SAN JOSE, Calif._When considering a romantic Bay Area weekend getaway, a town once known as the "Egg Basket of the World" might not immediately set the heart aflutter.
Petaluma, not unlike the so-called fly-over states of the Midwest, is a place we often pass by to get to someplace else _ to the coast or wine country � typically ignoring the Old-World charm and modern gems the town has to offer. And while the Sonoma County dairy-farm town is indeed best known for the not-so-romantic Butter & Egg Days festival and accompanying Cow Chip Throwing Contest, not to mention the the World's Ugliest Dog Contest � which could be romantic if you're a beauty-challenged canine _ lovey-dovey humans can find amorous activities here, too.
This town of about 56,000 residents, just 32 miles up Highway 101 from San Francisco, is set amid a blanket of winter-green/summer-gold hills, the perfect backdrop for bike rides and intimate picnics. Visit sustainable farms _ dairy, lavender, honey. Paddle on the river that glides through town and laugh when you fall in. Once dry, hold hands and stroll past Victorians and iron-front architecture on Petaluma Boulevard, where parts of "American Graffiti" were filmed _ the town is on bedrock, so the 1906 quake had little effect, and many historic buildings now house antique stores, art galleries, museums and restaurants.
Although there's a distinct Midwestern farmland feel (where else do you find an heirloom seed store on the main drag?), there's also plenty of European influence at cheese factories with French and Portuguese histories, Italian restaurants and a Parisian-themed boutique hotel with a quirky twist of Americana � three of its rooms are Airstream trailers. Romance doesn't get any better than cozying up with your sweetie in a 28-foot polished-aluminum tube!
Here's just a sampling of ways to while away the time, now and when the weather warms this spring.
