I'm in Ventura this weekend for some north-of-LA exploration. Ventura is the gateway to the Channel Islands, with Anacapa and Santa Cruz islands visible on the Pacific horizon. The 101 cuts straight through here and I've driven through many times, but seldom stopped. I do remember having one of the best Caesar salads of my life at one of the restaurants near the pier during one of our stop-overs on the way to San Francisco.

We're staying at the Marriott, right off the 101 and only a couple of blocks from the beach or the harbor. Just down the road is the Crowne Plaza situated right on the beach. If I were here for a beach excursion, I'd rather be there, but the Marriott is convenient and comfortable and affordable.

We began our evening out at Weaver Wines, a wine bar and wine gift shop in the lovely old downtown area. Weaver Wines is one of those amazing places with small-town ambience, but big city style. You can sit and sip a good glass of wine, enjoy one of the daily wine flights, or tee-total over a glass of mineral water.

The wine and gift shop carries distinctive gifts all year around. This time of year the store is bedecked with all-things holiday. I never knew Santa was so into wine, but he's all over the place here. Now I wonder if the reason why I never got what I wanted for Christmas as a child was because I left out milk and cookies instead of wine and cheese.

After a five-wine flight including three whites and two reds, we walked around the block to the Watermark restaurant, one of Ventura's newest and hippest places to dine and drink. Watermark is located in a historic building built in the early 1900s for the electric company. Through the years it's been a bank, a jewelry store, an antique store and several other blurred businesses.

Looks to me like Watermark is here to say. Owners Mark and Kathy Hartley and Jim Rice spent several years restoring the old building to its early grandeur, including the murals of Ventura valley life painted in the 1920s. The ceiling of the ground floor is spectacular, with carved and handpainted wooden beams. The restaurant is on the ground floor and serves California cuisine with high style.

Upstairs you'll find W2O a hip and trendy bar reflecting the beachside community. The ceiling of W2O retracts to allow sunshine and fresh air to circulate. Across the building tops of the city you can see the ocean sparkling in the distance.

Tomorrow we're going downtown to the Saturday farmer's market, do some browsing through some of the boutiques, lunch, chocolate tasting at Trufflehounds, more wine tasting and then dinner at Brooks restaurant.

See more Ventura photos in my Facebook album here.

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