Each month we share five unmissable things to see and do in the Golden State. You heard it here first.
Words by DAVID NASH and ELIZABETH VARNELL
SANTA CRUZ
This Beachfront Resort Evokes the Cote d’Azur
Forty years in the making — and situated steps away from Main Beach, where the Pacific meets the edge of Monterey Bay — LA BAHIA HOTEL & SPA is the only property of its kind in Santa Cruz. The design firm ForrestPerkins has created a beachfront Mediterranean-style escape reminiscent of a gleaming white palatial estate, with guests pulling up at a grand porte cochere. In addition to the 155 rooms, there is a signature fine-dining restaurant, High Tide, plus a more casual Low Tide Bar & Grill (offering breakfast, lunch, and happy hour), a London-inspired lobby bar, and a poolside lounge overlooking the ocean. The Spa includes four indoor and four outdoor treatment rooms, two steam rooms, a rooftop zen deck with 360-degree views of the water, and an incredible ocean-view sauna. Guest rooms — including 29 signature suites — are well-appointed with premium linens, custom furnishings, original artwork, and a marble-clad bathroom featuring an oversize shower and expansive double vanity (some also have a generous soaking tub). 215 Beach St., Santa Cruz, 831-281-7009; labahiahotel.com. D.N.
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MARIN
A Fashion Brand Inspired by Donald Judd Pops in NorCal
Georgia Dant’s genius take on seasonless customizable outerwear, MARFA STANCE, made with dead-stock fabrics from Italy and Japan, is popping up at the Marin Country Mart through the end of the year, and at Hotel Healdsburg on Sunday, Nov. 16. The British designer, who previously led men’s and women’s design teams at Burberry and rag & bone, launched the line of reversible garments and accessories — add or remove collars, hoods, and liners — meant to function across climates and seasons in 2019. Inspired by Donald Judd’s modular furniture on view in Marfa, Texas, her collections made with shearling, double-faced wool, and quilted water-repellent nylon include bomber jackets, peacoats, and reversible raincoats with contrasting fabrics, textures, and colors, as well as trousers, skirts, and knitwear ideal for California microclimates. 2257 Larkspur Landing Circle, Marin Country Mart, Larkspur; marfastance.com. 25 Matheson St., Healdsburg, 707-431-2800; hotelhealdsburg.com. E.V.
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SAN FRANCISCO
Not Even a Silver Bullet Could Stop This Culinary Masterpiece
Named for the flowering plant said to keep werewolves at bay, there’s no holding WOLFSBANE back from ruling the night in the popular Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco. As the first joint venture from Carrie and Rupert Blease (Lord Stanley) and Tommy Halvorson (The Fire Society), the restaurant celebrates Northern California’s bountiful offerings from the Bay Area’s most renowned purveyors. The nine-course tasting menu may include dishes like a shellfish trio of chilled oysters, razor clam ceviche, and wild mussel escabeche; a rendition of a Lord Stanley favorite, cabbage with house buttermilk, sea urchin bottarga, and dill; and a dry-aged liberty duck breast with figs roasted in their leaves with a cocoa juniper sauce. Louisa Smith has assembled an exciting wine list with both old- and new-world offerings from around the globe to complement the cuisine. Guests can experience their meal in the 18-seat main dining room, a 20-seat private dining room (The Den), a six-seat booth (The Burrow), or while seated in the bar, where a smaller selection of bites and bar courses are available. 2495 3rd St., S.F.; wolfsbanesf.com. D.N.
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SAN FRANCISCO | LOS ANGELES
One of the All-Time Greats Discusses Photographing Women
With her transcendent portraits, ANNIE LEIBOVITZ has devoted her career to creating images of people who shape our world. Now that she has updated one of her most beloved works, she’s embarking on a global tour to discuss it. The photographer first published her groundbreaking opus on women in 1999, but she never stopped shooting, and the new two-volume Annie Leibovitz: Women (Phaidon, $100) includes more than 250 images. There’s a fresh range of unscripted moments from public figures, private citizens, scientists, athletes, and artists, and Leibovitz enlisted Gloria Steinem and Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie to pen essays for the additional volume while the original retains Susan Sontag’s text. Both books include short biographies on each portrait sitter, underscoring Steinem’s assertion: “Women isn’t just a collection of women, it’s a history of our time, with women included.” Nov. 10, 8 p.m., Palace of Fine Arts, 3601 Lyon St., S.F.; Nov. 11, 7 p.m., The Wiltern, L.A.; phaidon.com. E.V.
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CATALINA
A Free Diver Weaves Art and Science in a New Exhibit
Experience the natural beauty of Catalina Island through the lens of marine scientist and artist Oriana Poindexter at the CATALINA MUSEUM FOR ART & HISTORY’s otherworldly exhibit, The Blue Forest. An immersive installation created by hand using historic photographic processes, the show features full-size images of native marine flora — printed onto flowing silk panels — that have been gathered by the San Diego–based artist, who regularly free dives off Catalina’s stunning shoreline. The labyrinth of underwater scenery depicts giant species of kelp on billowing ocean-blue silk and connects the loosely intertwined worlds of art and science through a vivid sensory encounter as light filters through the panels. To heighten the experience, Poindexter incorporates a soundscape comprising her own underwater recordings that add to the feeling of being submerged. “Entering the forest of cyanotype silks is an invitation to slow down, breathe, and recognize yourself as a small part of something larger,” she says of the island’s often unseen world. Nov. 8, 2025–Oct. 11, 2026. 217 Metropole Ave., Avalon, 310-510-2414; catalinamuseum.org. D.N.
Feature image: Annie Leibovitz portrait throughout, ©Annie Leibovitz.
November 2025
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