Sacrebleu! Petaluma bests Paris on top ten travel list

Leisurely wine and cheese lunches at the neighborhood bistro, a gently flowing river steps away, just past the cobblestone walkway. Fabulous restaurants along the main street. Lovers walk hand-in-hand admiring the architecture.

Is this Paris? Or maybe Petaluma?

A new top 10 list of best places to visit published by Harper’s Bazaar magazine ranks Petaluma as the No. 1 fall travel destination.

Paris is No. 10.

“Est-ce possible?” a Parisian might ask.

But of course, Petalumans say.

“Fall is almost here, and with it comes the urge to explore new horizons and distant vistas,” the intro to the list reads. “Which direction should your GPS lead you? Here, we round up the most coveted places to visit in our great American homeland right now (with one bonus international destination truly worth flying across the ocean for).”

A “really?” and a quizzical eyebrow raise seem to be the most common reaction to the news that little ol’ Petaluma outranks Paris in any list, particularly as a travel destination.

“Paris, Texas, or Paris, France? Just checking,” quipped Jacqueline Bazeley, co-owner of Santa Rosa’s La Gare French restaurant with her chef brother, Roger Praplan.

“I’ve been to Paris. Petaluma is not downtown Paris,” said Vicki Martinez of Novato, lunching with her mother, Carol Ahlf of Oregon, at Petaluma’s Water Street Bistro - a French bistro offering a little hint of Paris along the Petaluma River.

“But it’s lovely,” she said. “This could be someplace in France.”

“Somewhere in the country,” Ahlf added.

Petaluma has no Eiffel Tower, but its skyline is graced by the Dairyman’s Feed and Supply Co-Op granary, at 11 stories tall, capped by an American flag.

The other “must visit” places on Harper’s list following Petaluma are: Marfa, Texas; Barnard, Vt.; Seattle; Miami; Dolores, Colo.; Philadelphia; Nantucket, Mass.; and Woodstock, N.Y.

“Skip the trip to Italy and head to Petaluma instead - this undiscovered city is home to McEvoy Ranch, a 500-acre estate that produces its own wine, olive oil and restorative skincare range,” the Harper’s list gushes.

While McEvoy Ranch isn’t technically in Petaluma, it’s close enough. And it appreciates the love shown by the international fashion and style magazine.

“We’re getting a little buzz,” said McEvoy events and public relations manager Jill Lee. “It’s kind of fun to see that little Petaluma is getting a shout-out.”

“Well, isn’t that wonderful?” said Onita Pellegrini, chief executive officer of Petaluma’s Chamber of Commerce. “Our weather is better. Paris .?.?.? that’s really getting up there. I’m feeling better about where I live every day. We’re a great place.”

French natives Bernard Noz and Juan Amat have lived in Petaluma for about 15 years.

Enjoying a lunch break at Water Street Bistro on Thursday, they weren’t quite buying that Petaluma could top Paris in much of anything.

“We quite like Petaluma. I would rather live in Petaluma,” said Noz, while Amat shook his head, unconvinced.

“For a tourist, there is more in Paris than Petaluma,” Noz conceded. “But Paris is a big city. I don’t like the pollution. It’s very pricey. Here, it’s a lot more laid back.”

“What were they thinking when they wrote that?” said Santa Rosa restaurateur Nino Rabbaa, who spent his youth in Paris. He ran Rendez Vous Bistro in downtown Santa Rosa until early this year.

“I grew up in the City of Light. I don’t know that Petaluma is lit at night,” he said. “Where in Paris, people start to go to dinner at 9 o’clock, I think Petaluma is closing.”

But, then again, Petaluma can hold its own as a city of gastronomical delights: fine wine, fancy cheeses and sumptuous charcuterie. Two downtown restaurants made the 2014 Michelin Bib Gourmand list, Risibisi and Cucina Paradiso.

“Yes, there are some similarities,” Rabbaa said, “but we don’t grow chickens in Paris. Maybe I’m missing something. If it’s better than Paris, I should be so happy, because I miss my hometown.”

“Petaluma is great but .?.?.? ” said Water Street Bistro owner Stephanie Rastetter, whose grandmother was French. “What we don’t have is things going on all night long.

“But we’ve got our own Seine right here,” she said, gesturing to the Petaluma River. “We’re very spoiled.”

You can reach Lori A. Carter at 762-7297 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @loriacarter.