Staycations California

Part Four: Suisan Bay, Benicia, Napa

This is the fourth part in a five-part series of a road trip taking us into Northern California from San Diego County.   We visited San Francisco, Sausalito, Fairfield, Benicia, Suisan City, Suisan Bay, Napa, and the Delta. We went to Pier 39 in San Francisco, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge twice, saw the hundreds of houseboats in Sausalito, toured the Jelly Belly factory, fished on the delta, rode on two ferry boats, crossed over four large bridges, and many small draw bridges, saw autumn colors, saw the last of our naval ghost fleet, and viewed the gorgeous vineyards in Napa… all in five-and-a-half days.

Suisan Bay  
Many years ago I saw a documentary about hundreds of military ships that had been decommissioned and were floating dormant in a big harbor somewhere in the U.S.   I found out recently that Suisan Bay was that place.   So while in this area we just had to see these old ships and possibly take a boat tour out in the bay to get a closer look at these relics.

Suisan Bay is a continuation of the larger San Francisco Bay and is filled with industry , refineries, and what looks like a home port for other ships as well as the yet to be seen  old military ships.

As we arrived in town we saw the sign for a vista point and I took that exit to get a prime view of the bay and all of the ships.  It was a gray morning and almost on the verge of raining so visibility wasn’t great.  This part of the bay is where the ghost fleet, or moth ball fleet as it is sometimes called, is located.   As we were presented the first view of the bay, I could see the ghost ships, all… four of them.  Four?  Where were the rest?  We were going to have to investigate further.

Only a few ships remain in Suisan Bay

While trying to get back to town we actually took an exit into the town of Benicia. While there, a local man told us that most of the ships were no longer in the harbor. For many years they have been scraped for the metal or sent to various other areas.  As an example, the U.S. Iowa now acts as a museum and is on display near Long Beach Harbor for tours. Later I researched it, and sure enough the ships were gone save for a few.  I am going to have to investigate my destinations a little more closely next time.

Since the ships had been long gone, we decided to stay in Benicia and check out that charming town.

Benicia
The city of Benicia, is called the “jewel” of the Bay Area because it is a waterfront community filled with that small hometown charm.  This was evidenced as we drove down a tree lined street filled on both sides with specialty shops, antique stores, and restaurants.  The trees framing the road were rich in fall colors and beyond you could see the bay.

Continue reading “Five and a Half Days-A Five Part Series (Suisan Bay, Benicia, Napa)”

Part Three: Fairfield. Jelly Belly Factory, Grizzly Island
This is the third part in a five-part series of a road trip taking us into Northern California from San Diego County.   We visited San Francisco, Sausalito, Fairfield, Benicia, Suisan City, Suisan Bay, Napa, and the Delta. We went to Pier 39 in San Francisco, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge twice, saw the hundreds of houseboats in Sausalito, toured the Jelly Belly Factory, fished on the Delta, rode on two ferry boats, crossed over four large bridges, and many small draw bridges, saw autumn colors, saw the last of our naval ghost fleet, and viewed the gorgeous vineyards in Napa… all in five and a half days.

Fairfield
The big pull for this vacation was the California Delta which I will explain later in part five. So in looking for hotels in the general area, the Hampton Inn caught our eye because it faced and sat at the end of a charming little marina complete with a riverboat and a full-sized lighthouse. It looked like something out of Cape Cod but was actually in Fairfield, California. It was also in a perfect location to easily visit some of the places we wanted to see plus close enough to start the last leg of our journey through the towns along the California Delta on Highway 160.

Fairfield is a city east of San Francisco with a population of about a 100,000.  It sits on the very end of a waterway that is an offshoot of the neighboring Suisan Bay.  The hotel, the marina, and lighthouse were every bit as eye-catching as the photos on their website.  The hotel itself was a stone’s throw from the water’s edge and you could actually cast a line out in front and fish from the walkway.

Jelly Belly Factory Tour

Continue reading “Five and a Half Days-A Five Part Series (Fairfield, Jelly Belly, Grizzly Island)”

Let it Snow Holiday Concert at the Marriott

If you follow Staycationscalifornia, you know by now that staff member JoJo is always looking for things to do and unusually activities.  Not that this is unusual or crazy, but she wanted to go to a holiday concert, one that played all the seasons tunes.

She found one at the La Jolla Marriot featuring a saxophonist who would be playing all of the hits of the holiday season.   That is all I was told when I agreed to go.

The concert was held in one of the Marriott’s conference rooms and I was happy to see that any seat was going to be a good one; I love intimate concerts like this.

Good start so far although I was wondering how it was going to be, hearing only Christmas music for over an hour with just the saxophone, even though it’s one of my favorite instruments.

On the stage were keyboards so I knew that it wasn’t going to be just the saxophone.

We took our seat and, soon after, the keyboardist came on stage and started playing.  Now we were waiting for the saxophonist to appear.   All of a sudden you heard this amazing sound come through the speakers; it was the sweet sound of a soprano saxophone.The artist was walking from the back of the room while playing right in front of you as he made his way on stage.  The saxophone was less than a foot from my ears at times.

Continue reading “Let it Snow Holiday Concert at the Marriott”

Part Two: Sausalito

This is part two in a five-part series of a road trip taking us into Northern California from San Diego County.   We visited San Francisco, Sausalito, Fairfield, Benicia, Suisan City, Suisan Bay, Napa, and the Delta. We went to Pier 39 in San Francisco, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge twice, saw the hundreds of houseboats in Sausalito, toured the Jelly Belly factory, fished on the delta, rode on two ferry boats, crossed over four large bridges, and many small draw bridges, saw autumn colors, saw the last of our naval ghost fleet, and viewed the gorgeous vineyards in Napa… all in five and a half days.

Scenic and Quaint
I haven’t been to Sausalito in many, many years but it left a lasting impression on me the last time I visited. I remember it as being this quaint and picturesque town west of San Francisco and on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge.  It is a must see if you are traveling to San Francisco. Just take that big ole red bridge over to the other side of the bay and follow the signs.

As I was driving over the breathtaking Golden Gate Bridge, I was hoping that Sausalito was the same charming town I remembered.  Riding through town, I was happy to see that it was.

Sausalito sits on the more subdued Richardson Bay and is surrounded by hills speckled with homes that have the most amazing view. I know this because we drove up into the hills and we saw that view and It WAS amazing.

Continue reading “Five and a Half Days: A Five Part Series (Sausalito)”

Part One: San Francisco

This is the first part in a five-part series of a road trip taking us into Northern California from San Diego County.   We visited San Francisco, Sausalito, Fairfield, Benicia, Suisan City, Suisan Bay, Napa, and the Delta. We went to Pier 39 in San Francisco, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge twice, saw the hundreds of houseboats in Sausalito, toured the Jelly Belly factory, fished on the delta, rode on two ferry boats, crossed over four large bridges, and many small draw bridges, saw autumn colors, saw the last of our naval ghost fleet, and viewed the gorgeous vineyards in Napa… all in five and a half days.

Heading up North
Thanksgiving means a lot to people for different reasons. One reason is the chance to spend time with family and friends.  Second is the chance to eat all the wonderful fixings of turkey, stuffing, ham, mashed potatoes, yams, or whatever food tradition you have.  Lastly, in most cases it is a chance to have the day off from work.

In my case it was four days off (including the weekend) which means only one thing…road trip!!!!!!!    Actually, I stretched it to five and a half days by taking Monday off and half day Weds.

So mid-morning on the day before Thanksgiving we braved the Southern California holiday traffic and headed north to our first stop, San Francisco.

In reality, our first stop was San Jose but that was only a driving break to stay overnight and freshen up for the next day. All we saw of San Jose was the freeway and the off-ramp leading to our wonderful and comfy beds at the hotel.

The sizable breakfast at the hotel was awesome and even more so because it was free!  It filled our bellies enough so that we were ready for the hour or so drive to San Francisco.

I have been to San Francisco many times and have always opted to do the touristy things that this wonderful city has to offer.  On that note, I highly suggest the Alcatraz tour and a harbor boat excursion that takes you around the bay and under the Golden Gate Bridge.

Off the Beaten Path
This time we wanted to see something new so we headed in the general direction of Golden Gate Bridge to check out that area.  While on the way we saw the Lombard street sign and decided to pull off and take a look.

Even though I have driven down this infamous street before, I still wanted to see if I could get a few nice photos.  There were at least fifty people hanging around vying to do the same thing.  We watched as a few cars began the steep decline into the narrow hairpin turns that make this street one of the most popular attractions in San Francisco.  It is a must see when coming into the city.

If you can’t drive down this hill, don’t worry, there are plenty of steep hills in the city.  On some of them, I was glad that I wasn’t driving a stick shift.

The beginning of Lombard Street

A few mellow areas near the Golden Gate bridge

Alcatraz in the background

Continue reading “Five and a Half Days: A Five Part Series (San Francisco)”