Off the Beaten Path in the San Francisco Bay Area

Dear lilioftheworld.com reader, here is Dani, your co-editor. Today I will take on an adventure “off the beaten path in the San Francisco bay area”. What is the first association that surfaces in your mind once you hear these three words: “The San Francisco Bay Area”? Fancy high-tech gadgets? Steve Jobs in a black turtleneck, talking about the new iPhone? The stories of Steve Wozniak, Michael Dell, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Paul Allen, Sergei Brin, Larry Page, Elon Musk and their multi-billion successful companies, including the aforementioned Apple, as well as Dell Computers, Facebook, Microsoft, Google and PayPal, to name a few? A land of the everlasting Spring? A land of orchards and vineyards?

The Silicon Valley has so much more to offer and today we will travel to this jewel in the American crown of great destinations. But we will get “off the beaten path” there in an event-intensive weekend city break. There is a plethora of sources that will get you to the piers of San Francisco, Lombard street, Alcatraz and the Chinese neighborhood.

5 Top Things to Do in San Francisco:

• Cross the Golden Gate Bridge
• Visit Stinson Beach and Martin’s Beach
• Visit Dolores Park and the San Francisco POP Culture
• Go to Pigeon Point Light Station
• Have Coffee in Half Moon Bay

Transportation

There are three main airports that serve the Great San Francisco Bay Area, namely San Francisco International (SFO), Oakland International (OAK) and San Jose International (SJC). Moreover, there are several smaller airports, but they are predominantly used by general aviation and private bizjets. SFO is a huge hub of United Airlines and their partners from the Star Alliance. Budget airlines have significant presence in OAK – Southwest, Norwegian and others. Furthermore, SJC takes place in the south bay area and it serves the traffic to San Jose, Milpitas, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View and Cupertino.

Keep in mind that the traffic in the Bay Area is among the worst in the United States and high in the rankings of congested areas in the world. There is a permanent congestion on Highway 101. Plan carefully your destination airport, considering the area of your stay. Furthermore, the Bay Area is known for its poor public transportation. There is a train (the Caltrain) that connects San Francisco with the small towns south of it, but it is often crowded and does not stick to its schedule. For this trip I chose to fly to fly to SFO, given that I stayed in San Mateo.

Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate bridge is one of the symbols of San Francisco and the Bay Area. The name comes from the Golden Gate, which connects the Pacific Ocean with the San Francisco Bay. The bridge connects the city of San Francisco, which is at the tip of the peninsula, to the Marin County on the north. The bridge was constructed after the previous one collapsed during an earthquake. The construction started on January 5, 1933 and finished on April 19, 1937. The bridge is 1280m (4500 ft) long, and it assures a clearance of 67.1m (220 ft) at high tide.

The astonishing 110 000 cars cross it every day. However, trucks are not allowed. Cars have to pay for crossing the bridge, but there are no toll boots. Therefore, instead, the authorities installed cameras that take pictures of the registration plates of the vehicles and the car owners get the bills by mail. Keep this in mind if you rent a car in the area.

Stinson Beach

I crossed the Golden Gate bridge on my way to Stinson Beach. The beach is located some 20-ish miles north of the city of San Francisco, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Both surfers and locals love that place. It offers great waves and stunning views. Even though the beach is merely 25 miles from the city, it takes more than an hour to get there. The reason is the curved road that connects the beach with the rest of the world. Even those of you who have really strong stomachs should take precautions and consider having motion sickness pills with them. It is to be noted, however, that you can also take the bus there, but my guess is that being higher off the ground makes the experience of getting there even worse.

The history of the place dates back to 1870 and the beach is a true hidden jewel. It is so tranquil and recharging.

The low frequency monotonic sound of the waves blends with the happy loud talks of the surfers and the laughter of the kids into a true symphony of harmony. Additionally, if you feel hungry there, give a chance to the Mexican cantina on the beach. The food is crazy delicious, and it will not cost you a whole lot.

San Francisco POP Culture

After I had enough great time on the beach, I decided to head back to the city of San Francisco in the Bay Area. My next stop was Dolores Park. I parked on a small street not far from the park. The place was full of life and the streets were colorful.

Do not miss the opportunity to stop in one of the independent (and kind of hipstery) coffee place in San Francisco downtown. They offer premium quality coffee and acceptable level of hygiene at comparable prices.

You will often find the interior far from being bland. In the coffee place that I went to, there were moose heads on the countertop. They served my espresso European style – accompanied by a glass of sparking water. The coffee was simply amazing! I brought the cup back to the bar and I headed to the park.

Dolores Park

Dolores park is a favorite place of the locals. It is located on a hill and offers amazing views to the skyline of San Francisco.

You will find there plenty of tourists taking pictures and locals having their weekend barbecue. Moreover, there are many activists who support random causes. The place is full of life and given how open minded the people of San Francisco are, this plethora of groups coexist peacefully in the park. Do not forget that the city is very liberal and some more conservative patrons may not enjoy it.

The streets that surround the park offer the very stereotypical vibe that one expects in the city – small and quiet streets, full of colorful townhouses in Victorian style and cars, driven by young people.

Martin’s Beach

I promised you an adventure that is off the beaten path in the Silicon Valley, so it was time for me to say “Goodbye!” to the city and get back to the quiet ambiance of the countryside. West of San Mateo passes the legendary Highway 1 in California. It stretches across the coastline from Leggett on the north to Los Angeles on the south. It can barely be considered a highway the way we know them, given that it has one lane per direction It is most famous not for the number of lanes, but for the great scenery it offers. My next stop was Martin’s Beach.

The place offered a sense about the power of the Pacific ocean. It is a great place to go to if you aim to disconnect from the daily routine. However, do not forget your sweater or wind stopper if you go there – there is a very strong and cold breeze all the time.

Pigeon Point Light Station

Once I was done staring at the waves on the beach, it was time for me to hit the road to my next stop, namely Pigeon Point Lighthouse. In order to get there, follow highway 1 south of Martin’s Beach. The place is several miles away.

The lighthouse was first lit on November 15, 1872. The original lens had 1008 glass elements, 984 of which were prisms, all mounted on a brass frame. Moreover, it had 24 bullseyes. The whole composition waits 3600 kg (8000 pounds). They produced it in Paris, France. Moreover, Augustin Fresnel designed the lantern. The clockwork mechanism slowly rotates the lens, so that mariners see a white flash every 10 seconds.

The light beams radiated outward, up to 24 miles on a clear night. From 1872 until 1880s the lantern was illuminated using lard oil, followed by kerosene until 1920s and electricity – until 1970s. After that the 35 m tall (115 feet) tower has a radio beacon installed.

Half Moon Bay

After learning so many new things, it was time for me to head back to the heart of the Silicon Valley. I stopped for a coffee in Half Moon Bay. It is a very picturesque and very tranquil town on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. It is very “Instagrammable”, if you will. I would recommend stopping there for a quick walk on the main street.

Do not miss the opportunity to visit garden market there too, fashionably called “gardenpotechary”, making a reference to being an apothecary for gardens.

I decided to have dinner in Foster City – in a Thai restaurant that is on the Michelin catalog. Foster city was perfectly aligned with the whole spirit of my city break trip – to disconnect and disengage from the daily routine.

Epilog

On the following morning I had a coffee in a small coffee place in San Mateo and I could not resist but having some macarons with my espresso. The rest of the day I dedicated to spending time with old friends.

At the end of the day I had to say “Auf Wiedersehen” to the Silicon valley, because we are not splitting apart forever. I am sure that I will come back rather sooner than later. I was going up on highway 101 to San Francisco International. Always give yourself enough time to reach the airport terminal, because the place is busy. If you want to read more of my stories, please feel to check them out – my guide for flying in the US, as well as the story about a place in the American Northeast.

I think that that’s it! In conclusion, I want to thank You for visiting the San Francisco Bay Area with me!

Any comments / remarks / notes / recommendations are welcome!

P.S. Other articles from the same author:

• Pittsburgh – a City of Great Stories
• Miami – My Independence Day Weekend in Paradise
• Thousand Islands: Things to Do
• Hong Kong
• A Weekend in Seattle
• Comparison of the Airlines in the US