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The Bay Area
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Places in The Bay Area

Destination

San Francisco

Grab your coat and a handful of glitter, and enter the land of fog and fabulousness. So long, inhibitions; hello, San Francisco. Outlandish Notions Consider permission permanently granted to be outlandish: other towns may surprise you, but in San Francisco you will surprise yourself.

Destination

East Bay

Berkeley and Oakland are what most San Franciscans think of as the East Bay, though the area includes numerous other suburbs that swoop up from the bayside flats into exclusive enclaves in the hills. Many residents of the ‘West Bay’ would like to think they needn’t ever cross the Bay Bridge or take a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train through an underwater tunnel.

Destination

Marin County

If there’s a part of the Bay Area that consciously attempts to live the Northern California dream, it’s Marin County. Just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, the region has a wealthy population that cultivates a laid-back lifestyle. Towns may look like idyllic rural hamlets, but the shops cater to cosmopolitan, expensive tastes.

Destination

The Peninsula

South of San Francisco, squeezed tightly between the bay and the coastal foothills, a vast swath of suburbia continues toward San Jose. Dotted inside this area are Palo Alto, home of Stanford University, and Silicon Valley, the epicenter of the Bay Area’s tech industry. Don’t bother looking for Silicon Valley on the map – you won’t find it.

Destination

Oakland

Named for the grand oak trees that once lined its streets, Oakland is to San Francisco what Brooklyn is to Manhattan. To some degree a less expensive alternative to 'the city' across the Bay, this is often where people have moved to escape skyrocketing San Francisco housing costs.

Destination

Berkeley

Berkeley – the birthplace of the free-speech and disability-rights movements, and the home of the hallowed halls of the University of California, Berkeley (aka 'Cal') – is no bashful wallflower.

Destination

San Jose

Though culturally diverse and historic, San Jose has always been in San Francisco’s shadow, awash in Silicon Valley’s suburbia. Founded in 1777 as El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe, San Jose is California’s oldest Spanish civilian settlement. Its downtown is small and scarcely used for a city of its size, though it does bustle with 20-something clubgoers on weekends.

Destination

Palo Alto

Though it may look like just another leafy suburb, Palo Alto is Silicon Valley's ritziest city. Here even a modest bungalow may cost over $2 million, while upscale boutiques, restaurants, beauty spas and bars crowd downtown streets.

Destination

Sausalito

Perfectly arranged on a secure little harbor on the bay, Sausalito is undeniably lovely. Named for the tiny willows that once populated the banks of its creeks, it’s famous for its colorful houseboats bobbing in the bay. Much of the well-heeled downtown has uninterrupted views of San Francisco and Angel Island, and due to the ridgeline at its back, fog generally skips it.

Destination

Half Moon Bay

With its long coastline and mild weather, this area has always been prime real estate. When Spanish missionaries set up shop along the coast in the late 1700s, this had been indigenous Ohlone territory for thousands of years.

Destination

Marin Headlands

The headlands rise majestically out of the water at the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge, their rugged beauty all the more striking given the fact that they’re only a few miles from San Francisco’s urban core.

Destination

Mill Valley

Nestled under the redwoods at the base of Mt Tamalpais, tiny Mill Valley is one of the Bay Area’s most picturesque hamlets. Mill Valley was originally a logging town, its name stemming from an 1830s sawmill – the first in the Bay Area to provide lumber.

Destination

San Rafael

The oldest and largest town in Marin, San Rafael is slightly less upscale than most of its neighbors but doesn’t lack atmosphere. It’s a common stop for travelers on their way to Point Reyes. Two blocks south of the 19th-century Spanish Catholic mission that gives the town its name, San Rafael’s main drag, 4th St, is lined with cafes and shops.

Destination

Point Reyes National Seashore

Windswept Point Reyes peninsula is a rough-hewn beauty that has always lured marine mammals and migratory birds as well as scores of shipwrecks. It was here in 1579 that Sir Francis Drake landed to repair his ship, the Golden Hind. During his five-week stay he mounted a brass plaque near the shore claiming this land for England.

Destination

Tiburon

At the end of a small peninsula pointing out into the center of the bay, Tiburon is blessed with gorgeous views. The name comes from the Spanish Punta de Tiburon (Shark Point). Take the ferry from San Francisco, browse the shops on Main St, grab a bite to eat and you’ve seen Tiburon. The town is also a jumping-off point for nearby Angel Island.

Destination

Point Reyes Station

Though the railroad stopped coming through in 1933 and the town is small, Point Reyes Station is nevertheless the hub of western Marin County. Dominated by dairies and ranches, the region was invaded by artists in the 1960s. Today Main St is a diverting blend of art galleries, tourist shops, restaurants and cafes.

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