Dollar Day at Golden Gate Fields

     American Pharoah reignited public interest in horse racing last year when he became the first winner of the Triple Crown since 1978 and the first ever to win America's "Grand Slam." Right now excitement is high as the last leg (Nyquist won the Kentucky Derby, and Exaggerator won the Preakness) of the current Triple Crown draws near.

     Located on the Albany/Berkeley border, Golden Gate Fields is a beautiful place for beginning and experienced race enthusiasts to get into the action, and with GGF's Dollar Day Sundays during the winter and spring, it's one of the most affordable weekend activities in the Bay Area (depending on your bet). With its coveted spot next to the San Francisco Bay, GGF is truly golden with its excellent views, proximity to the Berkeley Marina, and somewhat easy access from I-80. There's also plenty of parking, and on Dollar Day, it only costs--you guessed it--$1. Admission and programs are only $1 as well, as are hot dogs, soda, and beer. I mean, really, can a Sunday get better?

     The regular gate opens at 10 a.m., and you're instructed to use the Buchanan Street entrance for Dollar Day. Normal posting time is 1:45, but GGF's website will list special post times. If you're following the current Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes (the final leg) takes place on Saturday (in New York, so televised), June 11, and the post time is 11:45 a.m. Mind you, admission on Saturday is $6.

     The last time I went to Dollar Day was with my dad and sister. We won $5 betting on Hunted Guy to win, and we pretty much swaggered out of the joint with our big winnings. Hey, on Dollar Day, $5 is BIG. The hot dogs and beer were delicious, the live and televised races were exciting, and the track was a beauty.

     We arrived early to check out the program and horses and beat the crowd, but even closer to post time, the crowds weren't bad, and there was plenty of parking left. This is definitely a lower stress Bay Area event, though things can heat up around big races. If you want to test your luck, June 5th and 12th are the last two Dollar Days of the spring, so don't dawdle. Driving is the easiest way to get to the track, though you can also bike there from University in Berkeley on the Frontage Road bike path.

     For the sports lover, the horse lover, and any Bay Area bucket-list checker, GGF's Dollar Day is an affordable Bay Area Miss-Me-Not.

 Through the gates of Golden Gate Fields

 Don't forget your tokens for $1 food and drinks...

Bring on those hot dogs!

And the bets!

 View of the track...

 View from inside...

 

 

Muir Woods

     Life in the Bay Area is busy and often crowded, and any opportunity to escape from city life and enjoy the natural wonders of northern California is always welcome. Though Muir Woods is a popular tourist attraction that can overfill with crowds and traffic, it can be the ideal quiet getaway if done right. Even if you arrive to find it crowded, the chance to get up close and personal with coast redwoods is worth a little jostling.

     Muir Woods, about 560 acres of old-growth redwoods and six miles of walking/hiking trails nestled within Mount Tamalpais State Park, was declared a National Monument in 1908 and was named after the naturalist and preservationist John Muir (although he only visited the park once). There are four bridges that cross Redwood Creek along the Redwood Creek Trail (the easiest trail and fully paved or boarded). Many of the trails cross into Mount Tamalpais State Park, and the Dipsea Trail provides views of the ocean. There is a visitor's center, gift shop, and café on site, and the park is open 8 a.m. to sunset all year long. Tickets are $10, and yearly passes are available, but there are also many opportunities to enjoy the park free of charge (National Park Week, for example, which runs until April 24th this year).

     The proper planning can make Muir Woods a pleasure, but poor planning can make it feel like a tourist trap. There are signs all over the park to please keep as quiet as possible to not disturb the natural environment and its inhabitants, but crowds of people inevitably mean noise (not only talking but the sound of feet on the boarded sections of the path), and that noise can drown out the beautiful birdsong and gurgling of Redwood Creek. I've found the best time to go is right when the park opens (8 a.m.). For the first two hours, the paths remain relatively empty and quiet. By 11 a.m., the park starts to fill, the cars line up on the road into the parking lots, and the people form lines in the gift shop, café, and restroom. Quiet, unhindered photo ops turn into patient waiting for a chance at those same photo ops.

     To get to the park this early, driving is really the only option, and there is free parking. However, parking is limited, and later starters will want to opt for the Muir Woods Shuttle (which is $5 round trip) to avoid waiting for parking: http://marintransit.org/routes/66.html. But be warned that the drive in can be hair-raising. The road is full of sharp turns, high drops (but gorgeous views!), and has no shoulder in most places. Plus, the road is very popular for bikers, who must ride in the lane due to a lack of shoulder. The nervous driver might describe the drive as treacherous.

     Hiking in the early morning means only the occasional passerby, but hiking from about 11 a.m. on can mean waits for access, passing, and photos. However, the variety of trails cater to many stamina levels and preferences. Redwood Creek Trail is perfect for a leisurely walk. The Hillside Trail is my favorite. It provides great views of the Redwood Creek trail, the creek itself, and the park, and it's challenging without being exhausting. At the point where the Ben Johnson Trail splits off, there is a small tree bridge you can cross and climb higher for a better view. For the adventurous, the Dipsea and Canopy View Trail are ideal with steep grades and longer distances.

     After a couple hours of hiking, you can stop by the café for a sandwich, soup, or pastry. The honey-glazed cornbread is popular, and coffee and hot chocolate are also available. People rave about the cafe's Marin Melt, a grilled cheese sandwich made with Cowgirl Creamery cheese. My sister and I enjoyed the sandwich, but we both agree the sandwich doesn't live up to the hype, and the tomato soup that's a recommended companion is a little bland. I also have to warn that the café is a little chaotic. A person is supposed to take your order at one end of the counter, and then you pay at the other, but a person is not always there taking orders, and you might face a lecture at the cash register for trying to place your order there. After a strenuous hike, however, the café is a welcome sight.

     The gift shop has a good selection of redwood souvenirs. There's even a chocolate banana slug you can frighten friends with. The visitor's center has a selection of books and maps about the park, California, and John Muir.

     If you want to learn more about the park and its giants, you can take a self-guided or guided tour, and there are tree talks that occur throughout the day where you can learn such trivia like the clover-looking plant throughout the park is actually redwood sorrel. There is also an excellent history of the park you can download from the website: https://www.nps.gov/muwo/learn/historyculture/index.htm.

     After Muir Woods, you can take a short drive to Muir Beach and Sausalito. Or you can take a little longer drive and visit Stinson Beach, all Bay Area miss-me-nots.

Whoa, a payphone! Warning: poor cell reception in Muir Woods.

My sister identifying our location.

Gift Shop Views

Café Views

The Famous Marin Melt

This tree's life span: 909 A.D.-1930.

Side Trips: Old Town Sacramento

     The great thing about living in or even planning a visit to the Bay Area is that there are so many attractions you can make a side trip to or visit along the way. One of my favorite side trips is to Old Town Sacramento. Granted, it's touristy, but in that awesome take-you-back-to-family-vacations nostalgic way. It's like visiting a carnival and running to the Ferris wheel, cotton candy in hand, no matter what your age. You just gotta.
     Old Town Sacramento, as its name implies, offers a trip into California history and the Gold Rush that created Sacramento. There are several museums where you can pick up California trivia, including a car and a train museum. You can even catch a ride on the Sacramento Southern Railroad and see an old diesel train in action. Or if the river calls your name, you can tour the Delta King riverboat that started making trips to San Francisco and back in the late 1920s. Eat at the restaurant on board or even choose to stay the night as the riverboat also functions as a floating hotel.
     Just walking through the 20+ acres of this national and state historic landmark is a walk back in time with the cobbled roads, the horse-drawn carriages (yes, you can ride them), the historic buildings, and glimpses of the original city level (Sacramento was built up due to flooding). There are trails along the river that allow great views of the Ziggurat (which turns out to be just an office building, sorry to say) and the historic Tower Bridge, which opened in 1935 and was painted gold in 2002. In one of the tunnels that connects Old Town to downtown Sacramento, there's a lovely historical timeline to consider as well.
     If you don't care about the history of Old Town, there's plenty of shopping and dining. I got an adorable Totoro wallet at one of the gift shops (attention Studio Ghibli fans), and a lawn ornament of a T-Rex eating garden gnomes for my mom. Many of the gift shops offer a great selection of collectibles from Star Trek to Doctor Who. And I always like to fill a couple bags with hand-selected salt water taffy from one of the many candy stores to share with folks back home. In terms of food, I like to keep it casual with fish tacos from Railroad Fish & Chips, a variety of international fries from the Spud Shack, or pizza from Annabelle's Pizza & Pasta, but there are restaurants and cafes and even bars of all shapes and sizes to suit your tastes.
     Old Town Sacramento also hosts a variety of cool events throughout the year, including Gold Rush Days, a Mardi Gras celebration, a music festival, Halloween festivities, a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, and more. Visit the town's website for more info: http://oldsacramento.com/.
     Driving and parking at Old Town is surprisingly stress-free. In the town itself, you can park with change or credit card at one of the meters (and there are change machines everywhere where you can get quarters) but there's also a parking garage right next to the action. Bathrooms are not only plentiful but convenient. Most are separate from businesses so one doesn't need to ask permission to use them, which any Bay Area resident will appreciate as a rarity. Although tourist traffic gets heavier in the early afternoon, the crowds are not nearly as stifling or annoying as in San Francisco or other Bay Area tourist locales.
     If you want to feel like you're getting away from the city but still enjoy the comforts of city life, Old Town Sacramento is definitely a Miss-Me-Not.

The Ziggurat

Tower Bridge

View of a train car.

The Delta King

You can visit the original city level through that gate to "Pioneer Park."

Bay Area Fairy Doors

     A touch of magic has sprinkled the Bay Area with tiny fairy doors. In and on trees, on the sides of homes, on cement curbs--the locations of the fairy doors are as numerous and creative as the doors themselves, and more are popping up every day. People are even getting together to have fairy door creation parties. There's not just one group responsible for the doors; in many cases it's individuals driving the phenomenon. Stumbling upon a fairy door can awaken the kid inside, and seeing someone else discover one warms the soul. Of all the Bay Area activities I've enjoyed over the years, hunting for fairy doors has been my favorite and really, most rewarding, activity. And guess what? It's free!
     So how does one go about finding these precious portals? There are fairy doors tucked away in Berkeley and San Francisco, but so far I haven't found a comprehensive map of them. One must simply take long walks with sharp eyes, though news stories about famous doors can guide you to the most popular. But Alameda is probably the best place to start. Not only are there several fairy doors on an island that's easier to navigate, but there's a Facebook group, Alameda Island Fairy Doors, devoted to the doors that provides a map (which is printable) of their locations. Every time a new fairy door is discovered, the map is updated to show its location. And really, Alameda is one of the loveliest places to take a stroll.
     My sister and I chose to hunt for doors in the Park Street area. There's a park one block over from Park Street that provides free parking, and here is where we began our journey. We walked down San Jose Avenue toward Park and turned left on Oak toward Alameda South Shore Center. The star on our map told us we should see a fairy door somewhere nearby, and my sister was the first to spot it, a door about four inches tall attached to the foundation of a fence. Upon closer inspection, we noticed a black cat was painted on the door, and from a nearby porch, a black cat watched us with curiosity. Finding the door gave me the same thrill I felt hunting Easter eggs as a child, and we hurried on to the next star on our map. Each new door was unique, each had wonderful little details to admire, and each one provided a tiny adrenaline rush. Trees and power poles were the most popular places for the fairy doors we found, but occasionally one was attached on a house or on a wall. All in all, we found ten fairy doors, leaving plenty for our next hunting trip, including two we couldn't locate but hope to find next time.
     If you want to see a lot of doors with not as much walking, the Park Street clusters are the best choice, and there are plenty of places to take a break. But if you want a more challenging hunt, the West End is a better choice. The fairy doors are spaced out, and the area is more bike friendly. One of the great things about fairy door hunting is that one is never done with it. New doors are being added all the time, so there will always be something to discover in the future. If you've resolved to be more active this year, but hate the tedium of a gym workout, fairy door hunting might just be your thing. It's play in disguise, and it's definitely the most magical Bay Area Miss-Me-Not.