Tag Archives: ocean beach

Top 5 things to do in the Bay Area this weekend

Fleet Week
Fleet Week is back for its 35th year with a panoply of festivities to beat the band. Seven different ships are available for tours all day Saturday through Monday (a holiday) at various piers along the Embarcadero. Of course the highlight is the airshow over SF Bay, starting at 12:30 and culminating at 3pm with the Blue Angels. Saturday – Monday, 10/10-12, all day.

Ocean Beach Music+Art Festival
At the opposite corner of SF in the Outer Sunset, the Ocean Beach fest packs a lot into its two-blocks. Six stages feature over 20 bands, along with live art installations, 10 food vendors, two beer gardens, a petting zoo and a pumpkin patch. Saturday, 10/10, 11am-7pm, Noriega at 47th St.

Corgi Con
One corgi dog running along the beach as fast as its stubby legs will let it is funny/cute enough. But 500? LOLZ. For corgi owners and lovers, this is obviously a must attend, but also for anyone who enjoys a spectacle. A costume contest and corgi races highlight the event. Saturday, 10/10, 10am-2pm, Ocean Beach.

Litquake
This week-long event brings in hundreds of writers, poets and journalists in venues throughout the Bay Area. Sessions are by theme, such as thrillers, travel and erotica. Saturday – Saturday, 10/10-17, all times.

Viva CalleSJ
Downtown San Jose is a no-car zone on six miles of city streets, and open for biking, walking, skating, yogaing, whatever, as long as it doesn’t involve a motor. Moveable Feast food trucks will be on hand to administer fuel, while the Bay Area’s eight Lombardi trophies (Niners and Raiders) will be on display. Sunday, 10/11, 10am-3pm.

Come on in, the water’s fine

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Summer in the city means long days, tall drinks and hopefully lots of  beach time. But how clean is that water you’re stepping into? After all, a big city like San Francisco is bound to have various pollutants in its bay runoff, like the 1.36 million gallons of trash reported in this Huffpo story. Continue reading Come on in, the water’s fine

Best beaches in the Bay Area

Natural Bridges State Beach, Santa Cruz

Northern California isn’t exactly Maui when it comes to beaches, but they’re still pretty great, even if the weather requires a sweater and a wetsuit. I mean, it’s a beach! (just ask your friends in Kansas to explain). Besides the rocky cliffs along much of our coastline, providing lots of dramatic and inspiring views, you’ll  also plenty of find sandy stretches for rolling out a blanket or long easy strolls. And on a warm, sunny day in the Bay Area, there’s no better place to be. Continue reading Best beaches in the Bay Area

Pigeon Point an ideal seaside getaway

Every so often a day comes along that’s a perfect convergence of time and place, the air imbued with that special tinge of golden light unique to California, a little slice of heaven that seems frozen in time. When a beautiful day such as this falls in January or February, I prefer to be on the coast, near the ocean, with a little extra sparkle to the water from the low-arcing sun.

If I’m in the city, I might zip to Ocean Beach for a stroll, or lunch at Beach Chalet. But if I plan ahead or feel ambitious, I’ll drive the hour down the coast along Hwy 1 to the Pigeon Point Lighthouse just south of Pescadero. It’s pristine setting is scenic at any time, but on a beautiful weekend, it can’t be beat. Continue reading Pigeon Point an ideal seaside getaway