frugal sightseeing Archives - Page 28 of 32

Sundial at the Municipal Rose Garden in San Jose

I Promise you Two Rose Gardens, San José

May 19, 2017February 1, 2025Silvia

At the Municipal Rose Garden in San José the smell is overwhelmingly luxurious.

Names like love song, white delight, jump for joy, sparkle & shine, passionate kisses speak to the traditional use of roses as a gift for the loved one.

Here you see a lot of people stopping and smelling the roses, taking pictures and wandering in awe. A perfect location for wedding photos.

Only 1.5 miles to the north, up Naglee Ave is San José’s Heritage Rose Garden. First I thought it odd to have two rose garden so close to each other. But the two could not be more different. There was no one else around when I explored the garden. So close to the street I thought the smell was fuel, but I only had to wait a few minutes to realize the the garden is on the flight path of San José airport and most likely the smell was kerosene. In between planes it is actually a quiet place and the amount of roses shows that the purpose of this garden is to preserve them. With almost 3,500 plants and 3,000 varieties from heritage to modern to miniature roses, this is an amazing experience. So, if you are a true rose aficionado this might be the place for you.

Where do you stop and smell the roses?

Catch Some Chrysanthemum

May 5, 2017February 1, 2025Silvia

Redwood City used to be know in 1926 as the ‘Chrysanthemum Center of the World’. When Jane Kim was asked to paint six murals the original idea was to have local dogs in funny poses. Now there is only one dog in the series called Flora from Fauna, the rest are local animals like squirrels and foxes all with chrysanthemums.

I love the whimsical idea of the flowers engaging with the animals. Kim brought attention to the historical importance of the flower industry by Japanese immigrants and is also an advocate for wildlife. When I walked around Redwood City I saw 3 of the murals, all impressive in their attention to detail.

This is a great addition to the public art works in Redwood City.

Check out the murals here:

Arthur Murray Dance Studio at 2065 Broadway,
Cafe La Tartine at 830 Middlefield Road,
Polam Federal Credit Union at 770 Marshall St.,
Marshall Street Parking Garage at 750 Marshall St.,
Behind the theater at 870 Jefferson Ave.
City Hall bench

For more information:

http://www.smdailyjournal.com/articles/lnews/2017-03-23/creating-path-for-public-art-downtown-redwood-city-flora-from-fauna-murals-set-to-spark-conversation/1776425177710.html#sthash.VGUr4X8a.dpuf

https://medium.com/redwood-city-voice/historical-blog-series-industries-7d370790d4bc

http://sf.curbed.com/platform/amp/2017/3/24/15053718/redwood-city-jane-kim-murals-art

Do you have a favorite mural?

Watch Some Whales, Seymour Marine Discovery Center

April 28, 2017February 2, 2025Silvia

Whale watching is an activity you can do almost year round in the Bay Area. I have never been whale watching on a boat – that is still on my to-do list, but the gray whales migrate and swim quite close to shore, so sometimes you can get lucky and see the giants from land.

From December to May the gray whales migrate back from Mexico. First the males and the juveniles and later when the babies have some blubber the mothers with their babies. Orkas, not really whales but named killer whales, can be seen then too hunting the baby gray whales. Humpback whales and blue whales are in the Monterey Submarine Canyon from mid April to December.

If you want to get an idea of size of a whale I recommend stopping by the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. Outside is what might be the world’s longest blue whale skeleton, Ms. Blue is an impressive 87 feet long! They also have a grey whale skeleton. I took the tour – which comes with the $8 admission, the volunteer was very knowledgeable and they let you touch some baleen, the whales filter system for eating. Plus you can pet a shark and some other ocean creatures inside the center.

Where do you go whale watching?

Banner advertising free wild flower walks at Edgewood Park

Hunt for Wildflowers

April 14, 2017February 2, 2025Silvia

We made it out of the drought and one of the perks after a rainy season is the abundance of wildflowers. While the ‘super-bloom’ refers more to fields in Southern California, here in the Northern part are also fast amounts of wildflowers.

Edgewood park in Redwood City is offering a free docent led tour every Saturday and Sunday at 10 am. This popular event draws so many people that they offer a free shuttle from East Palo Alto over to San Mateo.

I visited on Tuesday morning and walked by myself. It was a stunning hike, which starts out uphill but shady, and you’ll be rewarded with an amazing view of the Bay. Plus, I found more than 20 different wildflowers along the way. Some of these flowers are tiny, which makes me wonder if our store bought flowers are on steroids.

For your convenience, the Edgewood Park also has a web page dedicated to what’s blooming this month, so you can look up the names of the flowers you saw. Happy hunting!
What is your favorite place to see wildflowers?

Smell the Blossoms in the Valley of Heart’s Delight

March 24, 2017February 2, 2025Silvia

“No brush can paint the picture

No pen describe the sight

That one can find in April

In the Valley of Heart’s Delight”

Poem: The Valley of Heart’s Delight by Clara Louise Lawrence

Before there was Silicon Valley this part of the world was known as the Valley of Heart’s Delight. It used to be orchards everywhere. A few of these orchards have been kept, most a fractions of their original size, but still a pretty sight in bloom. Back in the 1940 there was even an automobile tour around Santa Clara to see the blossoms. In a postcard from that time the blooming times were stated as: Almonds: Jan 15 to Feb 15, Apricots: Feb 23rd to March 1, Prunes: March 15 to March 22, Cherries: March 22 to April 5

The Heritage Museum in Sunnyvale has an Apricot orchard, but unfortunately they have already bloomed. Now it is time to see the cherry blossoms. A patch of the old Olson’s cherry orchard can be found at S. Mathilda Ave in Sunnyvale, near the tennis courts.

Do you know of any other orchards in the Valley of Heart’s Delight?

Hummingbird Trail at UC Santa Cruz Arboretum

Spot some Hummingbirds, UC Santa Cruz Arboretum

March 18, 2017February 2, 2025Silvia

Hummingbirds are among the smallest birds in the world. They get their name from the humming sound they create by beating their wings about 50 times per second. I have always been fascinated by them and they give me joy when I spot them.

The UC Santa Cruz Arboretum has a hummingbird trail where the plants in bloom are sure to attract the little birds. For $5 you can wander the grounds and learn about plants from all over the world. And if you like to see more flying objects, they also have a butterfly walk.

Where do you spot hummingbirds?

Claim Women’s History Month

March 10, 2017February 2, 2025Silvia

I hope you all celebrated the International Women’s Day. Just one day? you thought. No, women get a whole month! [insert sarcastic comments here]

Nevertheless I think it is important to celebrate the diverse and beautiful females all around us. I have compiled some options for you.

A Woman’s Fight – exhibit of 100+ years history of The Women’s International League For Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and its Palo Alto Chapter, and a tribute to the Raging Grannies. Ends March 24th.

The California History Center at De Anza College

Tuesday-Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to noon, 1:00-4:00 p.m. and Friday by appointment.

Free

Sheroes! – A powerful poster exhibit focuses on female heroes.

Foothill College, Campus Center Dining Room (Room 2201)

Free

Women’s History Tour

March 25th, 10 a.m.

Free tour by the Mountain View Cemetery

5000 Piedmont Avenue

Oakland, CA 94611

(510) 658-2588

Edit-a-thon – edit, update and add articles on Wikipedia

Less than 10% of contributors of Wikipedia are females, here is when this changes.

March 11th, 10am – 4:30pm

Bowes Art & Architecture Library, Stanford University

March 13th, 11 am – 2 pm

MLK Library, San Jose, CA

March 21, 1pm – 6pm

UC Berkeley

Are you going to any Women’s History events in the Bay Area?

Hail to the Water (Part I), Sunol Water Temple

February 24, 2017February 2, 2025Silvia

Water in California is a major topic. Coming out of a drought that gave us wildfires and restrictions on water use, we now have had a lot of rain. This downpour was a huge test for the tallest dam in the U.S., Oroville, CA. My thoughts go out to the people affected by flooding in all of California.

This is probably not the reason why there are two water temples in the area. But if you like the sound of running water and are looking for a peaceful place this might be your next stop.

So far I only visited the Sunol water temple. I was there by myself (except for some city workers next to the field who had their picnic lunch). The water temple was modeled after the ancient Temple of Vesta in Tivoli, Italy, by Willis Polk. Built in 1910, in its early years half of San Francisco’s water supply would pass through it. Today only a small amount is used for San Francisco’s water and sewer needs, the rest flows into the Alameda Creek.

Unfortunately the Sunol Water Temple is no longer accessible, closed until November 2018 for construction of the nearby Sunol Corporation Yard. This can only mean that we all have to explore the second water temple in the area: The Pulgas Water Temple 86 Cañada Road, Woodside, California.

Sunol Water Temple, 505 Paloma Way in Sunol, California

Where do you go to pay tribute to water?

Sí se Puede, Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission Chapel

February 17, 2017February 2, 2025Silvia

It’s been now about a month that the former meeting place of Cesar Chavez and his followers was honored as a Historic National Landmark. Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission Chapel in San José, before it became know as McDonnell Hall, was essential for the San José United Farm Workers movement during the 1950s and 1960s. It supported local migrant workers with basic services and a space for organisational meetings.

Cesar Chavez was introduced to Father McDonnell in 1952. McDonnell was a big influence on Chavez and started educating him on nonviolence and social justice teaching using the examples of Gandhi and St. Francis.

When McDonnell opened his parish in East San José it was still known as Sal Si Puedes [or “Get Out If You Can”]. In 1972 Chavez and Dolores Huerta came up with the revised phrase: Sí se puede, which Obama used in his campaign as ‘Yes, we can!”

The city of San José’s memorial walk for Cesar Chavez from 2009 lists the McDonnell Hall, but also includes other places such as Chavez house and school.

https://www.sanjose.org/attraction/cesar-chavez-memorial-walkway

Who is your favorite non-violent leader?

until suburbia!

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