Embark on 5 virtual vacations from home
Going a little bit stir crazy staying at home? Here are five “virtual” vacation ideas, which will help break up the monotony of looking in your refrigerator every 10 minutes and trying to figure out what next to watch on Netflix (hint: “Better Call Saul” is great).
Lake Tahoe sunset
There’s a lot of snow on the mountains (and pretty much everywhere else) in the Tahoe area right now. And a lot of Bay Area folks are going to miss their annual ski trips up to the region due to the shelter-inplace order and other coronavirus concerns. Yet, you can still spend some time enjoying the majestic sights — including world-class sunsets — by livestreaming the Lake Tahoe Cam.
It’s one of many cool locales worth witnessing on EarthCam.com, a network of livestreams from such places as Times Square in New York City, Key West in Florida, St. Croix, New Zealand and even Warren, Michigan, where the “Falcon cam” delivers the latest happenings from one particular nest.
Sunset on Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Watching sea otters play around in the water is a great way to beat the blues.
And seeing moon jellies float about is a good prescription for de-stressing and chilling out. You’ll get to see the otters, jellies and various other water-loving creatures by joining in on free livestream fun offered by the Monterey Bay Aquarium through at least March 27. Of course, the aquarium (like pretty much everything else) is currently closed, but its 10 different webcams are still livestreaming daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/live-cams.
Read our full story about the Monterey Bay Aquarium livestreams here.
Planet Fitness
Cardio junkies will likely really miss the adrenaline rush that comes from a good group work out. But it’s hard to get that rush when so many fitness clubs around the Bay Area are shutting their doors due to the coronavirus. Fortunately, Planet Fitness has stepped up in a big way and is offering free livestreamed “Home Works-Ins” on its Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/planetfitness/. These classes are currently being livestreamed at 4 p.m. (PT) daily and are open to all, not just Planet Fitness members.
Aloha, Hawaii
If you’re like us, you probably spend a lot of time wishing you were on the beach somewhere in Hawaii. Really, it doesn’t matter which island — because they are all awesome. And a shave ice would really hit the spot about now, as we finish yet another peanut butter sandwich while stuck at home. So, for a virtual dose of the aloha spirit, check out the livestreams on www.hawaii.com/discover/webcams. There are cams in place from Maui, Kauai, Oahu and the Big Island.
Oakland Zoo
It’s one of the best zoos in all of California and people will certainly miss going to it while it’s closed due to coronavirus concerns. In the meantime, however, folks can check out the zoo’s four dedicated webcams — the Elephant Cam, the Sun Bear Cam, the Black Bear Cam and the Condor Cam — online at www.oaklandzoo.org/webcams.