Off to Portland/Vancouver

Before we get started on our trip to Vancouver, I thought I would point out that your train trip from Denver to Truckee will be very scenic. You leave Denver at 8:05 a.m. and arrive in Truckee the next day at 1:04 pm. So it will be day light when you pass through Winter Park, Granby (Rocky Mountain National Park), Glenwood Springs (Aspen), and Grand Junction. From Grand Junction you travel up to Salt Lake City and arrive around 11:00 p.m.

So now that you have spent 4 glorious days in San Francisco, exploring, eating, and enjoying, it is time to leave for Vancouver. You will have to catch the shuttle bus from San Francisco over to Emeryville and it leaves in the evening. My suggestion is to check out of your hotel, take your bags over to the Ferry Street Station and check them in. I am currently verifying if this is indeed an option. Otherwise, your hotel may store your luggage until the evening when you are ready to depart.




Caltrain Station, 4th & King Streets - 8:50 p.m.
S.F. Shopping Center, 835 Market Street - 9:00 p.m
Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39 - 9:10 p.m.
Ferry Building, Amtrak Station - 9:25 p.m.

and arrives in Emeryville at 9:50 a.m.


Your train then leaves the station at 10:12 p.m. for your trip to the Vancouver/Portland area. When you wake up the next day, you will be near Mt. Shasta, Dunsmuir, California. This trip should be scenic also with snow covered mountains, fertile valleys, and dense forests. You arrive in Portland around 3:40 p.m. or Vancouver at 4:36 p.m.




Now I have a friend who lives in the Portland/Vancouver area and I am sure that she could take me to all kinds of exciting places. What I am going to attempt to do is find some local interest hot spots and report what I find.


Let's begin with the beginning. In 1843 a man named Overton saw potential for a 640 acre site known as "The Clearing". He didn't have the quarter needed to file a land claim, so he made a bargain with his friend, Lovejoy, and they split the parcel. Growing tired of clearing trees, Overton sold his share to Pettygrove and when it came time to name the town, both men wanted to name it after their hometown. Pettygrove won, so Portland was named after Portland, Maine. Had Lovejoy won Portland would be Boston. Things that make you go hmmmmm.


Portland is located at the furthest point ships can travel up the Willamette and was a major port in the Pacific Northwest for much of the 19th century. Now Portland is rated as one of the top cities in the U.S. to live. Portland has the personality of a small town with the vitalities and activities of a large city. Because of their moderate temperatures, it is a great outdoors city. Forest Park has 40 miles of trails, streams and woods within the city. The city also boast several stunning gardens: Leach Botanical, Classical Chinese, Japanese or Rhododendron Gardens.

Festivals abound in this city. They have a Rose Festival, Festa Italiana, The Bite, and the list goes on. Check this link for a complete list, http://www.portlandguide.com/entertainment/festivals.phpdguide.com/entertainment/festivals.php


Portland, much like San Francisco, has it's own neighborhoods to boast on. Pearl District was once a decaying warehouse district and is now a urban-chic neighborhood with lofts, townhouses, and condos. Convenience abounds with stylish boutiques, specialty retailers, grocery and book stores, art galleries and trendy restaurants.



The South Waterfront District is the newest addition to the area. With condos and apartments much like those in the Pearl District, the area also includes an interpretation center with a pier and urban beach. Nob Hill is a sophisticated area that is between NW 21st Street and NW 23rd. Similar to the neighborhood of the same name in San Francisco, it features turn of the century Victorian houses, trendy shops, boutiques and book stores. Some of the best restaurants in Portland are located here, some with outdoor seating.






Chinatown/Oldtown is located south of the Broadway Bridge and behind a gate similar to the one in San Francisco. Interesting fact: Under the streets of Portland ran the Shanghai Tunnels. This was a set of underground tunnels along the riverfront that connected the brothels, gambling parlors and saloons. You can tour the tunnels today. Saturday and Sunday from late March through Christmas eve there is a market that features handmade crafts, art and food.



The Hawthorne District sounds like my kind of place. It is an avant-garde neighborhood that runs along Hawthorne Boulevard, which is lined with locally-owned coffee shops, antique stores cafes, and friendly shops. Many of them are bohemian in nature and have the flavor of the 70's, which would be my era.




Since we are only going to be in Portland for two days, my choice for day two is to get up bright and early and go to the Hawthorne District and then maybe over to Chinatown to check out those tunnels. Our train to the next stop, Glacier National Park, leaves daily at 4:45 p.m so we should have more than enough time to explore these two neighborhoods.

So, for day one, we are going to check out the day trips. I have heard Oregon makes a killer pinot noir. Sounds like another wine trip to me. Ciao

(out)Side (the city) Trips

For those who enjoy the libation of wine, a tour to the north of San Francisco into one of the California wine regions is a must. There are several regions within driving distance of San Francisco. I have listed a couple of day tours that leave from San Francisco and travel into Napa and Sonoma.

As for tours, Sightseeing World offers an all day tour into Napa and Sonoma. You will visit 3 to 4 wineries in one or the other, or depending on the driver, both. The tour begins in San Francisco at Fisherman's Wharf, travels through the Marina District and the Presidio before crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. You will visit both a mass production winery and a small boutique winery. Some of the common stops on this trip are Cline, Homewood, Larson, Kirkland Ranch Winery, Bouchaine, and Viansa Winery & Italian Marketplace. Special requests are sometimes honored, so if you have a favorite, it never hurts to ask. This tour runs about $59 but does not include lunch, wine tasting fees (where applicable) or the driver's gratuity(optional).

Wine Country Tour Shuttle offers not only the tour, but a picnic lunch and ferry ride back to San Francisco. It is a 9 hour tour that loads at 8:30 a.m. at the Ferry Building. You will visit 4 Napa Valley wineries, Domaine Chandon (sparkling wine), V. Sattui, Andretti Winery, and Rutherford Ranch Winery. After tasting the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot at V. Sattui, you will walk downstairs to the deli and order your lunch, which includes cheese, sausage, olives, meat or vegetarian sandwiches. But the highlight of the tour is your 50 minute ferry trip back to San Francisco during sunset. Great photo shots on this return trip. You will be close to Alcatraz, the Bay Bridge, the city and of course, sunset behind the Golden Gate Bridge. This tours runs $95. http://www.winecountrytourshuttle.com/

A tour that San Francisco Shuttle Tours offers is the Muir Woods Shuttle Tour. This tour boards at 1:00 p.m. each day at the Ferry Building and your return is also aboard the Blue & Gold Fleet. You visit the Marin Headlands, Muir Woods, Muir Beach Overlook, and Tiburon. What, you are asking, are the Muir Woods? They are giant coastal redwoods. No tour guiding is allowed in the woods, where you will follow peaceful paths into the forest. You may see otter, egrets or even a spotted owl. This tour comes with a separate Tour Guide from the Driver. That way you can ask questions before and after your Muir Woods tour. You will stop at the Muir Beach Overlook and then on to the town of Tiburon for shopping. This package is $60 and concludes at 5:25 pm on Mon - Fri, 6:45 p.m. on Sat & Sun.

You can add the above Muir Woods tour with a San Francisco city tour and make it an all day outing. Included in the San Francisco city tour are: Chinatown (guided walk), Lombard Street (new guided walk), Grace Cathedral, Nob Hill, Alamo Square Park "7 Sisters", Golden Gate Park, Japanese Tea Garden, Palace of Fine Arts, Golden Gate Bridge, and Sausalito (lunch, shopping & Exploring). After lunch you pick up the Muir Woods Shuttle and continue on with the tour described above. This starts at 9:00 a.m. and concludes in the evening. Cost is around $115. http://www.sanfranshuttletours.com/

If you want to travel a little further, you could grab a tour out to Yosemite National Park, where you can see the tallest waterfall in North America, Yosemite Falls. And no, this park was not named after Yosemite Sam, twas the other way around, you varmit. Your tour begins at 6:15 a.m. and you will travel through cattle and horse ranching lands into the Sierra Nevadas. Your package includes a 90 minute narrated tour of Yosemite, exploring the park on your own for 3 hours, see El Capitan, Inspiration Point and enjoy nature. Cost is around $130, lunch is not included. http://www.allsanfranciscotours.com/

That's all for now. Tomorrow we will board the train for Vancouver.

San Francisco, Sights to See, Things to Do

The Golden Gate Bridge is, of course, what I think about when I think of San Francisco. And my favorite picture is on the north side of the bridge with the city behind it. When I first saw the bridge, I was coming from Vallejo, down into the city and it was breathtaking. The Golden Gate is acclaimed as one of the most beautiful bridges in the world. Construction of the bridge began in 1933 and was completed in 1937. There is a toll, southbound of $5. But no toll if you are going north. A trip to San Francisco would not be complete with crossing the bridge by car, foot or bicycle.

Alcatraz, The Rock, a military fortress from 1859-1934. Home of the first lighthouse on the west coast. Federal Penitentiary from 1934-1963, and from 1969-1971, home to Indians of all tribes during their occupation of the island. Who hasn't heard of The Rock. From movies, "The Birdman of Alcatraz", " Murder in the First", "Escape from Alcatraz" and "The Rock". Famous prisoners were George "Machine Gun" Kelly, Al Capone, Robert Stroud, the birdman and Henry Young(Murder in the First). There were 14 escape attempts and although no one officially made it to shore and freedom, 5 prisoners are missing and presumed dead. So a tour of this island fortress is a must while visiting San Francisco. Links for tour companies are listed to the right.

Golden Gate Park is much more than just a park. Deeded to the citizens of San Francisco in 1870, the park is a vast improvement over what is used to be. Once sand dunes beaten by harsh oceanside winds, the park was converted to the lush grass, trees and foliage it is today by John McLaren. The first buildings were built for the Midwinter Fair to help boost the economy and tourism. A fine arts building was established to prove that San Francisco had culture. Horse stables and vast lawns provided outside entertainment and to add a little of the exotic, Cairo Street, Japanese Village and the Eskimo habitat were completed.

Today, though vast improvements, the park remains a testament to the will of the city to preserve it's culture, and to relax and play. The DeYoung Museum is an art museum that showcases collections of American art from the 17th through the 20th century, including art of the Native Americans, Africa and the Pacific.

The California Academy of Sciences is currently under construction, and temporarily located at 875 Howard Street. The $370 million expansion is to be completed in 2008. It will include the Steinhart Aquarium, Morrison Planetarium and modern exhibition spaces. The new museum will have a 2.5 acre self sustaining roof of live plants.

Since 1879, the Conservatory of Flowers has been home to over 10,000 plants from around the world. The oldest glass and wood Victorian greenhouse in the Western Hemisphere was severely damaged in a storm in 1995 and closed for 8 years but is now open to the public again. The dome is host to the conservatory's prized century old philodendron. The east wing has the tropical plants and the west wing is dedicated to the seasonal flowering plants and education. The first exhibit in the educational wing is an exhibit about pollination and includes 800 live butterflies that fly among the visitors.

Designed in 1928 by the California Spring Blossom and Wildflower Association, the Garden of Shakespeare's Flowers, containing 150 odd specimens mentioned in Shakespeare's poems and plays.

The Japanese Tea Garden exists of 5 acres of paths, ponds and a tea house. It features native Japanese and Chinese plants. Also placed within the 5 acres are beautiful sculptures and bridges. This is a favorite visitor place. Makato Hagiwara who managed the gardens from 1895 - 1942, also invented the fortune cookie. For admission info, call 415-752-4227. If you pass through the Friend's Gate, you will enter the San Franciso Botanical Garden at Styrbing Arboretum. This garden of fragrance has free guided walks daily at 1:30 p.m.

There is a large abundance of activities to do at Golden Gate Park, including sports. You can practice archery, play basketball, roller skate, ride a bike, fly fish, boating, golf, handball, horseshoes, lawn bowling, swing dancing, Pentanque (French bowling game), sail your model boat, tennis, sunbathe, surf, watch the sea lions, beach combing, Disc golf and ultimate Frisbee. Whew, I am worn out just listing the activities.

You can rent bikes and skates:

Stow Lake Bike & Boat Rentals, 50 Stow Lake Dr., (415) 752-0347

Golden Gate Park Bike and Skate: 3038 Fulton St., (415) 668-1117

American Cyclery: 510 Frederick St. and 858 Stanyan St., (415) 664-4545

Avenue Cyclery: 756 Stanyan St., (415) 387-3155

Park Cyclery, 1749 Waller St., (415) 221-3777

Skates on Haight, 1818 Haight St., (415) 752-8375

Archery packages can be rented at San Francisco Archery Shop, 3795 Balboa St., (415) 751-2776. (Web site)

Paddle boats and rowboats can be rented at the north side of Stow Lake, 415-752-0347

You can let your dog play with others in the several dog runs the park has to offer.

Adults and children can takes classes in ceramics, painting, metal arts and drawing at Sharon Art Studio.

There is a small herd of buffalo next to Spreckels Lake.

For a free guide to the types of birds you might be able to observe, see the San Francisco Field Ornithologists website, http://www.sffo.org/SFBirding/Golden%20Gate%20Park.html.

The Golden Gate Park Band, has been performing free public concerts on Sunday since 1882. In April of 2006, they will resume these concerts at the Music Concourse.

Strawberry Hill is a 428 feet high naturally formed island in Stow Lake. From it's summit you can see the greater part of Western San Francisco and the Golden Gate Park. Access to the hill is provided by beautiful stone bridges.

In the Queen Wilhlemina Tulip garden you can see two authentic windmills. The tulips bloom in February and March. Both windmills fell into disrepair, in 1980 the North Windmill was restored and the South Windmill was restored in 2006.

As you can see, Golden Gate Park alone could take you a couple of days to see all the sites. The good news is there is a free shuttle that picks up passengers at 15 locations throughout the park on weekends and holidays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. through mid-December.