This is a very special episode of Unpacked by Afar. This week, we hosted Unpacked Live — a live version of the podcast — in partnership with Visit California in Dallas, Texas. The event celebrated California's extraordinary creative landscape, and today's guest has literally shaped the ground beneath many Californian's feet. Roderick Wyllie is an award-winning landscape architect and founding partner of Surfacedesign Inc. A rare San Francisco native, he's helped design some of the Bay Area's most beloved public spaces, including the Lands End Visitor Center above Sutro Baths, a plaza at the Golden Gate Bridge, and Mission Bayfront Park. He also teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. In this episode, Roderick talks about growing up in 1970s San Francisco, what it means to design with rather than against a place, and why he thinks California's greatest creative export might be optimism. On this episode, you'll learn: What it was like to grow up in San Francisco in the 1970s and 80s — and how that "wild frontier" shaped Roderick's creative practice Why Surfacedesign approaches every project like a crime scene investigation, searching for the story embedded in the land How Roderick thinks about water — both as a design tool and as a precious resource in a drought-prone state What he's learning from a current winery rethink at the iconic Robert Mondavi Winery in Napa Where he sends travelers who want to experience California through the lens of landscape and design Travel Recommendations from Roderick: Wineries & Gardens Faust, Napa Valley — A Victorian estate with planting designed to move from light to dark, inspired by the mythology of Faust; beautiful valley views Buena Vista Winery, Sonoma — One of California's most historically significant wine sites, beautifully sited with two landmark historic buildings Scribe, Sonoma — A more informal, less precious winery experience; Roderick especially admires the landscape work by Terramoto Ruth Bancroft Garden, Walnut Creek — A masterwork dry garden celebrating the succulent landscape; Roderick calls it "spectacular" Lotusland, Montecito — A fantasy of a California landscape with a larger-than-life history; the opera singer founder married nine times The Huntington, San Marino/Pasadena — Impeccably maintained, a spectacular garden destination Parks & Natural Spaces Golden Gate Park, San Francisco — "It always feels a little bigger than I think it's going to be" Point Reyes / Inverness — Roderick's favorite stretch of coast, particularly for seeing tule elk in the fog Blunk Space gallery, Point Reyes Station — A small gallery connected to the legacy of California sculptor JB Blunk Restaurants & Markets Valley Bar + Bottle, Sonoma — Informal, locally sourced, creative; Roderick's top pick Zuni Café, San Francisco — A California cuisine institution on Market Street; intimate despite its size Ferry Building Farmers Market, San Francisco — "Incredible to see these purveyors that are focused on peppers only or something like that" Modern Appealing Clothing (MAC), Hayes Valley — A quietly iconic SF clothing store recently named one of the 50 best in the US by the New York Times; Roderick designed a small interior garden inside the space Art & Culture Minnesota Street Project, Dogpatch — A collection of galleries with constantly rotating programming Bay Area Discovery Museum, Sausalito — Roderick and his team designed eucalyptus-inspired play structures; worth a visit even without kids Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:00 Growing Up in San Francisco 00:05:00 How Surfacedesign Works 00:08:00 Iconic Bay Area Projects 00:14:00 Water as Design and Resource 00:20:00 Designing Winery Landscapes 00:27:00 The California Creative Mindset 00:35:00 Where to Go in California Resources Surfacedesign Inc. — Roderick's firm Explore the ⁠Afar guide to California Watch the live recording of our Dallas event on YouTube Listen to our other Unpacked Live episodes featuring naturalist Obi Kaufmann and architect Barbara Bestor Be sure to subscribe to the show and sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠Behind the Mic⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠View From Afar⁠⁠⁠⁠, where we spotlight the people and ideas shaping the future of travel. Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠Airwave Media⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He's Been Designing California's Outdoors for Decades. Here's What He's Learned.

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This is a very special episode of Unpacked by Afar. This week, we hosted Unpacked Live — a live version of the podcast — in partnership with Visit California in Dallas, Texas. The event celebrated California's extraordinary creative landscape, and today's guest has literally shaped the ground beneath many Californian's feet.  Roderick Wyllie is an award-winning landscape architect and founding partner of Surfacedesign Inc. A rare San Francisco native, he's helped design some of the Bay Area's most beloved public spaces, including the Lands End Visitor Center above Sutro Baths, a plaza at the Golden Gate Bridge, and Mission Bayfront Park. He also teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.   In this episode, Roderick talks about growing up in 1970s San Francisco, what it means to design with rather than against a place, and why he thinks California's greatest creative export might be optimism.  On this episode, you'll learn:  What it was like to grow up in San Francisco in the 1970s and 80s — and how that "wild frontier" shaped Roderick's creative practice  Why Surfacedesign approaches every project like a crime scene investigation, searching for the story embedded in the land  How Roderick thinks about water — both as a design tool and as a precious resource in a drought-prone state  What he's learning from a current winery rethink at the iconic Robert Mondavi Winery in Napa  Where he sends travelers who want to experience California through the lens of landscape and design  Travel Recommendations from Roderick:  Wineries & Gardens  Faust, Napa Valley — A Victorian estate with planting designed to move from light to dark, inspired by the mythology of Faust; beautiful valley views  Buena Vista Winery, Sonoma — One of California's most historically significant wine sites, beautifully sited with two landmark historic buildings  Scribe, Sonoma — A more informal, less precious winery experience; Roderick especially admires the landscape work by Terramoto  Ruth Bancroft Garden, Walnut Creek — A masterwork dry garden celebrating the succulent landscape; Roderick calls it "spectacular"  Lotusland, Montecito — A fantasy of a California landscape with a larger-than-life history; the opera singer founder married nine times  The Huntington, San Marino/Pasadena — Impeccably maintained, a spectacular garden destination  Parks & Natural Spaces  Golden Gate Park, San Francisco — "It always feels a little bigger than I think it's going to be"  Point Reyes / Inverness — Roderick's favorite stretch of coast, particularly for seeing tule elk in the fog  Blunk Space gallery, Point Reyes Station — A small gallery connected to the legacy of California sculptor JB Blunk  Restaurants & Markets  Valley Bar + Bottle, Sonoma — Informal, locally sourced, creative; Roderick's top pick  Zuni Café, San Francisco — A California cuisine institution on Market Street; intimate despite its size  Ferry Building Farmers Market, San Francisco — "Incredible to see these purveyors that are focused on peppers only or something like that"  Modern Appealing Clothing (MAC), Hayes Valley — A quietly iconic SF clothing store recently named one of the 50 best in the US by the New York Times; Roderick designed a small interior garden inside the space  Art & Culture  Minnesota Street Project, Dogpatch — A collection of galleries with constantly rotating programming  Bay Area Discovery Museum, Sausalito — Roderick and his team designed eucalyptus-inspired play structures; worth a visit even without kids  Chapters  00:00:00 Introduction  00:02:00 Growing Up in San Francisco   00:05:00 How Surfacedesign Works   00:08:00 Iconic Bay Area Projects   00:14:00 Water as Design and Resource   00:20:00 Designing Winery Landscapes   00:27:00 The California Creative Mindset   00:35:00 Where to Go in California    Resources      Surfacedesign Inc. — Roderick's firm    Explore the ⁠Afar guide to California     Watch the live recording of our Dallas event on YouTube     Listen to our other Unpacked Live episodes featuring naturalist Obi Kaufmann and architect Barbara Bestor    Be sure to subscribe to the show and sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠Behind the Mic⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠View From Afar⁠⁠⁠⁠, where we spotlight the people and ideas shaping the future of travel.   Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠Airwave Media⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Unpacked by Afar is your weekly guide to where to go, how to travel, and everything worth unpacking in between. Each week, host Aislyn Greene and the Afar team travel the world and dig into the big questions behind every great trip, from the best new hotels and national parks to traveling more responsibly. Some weeks we follow a story through music, food, and culture. Others we tackle a tricky topic, share our favorite destinations, or help you plan where to go next. Because the travel world is complicated. We're here to help you unpack it.

Unpacked by Afar | Travel Smarter, More Responsibly

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