My wife and I will be in Napa Valley the week of the 4th. Does anyone have any good suggestions for events/festivals/celebrations for July 4th? An Off-Line would also be a possibility.

No, but PM me if you are interested in our BAWE event on the 5th - going to be good...

Jimmy,

I'll be there too.

But, when you say "week of July 4th", what dates will you be there since the 4th is on a Friday ... I assume that you're leaving on Sunday 7/6. That's when I'm leaving too, hopefully without a hangover.

Fat chance, Stemor.
See the post above yours

Dave,

That's why I said "hopefully". I'm an eternal optimist!

stemor:
Here's what I'm up to. (We're going out there to celebrate our 10th Anniversary, so I've promised the Mrs. some quality "couple" time, sans kid. As a result, I can't bash it up every night, if you know what I mean.)

Arrive Tuesday evening, July 1. Get in late and will put up for the night just over the Golden Gate Bridge.

Wednesday, July 2, we drive to Napa, and have an 11:00 appointment with the one and only Cave Girl. The balance of the afternoon will be spent dealing with the effects of the cave tour, and popping in to a few nearby wineries. Dinner reservation that night at the French Laundry.

Thursday, July 3 (our actual Anniversary). No chance of being an early riser this day, especially after a 3-4 hour dinner. Only "appointment" is at Peter Michael at 1:00. Would like to go to Ch. Montelena beforehand, and stop in at Dom. Chandon aferward to pick up a couple bottles of Etoile. (Served this at our wedding, so it has sentimental value. And I can't seem to find it for sale anywhere near me.) Anniversary dinner that night at Martini House. Got to keep this night reserved for a "table for two".

Friday, July 4. 10:30 appointment at Napa Wine Company and 3:30 "Legacy Tour" at Beringer. Put these on the calendar to have some "by appointment only" options to combat what could otherwise be a maddeningly crowded day. But I'm not wedded to either if interesting plans developed. And if anyone wants to join in on these, intruders are more than welcome (if that's not an oxymoron). Made a dinner reservation at Pinot Blanc, just to have an option before restaurants start to book up. No corkage attracted me. But again, nothing unique or sentimental about this plan. I'd gladly change it if some fair/festival or off-line fun materialized.

Saturday, July 5 and 6 we head to Sonoma. Will be staying at the guest house at Landmark. Wife's favorite everday wine/winery. No percentage in trying to change this plan. Not a battle I want to fight, and couldn't win it if I did. So Eric's BAWE isn't in the cards for the 5th. Having said that, I have no commitments/reservations for the 5th or 6th, and likely will not make any. (Except that Landmark does a horse-drawn vineyard tour on Saturdays only, and the Mrs. will not miss this). Our Sonoma visits will be non-appointment pop-ins, like Martinelli, Rochioli, Ferrari-Carano, Ch. St. Jean, Arrowood and the like.

I read on here that Mondavi is hosting the Preservation Jazz Band on the 5th. If the drive from there back to Landmark isn't too daunting, I would definitely be up for that. BYO and picnic I assume?

Fly home Monday, 7/7.

So there you have it. In a nutshell, after 5:00 p.m. on the 4th, I'm pretty open. And even at that, my plans for the 4th are flexible. I'd be happy to add seats to my Pinot Blanc reservation if anyone wants to join up. Or I could just as easily cancel it altogether if another plan develops. And the 5th and 6th are wide open, provided that I can make it back to Landmark each night.

Let me know if anything will work out. (I'm actually on vacation right now, so internet time is few and far between. Don't be offended if it takes me a while to respond to anyone's post.)

JIMMYV,

Just one thing of note. The guest house (owner's cottage) at Landmark has twin beds. Be prepared. (We honeymooned there).