I know what youre thinking.
Doesnt he know that Healdsburg is in the heart of one of Sonoma Countys great wine regions?
Well, actually I do, and I love that about Healdsburg but its been written about plenty so Im going to highlight some other facets of the town.
We joined our friends Beth and Michael at the Bear Republic Brewing Co., just off the plaza to the west, and sort of behind the Hotel Healdsburg. (To say Ive known Beth for a long time would be an understatement. I was in fourth grade when I met her brother John; she was in third grade.) For many years Beth and Michael have lived in nearby Windsor. They are now in Year 3 of the rest of their lives: all three of their children are now on their own either working or in college.
BEAR REPUBLIC BREWING CO., HEALDSBURG
If youre a regular reader of Planes, Trains & Automobiles, then you may recall I mentioned in a recent post the joy of drinking a draft Red Rocket in summers on the back deck of Andornos Pizza in Guerneville. But if youre in west Sonoma County you really should also take time go to the source, as some of Bear Republic’s limited or experimental potions are only available at the brewery itself.
Bear Republic may be best known for its Racer 5 IPA but Im enthusiastic about the Red Rocket as well as their Hop Rod Rye, another IPA-like concoction. But they make em all if youre interested then take a look at the beer menu.
The food is mostly standard pub grub with hearty portions and reasonable prices. While Healdsburg attracts lots of visitors, this is a place a lot like our own Sierra Nevada that is popular with both locals and out-of-towners. You wont feel like a tourist here. By the way, if your visit coincides with nice weather you should try to snag an outside table.
After dinner Beth & Michael insisted that we go with them to a dive bar called John & Zekes. Its on the north side of Healdsburgs justly renowned plaza and a very short walk from the brewery. It has the feel of a locals place although its interesting to read the different opinions on Yelp. We certainly enjoyed it and if youre looking for something to counter an overdose of wine and good taste emanating from the Oakville Grocery a block away then I can highly recommend this joint. Great jukebox and barroom shuffleboard, too!
Now before we met Beth & Michael at the brewery, we took ourselves on a little tour of Healdsburgs older neighborhoods. The touristic epicenter is in and around the plaza, but head east just a block or two and youll see nary a visitor as you wander quiet streets sporting a fine array of Victorian and Craftsman buildings.
Heres a selection of photos I took on our walk around town. Youll find these on Plaza Court, North Street, East Street and Matheson Street.
Any post by me wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t include something railroad related if I possibly could. Healdsburg has a deep railroad history well documented in a fine, slim book entitled Welcome Iron Steed: Healdsburgs Railroad Days.
The old Northwestern Pacific Railroad depot is located a few blocks southeast of the plaza on Harmon Street. Considering the condition of the station today, it’s not difficult to believe that more than fifty years have passed (November 1958) since The Redwood, the last regularly scheduled passenger train, called here. Happily, that 50+ years-long gap without passenger rail service shows signs of coming to an end in the not too distant future.
In November 2008 voters in Marin and Sonoma counties voted for a sales tax increase designed to fund the creation of commuter rail service between Cloverdale (in northern Sonoma County) to Larkspur (in Marin County) to connect with the existing ferry service to San Francisco. If the development schedule holds, trains are supposed to be running in 2014. Lets hope that in five years, today’s moribund scene below is transformed into the hub of activity it once was.
HEALDSBURG TRAIN STATION
