Travel Guide to California

MUST SEE, DO

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SAN FRANCISCO TOP SIGHTS Fisherman’s Wharf and Chinatown offer even more reasons to visit. Along the pedestrian-friendly wharf visitors can buy fish straight from the boats. The Cartoon Art Museum lies just east of the reinvigora­ted Ghirardell­i Square, home to the San Francisco Brewing Co. and its beer garden. Meanwhile, on the North Beach edge of nearby Chinatown, the China Live complex offers an amazing variety of Chinese food choices.

sftravel.com

EAST BAY EXPLORATIO­N Oakland’s lively Uptown, Temescal and Piedmont Avenue neighborho­ods are filled with excellent restaurant­s, including Commis and Duende. The neighborin­g university town of Berkeley also offers much to discover, including the UC Berkeley campus, the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. The outdoors beckons at 2,000-acre Tilden Park, which has a lovely botanical garden and steam train that children adore.

visitberke­ley.com

SONOMA SOJOURN Sonoma County’s vineyard-covered landscape features dozens of renowned wineries. In the Russian River Valley appellatio­n, visitors stroll among the shops of Sebastopol, Graton and Forestvill­e and pick up picnic goodies for alfresco dining while sampling the county’s famous Pinot Noirs and other varietals.

sonomacoun­ty.com

ICONIC HIGH TECH Silicon Valley giants open parts of their headquarte­rs to visitors. Intel offers a Tech Interactiv­e Museum and Apple’s futuristic campus includes a glass-walled visitor center. Grab a bite along Palo Alto’s University Avenue where Silicon Valley’s elite dine.

smccvb.com, santaclara.org

EXPLORE THE OUTDOORS Mount Tamalpais and the coast of Marin County just north of the Golden Gate Bridge are a spectacula­r playground for hikers, bikers and anyone who enjoys the outdoors. Mount Tam affords stunning views and Muir Woods National Monument on its western flank wows visitors with its towering redwood grove. Oceanfront towns Stinson Beach and Bolinas have a laid-back vibe that is part of their charm.

visitmarin.org

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