March 16, 2006

TIMESTRAVELS

TravelTalk
By Mike Cleary

It’s the little things that stand out when the
Clearys take a trip down memory lane

Mary Ann and I were reminiscing about our four years of taping radio shows (on KABL AM) in the lobby lounge of the Pan Pacific Hotel (panpacific.com) in downtown San Francisco recently.

Every Thursday, we chatted up celebrities like Peter Mayle, Jacques Pepin and Ruth Reichl as well as chefs, local writers and friends who could spin a good yarn. I have many pleasant memories of this luxury property as we often dined there and sometimes stayed over. But what was it that first popped into my head when Mary Ann said Pan Pacific aloud? The nuts they serve in the lobby bar. No, I’m not referring to their guests. It’s the seasoned almonds that won my heart. Forget the sheet thread count, turndown service or Italian marble bathroom, I’d return for the nuts alone.

The nuts’ memory started me down memory lane. Soon it became a rather enjoyable game. Each of us would take a turn remembering a favorite feature of a travel or dining experience. So, in no sort of order or category, here are a few of the ones we came up with.

Mrs. Cleary is the bathtub person in the family. A fabulous tub will win her over every time. She has two favorites. In the Les Mars Hotel (lesmarshotel.com) in Healdsburg she found a tub with more features than a new Lexus sedan. In downtown San Francisco, the high-rise Mandarin Oriental (mandarinoriental.com) has a room with a bathtub that offers incredible views of the city’s skyline. I fear if we ever go back to either establishment, she’ll just pack a bathrobe and rubber ducky and I won’t see her again until we check out.

Showers are my game. MacArthur Place (macarthurplace.com) in Sonoma wins hands down for favorite indoor shower. Favorite outdoor shower honor goes to the Carneros Inn (thecarnerosinn.com) in Napa.

Even arriving at a destination can count as a favorite memory. For instance, we both love the approach to the
Ahwahnee Hotel (yosemitepark.com) in Yosemite. Here the arrival process actually begins at the park entrance, giving us many miles of jaw-dropping winter scenery before we finally pull up to the hotel where Domingo and his fellow bellmen roll out the welcome mat and check to make sure we’ve removed all traces of food (Yes, even Altoids.) from the car so the bears won’t look at our vehicle as a pantry on wheels. Where else do you get a welcome like that?

Another favorite is arriving at the port of embarkation for a Crystal cruise. We’re fresh from ... well let me rephrase that. Fresh no longer describes us when coming off a commercial flight. If you charter luxury jets when you fly, feel free to use the word. No matter our frazzled state of being, we milk this arrival for all its worth. Checking in at the pier is always a pleasure, then as you board, uniformed shipboard personnel greet you with a “Welcome home.” An added touch is hearing Louis Armstrong’s “It’s a Wonderful World” played over the loudspeaker system as the ship inches away from the dock.

Most restaurants love parties of four or more. But a halfway decent table for a twosome is a difficult thing to come by. Our absolute favorite restaurant for always getting a great table is Myth (mythsf.com) in San Francisco. The reason is simple; there just isn’t a bad deuce in the place. Plus, the food’s extraordinary.

Views are always important. One of my favorite places to park myself to admire the view is in an Adirondack Chair on our room’s balcony at the Little River Inn (littleriverinn.com) in Mendocino. Oh, and Ollie’s pancakes and the Olallieberry Crumble dessert in their restaurant deserve a mention too.

We have enjoyed an evening’s leisurely martini in any number of great places. But one of our favorites is the bar and terrace at the dog-friendly Cypress Inn (cypress-inn.com) in downtown Carmel. The dog watching is positively wonderful.

Mary Ann came up with the last one when I asked for her favorite outdoor dinner spot … not counting home. She and I both agree the nod would go to Sonoma’s Safari West (safariwest.com) where we gathered around the African boma (fire pit) on the verandah at Safari West (safariwest.com) in the company of interesting people. As a bonus, we got to pet a porcupine.

Cheers.

Mike spent 30 years at KABL and KNBR where he co-hosted the station’s popular morning show with Frank Dill.