CALIFORNIA – NORCAL – ‘Stros on the Road

YEAR VISITED: 1997, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2023, and 2025.

FAVORITE CITIES AND EXPERIENCES: San Francisco is one of the great cities in the West. Because it is so massive, we feel like it took us three or four visits before we felt like “we did” San Francisco. We stayed at WorldMark, which was located downtown. The hotel, located in a historic building over one hundred years old, is located adjacent to China Town. It was a perfect home base and allowed us to walk most places. When we needed to Uber, we discovered Waymo; self driving cars. At the time of our visit, Phoenix and San Francisco were the only two cities where you could experience this futuristic anomaly. We definitely got a kick out of the experience.

Our hotel was located roughly 1-mile from the Coit Tower. One morning we walked over to the historic tower and took in the views of the city. I learned it was built to beautify the city, was completed in the early 1930’s, and stands at 210 feet tall.

Another area our hotel was relatively close to was China Town. While it is common for cities to have ‘China towns’, San Francisco’s is the oldest and largest (outside of Asia) of any in the world. It was a cool experience to wander through, people watch, and sample food from various restaurants.

While in China Town we found the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company. Since 1962 they have been hand making fortune cookies and are the fortune cookie supplier for hundreds of restaurants around the United States.

On our visit in 2025 we visited the Victorian houses affectionately known as the ‘Painted Ladies’. The view of the city from across the street in Alamo Square screams quintessential San Francisco.

We have taken a cable car up and down the city hills. We have walked and driven Lombard Street (the crookedest street in the world) and of course you have to explore Fisherman’s Wharf.

Stores such as Lefty’s, Boudin Sourdough, and the original chocolate shop in Ghirardelli Square are all family favorites. Hyde Street Pier is located on the western most side of Fisherman’s Wharf and provides a history lesson on the shipping history and subsequent growth of the city.

Alcatraz is a tour like no other, although plan ahead because it fills up fast. Jill and I have toured twice and both visits were fascinating. The second time we met Bill Baker, or prisoner #1259, who was signing his book telling about his experience of having spent a majority of his life as an inmate of Alcatraz.

The Golden Gate Bridge is considered one of the 7-Wonders of the Modern World. As a result we have made a point to visit and view it on every one of our trips to San Francisco. We have driven across it, walked across it, hiked the hills to the northwest of it, walked Baker Beach with the bridge in the back ground, and of course viewed it from Ghirardelli Square. Nothing says San Francisco like the Golden Gate.

On our last visit we booked a cruise that took us on a site seeing trip of the city. We booked through Red and White Fleet and one of their claims to fame is that they sail underneath the famous bridge. They have been in business for eighty-five years and even though the weather was overcast and bit chilly, we had a great time. I would highly recommend this excursion.

Baker Beach is adajacent to the Golden Gate Bridge (west), and depending on the weather is a great place to get a picturesque view of the bridge. The first time we visited it felt surreal as we immediately spotted dolphins not 30 feet off the shore with the magnificent Golden Gate in the background. However, be advised the northern most part of the beach is “clothing optional”.

San Francisco has a long history of being the setting for TV shows and movies alike. A favorite movie of ours from the 1990’s is Mrs. Doubtfire. We were thrilled to learn the actual house featured in the movie is a real place. In the summer of 2025 we tracked it down to see it for ourselves.

A TV show my daughters grew up watching was Full House and Fuller House. Both sitcoms were set in the city and again the home is a real place. If you decide to visit either house, please be advised they are actual residences’ and be respectful.

Another draw for San Francisco is their world class restaurant scene. Admittedly we have not eaten out a ton in the city, but each time we have we have come away impressed. Located on the wharf, our favorite place is the Waterbar. It’s website claims to serve the finest seafood in the entire city, and we can confirm the location provides fantastic views of the Bay Bridge.

Another restaurant we would recommend is Burma Superstar. We learned about it through family and were super glad we took them up on their recommendation. The food was absolutely fantastic but be advised it can get extremely crowded; plan accordingly.

Where would we be without a visit to the Hard Rock Cafe? It is located on Fisherman’s Wharf and as always provides outstanding ambiance. When visiting San Francisco definitely look into restaurants ahead of time – there are some amazing options! While we haven’t spent much time in the city of Oakland, we have walked the campus of Cal Berkley and visited the original Beast Mode Store (Marshawn Lynch). Cal is a beautiful campus and we were lucky enough to meet Marshawn at the store.

It is no secret Team Castro enjoys a good roadtrip. Sacramento is typically our first hotel stop when traveling to Southern California. When the girls were little we stopped at an amusement park called Fairytale Town. Our family still laughs at the fact I got lost, pulled over to ask for directions, and first had a convenience store worker look at me in disbelief and later a firefighter say, “you’re looking for a fairy in Sacramento?” While I was looked at like a complete creep, we eventually found the park located at the Sacramento Zoo and had a great time.

Old Sacramento is a great place to spend a couple hours. As the name implies this is the original epicenter to Sacramento. There are many tourist type stores and a handful of musuems highlighting the areas history. While we enjoyed our visits the only establishment I rememeber by name is Fat City.

Windsor, located a little over an hour north of San Francisco, is a family favorite. We routinely stay here when heading to San Francisco. The Sonoma and Napa Valley are beautiful and while we aren’t necessarily wine connoisseur’s we enjoy going wine tasting.

Two of our favorite wineries are Korbel and Francis Ford Coppola. While Korbel specializes in champagne, they do stock multiple wines and the setting is breathtaking. Francis Ford Coppola is as plush and stunning as any winery I have been to.

The highlight for us was seeing the desk used in the movie The Godfather. The Russian River and other little towns such as Healdsburg, Calistoga, and Geyersville are all fun to explore as well.

In 2023 we booked an all day kayaking trip through Russian River Adventures. They provided two person kayaks and a dry bag and we provided sunscreen and lunch. Our 9-mile voyage was definitely an adventure floating down the beautiful Russian River.

Also on that the trip before we arrived in Windsor, we stayed in Fort Bragg. This is a beautiful coastal town of roughly 8,000 people. We ate dinner at The Wharf, located on the Noyo River.

We greatly enjoyed our seafood dinner as well as the breathtaking views of the river as well as Noyo Bay. The next day we visited Glass Beach. While it’s fascinating to read more in-depth history surrounding this beach, the gist of it’s significance is that it used to act as a garbage dump. Townspeople would dump items such as old cars, appliances, and other odds and ends onto the beach. The garbage items would in turn be washed out to sea but would then return as pieces of polished glass. While definitely picked over, still today you can wander the beach finding colorful pieces of glass.

We parked at the Noyo Headlands Park and proceeded to join many other tourists beach combing the beach with an odd history.

After about an hour at Glass Beach, we posted up for the rest of the afternoon at Russian Gulch State Park.

We set up shop on a fairly secluded beach under the Frederick Panhorst Bridge.

It is a wonderful spot to put your feet in the sand, search tidepools, and watch scuba divers.

STADIUMS AND/OR SPORTING EVENTS: AT&T Park, now Oracle Park, is the home of the San Francisco Giants. It is located on McCovey Cove, you can literally hit a home run into the water in right field, and it is considered one of the nicest stadiums in Major League Baseball. The Giants have done a fantastic job of commemorating their star players as well as recognizing their storied tradition. I enjoyed walking around the stadium taking it all in.

We saw an opening day game there in 2003 vs the Padres and took a tour of the stadium in 2016.

I have seen two Oakland Athletics games in the Coliseum. The most recent was 2016 when we saw opening day vs the White Sox. Unfortunately the Coliseum is the polar opposite of Oracle Park. Many consider it the worst stadium in baseball. However, I always enjoyed my time there

Additionally Team Castro has seen baseball games at the Sunken Diamond, on the campus of Stanford, as well as Evans Diamond in Berkley. Stanford played the University of Washington and Cal hosted Stanford.

Both settings are excellent for families that “kind of” enjoy sports and are light on the wallet. On a side note, Cal Baseball will forever hold a dear place in our heart as my youngest daughter, Maddie, mailed the Cal Coach a placard asking for his autograph. He not only signed it but he had the entire team autograph it as well. It hung on her bedroom wall for years.

ADVENTURE(S): Yosemite National Park is a must do. It is difficult to describe the majestic feeling you experience when exploring this area. We had a family reunion in Angels Camp, roughly two hours northwest of the park, and then commuted. We did various kid friendly hikes, let the kids play in the river, and wandered around the Visitors Center. Angels Camp is where Mark Twain wrote his celebrated book The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. As a result there are many Mark Twain references and landmarks to see. This is also right in the heart of 1849 Gold Rush territory. Therefore it is not uncommon to see historical artifacts or even gold nuggests on display in stores and various wineries.

Amusement parks and roller coasters are a favorite of Jill’s. Bailey has also developed a love for roller coasters and Maddie and I enjoy people watching. Two of Northern California’s best are California’s Great America and Six Flags-Discovery Kingdom located in the Bay Area. If Team Castro could only pick one to return to it would be Discovery Kingdom as it has rides as well as an animal park.

We have been to Monterey a handful of times. We enjoy wandering Cannery Row, eating at different restaurants, and of course visiting the world famous Aquarium.

Admission is expensive, nearly $50 a ticket, but it is consistently ranked as one of the top 2 or 3 aquariums in the country.

We have eaten at Schooner’s Monterey and El Torito. Both are located right on the water off Cannery Row and provide unbeatable views of the water.

NOTABLE DESTINATIONS & STOPS: Road trips are definitely a part of who we are. One of the most scenic drives we have done is Highway 101 from Bandon Oregon (eight hours south) to Windsor, California.

While the drive can be slow and curvy, the views of the ocean and the Redwoods are as good as it gets. We have made multiple stops to the Redwood National Park, Humboldt State Park, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, and the Trees of Mystery.

In fact every visit to the Redwoods has begun with a stop at the Trees of Mystery. Outside is a Paul Bunyan statue standing nearly 50 feet tall as well as a 30 foot Babe the Blue Ox.

Your admission fee provides access to a well maintained trail through giant trees, a gondola ride that takes you 1500 feet up a mountain, as well as a suspension bridge built in the canopy of the towering trees.

While there is much more to see in the area, this is a great place to start and is fun for the whole family. For hikes, I recommend Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park where there are trail options for everyone.

During both of our visits we were greeted by a herd of elk at the park entry.

Bailey and I have completed the lengthy (10-mile) James Irvine Trail. In 2023, my Mom and I completed the Big Tree Loop (3-mile) as well as the Fern Canyon Trail (1-mile). The Fern Canyon was featured in the movie Jurassic Park and was truly one of the most stunning hikes I have ever experienced.

Also within the vicinity is the Lady Bird Johnson Grove Trail (1.5-mile).

This is an easy trail but provides fantastic up close views of the gigantic redwoods. For whatever reason I am definitely drawn to these giant trees. We have even paid $5 to drive through the Tour Thru Tree in Klamath.

We have also stopped in Leggett at the Chandelier Drive Thru Tree. When visiting the Redwoods we have chosen to stay in Crescent City. The Ocean View Inn has met our needs on multiple occasions and is located less than thirty minutes north of Trees of Mystery.

The Battery Point Lighthouse is also located in Crescent City and is a place you simply must visit.

Assuming the tides cooperate, the lighthouse is open from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. However when the tide is in, the lighthouse becomes entirely surrounded by the ocean and you can no longer walk to it.

My mom and I enjoyed our visit in the spring of 2023. Fairfield, located roughly one hour northeast of San Francisco (depending on traffic) is the home of the Jelly Belly Factory. Tour tickets are fairly cheap ($5 for adults) and if you have young kids, or just a sweet tooth, the tour is definitely worth a stop.

Your admission ticket comes with free jelly belly’s and the behind the scenes is interesting and worth the price of admission. It was crazy to see warehouse sized rooms stacked full of jelly beans – definitely worth a stop.

Within an hour of entering California, along I-5, Mount Shasta makes its presence known. Depending on the weather, views of Mt. Shasta are surreal. It is just over 14,000 feet tall. Unfortunately our last couple trips to California (2019, 2020, 2021) there has been so much smoke from forest fires that views of Shasta were non-existent.

Windsor and Sonoma Valley is a favorite destination of our family. Roughly 50 minutes west is the beach and Bodega Bay. In 2023 we ventured to the coast and stumbled upon Alfred Hitchcock’s setting for his 1960’s horror film, The Bird’s. We took pictures of the Potter Schoolhouse before heading to the beach.

While the town was extremely quaint and the beach beautiful, when we were there it was extremely foggy and cold. As a result we spent very little time exploring the area. We did however venture further south down highway 1 to Big Sur.