by Cheri Lucas
9:02PM July 18, 2010
Spot whales off the Pacific Coast… Frolic with animals in San Francisco’s urban parks… The landscape of Northern California allows wildlife to thrive—hawks circle the skies of the Marin Headlands through the fall season, elk chill on the lush, open grass of Pierce Point Ranch in the Point Reyes National Seashore, and snowy egrets and blue herons fly about at Audubon Canyon Ranch in West Marin.
Point Reyes, in fact, is full of opportunities to encounter wildlife up close:
-Duck, eagle, egret, and heron watching at the Giacomini Wetlands
-Kayaking among birds and bat rays at Drake’s Estero in Inverness
-Elephant seal pupping and mating at Chimney Rock (December—March)
-Whale watching at the Point Reyes Lighthouse (December—April) (An alternative? Embark on a whale watching boat tour off the coast to the Farallon Islands, about 27 miles from San Francisco, between May—November)
But you don’t have to trek far outside the city to glimpse at our wild(er) neighbors. In San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, stroll past bison grazing in the grass of the Bison Paddock, along John F. Kennedy Drive between Spreckels Lake and Chain of Lakes Drive. And, if you haven’t paid a visit to the San Francisco Zoo, summer is the time to go: spend the day sunning with baby giraffes or view the facility’s adorable baby gorilla, Hasani. This week, July 19—25, is National Zookeeper Week: meet zookeepers at various exhibits and ask questions about the zoo’s residents.
Finally, down the Peninsula at the Coyote Point Museum in San Mateo, docents roam the grounds with creatures in their hands. Housing more than 100 animals, the museum has river otters, coyotes, two bobcats, reptiles, and other critters.
by Cheri Lucas
1:36PM July 6, 2010
I don’t know about you, but when the sun shines throughout Northern California, I crave seafood—I get the urge to find a spot along the coast, spread newspaper out onto a picnic table, roll up my sleeves, and feast on fresh crabs, oysters, lobsters…
Some fun, lively spots for seafood can be found in Northern California, from Half Moon Bay to Marshall. If you love a good lobster roll, head to Half Moon Bay’s Sam’s Chowder House. The lobster roll was named one of the top five best sandwiches in the U.S., and the location has a splendid oceanfront outdoor patio.
If chowder is more your thing, try Barbara’s Fish Trap, situated over the water in Princeton-by-the-Sea. (Just look for a little red building on stilts near the Half Moon Bay Harbor.) Barbara’s is famous for two dishes—its clam chowder and fish and chips—but also has a tasty salmon burger and dungeness crab sandwich.
Looking to slurp some oysters? The perennial favorite is the Hog Island Oyster Farm in Marshall—the quintessential and rustic oyster picnic experience. Since it’s wildly popular on the weekends, an alternative is the Marshall Store—especially if you’re fiending for barbecued oysters.
Got other seafood recommendations? Please share here!
by Cheri Lucas
9:24AM June 24, 2010
Romantic and charming yet rugged, the North Coast of California beckons you to escape to a slower pace. Mendocino is just a couple hours north of the San Francisco Bay Area and west of Sacramento, but its villages perched over the Pacific Coast, beaches and hidden coves, and artisanal and green wineries create a unique getaway. Find yourself spotting a whale from the porch of your cute, quaint inn, or hiking deep into an impressive redwood forest.
Trazzler has partnered up with the region’s official tourism organization, Visit Mendocino County, for the Mendocino County Writing Contest. Residents and visitors of Mendocino County are encouraged to submit short trips (65-120 words) on Trazzler of the beaches, parks, B&Bs, town festivals, local mom and pops, and other attractions that they love and find themselves returning to again and again.
Visit Mendocino County has rounded up an assorted of prize packages, from a weekend getaway and tango workshop at the Weller House Inn, dining at the award-winning vegetarian Ravens’ Restaurant, a $100 dining credit to MacCallum House Inn and Restaurant, passes to the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, and bottles of wine from Barra of Mendocino and Meyer Family Cellars.
Need inspiration to write? Mendocino has plenty to get you started . . .
–New England-style Mendocino Village
–Mendocino State Parks
–Organic brews and local food at Ukiah Brewing Company
–Road trips (NorCal’s Highway 20)
–Ocean caves near Little River Cemetery
–A Skunk Train ride in Fort Bragg
More Mendocino County trip ideas. . .
by Cheri Lucas
8:39PM June 19, 2010
Over on our sister site, Trazzler.com, we launched a new contest that allows you to dive into your bag of past travel experiences and select and share the most meaningful ones. The Smart Travel Contest is a chance for us to write about the places and attractions that have contributed to more meaningful travel experiences. Whether we work with a local organization to preserve a national park, volunteer on a working farm, or support a resort that strives to be more eco-conscious in its practices and in the materials it uses, many of us actively seek out experiences that help us see the world in new ways, change us for the better, or allow us to contribute to our community.
What does “smart travel” mean to you? You aren’t limited to experiences in Northern California: write an entry about any experience or spot in the world (ideally 65-120 words and no more than 140).
Two winners will win a 10-day trip to Tonga aboard the NAI’A, one of the world’s top dive and snorkel boats, with Seacology, a nonprofit based in Berkeley dedicated to protecting the threatened habitats, species, and cultures of islands worldwide.
For details and to enter now, check it out: Smart Travel Contest
All Writing Contests
