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Pier 39 Marine Terminal
San Francisco, CA 94133
Phone: 415-705-8200
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Leaving Pier 39 on a regular basis are the tour boats of the Blue and Gold Fleet. A favorite cruise for many visitors is the one-hour narrated tour of the Bay, which passes by all the sights, and passes under the glorious Golden Gate Bridge. Recently, the Blue and Gold Fleet has added an "Escape from the Rock" tour, a ninety-minute excursion which concentrates on the lore and legends of the notorious Alcatraz Island.
Carmel-by-the-Sea
South of Monterey
Monterey County, CA 93923
Phone: 888-221-1010
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A walk around this picturesque little town, with its cottages and cafes, conjures up a stroll through a quaint European village, and the secluded beach here is unmatched in its beauty and tranquility. Also here, we can take the famous 17-mile drive around the Monterey peninsula. This scenic route starts at beautiful Pacific Grove, and moves past some of the most elegant Victorian homes you’re likely to see anyway. Just beyond Pacific Grove is Pebble Beach, probably the most famous golf destination on the West Coast. If golf is, as Mark Twain once said, a good walk ruined, then the course at Pebble Beach is one of the best walks around. Every hole is visually stunning, and most of them give duffers ample opportunity to drop a ball in the Pacific Ocean next door.
Golden Gate Park
Near Haight-Ashbury
San Francisco, CA 94117
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This is one of the most beautiful places in a beautiful city . This 1,000-acre urban escape stretches all the way from Haight Ashbury in the middle of the city, to the Pacific Ocean to the west. Inside the park pleasures abound, and you could easily spend the whole day right here, just exploring and relaxing. Highlights here include the lovely Conservatory of Flowers. Built in 1879, this elegant Victorian structure is the oldest public conservatory in the United States, and the landscape around the building is just as picturesque as the flowers and plants inside. In addition to the Conservatory, visitors can enjoy a stroll beside one of the park’s small lakes, or a visit to the Dutch windmill in the park’s northwest corner. With all its attractions and lovely landscaping, it is easy to see why Golden Gate Park has been revitalizing the spirits of locals and visitors alike for nearly a hundred and fifty years.
24 Willie Mays Place
San Francisco, CA 94107
Phone: 415-972-2000
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AT&T Park is the baseball home of the San Francisco Giants. As kayakers wait in McCovey Cove to scoop up the next home run ball, a statue of Willie Mays welcomes fans to the stadium, which despite its corporate sponsorship, is actually an intimate throwback to the stadiums of old like Fenway Park or Wrigley Field. With its convenient location and picturesque setting, a trip to AT&T Park is a nostalgic reminder of baseball the way it used to be, before the million dollar contracts and the steroids got in the way. Not that we're suggesting that any of the Giants would ever be involved in that kind of thing,
Baker Beach
Golden Gate Recreation Area
San Francisco, CA 94129
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Baker Beach is one of the few beaches within the city limits. Though Southern California seems to have cornered the market on surf and sun, this sandy shore is a great place for a stroll or a picnic. And, as an added bonus, Baker Beach is one of the prime viewing locations to take in the beauty of the stunning Golden Gate Bridge. Let LA or San Diego try to match that!
Big Sur
South of Carmel
Monterey County, CA 93920
Phone: 831-667-2100
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The town of Carmel rolls out into the lush Carmel Valley and just beyond that is the breathtaking Big Sur region. Take the winding Highway One through the Los Padres National Forest and make sure you have a steady hand on the wheel and plenty of film in the camera, because we're sure that you’ll need both. Though it's a good two hours away from San Francisco now, seeing the spectacular Bixby Bridge or watching as the serene McWay Falls spills onto a quiet beach makes the trip to Big Sur well worth the effort to get here. It’s simply some of the most inspiring coastal scenery anywhere. And in Northern California, that’s saying something.