HOUSEBOUND NO MORE
Get out and about for a dozen fun things
You’ll have zero houseguests this holiday season because, well, no one will have houseguests this year. But that’s no reason to stay home. How about treating yourself and your COVID cohabitants to staycation tours of the Bay Area? We’ve got plenty of ideas for socially distanced fun, from a giant Ferris wheel in the middle of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park to leaf-peeping at Saratoga’s Hakone Gardens, bike rides on Benicia’s waterfront and more.
1. RIDE THE SKYSTAR OBSERVATION WHEEL
Experience Golden Gate Park — and all of San Francisco — from high above on the new Skystar Observation Wheel. The long-awaited attraction has finally opened in time for the park’s 150th anniversary, with 36 gondolas and one million LED lights for nightly illumination. And social-distancing protocols are fully in place.
Standing 150 feet tall, the Observation Wheel was installed in the Music Concourse in March, just as everything shut down. Last month, the Skystar opened at last. The enclosed, temperature-controlled gondolas boast unparalleled views from downtown San Francisco to the Pacific Ocean and are sanitized between each use. Each ride provides four rotations and lasts 12 minutes.
The Wheel harkens back to the California Midwinter Fair of 1894, when the 120-foot tall “Firth Wheel” dazzled visitors in Golden Gate Park.
Details: Tickets are $12 to $18. A longer ride and VIP experience in a specially designed gondola is $50. One household per gondola, and reservations are required. Music Concourse, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco; www.skystarwheel.com.
2. DRIVE THROUGH CHRISTMAS IN THE PARK
No way was the South Bay’s most popular Christmas tradition going to take this pandemic year off — not after 41 years of creating memories.
The organizers have switched up the format and the location for social distancing and added even more sparkle. Instead of bundling up to stroll
The 150-foot-tall Skystar Observation Wheel glows on opening day for the six-month delayed sesquicentennial celebration for San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.
downtown San Jose, you’ll be loading into the car and heading to the city’s History Park for drivethrough festivities, complete with music.
All of your favorite characters and scenes will be on display, and History Park’s light tower, vintage buildings and trees will be aglow, too.
Details: Tickets are $20 per car to drive through from 5 to 10 p.m.; $10 during the 4 to 5 p.m. “twilight” hour. Prepaid reservations are required. Three weeks, Nov. 27-Dec. 17, at 635 Phelan Ave., San Jose. Go to www. christmasinthepark.com to pay and reserve a 15-minute time slot.
3. PLUG INTO YOUR PEDAL POWER
Why be bogged down by four wheels when you can enjoy the enormous sense of freedom that comes with two? Turns out Benicia is a great place to pedal your stress away.
Recognized by the Amgen Tour of California and Ride Chronicles for its superb bicycling, the waterfront city offers an impressive range of routes — from low-stress, family-friendly paved trails to steep, challenging hills for more experienced cyclists.
Start with a downtown tour that takes riders back in time with glimpses of historic California architecture, vintage homes and the Benicia Arsenal (a former military post now filled with artists’ studios). You might also want to trek to the Benicia State Recreation Area, 438 acres of marsh, grassy hills and rocky beaches along the Carquinez Strait.
And after the ride, recharge at one of Benicia’s cafes, perhaps with a ham-and-cheese croissant from One House Bakery.
Details: For inspiration, check out these Ten Great Bike Rides and Walks in Benicia at bayareane.ws/beniciabike.
4. LEAF PEEP AT HAKONE GARDENS
Most people think of visiting this gorgeous Japanese estate for cherry blossom season during the spring. But late November and early December are wonderful times to catch the fall colors at Hakone, when the majestic maple trees turn fiery shades.
The century-old, 18-acre garden and estate was created in 1915 as an authentic replica of a samurai or shogun’s estate. A San Francisco couple, Oliver and Isabel Stine, commissioned the estate after seeing the Asian garden displays at that year’s Pan-pacific Exhibition. It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Perched high above Silicon Valley in the Saratoga hills, the gardens offer a serene respite from the hustle and bustle of the holidays and the angst of everyday life. Take a leisurely stroll by the koi ponds, the moon bridge, bamboo gardens and other sights at Hakone, which include a reproduction of a 19th-century Kyoto tea merchant’s house and shop. Details: Tickets $8-$10. Open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends at 21000 Big Basin Way, Saratoga; www.hakone.com.
5. GET TINGLY AT THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
The California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park reopened late last month,
welcoming visitors back after a seven-month hiatus. Guests can check out some of their favorite attractions, including the T. rex, the Osher Rainforest, the Shaker House earthquake simulator and “The Swamp” exhibit, with its colorful fish, snapping turtles and Claude the Albino, the science museum’s most famous resident. And Nightlife, the science museum’s Thursday night events for guests ages 21 and up, is back, too. Don’t miss the new “Venom: Fangs, Stingers and Spines” exhibit in the aquarium wing. It may sound menacing, but no need to fear. The exhibit provides some cool (and safe) opportunities to learn about more than a dozen of the most venomous creatures on the planet, including the Okefenokee fishing spider, wingless female wasp, lionfish and bark scorpion. The rainforest and earthquake simulator require timed reservations, and other pandemic-related safety precautions are in place, including reduced capacity and advance purchase-only tickets, so book ahead. (Morrison Planetarium and the Discovery Tidepool will open at a later date.) Details: Tickets are $28-$36. The museum is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Nightlife runs from 6 to 10 p.m. Thursdays. 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco; calacademy. org
6. SIP ON A FRUITCAKE FLIP
Time to soak up some holiday spirit. And world-class cocktails. Now in its seventh season, the Christmas-themed pop-up bar known as Miracle is back in Northern California beginning Nov. 27 and running through December at three locations: Paper Plane in San Jose, Pacific Cocktail Haven in San Francisco and the Red Rabbit Kitchen and Bar in Sacramento. Toast the season with overthe-top merriment, including festive new cocktails, like the brandy-based Fruitcake Flip, Jingle Balls nog with cognac and gin-centric Jolly Koala laced with pine-cardamom-sage cordial. And brace yourself for holiday décor a la Twerking Santa. Prefer Christmas with a tropical twist? Rum Rum Rudolph awaits at Sippin’ Santa, the tiki-themed pop-up bar coming to The Jungle Bird in Sacramento and Kona’s Street Market in San Francisco. Details: November 27 through end of December at locations in San Jose, San Francisco and Sacramento. Call the bars directly for reservations, hours of operation and COVID-19 protocols; www. miraclepopup.com.
7. LIGHT UP YOUR LIFE
In a year that has been so full of darkness, Illuminodyssey Outdoors offers a great opportunity to see the light. The annual display, normally held indoors, is moving outside this year and adhering to COVID-19 protocols. Organized by the Curiodyssey science museum and zoo in San Mateo, this dazzling exhibit invites children and their families to experience the beauty and science of light as they wander through radiant gardens and a bay view grove alive with beams of brilliance and various sparkling creations. After experiencing IlluminOdyssey, Don’t be surprised if your
spirit brightens and your face is aglow with astonishment and awe.
Details: Tickets $16-$19. Seniors and children under 17 months are free. Reservations are strongly recommended. Open Friday and Saturday evenings through the holiday season at 1651 Coyote Point Drive in San Mateo; www. curiodyssey.org/activities.
8. HOP ON LIVERMORE’S WINE TROLLEY
After being parked for six months, the Livermore Wine Trolleys are back in business, ferrying wine lovers from chardonnay to cabernet — without the need for a designated driver. The Sip & Savor Wine Pairing Tour is a seated outdoor experience at three properties, Concannon Vineyard, Las Positas Vineyard and Garre Vineyard and Winery. Naturally, the trolleys are operating at partial capacity, so there’s plenty of distancing between “social bubbles.” And if you want to really splurge, you can rent out the entire trolley for a Lights of Livermore tour that takes you and your bubble through brightly decorated Livermore and Pleasanton neighborhoods, as you sip wine along the way.
Details: $149 per person for the Sip & Savor tour, which includes food and wine experiences; $900 to $1,170 for the entire trolley for the holiday lights tour, which includes a private tour for social bubbles of up to 18 people and four bottles of wine. www. livermorewinetrolley.com
9. FEAST ON ‘ FLAVORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY’
It’s only natural that a region in love with food would be home to highly sought-after food photographers, whose stunning imagery takes us from the kitchen to the plate and beyond. A collection of their captivating work is currently on display at The Gallery at Palette, a new contemporary art space in San Francisco’s Soma neighborhood. “Flavors of Photography” explores the aesthetics of cuisine through the eyes of 19 Bay Area food photographers, including Caren Alpert, Nader Khouri, Soraya Matos, Aubrie Pick, Sara Remington and Eric Wolfinger. The exhibit’s 85 images, which are all for sale, capture each visual artist’s perspective — be it on ingredients, cooking or eating — and our intimate relationship with food. Hungry for more? Stay and dine at chef-owner Peter Hemsley’s adjacent restaurant, Palette, or catch The Gallery’s next exhibit, “Abstract by Nature,” an exploration of identity featuring Korean-american artists Jun Yang and You Been Kim. It runs Dec. 4 to Jan. 30.
Details: Open from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday-saturday until Nov. 28 at 816 Folsom St., San Francisco,
or you can make an appointment by emailing info@palette-gallery. com; www.palette-gallery.com.
10. PEEK AT THE MUSTSEE FRIDA KAHLO EXHIBIT
The reopening of San Francisco’s de Young Museum means one of the Bay Area’s most highly anticipated exhibits of the year — “Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving” — is finally here. It’s a must-see for fans of the iconic 20th-century artist.
The exhibit, curated by Circe Henestrosa and Gannit Ankori, features 33 Kahlo paintings and drawings, including “Self-portrait with Monkey” and “Self Portrait with Medallion.” Also on display is a collection of the painter’s personal items, including prosthetics, jewelry and clothing, which have never before been shown on the West Coast. Details: Tickets are $20-$35. The exhibit is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday (members-only on Wednesdays) through Feb. 7. The museum is at 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco; deyoung.famsf.org.
11. STEP INTO A FAIRY TALE- BY- THE- SEA
Ever find yourself on the quiet streets of Carmel, yearning to know the stories behind those storybook cottages? Lace up your sneakers and join the folks on one of Gael Gallagher’s Carmel Walks tours.
It’s a chance to delight in the charms of the whimsical structures that make you feel like you’ve stepped into a fairy tale and learn more about how and when they were created. Along the way, you’ll meander through fragrant gardens, hidden pathways and countless nooks and crannies often missed by visitors.
During the leisurely, two-hour guided stroll, you’ll also hear the rollicking stories of Carmel’s early days, learn about the local work of famous architects Bernard Maybeck and Charles Sumner Greene and visit fine art and photography studios. Details: Tickets for the tours, led by “passionate Carmelites,” are $15 to $30. Check www. carmelwalks.com for available dates and times. 12. STROLL THROUGH A BANCROFT LEGACY Renowned California gardener Ruth Bancroft, an early proponent of drought-tolerant plants, left a 3.5-acre legacy when she died in 2017. She had filled her family’s former orchard in the heart of Walnut Creek with rare and beautiful succulents – the world’s largest such collection.
Every season brings new blooms, so fall and winter are terrific times to head here for some fresh air and a self-guided tour. Which do you find more attractive, the Aloe rubroviolacea or the Lobelia laxiflora? You’ll learn plenty about these hardy plants that thrive in our Mediterranean climate, and you might find enough inspiration to head home and start transforming your garden.
And here’s a bonus: Well-behaved dogs on leash are welcome here. Details: Admission is $8-$10. The garden is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-sunday (closed holidays) at 1552 Bancroft Road, Walnut Creek; www. ruthbancroftgarden.org.