One of the great things about living in San Francisco (Bay Area) is that we have access to so many great places, budget hotels florence italy and within a short drive outside this beautiful cosmopolitan city, there are spectacular nature, breathtaking landscapes, and wonderful thompson budget hotels florence italy lake maine vacation rentals budget hotels florence italy cities waiting to be discovered. Even after living here for 5 years, my husband, my son and I still enjoy visiting and exploring new places, and the best part of getting away for a day or a weekend is that we get to drive through thompson lake maine vacation rentals some of the most spectacular sceneries in the country with stunning views all around the Golden Gate Bridge (north), the Bay Bridge (east) and on Hwy 280 (south). budget hotels florence italy So, without further thompson lake maine vacation rentals ado, here are our favorite destinations nearby.
Sausalito Marin County Just over the the Golden Gate Bridge lies some of the most spectacular nature in California. One of our favorite day trip is to drive along the bay-view ridgeline of Conzelmen Rd all the way up to the Bonita Cove where you can get a spectacular view of the Bay as well as San Francisco and the Golden thompson lake maine vacation rentals Gate Bridge.
A great place to stop for lunch is in Sausalito, a picturesque little town that offers budget hotels florence italy a great view of the Bay as well as a good selection of charming shops, restaurants and cafes. Although most of the places on the main road can be quite touristy and overpriced, Fish is a wonderful thompson lake maine vacation rentals little restaurant a bit outside of the main tourist area that serves wonderfully tasty dishes from fresh and sustainably caught budget hotels florence italy fish. Also, Le Garage offers a great brunch menu and a gorgeous view of the Bay that can t be beat.
Another wonderful drive is on Hwy 101 north to Hwy 1 and then Panoramic Hwy towards thompson lake maine vacation rentals Muir Woods. budget hotels florence italy The Muir Beach Outlook budget hotels florence italy is a must stop if you want the most breathtaking overview of the Pacific Ocean; then, on to Stinson Beach on Highway 1 filled with charming shops and restaurants.
thompson lake maine vacation rentals Stanford, Palo Alto Stanford is not only one of the world-renowned universities, it also happens to have one of the loveliest campuses. Especially in the summer months when San Francisco is covered in cloud and fog, we love escaping to Palo Alto where we can feel the warmth of the summer and hangout at the Stanford Oval, a beautiful grassy lawn perfectly suited thompson lake maine vacation rentals for various outdoor activities.
If you are interested in art and history, visit the collection on the Stanford family and University history in the Cantor Arts Center thompson lake maine vacation rentals , the Thomas Welton Stanford Art Gallery, stroll budget hotels florence italy through the Rodin Sculpture Garden, visit the student art gallery or walking around campus to view our 42 freestanding outdoor sculptures. It s a perfect way to spend a day.
While in Palo Alto, be sure to check out our favorite thompson lake maine vacation rentals restaurants: Esther's German Bakery , an authentic thompson lake maine vacation rentals Germany that it makes me think that I m back in a little village on Rhein; and Armadillo Willy's BBQ , which in my opinion budget hotels florence italy thompson lake maine vacation rentals is the best BBQ joint outside of Texas.
Napa Sonoma Valley Napa Sonoma Valley is the most famous wine region in the US, and there isn t a shortage of travel guides and magazines thompson lake maine vacation rentals that sing the praises of their gorgeous wineries, thompson lake maine vacation rentals resorts, inns, and lodges centered around the views of extraordinary budget hotels florence italy natural beauty. We love to take day trips out to the twin valleys, just enjoying the drive along the vine-covered hillsides, which are lush green in spring and summer, and golden in fall.
We also love to find little produce markets or vendors selling locally grown, organic, and sustainable produce, and stop at little towns and villages budget hotels florence italy along the way, savoring budget hotels florence italy some of the country s finest restaurants.
Of course, one of the main questions when you re visiting this area is whether to visit Napa or Sonoma. As most people who have been to both areas will tell you, as far as wine tasting goes, vineyards in Sonoma are less touristy and less expensive; however, Napa offers greater selection thompson lake maine vacation rentals of restaurants and wineries. Also, Hwy 12 offers a more scenic route, full of pretty little towns like Calistoga, St Helena and Yountville.
Point Reyes National thompson lake maine vacation rentals Park About 2 hours north of San Francisco on Panoramic Hwy, and at the very end of Sir Francis Drake Blvd, jutting 10 miles out into the Pacific is Point Reyes. This wild tip of land endures budget hotels florence italy ferocious winds that can make it feel like the edge of the world.
budget hotels florence italy The lighthouse thompson lake maine vacation rentals sits below the headlands at the base of over 300 stairs. budget hotels florence italy Not merely a beautiful beacon site, it's also one of the best whale-watching spots along the coast. Then, for dinner, we like to head towards the town of San Rafael via Red Hill Road to one of the best Puerto Rican restaurants in California, Sol Food . Santa Cruz We love visiting Santa Cruz, and although being situated along the Pacific, thompson lake maine vacation rentals the weather in the summer isn t as nice as some of the inland thompson lake maine vacation rentals areas and cities, we love the quaintness thompson lake maine vacation rentals and the laidback atmosphere of this little collage town.
Also, although Santa Cruz is known mostly for its boardwalk, it has one of the loveliest downtown areas in California filled with beautiful art deco buildings, fun funky shops and great restaurants. I especially budget hotels florence italy enjoyed the festivities on Halloween when the main street in downtown is closed off only to the pedestrians, the entire town comes out dressed up in costumes, and the shops keepers hand out goodies to trick or treaters.
I also like the West Side, which less known to tourists that has excellent bakeries, wineries, a gin distillery and a cluster of small businesses making everything from surfboards to guitars, budget hotels florence italy and studio microphones to body jewelry. My favorite is Kelly's French Bakery and the design stores nearby.
Carmel-by-the-Sea Monterey Carmel thompson lake maine vacation rentals is a quintessentially thompson lake maine vacation rentals charming Californian town, and it's definitely quirky and fun, still giving off that bohemian vibe wherever thompson lake maine vacation rentals you go. And I always enjoy strolling through the idyllic streets full of quaint cafes, majestic cypresses, and top notch restaurants.
Monterey is one of the most popular tourist destinations in California, thompson lake maine vacation rentals and it s easy to see why. Nestled on a peninsula of sandy beaches and cypress-dotted bluffs, Monterey is rich in marine life, Hispanic heritage and top-notch thompson budget hotels florence italy lake maine vacation rentals restaurants. Also, it is without a doubt one of the most kid-friendly cities in California offering budget hotels florence italy abundance of fun-filled activities for children and adults alike. Of course, there s the ever so famous thompson lake maine vacation rentals Monterey Bay Aquarium, but I prefer thompson lake maine vacation rentals to go to one of the many beautiful beaches along the bay where the water is so clear that you can see and experience the ocean life in its natural habitat and for free!
Without a doubt, my favorite place in Monterey is the Dennis the Menace Park, which is a mother of all playgrounds. Created in 1956 by cartoonist Hank Ketcham, it is a favorite of local and visitors alike filled with whimsical equipment such as a drinking fountain inside a lion's mouth, a roller slide and a life-sized hedge maze, and it s one of those places thompson lake maine vacation rentals that your child will remember forever.
Pismo Beach On our first trip down to Southern California, Pismo Beach was merely a stopover. We d arrived at the hotel late in the evening, and the only thing we d noticed was that the hotel was located at the edge of a cliff along the highway. Then, the next morning, we woke up and saw the most breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean outside thompson lake maine vacation rentals our window, and we were hooked!
Since then, we have gone back to Pismo more times than we can remember. It's all about beach life here, and like Santa Cruz, it has a wonderfully laidback atmosphere. We love just hanging out at the beach for hours soaking up the sun and taking budget hotels florence italy in the beautiful view, and as anyone with small children will tell you, being at the beach really is the BEST. So, it was no surprise when Pismo Beach turned out to be one our little boy s favorite places!
thompson lake maine vacation rentals Recommended hotels: Cottage Inn by the Sea , SeaCrest OceanFront Hotel , Best Western Plus Shore Cliff Lodge Santa Barbara A friend of mine from Europe thompson lake maine vacation rentals who d visited Santa Barbara told me that it reminded her of a city in Spain; however, to me Santa Barbara is a uniquely Californian, filled with white-washed stucco buildings and red-tiled roofs, situated in the beautiful setting between the mountains budget hotels florence italy and the sea, and of course, thompson lake maine vacation rentals all year round sun and near-perfect budget hotels florence italy weather, as this is after all Southern California.
Also, the drive from Monterey to Santa Barbara is nothing short of spectacular, and there are many scenic areas and drives within a short distance as well. My favorite is the drive from Santa Barbara to Santa Maria and Ojai through the Ojai Valley. There are several little vineyards that are a lot less touristy budget hotels florence italy than in the Napa/Sonoma region, and the scenery budget hotels florence italy is serenely beautiful. It truly is one of best kept secrets in California.
Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe is definitely one of the jewels and the most spectacular places thompson lake maine vacation rentals in California. With the bluest of blue
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