Church Street B&B - San Francisco, California
This month, we take you to a great little B&B in San Francisco.
Click on any picture below for a larger view
In September, we visited San Francisco for a concert. We needed lodging for the night, and Julie at Church Street Inn Bed & Breakfast graciously invited us to stay with her. This urban B&B is a restored 1905 Edwardian home, boldly painted in a cheerful yellow with a beautiful new mural on the front (done by a local artist, who's also working on Julie's car).
About the Area
 Church Street B&B has a great location, convenient to many parts of the city. The B&B is on one of the main Muni (light rail) lines, and the historic F Line runs down Market Street just a half block away - ride on a historic Street Car from the Castro to Union Square shopping - where Macy's, Nordstrom, and Sachs are. Union Square is also a great place for people watching, and has a Cheesecake Factory restaurant, one of our favorites.
From there, you can also catch a cable cars, which can take you down to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, all without a car.
Japan Town is only a few minutes away from the B&B by taxi, and is a great place to shop for unique gifts, as well as to catch a movie at the Kabuki Theater. There's also great dining there on Fillmore Street at the western end of Japan Town, as well as more great shopping.
Castro Street, the main gay district in the City, an easy walk to the east, and has a large number of gay owned and friendly businesses, including bars, a gay bookstore, a gay hardware store, and the famous Castro Theater, one of the primary locations for the annual gay and lesbian film festival.
Like most San Francisco accommodations, the Church Street B&B is an urban inn - there will be street noise. While we believe that hearing the ebb and flow of the city is part of the charm of San Francisco, Julie knows not everyone feels the same, and she thoughtfully provides ear plugs for those folks who are light sleepers.
The Rooms
Church Street B&B has five rooms, three of which are pictured here. Two of the rooms have access to the large deck at the back of the building, with great views of downtown and the Mission District. On a nice sunny day, this is a great place to relax and enjoy the comfortable San Francisco summer weather. Rarely does it get above 90 degrees in the City by the Bay.
The room we stayed in was nice, with a comfortable queen-sized bed and access to the large deck pictured above. All the rooms here share bathrooms, but baths and shower rooms have locks, are very clean, and were not busy when we wanted to use them. The room was furnished traditionally, as are several other rooms, but at least one room is furnished with an oriental flair that we liked a lot.
The bed and breakfast also has a wonderful common room, where guests can enjoy a continental breakfast in the morning (the bagels were killer) and meet other guests. We spoke at length with Julie and a couple from Europe who were stayin at the B&B while we were there. There's a large dining table, comfortable chairs for relaxing and reading, and a TV if you have to have your fix.
 We had a great stay with Julie at the Church Street B&B - she's a wonderful, warm host who loves meeting people.
The location is great, the accommodations comfortable, clean, and affordable - as of this writing, just $75-120 a night.
Try the Church Street B&B next time you visit San Francisco, and tell Julie the Altraverse guys sent you!
The Real West - Eastern Montana
Here's an article submitted by Charley Montana B&B in Montana.
There was a time when the west was open range. Cowboys tipped sweatstained hats to ladies in the street. Cattle roamed miles of tall grass and sage. Skies were clear to the horizon. And, as we recall the song, the buffalo roamed, and the deer and the antelope played.
All of that tradition goes on in eastern Montana. Last week in America’s vast outback there were sunny days, cool nights, and living history. It was another work week for the ranchers. There were brandings on the weekend, for spring calves now growing to be quite a handful for ropers and wranglers. Cattle on the grasslands were moved to new pastures. For some ranchers, there was plenty of water in reservoirs after the spring rains. Rain clouds had skipped over some ranches or dropped scant rainwater, and the old trucks hauled giant water tanks from town to the rough terrain.
The Broken Circle brand now marks the hides of a new crop of calves, thanks to the community of neighbors who showed up for a traditional branding in June. We “city folks” from Glendive, Montana brought new friends from France who were visiting the area. “Are you sure we are welcome?” asked Emmanuel. Of course, the hospitable North Dakota rancher who invited us had volunteered. “If you have anyone staying with you, bring them along,” he said.
We had been to the ranch for branding a couple of years ago, so made the trip with only a few misdirections. And the scenery was good wherever we were. Off the gravel road and in the green hills, the sun gleamed off pickup trucks and horse trailers. A few hundred calves had been rounded up and were waiting in large round corral, their mothers bunching anxiously outside the circle. We heard calves bawling before we saw them – mah, mah, mah. The cows complained loudly about being separated from their babies – blah, blah, blah. A group of about 50 calves was moved into the working corral, where two ropers on horseback warmed up their loops.
When we walked up, it was break time for some of the ranchers. A truck bed was set up with coolers and morning snacks. A shift of ladies not wrestling calves at the moment watched over kids still too little to be riding in the hills rounding up the calves, or to be climbing Sheep Mountain in the distance. A propane fire heated branding irons and dehorning tools. No one rushed anywhere. The Broken Circle ranchers claimed to be a little tense. Branding is an important day on a ranch. The ranchers had been helping their neighbors at roundups through the spring, and now about 40 of their close friends were returning the favor. Continuing the tradition. The talk: “It’s Emily’s first time,” said one of the women of the little girl heading out with the other cowboys. Not Emily’s first branding. It was very likely the ten-year-old’s tenth branding. It was the first time she had been invited to help bring in the calves. A big moment in her life, and it showed in the way she sat her horse. More conversation.about 16-month-old Rebecca. At her second branding, she was snacking on cheese curls and being grandpa’s darling girl. Chatting about great-grandpa, who had passed on since the last branding, but who loved ranch life to the end of the trail.
Without a signal or a sudden move, work began. Quick, smooth, quiet, efficient – time-honored techniques learned from South American gauchos in the 1800s. Two rows of wranglers, men and women, lined up at the entrance to the working corral. A roper swung a loop around a calf’s rear foot. The horse expertly kept the line snug. The roper pulled the calf the short distance to the wranglers, where one grabbed the tail and flipped the calf to the ground. Another wrangler took the head. The rope was released, and the roper moved smoothly back into the corral, while the second roper pulled another calf to the waiting wrangler.
Each calf was kept under control by the two wranglers as the brand was applied, to the smell of hide and hair. Shots and pills were administered. Male calves were castrated quickly and without apparent discomfort. Perhaps a minute later, the calves were released, to the relief of the mothers waiting.
Time stands still. Horses work their training. Children ride and hike across the green hills, learning how to live from good examples. For Emmanuel and his lovely wife, and for Jim and me, it is a rare privilege to watch these hardy people at their work.
Somewhere else, there are kids at theme parks having a great time. There are families experiencing nature on trail rides and at dude ranches. All that is fine. But in America’s outback, tradition lives and time stands still. The buffalo roam, and just off the beaten path the deer and the antelope play.
Don’t be misled into thinking eastern Montana is flat and un-photogenic. That’s a rumor started by people who want to keep the spectacular badlands scenery, the rolling plains, and the rivers to themselves. A living ranch experience can be lined up through chambers of commerce and visitor centers in western North Dakota and eastern Montana, and working ranches can be located through the internet. The Glendive chamber of commerce is a good resource: email chamber@midrivers.com. The Travel Montana website, www:visitmt.com, is another good starting place for a real life ranch adventure.
Charley Montana Bed & Breakfast, our place in Glendive, is a 1907 rancher’s mansion in town. It’s casual here. We work at comfort: private baths, queen size beds, air conditioning, hearty comfort food for breakfast. And it’s very authentic, down to the spur marks on the wooden steps to the basement. Jim and I are at 888-395-3207, charley@midrivers.com and our website is www.charley-montana.com. We look forward to helping folks like Emmanuel discover and enjoy the real west. Sincerely, Katherine Lee, Charley Montana Bed & Breakfast, 103 North Douglas, Glendive, Montana 59330.
Phillip Island - A Mini Australia in Victoria
Here's an article submitted by The Castle Inn in Australia.
looking to have a great experience of travel in Victoria? Come to Phillip Island and enjoy a "min-Australia" on our Island.
See working farms with sheep, wildlife parks with kangaroos and wombats and take part in the nightly "Penguin Parade" where hundreds of fairy penguins surf in and make their way to their burrows to stay the night.
During the day take a boat ride and journey to Seal Rocks and view the largest colony of fur seals in the Southern Hemisphere. We also have a magnificent setting for the Islands koala population with boardwalks where you can be up in the treetops at eye-level with the koalas.
The Island is also the most wonderful place to enjoy the pleasure of bushwalking and bike riding.
Stay at The Castle-Villa by the Sea a Mediterranean style villa set in a magnificent garden by the seafront, dine in the renowned "Boyle's Restaurant" our fine dining restaurant with a great reputation where Chef will prepare dishes such as "Drunken Scallops" and the famous "Hot Pot" of succulent soused beef. Choose fine Australian wines from our Cellar. Jenni and Harley Boyle are experienced hoteliers who will see to your every need and help you to arrange your days. Jenni and Harley are knowledgeable about the island and can suggest the best areas for you to explore. The Castle-Villa by the Sea is minutes from the village shops and cafes and close to all tourist attractions. We also have our own Art Gallery where you may purchase paintings done by Jenni Matson Boyle and Freya Boyle. Accommodation is in self-contained luxury spa suites with private balconies, ideal for couples - or book the entire place for family get-togethers, small corporate getaways or a private retreat. We look forward to welcoming you.
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