When it comes to this time of year, I always remember my visits here…read more My friend took me here over twenty years ago a week or two before Christmas. Didn't know what the big deal was. We parked the car about two blocks away on a side street and walked up the slight hill to another side street. There was a bright glow from all of the shimmering and colorful lights. As we walked in, my mouth opened in amazement in seeing the line of houses, all decorated with a variety of Christmas and contemporary themed caricatures. My first visit included greetings from the Simpsons, Flintstones, the Jetson, Peanuts characters and Garfield; did I say family?! We came on a weeknight about ten to twelve days before Christmas. As it gets closer to the day, the traffic and parking become a bear with traffic enforcement guiding visitors. Kudos to the neighborhood community for perpetuating this tradition. It's wonderful to see the Christmas spirit alive and well! Merry Christmas, everyone!

I think they are not doing it now we went just before and after Christmas and there were no signs…read moreor anything that was the like the one I remember from before. We saw some people turning around and being disappointed because they didn't find anything.

Neat local flavor to take a look out…read more It's actually someone's house that they live in, so make sure to be mindful and polite when visiting (because I can't imagine how annoyed the neighbors would be with randos going in and out as well as just thinking this place is an eyesore with how rich and pretentious the neighborhood already seems). There are statues of the saber tooth there and Fred, some dinos. Lots of purple and orange colors. It's not only just Flintstones theme as there are bunnies, aliens, Terracotta warriors and an eclectic mix of decor. Neat, fun and interesting stop if you're nearby and on the way somewhere else.

Flintstones House Hillsborough CA Wed 4/12/23 ©…read moreLet me start by saying, this quirky house is not a tourist destination! For decades, this prominent feature in Hillsborough hills just off the scenic route Hwy 280 brought happy feelings to passers by! Of course it's been a curiosity for decades in existence... but wait! All it is, a wonderful single family residence, with a twist in a story full of intrigue & litigation! And it has its own Wikipedia page! I've told myself, Grey, you live close by, you've got to write about the Flintstones House! It's a curiosity worth noted, yet a source of controversy to its neighbors! A colorful authentically looking residence in the affluent Hillsborough community uniquely affected the inner moods within the neighborhood, while much of the story remained hidden from public eye. The listing wasn't on the Yelp maps until recently, a yelper put it on during the pandemic, the house itself has been gracing the hill for decades in existence. The Flintstones house has been renovated & changed hands some years ago... I believe it used to sport an off white stucco, at some point it got repainted bright orange & purple... sold in 2017 & that's when complaints began. As the storytelling goes, the original Flintstones suburban sprawl developed in real life! Much controversy to it in the recent years due to the current owner coloring it even brighter burnt color resembling the cave & decorating the yard even more...beauty is in the eye of the beholder! Neighbors considered yard decorations an eye sore! So they brought forth the law suits. The installations of dinosaurs became a point of contention. Maybe historic inaccuracies were getting on their nerves? :-) After all, all we know is that Fred & Wilma enjoyed the company of their pet dinosaur Dino, but were there many others in the Stone Age? What about a Giraffe, a woolly mammoth, and a Fred Flintstone himself?! I understand neighbors didn't want any attention in the affluent town they reside in. Well, the owner won the law suit! She gets to keep her dinosaurs! Not only that, but also $125K from the city for originating the architectural review in the first place! And we the public got to enjoy this amazing architectural creation for years to come! *Well, he packed his guitar and his bar-room tan, Gotta get some miles behind him as fast as he can, Another destination, some place else to play. *But as the night approaches, a change is in the air His heart is pumping fast, he's got no cares The music befriends him, it can take him anywhere It's a honky-tonk engagement But there's no better place to play His mind feels like crazy pavement He's getting crazed out every day [ Review #766 w 2 pix on May 2, 2023 ] Flintstones House! Hillsborough CA Wed 4/12/23 Yabba Dabba Doo! @Flintstones House Hillsborough CA Wed 4/19/23

My legs are currently dying as we speak... AHAHAHAHHAA…read more Had the opportunity to try out an orange theory class not knowing what to expect. It was not an easy class but our coach Krystina was fantastic. She held us all accountable and motivated throughout the hour class. We rotate between 3 different workouts with the water rowing machine being my favorite. The classroom was able to accommodate around 20+ ppl I want to say and it was enough room for all of us to move around. The machines and mats were clean and they provided sanitation wipes. Overall, such a great class and I would highly recommend to anyone looking to build a routine or just start off their fitness journey. Thank you Orange Fitness Team for this opportunity! And thank you Paolo for organizing this event and surprising us with a bunch of Yelp goodies and snacks! 10.27.2024 | Sunday @12pm

Big thanks to Paolo and Orange theory for this awesome Yelp event! And thank you Kristie L for…read moreinviting me to get my butt kicked by this high energy HIIT class We started off the session with signing up for a number rower or treadmill, which we would move clockwise to each correspondence number as the session progressed. Unfortunately there were not enough heart rate monitors for everyone in the class, i was hoping to get a more detailed look into Orangetheory's red orange zone and see how I did in the class There were three stations and our trainer guided us through each, helped motivate and push us to keep hitting our target. I enjoyed the music that was playing too. I liked that there was sanitizing wipes readily available for everyone to use after every round. After our class, Paolo had yummy treats and yelp swag for us!! Incredibly thankful.

This year the honey and I decided we would try out a couple different Christmas Tree Lanes instead…read moreof just driving around hoping to find different lit neighborhoods. This Christmas Tree Lane is perhaps the ultimate Christmas Tree Lane, considering it's an extremely dense block where every single home is lit up with different displays. On one end there was a table with kids selling cookies and hot chocolate and in the middle there was a frosty ice cream truck. We got a bit lucky as it was less busy when we drove in around 6pm or so, but it was a madhouse by the time we wrapped up our visit. We later drove over to the San Ramon Christmas Tree Lane on Woodland Drive and found it to be much less busy and a bit more enjoyable as their streets were wider. All in all, this Christmas Tree Lane is definitely something to experience once, but unless you're local to Alameda I'm not sure I'd make it a yearly trip.

This was our first time going to Christmas Tree Lane here! There are not much areas with Christmas…read moredecoration / lights in this area, so it was nice to be able to find an area with beautiful Christmas decorations and lights. Not much parking that was close by and it was a bit cold / windy during our visit, so we just drove down the street and it was beautiful still.

The Musical Stairs, located at Pier 39, is straight out of that old movie 'Big' in the late 80s…read more So every time you step on a stair, you're playing a piano note. When It's crowded near hear, sometimes it can be kinda hard to hear it. Kids love these stairs, and why not!! And when I say kids, I mean kids of all ages!! So, if you're at Pier 39, keep a lookout for these. They are located about the middle of the pier on the right side when entering the pier. It's definitely worth checking out!!

Just real fun. Reminds you of the movie "Big". The history…read moreof this creation Is heartfelt. FUN

Beautiful!! I'm not sure but I think they do this every year! I absolutely love it. I hope they…read morekeep doing this. It's always beautiful to see.

Tiny labyrinth at the end of the trail. Great place to view…read moreGolden Gate Bridge. There's no proper trail to go down to the labyrinth, need a good hiking boot

The glass elevators at the Westin St. Francis are key-card protected and not open to public…read moreanymore. You need a hotel key card to access one of the glass elevators, and I think it's used to be one of free things for locals and tourists years ago.

Wheee! What a fun way to see the city! This elevator is in…read morethe St Regis overlooking Union Square. If you act like you know where you're going, and just jump in with some random guest, you'll get to see a great view of the city for free! The glass elevators are constantly zipping up and down. You need a guest's key to get the elevator to work, so be sure to hop on with someone going to their room, and just start mashing the highest numbers on the keypad. It's kinda thrilling to know that they put in a card reader to keep out the public, but this is totally worth the trip if you don't stay here. Unfortunately, this Glass Elevator is not like the one written about in the sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Unlike the one in Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory, this one doesn't go sideways, through the roof, or upside down at all.

I've lived two streets away from this little creek and park for six years and never realized it,…read morebut this year during quarantine I noticed it on Maps and had to check it out. The first time I came here I was actually a little scared! It's a legit woodsy area right next to a neighborhood, with a small babbling (or maybe trickling) creek. The mallard ducks like to call this place their home, mostly visible in early morning or evening (you can sometimes catch them sleeping!). After you get used to the insular quietness of this park, you come to really appreciate it! It's a very short path (I think my Fitbit logs it as about 200-300 steps across), but it's very peaceful. You can listen to the birds chirp, the squirrels rush about, and the water and gentle rustling of leaves. I also found it funny to catch the squirrels yelling their heads off more than once. It's located between two streets, so you can clearly see houses on both sides, and it's pretty safe. I'd recommend taking a stroll! But not too many so I can keep the quietness to myself :)

Arroyo Park is probably one of the honey's favorite parks in the area due to the mallard ducko…read morefamily that is in residence in the stream. We originally thought it was just the drake and his two ladies, but it turns out there's at least two drakes and three hens, though we don't usually see them all together. The park is open during daylight hours and is usually pretty quiet, surprising for being not that far from the bustling El Camino street. You can hear the brook babbling and birds, and it's really quite a lovely stop.

Had the chance to visit this art installation during my work trip in San Francisco! It's a…read morebeautiful piece of art that captures the night and great for a walking date in Golden Gate Park. It's an installation that turns off at 9:30 pm until late April, 2024. It's near peacock meadows, so be careful if you're taking an Uber/Lyft there as Golden Gate Park as your intended destination will bring you to the other side, which is what I experienced! Great attraction for families, couples, and all ages!

All Man, The Entwined Lighted Festival is FIRE. You have to come check out the vibes and beauty…read morehere of the forest and lights. Its like a scene in a Fairy Tale. Its not far from the Golden Gate Bridge, but it is a joy to see and be around. I took plenty of photos that I will have our every chance I get. It was just a scene to see for me. I will visit again.

For as long as I can remember, the City of Colma was only known as one thing.....the burial…read morelocation of my family members, grand parents, god parents, and close friends of the family. I work in the essential services, and I sometimes visit customers/ patients who live in or near Colma. When I get to their front door, I can see a cemetery nearby. It's hard to tell if I'm in Daly City, Colma, or South San Francisco. Rest in Peace, God Bless.....

I find that this city is a little unusual, in that all of the cemetaries were moved here when the…read morepopulation of San Francisco was increasing (there is only one cemetary left in SF, it is for dogs or pets, I think that I read this in a guide book a long time ago). This city is the next one over from Daly City, but it is just before South San Francisco. True story: when we would cut class, often times, my friends and I would check out the graves at the nearby cemetaries, but first, we'd go to the local corner store and buy a snack or a drink. We'd read the stones and when we saw a young child or baby, we'd be sad. We weren't disrespectful. I think we were just killing time, until we could sneak into a friend's place nearby. My school was called Colma Middle School, but when the principal retired, it was renamed Thomas R. Pollicita Middle School. It was the closest middle school within the district from my home on Edgemar Street (off of Lowell). I'd take the Sam Trans bus there, but I'd catch it near Templeton. Sometimes, I'd get a ride home, I guess that depended on the schedule. I went there for three years.