Juan the Cat Takes On Tri-Valley
“I knew the Tri-Valley was dog-friendly, but apparently traveling cats are becoming all the rage, and Visit Tri-Valley got to host our first this weekend.”
His name is Juan (handle: Miyouji which means cat+travel+story) and he’s just about the coolest cat this side of New Orleans. His people, Mr. Jun Hong and Ms. Lan Ling, had heard about the Tri-Valley and figured Juan would love it. The pressure was on. Could we impress this most famous world traveling cat who’s been the world over and has almost as many followers as Kim Kardashian?
Juan’s trip began at pet-friendly Hyatt House Pleasanton, which two adorable puppies now call home. Black Tie Transportation happily transported our guests from Oakland Airport.
We got to the Pleasanton Farmer’s Market, where Juan giggled at the No Dogs sign. He knew it applied to him too, so he played the crowd on Main Street and enjoyed his icecream at Meadowlark Dairy. A quick trip to the SF Premium Outlets where Gucci was clearly his favorite, and then to Concannon Winery for a quick lunch. We were seated at Underdog Wine Bar, next to a family whose rabbit was joining them. You can’t make this stuff up.
Next, we went for a stroll at Wente where we sipped, and toured the Tirage and the Caves. Juan especially enjoyed hanging out in the organic garden where he felt right at home, crouching and stalking imaginary prey.
Always impressive, our dinner was on the patio at Sabio on Main where I saw Juan eyeing the beautiful trout we shared.
Next day, Juan was dying to see the Centennial Lightbulb, burning since 1901. He got his picture taken with a fireman and just in time too before the tourists from San Francisco descended upon Fire Station #6.
No trip to the Tri-Valley would be complete without summiting Mt. Diablo. We stopped at Curry Point to ogle the views and look for tarantulas.
Danville was hosting its annual Fall Craft Festival where Juan posed with his fans and then he enjoyed another dining al fresco experience at Danville Harvest. Then it was off to the Blackhawk Museums for a fabulous afternoon of classic cars and history.
Juan was the perfect visitor to the Tri-Valley. We look forward to hosting our next iconic cat, but Juan will always hold a special place in our hearts…especially when he wears his sunglasses. Sunshine you can count on, right Juan?