"Beautiful Vista Honoring a Fallen Policeman."…read more This is a really pleasant, inspiring Vista point. It is an honor of a CHP patrolman killed about 45 years ago, Ralph D Percival. It overlooks some beautiful scenary and it's a great place to just take a rest or have a snack. There is a concrete walkway that you can stroll around to various lookout points. There don't appear to be any facilities here however.

I've driven by this vista point thousands of times, but hadn't checked it out until a Geology class…read morefield trip in college. All I can say is that I missed out on a really nice place to stop and view the reservoir. Our professor had us look across highway 280 to the mountain range, and what appeared to be a valley that held the reservoir. She asked if we know that that depression that extended into the ocean was. Turns out, it is the San Andreas Fault. It is massive. Anyway this is a nice spot to visit and snap a few photos. It is always well kept and clean and there is a decent amount of parking.

The "Devil's Slide Bypass Tunnels" aka "The Tom Lantos Tunnels" are bypass tunnels that allow for…read morethe safe routing of Highway 1 pass Devil's Slide. Opened in March 2013, it's a modern tunnel that provides a safer road without the threat of rock slides and closures. It's named after Congressman Tom Lantos, who was instrumental in securing funding for the project. I drive thru these tunnels, mainly southbound*, at least 1-3 times a week for work. It's a relatively straight, long tunnel, well lit with fans. Headlights should be ON in the tunnel. It's a pretty boring drive, and that's the way it should be. The tunnel is wide enough if you need to pull over. The old views are not lost. The old Highway 1 is now a trail. There are small parking lots on the north and south ends of the tunnels. The Devil's Slide Tunnels were built to create a safer Highway 1. *Why mainly southbound? Because I go to Half Moon Bay and take Rt 92 back to the freeways.

It's not as scenic of a drive as the old portion of highway 1 that it replaced, but it's a hell of…read morea lot safer to travel through. No more treacherous rockslides on this part of highway 1! Driving through this tunnel always makes me happy because I know what lies on the other end. Beautiful beaches, wonderful hiking trails, and some of the most scenic viewpoints in the Bay Area await you on the other end of this tunnel. The tunnel runs along the coast through San Pedro Mountain and connects Pacifica to Montara and beyond. If you're driving from Pacifica to Montara, you can still access the old portion of highway 1 by the last exit right before the tunnel entrance, or the first exit right after you exit the tunnel. This part of highway 1 has since been designated as a pedestrian only path known as the Devil's Slide Coastal Trail. It's one of my favorite trails to hike/walk in Pacifica, and it's also a popular tourist destination. It's sad that this part of highway 1 had so many terrible rockslides over the years, but I'm happy that they were able to finally replace this section with this tunnel. It's a lot safer and the old section of highway 1 has become such a gorgeous coastal pedestrian trail.

So this pedestrian bridge is pretty iconic as it passes across Interstate 280 in Cupertino. I don't…read morereally call it by it's real name and I just call it the Mary Avenue Bridge lol. It's nice to walk on in the daytime to watch the cars pass by and it's absolutely stunning during sunset and at night. Be careful though, there are a lot of bicyclists and sometimes if you're taking photos or just standing in the middle of the bridge, just be on the lookout. I kind of wish the bridge was a bit wider with a side for pedestrians and another side for bicyclists. But it's okay, it's like a mini Bay Bridge for pedestrians and bicyclists. This is a true Hidden Gem because I don't really see a lot of people visiting it even though people drive by it all the time on the freeway. When you get the chance, park on Mary Avenue on the south end and then take a nice walk across the bridge. You'll absolutely love it.

This is a pretty great place to see the sunset in Cupertino! Nice spot to take a few photos if…read moreyou're in the area.

Small and not bad of a walkable downtown area. You can get free parking in the lots around or…read morethrough street parking. I'm assuming it's usually not super bad, but we went on Valentine's Day, so that made things a tad more difficult. There's a wide variety of eateries (just know that some of them close for a lunch break) and boba places and sweets places which is nice, as well as a local mom and pop owned market, a book store, gift shops, and the pop up for local independent artists. It's pretty lively on weekends with lots of people walking around, students busking, families hanging out, there's a ping pong table, and it's nice that they close down part of the middle roadway so pedestrians can walk easier and much more willy nilly, as well as opportunities for al fresca dining. Food options that I saw were Japanese, Thai, Korean, Chinese (from many regions), Indian, Mexican, American, Mediterranean, and much more. They got a sizeable Ume Tea here as well and if it weren't so busy, I'd stop by either of the 2 patisseries they had. Also, random, but I liked how they used that one storefront just to highlight what looks like a child's research project on penguins. Super cute!

So mixed feelings about this town. So outside of the obvious, located in the south end of the…read morepeninsula adjacent to PALO ALTO a little to our north AND LOS ALTOS a little to our sw, it is starting to edge out of what is good. It is starting to be over the top. 20 minutes to get from one side of town to the other, let alone these annoying driverless cars merging into traffic and weaving in and out..that is scary, hello! CITY OF MT VIEW YOU ARE BUILDING WAY TO MUCH. I am capitilizing this in case you cannot read or see. We do not have the infastructure..way too many people, not enough land. You need to follow the suit of towns like Los Altos and Menlo Park and S Bay like Los Gatos. You are making this over the top. You really need to listen up. Are you building so much to pay the exorbitant city salaries of your employees? There is not enough infastructure here to support what you are trying to do, wake up call.

I visited the exhibition galleries on Monday afternoon. Staff was friendy, and offered to answer…read moreany questions, but guests are able to explore at their own pace. On one side was the Herbert Hoover exhibit, which contained a range of displays demonstrating Herbert Hoover's dedication to freedom, peace, and economic opportunity, his accomplishments, and his impact on the First World War, as well as his history as a Stanford student. Quite informative. On the other side was the temporary exhibit, The Battalion Artist: A Sailor's Journey through the South Seas, about Natale Bellantoni of the US Navy Seabees. This was pretty interesting because unlike many sailors and military soldiers trained in combat and technical skills, Nat specialized in art and design. He was assigned to build military bases during WW2, and this exhibit showcases his life before and during the war, including displays of letters written to his family as well as impressive artworks he created and photographs he took detailing the war and his experiences. He also worked on a stained glass window for a chapel and contributed to the batallion's newspaper. There's a large interactive screen inside the room that allows for digital viewing of the exhibit (to view Nat's photographs and sketchbook) where visitors can even do puzzles of his art pieces. Guests are also invited to share their own stories and artwork about the journeys that have impacted their lives, using pencil and paper. With changing exhibits at the Hoover Tower, there is always something interesting to learn about here. Entry is free, and parking at the nearby Stanford Visitor's Center lot, less than a 10 minute walk to the tower, can be paid via parkmobile app online (note, parking on campus is free on weekends and after 4pm M-F).

TOWER: 5 stars! The…read moretower is beautiful and the views are breathtaking. Truly a special place to visit. STAFF: 1 Star! The staff working on Saturday are older and should probably reconsider if this is where they want to be. When we walked in the lady checking bags yanked a young man from the back and and scolded him to wait his turn. The young man was polite and was thrown off by her reaction. We were thrown off too because it was a little excessive. She noticed our group saw what she did and she looked embarrassed. Then came the older man by the elevators. We had a group of 8. Only 4 could go up at a time. We were waiting for our group to come down, but we didn't have to wait for long as he kicked us out. Told us it was a private space despite us having our tickets and standing quietly. If staff can be a little more kind and show a little joy this place would be amazing!

There are so many images to choose from for downtown Palo Alto. This simple arrangement of a boy…read morediving into balloons touched my heart . It captures unbridled joy and even a little fear diving into a promising adventure. Maybe that is why he is in a Banksy-esque black and white and the future he is diving into appears optimistically brilliantly colored. A beautiful metaphor for exploring something new and different in this life. There are many hidden gems in a city, feel free to try the path less traveled in Palo Alto or any city. You might be surprised.

I LOVE Palo Alto. Iconic and also home (extended) for me. So much to see and do and history around…read morehere. It is hollowed ground if you are in tech. I used to come here all the time for meals when I worked nearby and I find excuses to make my way back these days.

The San Mateo/Hayward Bridge is a very important hub linking the peninsula to the southern part of…read morethe East Bay. Although, I'm not sure of the length of the bridge, it is quite a distance from one end to another, but it gives you beautiful views, when it's a clear and sunny day. One end will lead you to the Peninsula that will take you to San Carlos, Redwood city, and to the South Bay. That's the hub for the tech world. The other side will lead you to the East Bay, which will take you to, Hayward and eventually to Berkeley and Oakland. There will be a toll plaza on the eastern end of the bridge with standard going right for the area. Yes, the prices go up, but considering the convenience from going to one end of the bay area to the other, makes it worthy, especially if you drive during non-peak hours. The roads on the bridge are taken care of and although traffic can be an issue I don't see too many accidents leading to problems. Convenient and efficient that's what I love, especially when it comes to transportation.

The San Mateo-Hayward Bridge isn't anything amazing, although it does get you where you need to go…read morewith a price tag that doesn't seem worth it. It's longer than the other bridges, but nothing special. As of January 1st, 2026, it costs $8.50 to cross the bridge and there are several bridges in the bay area, so it feels that you get price gauged every time you cross any of them and not worth it. The amount of bridges in the bay area and the amount of price gauging is ridiculous. A series of 50-cent annual increases are in effect from 2026 to 2030 so you will continuously have to pay more year after year. The tolls are going up way beyond the rate of inflation and will continue to until 2030 and then they will have another tactic to increase it further. It's expected to be $10.50 to cross the bridge in 2030.

No, I did not go visit the methuselah tree. My hiking group talked about the tree. We actually…read morehiked to the Tafoni sandstone in the same area on Wednesday. The trail was very dusty with water trickling across the path in 5 or so places. What I noticed was an abundance if acorns on the trail mostly throughout the full path.

Another place checked off in my peninsula sightseeing spots. Been wanting to come here for a while…read moreand last week I was able to come out here on a Saturday morning around 8 AM and was able to enjoy this place all to myself. I've been in this area along Skegss point and have never seen it but after hearing about it and do some research it's literally just right off the road. I was actually disappointed I didn't have to walk or hike, but in the end it was a quick simple skip Across the highway and maybe 50 steps and you're there. You have to step down a few stairs but overall that's all it is. This tree is really huge and tall with a beautiful base and a few burls. Some healthy branches and greenery as you look up towards the sky underneath the canopy of other pines. I was able to adore and admire this tree for a good 15-20 minutes without any other people around took a few nice pictures proceeded on my way out to hike the local Corte Madera hike just a mile down the street. Now, many of you have may know there is another Methusalah tree in eastern Sierras at the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the White mountains of Inyo County. That one is still on my list to go find which I hope will be one day soon. Whether you're a local or tourist and in the area, this place is recommended to come or a pitstop along your way down towards Santa Cruz on Highway 35.