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Clients in my travel agency spend thousands of dollars to go to exotic places. And well they should! Trips to Hawaii, the Mexican Riviera, the Islands of Greece and a thousand other places in the world can provide important components in a life well lived. For most of us, the opportunity to visit some place like a beach on Kawai or the shops in London’s West End come only once a year, or perhaps once a decade. However, we all have the opportunity of jumping in the car any time we have a day free and visiting a place that residents of foreign nations can see only by spending a lot of time and outlaying thousands of dollars in cash. We East County residents live in an ideal location. Not only are we surrounded by beauty, but we are centrally located and are only a few hours drive from a lot of amazing places. There are many fun things to do and wonderful places to visit that we can go to on any morning and be back home by bedtime. Here are nine of my favorites: From a View to a Feast — The Napa Valley Wine Train
The railcars are richly restored in Honduran Mahogany, polished brass, and etched glass elegance. The Wine Train offers several kinds of feasting experiences, including Vista Dome, Pullman, and Lounge car dining. Savory hors d’oeuvres, scrumptious desserts, plus a selection of the Napa Valley world-class wines and cocktails provide perfect complements to gourmet entrées in creating a dining experience fit for royalty. A Wine Tasting Car provides customers with a complimentary, relaxing, and informal education. Guests who are dedicated epicureans are treated to the bonus of being able to watch through a window as the Executive Chef, Kelly Macdonald, and his staff prepare entrées and side dishes in the train’s onboard professional restaurant kitchen. You can accessorize your trip with a stop for wine education tasting at the McKinstry Street Station prior to boarding. You can also shop leisurely at the Wine Emporium, Baubles & Beads, or the upscale Gift Express! You can easily get to Napa in time for the lunch excursion and be back in your own home for supper — which, after your noon repast, will probably be a light snack.
A Capital Trip — The Capital Corridor Train
The Sacramento Amtrak Depot is located on the edges of historic Old Town Sacramento, which consists of colorful stores and restaurants, right on the banks of the beautiful Sacramento River. Vista views of the busy river on one side with the shops and restaurants of Old Town on the other make the place an extraordinary destination for a day’s visit. For many people, the California State Railroad Museum (www.csrmf.org) is the best part of a day’s visit to Sacramento Old Town. The facility, which may be the greatest museum of its kind, provides visitors with hands-on experiences of numerous locomotives and railcars covering the spectrum of railroading history, plus lavishly restored trains, engaging exhibits, and unique special events. On weekends between April and September, you can take a 40-minute roundtrip excursion along the levee of the Sacramento River in a vintage railcar pulled by a genuine steam locomotive. Departures are hourly from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Regular excursion train tickets are $6 adults, $3 youths (ages 6-17), ages 5 and under ride free.
Hello and Thanks for all the Fish — The Monterey Bay Aquarium
The aquarium is a great place for kids of all ages. There are a lot of hands-on activities — exhibits that invite children to touch, feel, and (most of all) to imagine and to wonder. Interesting learning activities are spread throughout the site with lessons designed to thrill and challenge inquiring minds of all ages. If you haven’t been there yet, you really need to put a trip to Monterey Bay on your calendar. If you haven’t been there in a while you need to go back because there are always new exhibits to check out and special events to participate in. I could have done the whole column on places to go and things to see that are within a ten-minute drive of the Aquarium — Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey, Pebble Beach, and Carmel, just to name a few. Note that you can go onto the aquarium Web site and view real-time cams showing the main tanks inside and the current scene of Monterey Bay outside.
Collecting History — the Alameda Point Antiques and Collectibles Faire
It will still be difficult for you to picture the setting, however, since the Faire is framed by what must surely be one of the most dramatic skylines for any outdoor venue in the world — a breathtaking view of the entire San Francisco Bay Area. The quality of items sold at the show is carefully maintained. All objects must be at least twenty years old and NO REPRODUCTIONS! The Faire has been featured in national publications, including Martha Stewart Living and Sunset Magazine. There’s something for everyone — from serious collectors to garage sale junkies. This place is always fun and always interesting. The faire is held on the first Sunday of every month, rain or shine, and is held on the air stations immense old runways. As if great sales and wonderful scenery weren’t enough, the Faire features such a tremendous assortment of food items that the eating becomes almost as wonderful as the shopping. Visitors can buy everything from fresh sushi to giant handcrafted sausages. And here’s another thing to think of…. If you are concerned about conserving the earth’s resources, you can figure that shopping for previously owned sale items is a way for you to satisfy your urge to find a bargain without depleting the world’s resources.
A Noah’s Ark full of Creatures — The San Francisco Zoo
The San Francisco Zoo is undergoing an amazing period of transition. It is transforming itself into a conservation showpiece, seeking to cultivate respect and appreciation of wildlife by providing learning experiences for all ages. If you haven’t been there in a while, you are in for a surprise. Changes include the building of a new entrance, the addition of many new visitor amenities, a famous vintage Dentzel Carousel, artwork, and wonderful new exhibits. Note: The Dentzel Carousel at the zoo dates back to 1921, before hand-carved wooden carousel animals gave way to metal and fiberglass knock-offs. The carousel was recently completely refurbished. Craftsmen who spent nearly 1,000 hours on each animal, restored the 52 carousel animals, to their original colors and fine details. The entire renovation cost more than a million dollars. Of course, if you have time after your visit to the zoo to do something, you’re right in the midst of the greatest tourist Mecca in the world. Drive down the Coast Road towards the Golden Gate Bridge and stop for dinner at the historic Cliff house. Or just stand on the edge of the property and watch as the seagulls dive for fish and listen to the seals bellowing and barking at each other from nearby Seal Rock.
X-treme Food Experience — The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone
The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, is little more than an hour’s drive, which makes it a wonderful day trip for a family or for a group of ladies. Make reservations for the Wine Spectator restaurant. Before being seated, request a table close to the open kitchen so you can watch the master chefs at work. You can also sit in on a cooking demonstration and pick up secrets of the masters that you can use in your own kitchen. You can schedule tours for the following days and times: Reservations required (845-451-1588). You can dine in the Wine Spectator Restaurant and purchase cookbooks and the culinary “fixn’s” at the Spice Islands Marketplace. If you are adventurous, you can sample the faire at one of the five distinct student-run restaurants on the site.
“You Can Spit 2,000 Feet” — Yosemite National Park
The view of the cliffs from the valley floor provides an absolutely unique experience. From the road through binoculars can pick out climbers who are making their way like ants up the vertical sides of the immense stone walls. The cliff-face is actually so high and the vista so immense that, without binoculars, the climbers are almost invisible to anyone without excellent eyesight. The park is open 365 days per year, 24 hours per day with no reservations necessary. If you plan to drive to the top of Tioga pass or Glacier Point, however, make sure you do this before October. Depending upon the snow pack, the high country roads are closed at least by the end of November and don’t open again until May at the earliest. It would be nice, of course, to check into one of Yosemite’s hotels or campgrounds for a week or so, and get to know the park in more detail, but if you can’t afford the time or money, you really can drive from East County through Yosemite Valley, take in a couple of the most accessible sites, and get back home in one day-trip. And if you’ve never done this before, you really should make the journey!
The World’s Most Famous Prison — Alcatraz
The only way to get to Alcatraz is to take an excursion on one of the Blue and Gold Fleet boats. Visits to Alcatraz include a 20-minute ride across one of the most interesting stretches of water in the world and a three-hour tour of the facility. Make sure to make reservations! One of the reason Alcatraz is so well-known is because of Hollywood. At least 25 movies and TV shows have been made about the place. Some of the famous inhabitants of “The Rock” include Al Capone, George "Machine Gun" Kelly, Robert "Birdman of Alcatraz" Stroud, Floyd Hamilton (driver for Bonnie and Clyde), and Alvin "Creepy" Karpis. The movies and television made movies about these guys, but the actual reality is often as engaging as any movies ever made. Even for the least known of these famous bad men. Who remembers Creepy Karpis anymore, for example. Nevertheless, he holds the distinction of having spent more time on Alcatraz than any other criminal — more than 26 years. Don’t miss the opportunity to journey through this fascinating place where you can let your imagination run free as you imagine what life on “The Rock” must have been for the miserable people who served time there. By the way, most people know about Alcatraz, but not many know about Angel Island. If you’ve never been to this beautiful and fascinating destination, you can ride a ferry from the same terminal the Alcatraz tours leave from.
Rafting Down the River on a Sunday Afternoon — The American River
Fun and Friendly is the way the South Fork trip is characterized. Beginners and intermediates will enjoy 40 inviting rapids. Wilderness Adventure is the designation for the Middle Fork trip. The rapids on this stretch of river are rated Class III-IV whitewater in a scenic wilderness. Class IV+ is the designation for the whitewater excitement of the North Fork, for people who are seeking a real challenge. A number of choices are available for each of these categories. Check the website for details. This article has only covered a miniscule part of the truly enormous number of marvelous destinations that East County residents can go to and still be back home by bedtime. If any of you find life boring, you’re just not making good decisions! If you need any formal help with a day trip or a trip of any kind, feel free to stop by my office.
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Treat yourself and your loved ones to a moving feast that will become a legend in your family’s history. The Napa Valley Wine Train offers gourmet dining excursions for lunch, as well as for dinner. Dine in 5-star excellence as you watch vineyards, flowering hillsides, and elegant small towns glide past the windows of your elegantly restored vintage railcar. The 3 1/2 hour adventure takes you from Napa to St. Helena and back, but the journey also takes you back to the era when first-class rail service marked the epitome of gracious service. 
For people who love trains and railroading, taking the Capital Corridor Train from Martinez to Old Sacramento can be a satisfying treat. The trip is only an hour and 11 minutes each way — a nearly perfect length for a casual railroading experience. The train passes the Mothball Fleet and skirts the edge of a vast expanse of new cars recently offloaded from the ship looming in the background. Riders can watch flights of geese, ducks, and great blue herons. They can catch glimpses of shacks sagging into muddy sloughs. Fields of sunflowers and cornfields line the railroad right-of-way as you get nearer to your destination. 
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is another great family day trip. It is located on famous Cannery Row just a couple hours from here. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is rated the finest in the country and is the number 3 top-rated family attraction in the United States. You can watch sea life through one of the world’s largest windows: 56 feet long and 17 feet high. You can see exhibits of jellyfish so beautiful that they look like dreams from another world. 
The Faire is a good example of the “beating of swords into plowshares” principle since the blissful event is held on the first Sunday of every month at the former Alameda Point Naval Air Station in Alameda. Imagine having hundreds of antique shops and retro thrift stores all together in one location, and you will get an idea of what this place is like. 
The zoo refers to itself as an “urban oasis, nestled against the Pacific Ocean,” and the description seems to me to be apt. The zoo is home to 250 different species of animals, all displayed in environments that are designed to be as naturalistic as possible, including the Lipman Family Lemur Forest, which features these curious Madagascar primates in a large outdoor setting.
For the past three decades the Culinary Institute of America has been creating an elegant culture around cooking, baking, wine, and entertaining. The facility has been featured in such publications as Esquire Magazine, Family Circle, and Modern Baking. The Reader’s Digest gave the facility the “Best of America” award. 
A trip to Yosemite Valley should be on everyone’s must do-before-I-die list. Perhaps Glacier Point provides the most awesome view on the face of the planet. You stand on the lookout and Yosemite Valley spreads out thousands of feet below you. The majestic Half Dome rises in front of you across the Valley. Far below you can see visions of waterfalls surrounded by mist. My friend told me “From the top of Glacier Point you can spit 2,000 feet.” I never actually tried that myself, but the floor of the Valley is reported to be 4,000 feet above sea level and Glacier Point is 7,200 so I think the guy was actually spitting over 3,000 feet. 
The prison on Alcatraz Island holds a place in the imagination of most Americans and countless millions of foreigners. Don’t let the tourists have all the fun! If you have never experienced this curious and compelling American icon, plan to make this a day-trip this summer. Or if you haven’t been there in a long time, and your kids have never seen the place, load them in the car and let them do something they will never forget. 
If you are the kind of person who likes outdoor adventures, don’t miss the American River rafting experience at a rafting outfitters called Mother Lode River Center. If you are a family with small children, you might want to check out one of their “Family Floats.” It provides introductory level raft trips, hiking, outdoor games, and good food. Or if you want to just get on the river and get floating, you can choose from three different levels of adventure |
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