Travel
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Stunning Sunsets Over The Ocean In Pacifica, CA
The sun is setting on the holiday of Succot, and right now as I type this we are celebrating Hoshanna Raba, the last day of the Jewish holiday of Succot, and a very very meaningful and prayer filled day. Many stay up all night, others, like the men in my family rise at around 2:30…
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A Visit To Sharp Park Beach In Pacifica, CA On A Foggy Summer Day
On our third visit to Pacifica, CA this August, the weather was indeed foggy much of the time, but knowing that to be the case we enjoyed it just the same! Take a look at my sunny photos of Sharp Park Beach or my post about Esplanade Beach, Pacifica to enjoy the stunning coast without…
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Esplanade Beach In Pacifica California
This August on my third summer visit to Pacifica, California (check out that link for all my previous posts about Pacifica) I at long last had the chance to visit Esplanade Beach, and with the sun shining (somewhat rare during our week-long stay) it was truly a treat. Because Pacifica is mostly blanketed by fog…
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10 Ways to Pass the Time During a Long Car
Taking a long car journey shouldn’t be approached with dread about how you are going to make the journey pass as quickly as possible. In fact, long car rides can be a lot of fun. You just have to be creative and have a positive attitude about how you are going to fill the hours.…
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10 Best Places to Hang Out in NYC for Free
New York City is expensive, and sure, you can shell out a small fortune on Broadway shows and high-end restaurants. But the city also has many free NYC hangout spots that are popular among natives but too-often overlooked by visitors. These spots provide amusement, relaxation, and a genuine New York experience without having to pay…
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Best Baby Toys For An Airplane Flight
I’ll admit when my kids were babies I never considered that having some fun toys on hand to pass the hours in air might be a good idea, or maybe it was just that they were such good travelers that the toys and games idea was only necessary when they were well beyond the toddler…
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Stunning Coastal Views From The Pier In Pacifica, California
One of the fun walks we took during our stay in Pacifica, California in August 2023 was to the pier, and out to the very end, and this time the little arm at the end was open too, so some great photos to boot! The quarter mile pier was built in 1973 as part of…
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Foggy August Days On The Coast In Pacifica, California
This past August we had the great pleasure of revisiting a new favorite location in Northern California, the town of Pacifica! Very close to the airport, stunning views and trails, and foggy/chilly weather to escape the summer heat elsewhere makes it an amazing destination. That aside, Pacifica is not a fancy beach town, rather a…
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Historic Stucco Homes In Cleveland Heights Oakland
As an architecture buff, with a love for historic architecture, a stay in the historic Cleveland Heights neighborhood of Oakland CA was indeed a pleasure. Truthfully, when I booked the vacation rental I really had no idea that such a charming area would be our home for a week while visiting family, and while I…
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The Historic Kaiser Mansion, In Oakland, California
This past August we rented a home in the historic Haddon Hill neighborhood overlooking Lake Merrit in Oakland California. I of course took many walks to enjoy the gardens and architecture, and photographed this large house on the corner not knowing that it was the Kaiser House at 664 Haddon Road, built by shipbuilding mogul…
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The Stunning Glory Bush, Pleroma Heteromallum, Blooms In Northern California
Glory Bush also called silver leaved princess flower with the botanical name of Pleroma Heteromallum (though it has a few botanical names as well, strangely enough!) is a stunning purple flower with velvety leaves that is quite unique and happends to grow very well in Northern California, specifically, the historic Haddon HIll neighborhood in Oakland,…
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Stunning Amaryllis Belladonna Blooms In Oakland, California
One of the many treats of visiting my mother for a few weeks, this August, in Oakland California, as all the amazing gardens I enjoyed in the neighborhood where we stayed, historic Haddon Hill, just above Lake Merrit. Northern Californians love drought resistant and dramatic front yards these days, that front lawn is long gone,…