• Monterey Bay Aquarium

    30Aug
    Categories: Architecture, Cocktails, Dinner, Excursion, Food, Fun, Kids, Lunch, Photo Opp, Tourist Activity Click Here to Leave a Comment

    Monterey is only a 2 hour drive South of San Francisco, and has the best aquarium in the world. It was started by Julie Packard, Steve Webster and a few other people who wanted to educate the public about marine life, but in a fun way. Julie is the daughter of David Packard of the Hewlett-Packard (H-P) fame. He donated 22 million to get it started and it’s never needed other outside funding. It has operated quite handsomely from the revenue from admission and services inside. It’s a non-profit facility that was originally dedicated to education of the marine life in the region, but it’s displays are not only beautiful, but quite engaging. This amazing facility draws an audience from around the globe. One of the best parts for me is that my dad has been a volunteer guide there since it opened. In fact, here’s a shot of both my parents at the aquarium.

    Mom and Dad at the aquarium 718130 Monterey Bay Aquarium

    Below, the lively little anchovies just never stop swimming in their circular tank.

    The jelly fish amaze me. They range in size. From large …

    … to small.

    After you see my little movies, you can see more at this link for the Monterey Bay Aquarium (Web Cams).

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  • Driving Down Lombard Street San Francisco

    11Aug
    Categories: Excursion, Free Fun, Fun, Kids, Odd, Outdoor, Silly, Tourist Activity Click Here to Leave a Comment

    Lombard Street is a big tourist attraction here in San Francisco, but it’s also fun for us locals too. Every time we make the trip down, after waiting in line for a few minutes, I think of the people who live on Lombard Street. Do they love the attention? Do they hate the constant stream of cars and people? Did they choose to live there or inherit the place? Are the property values high because it’s so popular, or low because it would always be a big pain in the pitutty to pull in or out of your garage on a whim to go get an ice cream or milk for your morning coffee. I don’t think I’ll bother getting answers to these questions, they’re more fun to ponder … every time we go down the curvy little red brick street, lined with cute little homes. If you come for a visit and the weather is nice, rent a convertible; so you can put the top down and enjoy the view. As we did, just take your time diving down, because the people behind you will enjoy the slow pace too. No need to pressure yourself to get it over with. Save that for the work week. As you can see, it’s not that long a ride; so enjoy it while you can. OH, and by-the-way, contrary to popular belief, this is *not* the most crooked street in the land. That one is on Potrero Hill near 20th and Vermont St. (For details, just type in “Crooked” into the search engine here – top right.).

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  • Castro Theater’s Big Organ

    10Aug
    Categories: Architecture, Art, Cheap Fun, Event, Excursion, Fun, Odd, People Watching, Tourist Activity Click Here to Leave a Comment

    Castro Theater Organist 734382 Castro Theaters Big Organ

    The Castro Theater is a treat that is worth visiting often. The collection of films is very eclectic; so check the schedule and plan for a retro’ evening in a theater that’s even nicer than it was back in it’s heydey.   The photo is of the organist, who always ends his little mini concert before the film, with the old tune, San Francisco. Go ahead, clap along and have fun. Everyone else does.
    Check out the video of San Francisco … da, da, da, da, da, da … as the organ and the organist sink slowly to the floor. It’s kitschy, but fun. His name is David Hegarty and he is the house orgainist. He plays almost every night and performs all over the country. He is fantastic!

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