The biggest benefit you’ll get from hiking the backcountry of the spectacular Yosemite National Park isn’t what you’ll see, although those sights will likely stay with you for the rest of your life. The wilderness trails of the 1,187-square-mile park also offer you a treasured gift that naturalist and environmental John Muir and many explorers […]
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If you could only visit one U.S. national park, which one would you choose? Would it be Bryce Canyon in Utah, a wonderland of fascinating topography? Or the scenic Yellowstone, with Old Faithful and other geysers? Perhaps you would choose Shenandoah, with its hardwood forests and miles of the Appalachian Trail. Then, of course, there’s […]
Not everyone wants to hike through the wilderness of Yosemite or see the sights in San Francisco. The nerds among us—and we mean that in the nicest way—just might be thrilled to spend hours or days visiting the mother lode of innovation: Silicon Valley. Actually named Santa Clara Valley, the famous brainiac mecca got its […]
What are you going to do with the last 5, 10 or 15 years of your life? You barely blinked, and suddenly you’re a senior citizen. But haven’t you heard: 70 is the new 50. In the mid-1950s, a little old lady moved into her son’s family home. She was tiny, gray-haired, bespectacled and a […]
Does San Francisco have crime? Does it have way too many homeless people? Yes. And yes. And so do Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Chicago, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and just about every other U.S. metropolis you could name. But this isn’t a “what about” article because there is no comparison to San Francisco. It’s one […]
Not everyone is up for camping or even glamping. But that doesn’t mean that you non-camping/clamping folks can’t enjoy the splendor that is Yosemite National Park for one day, a few days or longer.
San Francisco’s Presidio, steeped in American history, was named a National Historic Landmark in 1962. The military complex, housing more than 700 buildings, 433 of which are designated historic, closed in 1989 and, in 1994, the National Park Service took over its operation.
Covering about 30 city blocks, San Francisco’s Chinatown is North America’s oldest Chinese community. Dating back to the mid-1800s, the area bustles with pagoda rooves, hanging lanterns, specialty shops, restaurants, nightclubs and bars. Old St. Mary’s Church, the continent’s first Asian church, was built in Chinatown in 1853. In 1859, the Chinese School welcomed Asian […]
You haven’t seen a tree until you’ve seen the giant sequoia trees in Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park. To understand their magnitude, picture branches that can reach eight feet in diameter and bark that might be three feet thick. A sequoia trunk can span 35 feet. The tallest tree in Yosemite is the Columbia […]
Hiking, cooling off in a creek, climbing a mountain, birdwatching, observing other wildlife, breathing in the mist from the falls and hugging a giant sequoia tree are all activities you can do in Yosemite National Park to feed your body and soul. But there are also a number of ways to feed your mind.