until suburbia!

Take a Ferry to San Francisco

July 19, 2024Silvia

I think ferries are a great way to use public transportation. I remember visiting New York City, a much younger me, and enjoying a view of the Statue of Liberty.

In the Bay Area you can see Alcatraz or the Golden Gate Bridge from a distance. And if you want to go to Alcatraz, you have to take a ferry. One of my greatest Ferry outings was with a city friend: we rented bikes; biked across the Golden Gate Bridge; and took the ferry back from Sausalito.

Most of the ports here are used for commuting. You’ll find the schedules serving the working community, most likely not running on the weekends and mid day. But many people take the ferries to visit the city. They do have seasonal sport routes for seeing games at Oracle Park and Chase Center.

The San Francisco Bay Ferry serves the terminals of Alameda, Oakland, Richmond, South San Francisco, and Vallejo. The Golden Gate Ferry will connect Larkspur, Sausalito, Tiburon, and Angel Island. Both of these companies accept Clipper cards and credit card payments. The shortest ferry ride is from Treasure Island to San Francisco. In 8 minutes you can hop over to the artificial island that was created for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition. This ferry is not part of the Clipper system and accepts cash and credit cards.

Do you enjoy ferry rides?

Sign for the Flea Market at Berryessa, San José

Go bargain hunting, Flea Market at Berryessa, San José

July 5, 2024July 5, 2024Silvia

The Flea Market at Berryessa in San José is an institution established in 1960. On our last visit to San José I finally got to check it out. We were there late, close to closing time on a Friday. While some stores were already shutting down it was great to enjoy some stalls without hordes of people.

I got the impression that many of these goods are made in China. If you have someone in your life that collects Miss Kitty, for example, this is the place to go for gifts. I marveled at the cookware – restaurant–size pots and sieves! You can also find fruits and vegetables, and I heard, great Mexican food. I also loved the different types of piñatas!

The Flea Market at Berryessa is located at 1590 Berryessa Rd. San José. Opening hours are Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, from dawn to dusk. Admission is bundled with parking (Wednesdays free, Fridays $5, Saturdays $10, Sundays $20). If you decide to walk in you must enter through the Garden at the Flea entrance next to the Berryessa BART Station. Walk-in entry fee is free on Wednesdays and Fridays, and $3 on Saturdays and $5 on Sundays.

While someone once said to me that flea markets were their version of hell, I do enjoy finding treasures and bargains.

What is your take on flea markets?

Admire a Small Rose Garden, San José

June 8, 2024Silvia

Did you know there was a hidden gem rose garden on the outskirts of San José? I have talked about the two major rose gardens downtown before, but there is a third rose garden in the San José hills. Joseph D. Grant County Park, Santa Clara County’s largest regional park, can be reached on the winding Quimby Rd.

While spring is an excellent time to see the wildflowers bloom in the park, May and June are best to discover the small rose garden that Joseph D. Grant cultivated next to his ranch. A quiet place with a fountain in the middle.

Adam Grant, Joseph’s father, made his fortune selling supplies to gold miners. Joseph later managed his father’s dry goods business. He was also a member of the Sierra Club, and president of the Save-the-Redwoods League for 21 years. On this ranch he entertained among others Leland Stanford and Herbert Hoover. In fact Hoover stayed at the ranch after his election loss to Franklin Roosevelt.

If you would like to, you can tour the ranch house this Saturday, June 8th, 2024 from 1pm to 2:30 pm. Other tour dates for 2024 are Saturdays, July 6th, August 3rd, and September 7th.

Joseph D. Grant County Park is open year round from 8 am until sunset. It is located at Yerba Buena Trail, San José, CA 95127. Daily parking fee is $6.

Did you know about the rose garden in the San José hills?

Resources:

Joseph D. Grant County Park Cultural History

https://parks.sccgov.org/plan-your-visit/activities/cultural-venues/grant-house

Three concrete boulders with glass ornaments

Tour the Public Art at the Tannery Arts Center, Santa Cruz

June 1, 2024Silvia

The former tannery in Santa Cruz kept the name but is now known as the Tannery Arts Center. The eight-acre campus is an interdisciplinary and multicultural art space with twenty eight studios and affordable living apartments for about one hundred artists.

If you are not there for one of their open houses, theater productions, or classes, you can still wander around and enjoy the public art. In partnership with the Arts Council of Santa Cruz County, over twenty public art projects have been created between 2022 and 2023.

You can still find a map for last year’s art tour of ten public art projects. I find it exciting that there are not only sculptures and murals but also a tour of the sound history of the tannery. exTANt is a sound installation that is a collaboration between public historian Kathleen Aston and media artist Yulia Gilich. You can listen to the tour on their Spotify channel.

If you are in Santa Cruz during the First Fridays, some of the Tannery Arts Center galleries will be open on June 7th, 2024. I enjoyed the fact that the studios utilized the outside walls, too. So if they are not officially open you still can view art.

An organist playing the Mighty Wurlitzer at the Grand Lake Theater, Oakland, CA.

Listen to a Mighty Wurlitzer before the Movies

May 24, 2024Silvia

At the Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland you are treated to an organ concert every Friday and Saturday evening. The concert lasts between 10 to 30 minutes and is performed twice before the main auditorium movie.

I found this to be a real treat in the beautifully restored historic theater. These organs used to accompany silent movies and were produced by the thousands. Today only a few hundred remain.

When we entered the theater the organist was already playing even though we were the first audience. My clapping after a set was taken with humor amidst the scarce crowd. But he persisted and a few more people filled the auditorium. I can’t tell you if this is the rule or an exception. It might be the choice of movie? We saw IF, a children’s movie and I think we were the only adults without minors.

Nevertheless I enjoyed both the performance and the movie.

The Northern California Theater Organ Society will at times perform early weekend morning concerts. You can find details on their website.

Have you ever heard someone play a mighty Wurlitzer?

I have a few short video clips of the organ being played on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCQoyrqaGw38KaO6XVeeceqCp85eorm84

Look Down While at UC Berkeley, Part 2

May 17, 2024Silvia

Last week’s post about the Free Speech Monument was very timely – since they established their right to protest at the university which others are now currently exercising.

This week’s post is more a ‘beginning of summer’ one. Not too serious. But if you are interested in quirky things about the Bay Area you might appreciate this post.

Another interesting thing you might see while looking down at UC Berkeley are the parking spots reserved for their Nobel Laureates. A sure nod to Berkeley’s overwhelming Nobel Prize winners. Currently the UC system counts 70 people who have been awarded 71 Nobel Prizes. UC Berkeley’s contribution is 27 faculty and staff members who were affiliated with the UC when they received their award; or joined UC after their recognition. Second in line is UC San Diego with 16 prize winners.

When Berkeley News posted their interview with Nobel winner Reinhard Genzel, they actually titled it: The biggest perk to being a Berkeley Nobelist? Free parking.

You can look for the parking spots while on campus – they are marked with blue signs ‘Reserved for Nobel Laureate, Nobel Laureate Reserved Space, Special Permit Required At All Times’. Atlas Obscura locates them as:

“Five of the parking spots can be found on University Drive, outside Campbell Hall (Physics). There are two more behind Latimer Hall (Chemistry), and one over at Evans Hall (Economics).”

Here you also learn about the history of the spots. Apparently Polish poet Czeslaw Milosz, who received a Nobel Prize in 1980, just asked for the spot. This started a common practice.

Where do you park when you visit UC Berkeley?

Look Down While at UC Berkeley

May 12, 2024Silvia

I always encourage you to look around. It makes sense that you do this on the UC Berkeley Campus, too. There is plenty to admire, like the Sather Tower, Cal’s well-known symbol, or the Doe Library with its impressive internal architecture.

But there are also some interesting marks at the tip of your foot. When you enter Cal from Telegraph Ave right before you pass through the ornate Sather Gate, you should look down for the round plaque on the ground. You will encounter the Free Speech Monument.

The Free Speech Monument with a six-inch hole and concrete circle represents a protest autonomous zone. Its inscription reads “This soil and the air space extending above it shall not be a part of any nation and shall not be subject to any entity’s jurisdiction.” This public art by Mark Brest van Kempen, installed in 1991, commemorates the Free Speech Movement that started in the 1960s at Sproul Plaza. Named after the first act of civil disobedience on an American College Campus the Free Speech Movement in 64/65 was protesting the right to protest on a college campus.

When I came up with the idea for this blog post I had no idea how timely this would be.

Are you protesting right now?

http://www.weirdca.com/location.php?location=705

https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/30278

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sproul_Plaza

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Speech_Movement

People entering the California Honey Festival in Woodland (2023)

Taste some Honey at the California Honey Festival

May 3, 2024April 8, 2024Silvia

In February there is the Almond Festival in Capay Valley. Honey Bees are a business related to almonds and other orchards. These flying workers ensure that the almond blossoms get pollinated. A valuable byproduct is the honey that the bees produce.

The annual California Honey Festival on May 3rd, 2024 along Woodland’s Main Street celebrates everything honey related. From 10 am to 7 pm you can learn about honey bees, games for the kids, and honey tastings at every stand that sells the golden nectar. They have a stage for speakers and you can also meet the current Honey Queen.

The California Honey Festival is happening on May 3rd, 2024 along Woodland’s Main Street. The admission is free.

Bells from the Sather Tower, UC Berkeley

Admire the View, Campanile, UC Berkeley

April 26, 2024April 7, 2024Silvia

There are two things I find iconic visiting the UC Berkeley campus. First is the Sather Gate, the gate that greets you when you enter the campus coming from Telegraph Ave. The other being the Sather Tower, also known as the Campanile because John Galen Howard the architect was inspired by the Campanile di San Marco in Venice. He left a huge mark on campus both because he was the supervising architect for the design of the University of California, Berkeley from 1901-1922, and he was the founder and Director of its School of Architecture from 1903-1926.

Built in 1914 with the addition of the clock tower in 1926 it is now, with 307 feet, the second largest clock tower in the world. This makes it easy to orient around it while visiting the campus. Of course it is even better to take in the view from the observation platform. General admission is $5 per person, but there are discounts available and if you are faculty or a Cal student you can enjoy the views for free.

Payment method is only credit card or Apple pay, no cash. They do ask you to check larger bags, and food and drinks. After you pay you will enter the elevator and can chat with the elevator operator. Because it takes 38 steps after you leave the elevator the Campanile is not wheelchair or stroller accessible.

I am not a big fan of heights, but I knew already from the time I visited the Hoover Tower in Stanford that I felt secure being that high. The reason might be that the columns start from the ground and end in a kind of windowsill which made me feel enclosed. Also the metal bars, which surely prevent you from ending your life at this location, give you a sense of security.

The view is spectacular! I also enjoyed the Carillon in the middle with its 61 bells. I’m not sure how loud they are if you happen to be there during the concert, but there are three daily carillon concerts at 7:50 am, 12:00 pm, and 6:00 pm.

The opening hours for the Sather Tower are:

Monday-Friday: 10 am – 4 pm

Saturday: 10 am – 5 pm

Sunday: 10 am – 1 pm and 3 – 5 pm (it is closed for the 2 pm carillon concert)

Please note that they might close on short notice.

Admission is $5, credit card only, discounts available.

Here is a short video from a carillon concert.

Explore Six Times History in Sonoma

April 19, 2024April 7, 2024Silvia

Sometimes you have to show interest and interesting things will happen. Like when I was looking into the window of the Toscano Hotel near Sonoma Plaza and someone with a small group came by and let me in, too.

I really enjoyed the collection of old kitchen utensils and the chalk board with the menu of the day listed. Imagine getting a minestrone, a roast chicken or pot roast, ravioli, salad and bread and a glass of wine for 75 cents! This is equivalent to $8.70 today; assuming this is from 1955 when the place closed. I found one reference noting that the hotel is staged for 1890; this means this 75 cent multi-course menu would cost about $25 today.

We only briefly visited a few of the other sites, since this was an add on after our hike of the Overlook Trail. I liked the old, blue U.S. mail peddlers wagon from the late 1800s. And we spent some time reading the information signs.

The Sonoma State Historic Park is a park of buildings in downtown Sonoma. It is scattered over six sites near Sonoma Plaza. Mission San Francisco Solano, the Blue Wing Inn, Sonoma Barracks, the Toscano Hotel and Kitchen, and the Servants Quarters are right at the Plaza. General Vallejo’s Home, also called Lachryma Montis, is less than a mile west of the Plaza.

Sonoma State Historic Park is $3 per person, 17 years and up. Kids from 6 to 17 pay $2. The admission includes visits to the Sonoma Mission, Sonoma Barracks, Toscano Hotel, General Vallejo Home and the Petaluma Adobe on the same day. There are also free docent-led tours available on weekends.

Park hours are from 10:00 am to 5 pm every day at all venues. Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day.