Idyllic Idyllwild

A gem in the Southern California landscape is the charming hilltop town of Idyllwild. Nestled at the summit of the San Jacinto mountains this art enclave is a throwback to simpler times. We first discovered Idyllwild on one of our trips to Palm Springs when we decided to take the mountain route. It is a picturesque drive up the winding road to an altitude of about 7000 feet. The surprise (for me anyway) at the top is a village committed to art and nature's beauty. I had no idea that there is a world-renowned art institute attended by artists world-wide in the heart of the community. Otherwise, it is a sleepy hollow where urbanites escape to in order to breathe some fresh air and reinvigorate on the numerous challenging hiking trails. The streets are littered with art galleries and artisans crafting their wares. Another delighful surprise is the gastronomic accomplishments. For such a teeny town there are some amazing restaurants. My favorite is the Cafe Aroma operated with life and precision by Frank Ferro who's one of those guys you just feel like you've known forever. Live entertainment all day turns this enchanting eclectic forest dining experience into a fun sing-along - especially since the wine list is enviable.

We decided at the last minute that we'd like to go up for one night over the Labor day weekend. As luck would have it there was room at the inn and since Idyllwild is a pet friendly town we brought our pup up to wind down the summer in nature. We arrived around noon hour on Saturday and spent the afternoon meandering the galleries and thrift stores in town after a hearty and fresh lunch at Natures Health Food and Cafe - I had the Mediterranean platter - highly recommended. We had invited some friends to join us and they arrived around 5pm. Our dinner reservations were at 7:30. They only had an inside table but we have the dog. Frank in his most accommodating manner invited our sweet, well-behaved Jackson to sit inside. He didn't make a peep and most of the patrons didn't even know he was there. We had a beautiful meal, great conversation, and lively entertainment.

After a knock up on Sunday morning of gourmet coffee, freshly baked scones and homemade jam, Jackson and I set off on a nice brisk walk over to the Nature Center. Our friends wanted to get home early and since there is not too much to the town of Idyllwild we hadn't already explored we left after breakfast at Gnome (I recommend The Bread Basket). I was going to be attending a birthday party the next day and wanted to pick up a little trinket for the birthday girl so we popped in to a little shop on the way out of town. The shop is full of handmade finds from Nepal. It turns out the shopkeep imports good from his native Nepalese village to sell in Idyllwild in order to finance treks in Nepal with groups of Americans he gathers throughout the season. Nepal (along with Tibet) is my number one destination in this life. How serendipitous was this encounter! Idyllwild is truly a magical and surprising little gem.