One on one wine tasting in Napa town

Poor Napa. Just as the Robert Modavi-backed food, wine, and art museum, Copia, was starting to garner some kudos for this under-appreciated town at the mouth of the Napa Valley, what should happen but Copia goes belly up? But this quiet, wine-country town along the banks of the Napa River is fighting back, hoping to regain some allure with its latest food, wine-tasting, and shopping district.

The Oxbow District, a loop of land created by a U-shaped bend in the Napa River, has had its historical ups and downs—mostly when the Napa River would jump its banks after heavy winter rains. The feds started a flood control project, but then (like so many federal projects, it seems), the work stalled. Now, the city has been promised nearly $100 million in stimulus money to finally finish the job.

The idea behind this unusual flood control project is to create a somewhat channelized yet still living river, with terracing on the riverbank and a parklike bypass channel instead of just pouring concrete in (if you know the LA River--that’s the concept they’re trying to avoid).

Along the way, it’s helping to revive the entire neighborhood. A retail/residential project called the Riverfront has opened along the river, with restaurant and retail space below condominium spaces. You can already enjoy the restored Napa Valley Opera House and Hatt Mill Building (with cafes and shops), along with some 20 wine tasting rooms and dozens of area restaurants, including Ubuntu-- the vegetarian restaurant/yoga studio (recently mentioned in Sunset Magazine).

The death of Copia (the Mondavi-backed wine and art museum) hurt the area, of course, but a group of Napa businesspeople called the Coalition to Preserve Copia, is working to reopen that building in the fall (it is expected to have conference space). In any case, the restaurants, tasting rooms, and newly opened Avia Hotel downtown as well as the Westin in the Oxbow has brought new energy to the district.

In part because it sits in the biggest town in the Napa Valley, the Oxbow is drawing more top foodies like chef-restaurateur Ken Frank (he just moved his famed restaurant, La Toque, from Rutherford to the Westin Verasa in the Oxbow District). At the stub end of First Street (near the Napa River and the Oxbow Public Market) there are now four new free-standing tasting rooms, each operated by a local vintner. The latest is Uncorked at Oxbow, housed in three historic cottages, the creation of fiancés Bruce Ahnfeldt and Celeste Carducci, who pour and sell the wines that bear their names. The trend of vintner-operated tasting rooms is becoming a mark of the Oxbow neighborhood almost as much as the flowing river.

Details: There's so much to do here: lodging at the Napa River Inn, cruises and river tours with Napa River Adventures, bird watching and walking along some segments of the Napa River. Uncorked at Oxbow offers wine seminars, wine and food pairings, and art and music education. A seasonal Farmer's Market operates May thru October. And don't forget The Wine Train, a great way to sip as you sightsee, without worrying about getting pulled over.

California's bald eagle watching hotspot

Here's an idea: on this Valentine’s Day three-day weekend, take the time to fall in love with nature. Put down the remote and go outside to watch a majestic bald eagle (or two or twenty) at one of America’s most amazing national wildlife refuges—Klamath Basin Refuges (Tulelake, California, 530/667-2231).

Or check out one of the national wildlife refuges or fish hatcheries nearby (there's one that's about an hour's drive from most major metropolitan areas). This month, the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s “Let’s go Outside” website contains electronic Valentines, in both English and Spanish, featuring bald eagles, red foxes and even turtles, to send to friends and family.

Among the dozen or so national wildlife refuges where bald eagles are common, one of the bbest is Klamath Basin Refuges (Tulelake, California, 530-667-2231, , which hosts the largest wintering concentration in the lower 48 states. In February, the refuge plays host to the nation’s oldest birding festival: the Bald Eagle Conference. I've grown to love this festival, where guides can take you out to bald eagle roosting sites at the crack of dawn, and you watch awestruck as dozens of bald eagles stream overhead. The Klamath Basin hosts thousands of overwintering geese and ducks, too, and the self-guided auto tour route offers easy viewing from the comfort of your traveling duck blind (your car).

Details: On the website, you'll find fact sheets about wildlife species, including bald eagles, moose, sea turtles, and cardinals; tips on how youngsters and their families can start observing wildlife; links to maps and a special events calendar that can help families find places to go and see nature up close. To reach Klamath Basin Refuges in Tulelake, California, click or call 530/667-2231. Make a weekend getaway of it; for lodging and dining ideas, click here to go to the Klamath Falls, Oregon, tourism website.

V-Day Weekend in Santa Barbara

How handy! Valentine’s Day falls on a three-day weekend this year, which means there’s more time to wine, dine and be lovey-dovey (or just recover from the workweek). For northern or southern California lovebirds, Santa Barbara makes an ideal choice for an overnight getaway or a long romantic weekend. It's tough to beat all that early California ambiance for romance; picture yourself strolling hand in hand past adobe-style buildings with arches and red tile roofs, or ducking into one of the grandest missions in the California chain.

And you don't even have to stress about the budget (such a buzzkill for romance). A bunch of package deals means the getaway is more affordable. Can't get away for the big weekend? Not to worry: most of the packages are good throughout the winter. Spend your time roaming Mission Santa Barbara, strolling the beach, dining along the waterfront, or poking into the shops and cafes on historic State Street. Or not. Whatever happens, romantic Santa Barbara will work its magic. Details: Romance on the Riviera at the Brisas Del Mar Inn at the Beach (from $188/night; package includes accommodations that are walking distance to the beach plus a $50 dinner credit at Chuck’s Waterfront Grill). Or book the Book the “It’s Complicated…Not” package at Inn of the Spanish Garden, a boutique-style inn (shown in photo, above). You can have a classic “date night” in downtown Santa Barbar, with dinner and a movie (two cinema tickets included); rates start at $279/night. Visit SantaBarbaraCA.com for more packages and full travel info.

For Love or Money in LA

Okay, the name of this V-Day deal is clever: the For Love or Money Package at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles. But it seems like a pretty good deal for downtown LA (especially if you're a SoCal guy who forgot to plan anything for that special weekend).

Choose the “Love” option, you get luxe accommodations in one of the historic Millennium Biltmore’s Classic Rooms, plus chocolate truffles, a bottle of pink champagne, and a late checkout. Take the “Money” option, and the Biltmore offers a complimentary upgrade to your choice of a Junior Suite or the exclusive Club Level, with access to the Club Lounge (offering complimentary breakfast, afternoon hors d’ouevres and beverages, evening turndown and Biltmore bathrobes and slippers in-room). For either one, rates start at $179 per night.

There's plenty to do here: visit the famed Getty Center, roam the historic Pueblo, of gawk at (sort of) celebs at the Hollywood Wax Museum.

Details: Offer valid for travel throughout the month of February. To book, please visit t www.millenniumhotels.com or call 213/ 624-1011 and use the booking code LOVE! for “love” option, MONEY! for the “money” option.

Monterey and Big Sur winter escape

Lightning, rainstorms, mudslides, oh my! When this rain stops (as if!), I'm going to need some serious relief from a case of cabin fever that's been building up for about the last 10 days. I can't think of a better place for some fresh air and classic CA scenery than the Monterey area.

One of my faves: Point Lobos State Natural Reserve (so named for the wolf-like barking of sea lions who hang out here). What's to do? Hiking, winter bird watching, photography, and wildlife watching (look for 250+ animal and bird species in this 544-acre park). head for the ocean-front perimeter trail or just hit the key points including Cypress Grove, home to one of two naturally growing strands of Monterey Cypress in the world, Bird Island, Whaler's Cove and China Cove. The sight of the jade-green waters, crashing waves and fresh breezes of Point Lobos' is a sure cure for anyone's cabin fever.

And if I'm in a Jack Kerouac road-trippy kind of mood, a drive down to Big Sur (depending on road conditions on Hwy One), and a gander at the classic lines of the 1932 Bixby Creek Bridge, will do the trick. It's quite the marvel, stretching 714 feet long and one of the top ten highest single-span bridges in the world; it's so lovely, they're honoring it with a stamp Feb. 3!

Details: Any excuse for a package deal, right? Along with the new stamp, area hotels have teamed up to offer a "Bixby Bridge Package" this winter. Big Sur River Inn (accommodations, breakfast and dinner for two starting at $160/dbl). Treebones Resort, with 16 upscale yurt accommodations (two-night mid-week stay with breakfast at 20 percent off, starting at $124.00/dbl. per night). The Post Ranch Inn, (two nights' accommodations, two one-hour spa treatments, dinner at Sierra Mar and daily breakfast starting at $2120.00/dbl). Ventana Inn & Spa ($250.00/dbl. rate including a complimentary upgrade and $50 resort credit for the luxury spa or restaurant). Or try a quaint cottage at Big Sur Lodge, in Julia Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, (breakfast and guided hike with bag lunch for two at $180.00/dbl). NOTE: packages exclude taxes and are based on availability, restrictions and blackout periods apply. For more lodging and dining, check www.SeeMonterey.com.