silverlex

Good advise. Will take a look but Petaluma has lass than a third of the shops than in Gilroy though. Is the extra miles worth the shops - which we hit about no more than once a year!

janisj

>>Is the extra miles worth the shops -

janisj

Oh - just so you know I'm not an 'outlet snob' . . . I shop them as well. But I almost never make a special trip (or drive nearly as far as you would to Gilroy). If I'm traveling I-80 - I'll stop in Vacaville, or if I'm on 101 north of SF I may stop at Petaluma . . . but driving nearly 250 miles/5 hours from Mendocino to Gilroy . . . uh uh.

silverlex

Thanks for the advice. Will need to persuade the better and shopper half of trying another mall! I do my shopping about once a year or less and prefer the US as you get reasonable value for money. Hence variety and options ( ie number of stores ) attract! Any other ideas for retail therapy as we make our way back to SF?

Blr666

The outlet malls in the Bay Area are in: Petaluma, Vacaville, Livermore (brand new but smaller) , Napa, Milpitas, and Gilroy.

indyhiker

We stayed recently at a little cottage just outside the town of Mendocino that we just loved: http://www.vrbo.com/449643

It's actually in Little River, about ten minutes from the village. We stayed there four nights after spending four nights in San Francisco.