete weirdos our MSW tour wasn't over yet. Not only did we discover Blair House but we also went to Hill House where the sassy J.B Fletcher shot a few scenes for an episode. 






What a great ending to the series don't you think? San Francisco was a great city to visit and it's definitely worth going over there yourself however I would recommend renting out a car because there is just so much to do in the areas surrounding the city too.

Thanks for reading,
Ciara xx

More San Francisco City Exploring

Monday 18 August 2014

Hello lovelies,

The sun was shining when we awoke on our first morning in the city which made our walk along Chrissy Fields even better. Chrissy Fields is a stretch along which you can walk by the marina and take in the view of the Golden Gate from across the bay. On sunny weekend mornings the place is packed with joggers, walkers and happy families setting up camp for the day.








As it turned out we had all worked up an appetite which left us ready to enjoy a gorgeous brunch at Roses's on Union Street.


'I don not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-Am'



My sister and I were in the market to pick up a Penny board so the only logical plan of action was to head on over to Haight street, a really cool hippy/vintage/ultra cool area in the city where things like tie-dye originated from. The street was full of really cool vintage shops and just when we thought we'd seen it all we walked into a cafe for a coffee only to run into a couple of nude men. Don't worry I didn't take any photos!






As if we hadn't done enough exploring that day it was time to visit Golden Gate Park and walk through the beautiful flower garden in full bloom.







And finally to top it all off we ended our day of exploring in the Japanese Tea Gardens.








I hope I haven't overloaded you with photos but we squished so much into one day it was hard to limit myself. 

There is lots more from my San Fran adventure to come so don't stray far.

Thanks for reading,
Ciara xx

Chinatown, Chestnut Street and The Palace of Fine Arts

Monday 4 August 2014

Hello lovelies!

After a few days of exploring marinas, sailing at San Francisco Bay and getting to know San Fran suburbia we decided to venture into the city and get a taste of San Francisco City.

Saving the Golden Gate Bridge for later we caught the ferry right up to the pier and were welcomed by the amazing SF city skyline.



After a spot of shopping (how could we resist with the Westfield right around the corner?) it was time to walk through the bustling streets of Chinatown and muse around all the little bits and bobs for sale in the store fronts.








I find that the best way to discover a new city is to try avoid all the fake touristy areas and try take in the culture of the city which is why the apartment we rented out for the weekend was perfect because it was right beside all the local hangouts like Chestnut Street and the marina.

I really liked Chestnut Street with its slight retro vibe and really cool and trendy atmosphere.








On our stroll to the restaurant we paid a visit to the beautiful Palace of Fine Arts. Illuminated in the setting sun you can see how easy it is to fall in love with it.







More importantly I think I found my dream car. Check out this baby blue sweetie.




Quite an eventful first day in the big city and I guarantee the next few days are just as fun-filled.

Thanks for reading,
Ciara xx


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