Archive

Posts Tagged ‘San Francisco Bay’

See More on a Guided Travel Vacation

March 25th, 2009 No comments

Travel guides are available in many cities, both large and small. If you want to learn more about certain monuments or districts, joining a tour group is one option. Tour prices vary depending on city, length, and the number of people in your party. Popular tours in Washington DC and San Francisco and other parts of California will take you to famous areas, bridges, monuments, and other historical landmarks and give you a background on each of them.

Washington DC has many monuments, parks, museums, and neighborhoods to visit. Even though there is plenty of public transportation, you may not know which areas to visit first. Guided tours of the city are available if you want to avoid relying on public transportation or driving through the city. It is difficult to see the sights when you have to worry about navigating your way through a strange city, so taking a tour will allow you to relax and focus on sightseeing. Tours are available both day and night and cover such monuments as the Washington monument, Capitol Hill, the White House, and many more.

Other cities like San Francisco also have tours that you can take when visiting. Tours of Alcatraz, the famous island prison located in the San Francisco Bay, Chinatown, and other neighborhoods in the area are available. You will be able to take great pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge and see beautiful views of the ocean. Tour buses run during the day and at night.

When booking tours, you should find one or two that interest you. Many tours are theme related, so choose a theme that everyone in your group will want to participate in. On the tour, you will be able to ask questions, learn about the history of the area, monuments, and other facts.

Tour guides have been trained to answer most questions. Along the way, the tour bus will stop and let you out to see monuments up close, take pictures, and get something to eat. Make sure you know where the bus will pick up and how long you have before it leaves.

Depending on the size of your group, you may need to make reservations before your trip. For smaller groups, you can buy tickets the same day or the day before. Tour groups are located throughout larger cities. Most hotels have a listing of tour companies that are close by. You can research tours online in order to get a better idea of some of the tours that available.

If you don’t want to take a bus tour, walking tours are also available. These tours will take you through certain historic neighborhoods and usually center around food, historical events, or time periods. Walking tours may require you to walk five miles or more, so ask in advance and be sure to stretch before you begin. Taking a walking tour is a great way to see smaller neighborhoods and learn more about the city you are visiting.

About the Author:

Enjoy a Romantic Getaway at the West Coast’s Best Inns

February 15th, 2009 No comments

It’s that special time of the year when you and your sweetheart can freely share an unforgettable experience to rekindle your romance. The West Coast inns, bed and breakfasts and boutique hotels offer a unique and time-tested recipe for pampering, refreshment and wonderful dining experiences.

For information about the most romantic B&Bs in California and the Pacific Northwest, check out popular travel writer Karen Brown’s website. Full of information about these areas, Karen Brown’s World of Travel offers detailed trip itineraries, maps and listings for hundreds of unique inns in these areas as well as exciting destinations around the world.

Karen Brown’s readers have voted and chosen the following lodging choices as the “Most Romantic” and best “Splendid Splurges” in California and the Pacific Northwest. For a romantic getaway, the following is a good place to begin your search:

The Tickle Pink Inn, located just south of Carmel, an unbelievably beautiful seaside village on California’s Central Coast, was voted “Most Romantic” in California by Karen Brown readersand for good reason. With access to excellent shopping, unique gourmet restaurants and world-class golf courses, this charming inn is loaded with amenities. Near the edge of Big Sur, The Tickle Pink Inn is intimate, private and elegant. Enjoy a luxurious continental breakfast in the early mornings and a fantastic evening reception with classical music playing softly in the background while you taste local wines, fresh fruits and fantastic cheeses. The rooms are well-appointed and present quaint balconies from which to enjoy the seaside view, and most are equipped with wood burning fireplaces as well. The most elegant suites boast whirlpool tubs and the luxurious king beds are graced with Egyptian cotton and down comforters.

The Karen Brown Readers’ Choice Award for the best “Splendid Splurge” in California goes to The Inn Above Tide in Sausalito. Every room has excellent views of the panoramic San Francisco Bay and offers unbelievably plush accommodations. Most of the rooms contain fireplaces and private decks, affording exquisite vistas of the night lights in the city. Enjoy the oversized tubs, flat screen TVs, luxurious linens, soft robes and Bvlgari bath products. Continental breakfasts are fabulous, and the evening wine and cheese reception is not to be missed. The Inn Above Tide also offers the Penthouse Suite with a glass-enclosed whirlpool tub overlooking the bay as well as a romantic fireplace and private deck.

While not as posh as some of the inns listed in this article, the Channel House in Depoe Bay, Oregon, has plenty to offer. The location affords almost total privacy, located right on the edge of the Oregon coast. Many of the guest rooms have a deck with an ocean view hot tub, as well as a fireplace. A continental breakfast buffet is served in a room that affords stunning sea vistas, a perfect start to the day. The staff is happy to help guests plan their daily adventures, offering suggestions for activities and local restaurants. The area is ideal for whale watching and The Whale Center is located within walking distance of the inn. The Channel House was the recipient of the Karen Brown Readers’ Choice Award for “Most Romantic” lodging in the Pacific Northwest.

The Sooke Harbour House in Canada’s glorious province of British Columbia is a fanciful destination. Located on the Whiffen Spit Beach in the village of Sooke, this boutique hotel offers some truly unique accommodations. Each of the rooms offers a view of mountains, gardens or the sea and all have a fireplace and private balcony or terrace. The dcor is what truly sets this place apart from other coastal inns. For example, the Passion Flower room includes a bed with a headboard that resembles wooden doors opening onto a mural of a garden path. The Kitchen’s Garden room includes a shower surrounded on three sides by stained glass. Original artwork and unique furnishings decorate the other guest rooms, and each has a different theme. The hotel also has a full-service spa and a gourmet restaurant. Sooke Harbour House won the Karen Brown Readers’ Choice Award for best “Splendid Splurge” in the Pacific Northwest.

About the Author:

Sausalito Is Sinking

February 12th, 2009 No comments

Gather around my Spanish-impaired friends and listen carefully to today’s word: sauzalito. Nice, eh? Say it a few times, slowly and revel in the Ricardo Montalban impersonation that is slowly taking you over. Once youve cycled through the soft Corinthian leather phase of Montalbans career, Id like to make clear sauzalito means the small willow grove.” So what, you say? Fair enough. But, if you ever find yourself at the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, you will thank me for the ten minutes of small talk this piece has bought you.

The former “Rancho del Sausalito” (hurry and get the Montalban out of your system), the city of Sausalito enjoys a distinction few cities can boast of: its partially submerged. Hows that? Well, in 1868 the city had plans to follow San Franciscos example and expand the citys perimeters with landfills (see, also, Manhattan). Well, that landfill never got filled and several streets have since ended up under the Richardson Bay.

A watery fate the Spanish could never have imagined a hundred years earlier. Though the Spanish, specifically Don Jose de Canizares, had settled the Bay Area in 1775, their emphasis was fortifying Mission Dolores and the Presidio in San Francisco. Sausalito would not enjoy ” if thats the right word ” development until the late 1800s, when its plentiful timber would make its way to the shipyards of the boom-time Bay.

William Richardson, an Englishman by way of Mexico, managed to marry into Don Ignacio Martnez’s family and was awarded the tract of land that is present-day Sausalito. Nice work if you can get it, and not a bad wedding present to be sure. During and after the Gold Rush, Sausalito managed to attract a number of artists and celebrities who appreciated the towns picturesque qualities. A few names of note are Alan Watts, the purveyor of Zen Buddhism, Shel Silverstein, the poet, Otis Redding (who composed Sitting on the Dock of the Bay whilst doing just that), and the newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst.

With lush Marin County sprawled to one side and the San Francisco Bay on the other, Sausalito remains a popular tourist attraction. Barring the submerged parts of the city, it is easy to see how someone could scour the Sausalito hotels, bunk down, and never decide to leave. It is a perfect counterpoint to the bustle and congestion of San Francisco and though the cost of living may be too rich for some, it is always available to vacationers and tourists eager to sit on the dock of the bay and waste the time away. Indeed, Mr. Redding. Indeed.

About the Author:

California Fishing

January 5th, 2009 No comments

Fishing is an old sport. Earlier, it was done at a very elementary level. Men used to sit on rocks that were scattered on riversides and keep their angles in line with the rivers. Sometimes, they caught a bounty. We mean the small fishes. At other times, all they got was nothing. Since that time, fishing as a sport has evolved a lot. Today it is followed both as a hobby and as a profession. In this regard, the role of California fishing is praiseworthy. It has given an array of options to the boaters and fishers alike.

There are various fishing centers where you can catch hold of the corbina, bass, halibut and rockfish. In fact, even rays and sharks are available by a score. The Goleta pier is one of the very best for the fishing business. The facilities are good and anglers get easy access to the pier. On an average, thirty different species can be found on the pier. Fishes per trip is also very high.

The California piers are simply blessed. You can even look out for the bass kelp, the white sturgeons and the pacific mackerels. Another one is the balboa pier. It is not entirely made for the purpose of fishing and fishing is at best a secondary occupation but it provides great depth and fishing facility at the corner of the 920 feet pier. Here you can look to catch the snovel guitarfish and bat rays with your squid baits.

On the Sacramento River, there are glorious fishing opportunities. There are customized jet boats and drift boats. These provide all kind of facilities in a very safe, harmonious and laid-back environment. Be it the Smith River fishing or Feather River fishing, no angler would be disappointed sitting in the 24 feet custom-built boat looking for angles. Today, there are many defining books that can suggest you about catching the trout, steelheads, sturgeon and many other kinds of species. These contain roughly a1000 photographs and a lot of informative write-ups.

Even California boating is developing into a huge industry. The boating clean and green campaign is hot today. It teaches various techniques of protecting the waterways from invasive species. It also preaches the value of safeguarding various marine ecosystems and habitats. The dock walkers get to know a lot about inspecting waterways for identifying what might turn out to be an intrusive breed of fish like the sharks.

If you possess a trailer boat, you can look to get easy access to the California waters. San Francisco bay also offers quite an amazing repertoire of boating facility. You can have fun in the Francisco bay or move towards northern California for catching the big prize. If a combination trip interests you then you can look forward to boating and fishing simultaneously. Ambience and amenities are great. All you need is awareness. Thankfully, even that is not missing in people of California.

About the Author: