Mendocino can be a delightful getaway from the city (fall, winter, spring). The best way to get there from San Francisco is to drive--up 101 to 128 and through Anderson Valley over to the coast. Once you turn off of 101, you'll get to see some of the best of California--lovely landscapes filled with oak trees, wineries and sheep, then moving into redwood forests and then the coast. On the way there stop in places like Booneville for lunch at the hotel or keep on driving to Philo and try Libby's for some great modern Mexican food. Mendocino Proper (as opposed to Mendocino County) is a little village filled with old Victorian cottages and houses right on the coast. There are many galleries and shops, and a lot of those Victorians, as well as some of the town's old chicken coops, have been turned into Bed and Breakfasts.