Weekend Getaway...

...Or if you're crazy like us, a one day marathon. I'm referring to our trip to Mendocino, California a couple Decembers ago to celebrate our mother's birthday.

Now with the weekend approaching, I've been thinking about some of my favorite places for mini trips. Mendocino was certainly one of them--an old Northern California coastal town full of history, art, and character. While it was beautiful in its Christmas decor at the time, I'm sure the lovely summer weather would make it an even better destination.

Your Main Street Sister Greer, roaming the Mendocino streets.



Old hand painted postcard of Lansing St.

Mendocino boasts fewer than 1,000 residents. It is located roughly 4 hours from the Bay Area (hence the appropriateness of a weekend getaway, and the marathon-status as a day trip). It sprang to life in 1850, largely as a lumber town. Since then, most of the community has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.


Part of colorful Lansing St. today.

The Mendocino Presbyterian Church is one of the oldest continually operating Protestant churches in California, and has been designated a California Historical Landmark. Here you can see its iconic steeple overlooking the cliffs and the ocean.

Geese being geese.

A tower house, apparently. Very interesting real estate.

MacCallum House in Mendocino, c. 1920

Walking down Ukiah St.

Very Mendocino--Corners of the Mouth, an organic food/tea shop in an old church.

Many movies have been filmed here, including The Russians are Coming, Forever Young, and The Majestic, along with TV series Murder She Wrote. One of my personal favorites, East of Eden, was also filmed here, with Mendocino standing in as early 20th century Monterey. In the case of Murder She Wrote, the town doubled nicely as the coast of Maine.

One can definitely see why this little seaside town has worked so nicely for such productions--from the small old-timey village to its cliffy perch over the Pacific Ocean, Mendocino is a charming sight to see.

--Jessica