Newport, Rhode Island: International Yacht Restoration School

When in Newport, make it a point to visit the International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS). The school is open to the public (there's a donation box near the entrance if you're so inclined) and offers an impressive walk-through, whether you're interested in boats or not. 

The building itself is beautiful, open-aired and filled with sunlight. The wooden boats that line the floor and hang from the ceiling are pristine, no matter what restoration stage they're in. You immediately appreciate the oft lost skill of working with one's hands, of building and restoring something with strength and elbow grease.

In my opinion, the best-kept secret of IYRS is the restoration of Coronet, a 131-foot schooner yacht that first launched in 1885. According to the IYRS site, she featured a "marble staircase, stained glass doors, mahogany paneled staterooms, and a piano in the main salon." The yacht served as an absolute representation of the Gilded Age until it was purchased in 1905 by the non-denominational religious organization The Kingdom to be used for missionary work. For a fuller read on the Coronet's colorful history, click here.

IYRS has been restoring the Coronet since 1995. It's been one of my favorite projects to follow since I was a girl, when we spent weekends and summers in Newport, to now, when I return to the island once a year. The progress has been slow, careful, and astounding. It's a superb thing to see. And, being the romantic that I am, I'm always given pause by the articles from the ship that line the walkway. Take a look at the piano, the chairs, the anchors, the shackles, the everything that made this schooner beautiful in her heyday.

The International Yacht Restoration School provides a unique and awe-inspiring glance into an entirely different world. Below are pictures from our last visit to the school, but they hardly do it justice. Go yourself and see the students work on their boats, the history buried in the bones of the Coronet, and the peaceful walkway along the water behind it all. The IYRS Newport campus is located at 449 Thames Street.

Fort Baker

Nestled in the northern hills of the Golden Gate Bridge lies Fort Baker, a small slice of historical land that wraps around the San Francisco Bay. It is quaint, peaceful, and a refreshing break from San Francisco, a city that can both accost and delight all of your senses at once.

It took me two years to make it over and down under the bridge to Fort Baker, and when I arrived, I felt like I had stepped back in time. A big, green patch of a field, empty but for a few families flying kites, stretched out in front matching red-roofed white houses down to the water. Rocking chairs lined the long porch of Cavallo Point Lodge, filled with couples drinking wine and eating dinner. Sailboat masts rocked back and forth with the soft waves in the distance. It was like we were in Pleasantville.

Closer to the water lies the Presidio Yacht Club and Travis Marina Bar, which is now our favorite drinking hole in the Bay Area. If you want good beer, great views of the Golden Gate, and a space uncrowded by city hipsters, go there.

If you're in San Francisco and looking for an easy getaway, head to Fort Baker. Drive, sail, or bike over the Golden Gate, explore the grounds, and stop for a drink at Travis Marina Bar. You won't regret it.

Hog Island Oyster Company

You know that life going pretty well when your biggest decision lies between spending Saturday drinking wine in Sonoma or shucking oysters on the Tomales Bay. My God, I love northern California.

When a last-minute reservation opened up at Hog Island Oyster Company our group jumped at it. Located in Marshall, CA, Hog Island Oyster Co. grows, harvests, shucks, and sells over 3.5 million oysters, Manila clams, and mussels yearly. A day spent in at the oyster farm means a day sitting along Tomales Bay, shucking and throwing back oysters fresh out of the water. If you make a shuck-your-own picnic reservation, it's BYO food, beer, wine, etc. Reservations are usually booked out months in advance, but it's always worth it to put your name on the waitlist—that's how we got in this weekend!

Below are some pictures from our day spent at Hog Island. If you're ever in California and have the chance to visit this tiny slice of briny heaven, go. It's by far one of my favorite things to do in this beautiful state.

California Wine Country

My two worlds—the old and the new—collided this past February when Lauren and Amelia, two of my oldest friends, came to visit me in San Francisco. They're the first of my childhood friends to make the trip (hint, hint to the rest of you), and I was beyond thrilled to spend time in their company and show them the best of what Northern California has to offer.

Naturally, we spent our first full day in wine country. We made three stops at Buena Vista, Domaine Carneros, and Artesa. All three are completely different: Buena Vista has an old-world charm, Domaine Carneros is just plain fancy, and Artesa is edgy with its modern tasting room nestled against the backdrop of sweeping views. We had fantastic weather, which the two east coasters were more than happy to soak up, and possibly consumed too much wine (I kid). It was a wonderful day and set the tone for a great week with two of my favorite people. Pictures from our stops are below!

Pigeon Point Lighthouse

Northern California is gorgeous in February. The winter rain trickles off and leaves behind a state so green that it can easily be confused with Ireland. And don't even get me started on the wildflowers. 

It's months like February that make me so grateful to live in a place like San Francisco, where you have the option to drive a couple of hours north to snow (no thanks), or a short distance south to the warmer, awe-inspiring coast (yes please). We did the latter this past weekend when a group of us headed to Pescadero to camp at WildTender Ranch. The ranch sat above the Pigeon Point Lighthouse, so after the fog lifted Saturday morning, we headed down to explore.

Lighthouses are just so romantic, don't you think? Especially when they're perched on the edge of the vast and powerful Pacific. The Pigeon Point Lighthouse was built in 1872 and stands as one of the tallest lighthouses in America at 115 feet. It's certainly a site worth visiting when you're heading down the coast. Below are a few pictures from our time spent walking around the lighthouse, along with a few snaps taken on the drive home—because, wildflowers!