| I am new to the state of California, which seems to have very liberal residency requirements for attendees of its public educational institutions, a blessing for a 29-year old medical student with no potential income for many years. I have yet to explore the state, but hope to do so soon. It is filled with things to do and see. Not to mention that it appears in the news quite frequently, often in association with political scandals and energy crises. |
| The Great Out of Doors! Green for this topic! My cousin Elaine lived in Yosemite National Park for many years and my sister has scaled Half Dome. I am bound by family tradition to visit the park myself someday. I visited Sonoma County and Napa Valley for a day when I first moved to San Francisco. Beautiful country (although it seemed surprisingly dry to me) with many yuppie types driving in SUVs from vineyard to vineyard on curvy little roads - all while becoming progressively more intoxicated. However, since I am not a wine connoisseur, I am not qualified to judge the Napa experience fairly. Definitely an interesting place to visit - observing the other tourists alone is worth it! I am dead set on visiting Muir Woods National Monument, which I think is actually a park. Solitude would be bliss amidst these redwoods. Perhaps I'll move there someday. more to come.... In San Francisco! I think I'll underline in red now. The San Francisco Opera House (the War Memorial Opera House) was the site of the adoption of the United Nations Charter by delegates from 50 countries on June 25, 1945 (the actual signing occurred on June 26th). I've only been to one opera, Rigoletto, but I fell in love. I didn't expect to like opera, but was pleasantly surprised. I hope to attend more opera performances when the San Francisco opera season starts up again in June with Carmen. One of my favorite activities is riding my bike along the coast. Biking is an EXCELLENT alternative to driving - it keeps you in shape and is very nice for the environment. There are many groups trying to promote biking, including Pedal Power. The parks in San Francisco are magnificent. Golden Gate Park is perhaps the most famous and well-used, but there are many, many others. The Presidio National Park and Fort Funston are old military bases now open to the public for exploration. When I first moved to the city, I lived near Stern Grove, which is a dog-walker's paradise and, surrounded by eucalyptus trees, the most aromatic natural spot I've ever found. Check out it's summer concert series. If you just want information about hiking in the San Francisco Bay area, check out the Bay Area Hiker. Trivia fact: eucalyptus trees are a fire hazard! One of my favorite spots is the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in the Mission District. Wonderful place to listen to outdoor concerts, fall asleep on the grass, walk a dog... Plus, you can mosey right over to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which is FABULOUS. Forget the exhibits, the building itself is worth the entrance fee. More to come.... Back to the main page. |