SOFIA or better yet the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy is a converted 747-SP that…read moreholds a telescope. The plane flies up to 40000 feet well above any atmospheric moisture for perfect conditions. The 747 SP #21441 began life as a special performance model of the 747 for Pan Am in 1977. Named in honor of Charles Lindbergh, The 'Clipper Lindbergh" was sold to United Airlines for its Pacific routes. NASA had the grandson of Charles rechristen the aircraft following its extensive modifications to honor the aviation pioneer. SOFIA carriers a 8.2 foot reflector telescope in the rear of the aircraft. A large moving door opens once the it reaches altitude and the observing begins! It replaced the Kuiper Airborne Observatory which can also be seen at Moffett Field.

On top of Mount Hamilton lies the lake observatory. This was my third time visiting the…read moreobservatory, I came here with my four year-old daughter, and it was her first coming here. She was surprised and excited to see the telescope. Inside the observatory it's packed up but fascinating information regarding the meteors stars lots of scientific discoveries. This place also tells you about James Lick's achievements the way he brought the astronomy into reality and his life struggle. There are plenty of parking near Observatory just that while driving, you must be bit careful those were the newcomers because the road is very narrow once you get on the hill. There is a small gift shop inside the Observatory you can grab souvenirs like sweatshirt, T-shirt, magnets, some jewelries which was mentioned was made out of meteors which I found it fascinating and some kids related item, etc.

Took my "Goon Sqaud" Neo and laiza to come check out the Famous Lick Observatory. They've never…read morebeen here before. Make sure to go on a weekend because during the week you won't be able to see the telescopes! It's about an hour drive once you start from 130 or from quimby rd. Make sure to ask someone from the area to give you the history behind Lick Observatory. I'm sure you'll find it interesting!

I had the honor of escorting one very excited astrophotographer and his girlfriend (my Goddaughter)…read moreto experience a talk by Dr. Filipenko on the 150th anniversary of the James Lick Act of Congress. The talk started at 7:45 pm in the evening, and went well into 9 pm after the speaker allowed for a short Q&A session. I learned more about James Lick and how generational wealth was built than I'd ever imagined possible on a Sunday. Unfortunately for us, humidity was at an all time high, so we only had the opportunity to look at these massive telescopes, instead of gazing at the far away stars they were built to study. I did get to walk through The Chabot science center and see how fun it would be to come back with you get kids. Can you believe, you can even decorate a postcard that they will send to space. I would now like to design a piece of mail destined for space. Also, you can come out on Friday and Saturday nights and get the opportunity to look into the heavens with these giant creatures. I guess, this just means I have a rain check to visit Oakland in the near future.

I hadn't been to Chabot in a very long time. I took Empress and we had a pretty good time. Seems…read morelike there were more interactive exhibits back in the day but we still had fun. The exhibits are very educational and enlightening. I'd like to go back in the evening and experience the telescope views. There's plenty for the kids to experience! #GoSee

Unfortunately I came on a weekend, and so the Observatory was closed, but it looked pretty cool…read morewhen I walked around it! The building right next to it is big enough for a classroom, but I am so curious to see what the Observatory looks like from the inside! It's an easy walk from the Evergreen campus, with two parking spaces (one is for disability access). At least from the outside, the Observatory looks great. Hopefully I can come by when there are students and faculty around, and maybe I can catch a glimpse of the Observatory!

This was our first time here. We came to see the comedian Jeff Dunham perform. The whole property…read moreis quite vast. It's nice and warm out in the late afternoon, but can get cold and windy once the sun goes down. They have two restaurants and a concession stand for food and drinks. For performance nights they open up a few bars. There are some spectacular views from different part of the property. I love that there are different areas to lounge and enjoy your food and drinks. The service is friendly and informative. If you're there for a performance you should arrive early for the best parking spots. Also be aware there are several steep inclines and declines on the property. If you have any issues with walking it might be a challenge as some areas are uneven. But they do offer golf cart rides to and from the parking lot to the main plaza as well as to the amphitheater. You just need to ask an employee nearby. There are no bad seats in the amphitheater from what I could tell. The sound is amazing, but can get loud for those sensitive to loud music. I would love to go back and see more performances at that venue and maybe try one of their restaurants.

This review is for the add-ons they entice you to get when purchasing tickets for a concert. We…read morechose 2 of those: Entry to the Overlook Luxury Lounge and Dinner at Chateau La Cresta. We had to purchase tickets for each add-on, paying for them in advance with no refunds. I would not recommend either! Details below. Overlook Luxury Lounge: The description stated the 2 amenities of "Priority Entry (30 minutes before doors) to the lounge" and "Expedited Entry (Skip the Line) any time after doors". Both of these were false advertisement. None of the check-in staff knew anything about the Overlook Luxury Lounge deal and, thus, we ended up waiting and going through the same long line as everyone else. The offer also listed the amenity of "One (1) complimentary welcome drink" which I imagined it to be a nice hand-mixed cocktail that lives up to the "Luxury Lounge" label. It was almost a joke when I found out the "welcome drink" is a cheap can of cocktail or beer. How is this "Luxury" and what type of "welcome" that is?!! Chateau La Cresta Dinner: They tempt you to purchase this dinner option by showing you a photo of the dining Terrace with spectacular views. What they hide from you is that all the tables with good views are reserved for others who are on different package plans, or of some special designation. This means you get assigned one of the worst tables, furthest from the views, no matter how early you show up. This is a total dishonesty. For transparency they could have highlighted the section where your table will be at on the photo, or whatever else that would help you make an informative decision on whether you want to dine there. Learning about their biased & non-transparent system upon arrival, after you've committed by purchasing the tickets, is a big disappointment. As for the food, it was Ok but nothing special. Definitely not worth the cost. The service was rushed. You had to order all 3 items (dessert included) from the pre-fixe menu right away. My 2nd course came while I was half way through my 1st course. Conclusion Very disappointing experience with the add-ons. I would've liked to give it zero star. But since I'm forced to give a star, it will be for the nice staff, beautiful theater, and spectacular performance! I will still go to The Mountain Winery's concerts but will never again purchase any add-on :)

To be honest, the view from the observatory out towards the valley, with the fog layer sitting…read morebelow you like the biggest bowl of whipped cream known to man was just about as cool as the observatory. That alone was well worth it. The observatory too was neat. We happened to be campng there the night of the month they open it up. There was a nice video presenation (nothing you would not see on the discorvery channel but cool never the less), a QA with the on site volunteer and then they let the guests look through the various telescopes which were focused on the moons of Jupiter. They have one big honkin (about the size of a VW Bug) telescope but the volunteers also had about 1/2 dozen (6 if you must) other telescopes set up as well, so the kids were able to take a little more time on those. For anyone into astronomy it would be a must. Probably pretty entertaining for almost any 7 to 11 year old kid. Side note, the drive up has some sharp turns. My mothe rmade it up with a trailer on her truck but it was a bit hairy. The camp ground there is usable, but nothing too special. It was dry when we were there so we were not allowed to have a camp fire :(

It took me having to take astronomy at Hartnell to knlw about the observatory. I didnt know we had…read moreanything like this around. My professor required us to go up last week. The view is just so amazing. Its a little walk up to observatory so make sure you layer yourself. Its free bug there is a donation box. There are other people with other telescopes out that let you see things. I saw the milky way which is a haze. Its cool. The observatory itself is cool. The roof gets pushed off or rolls off. This is 100% a place everyone needs to check out at least once in their life.

Lovely group and hooray for raptors and good cause but the director is discriminatory…read more They gladly accept seniors with oncoming dementia but after training - an excellent veterinary fit volunteer as she was just getting diagnosed with sudden onset pots syndrome- and not aware what her limitations may be disclosed to the director He told her he "did not want to slow the group down" This is flat out discrimination .

Wow! It's beautiful! We've been here a lot of times but this was a good time to take pictures…read morebecause it was clear. There were no clouds or fog. The perfect time to take a picture is at sunset.

Treasure Island Music Festival is one of my favorite music festivals. I've been most years. I think…read moreI've only missed 3 or maybe 4 years. I really like the stage layout. There's only two stages in an L shape, and the schedule alternates between each stage, so there's only one band playing at a time. This is fantastic because this is one music festival where you can actually see every band on the lineup! The festival is two days long, with Saturday usually featuring hip hop and/or electronic acts, and Sunday featuring rock and indie acts. When this festival was on Treasure Island, getting into and off the island was sort of difficult. One aspect of this festival is there's always free shuttles that take you to the festival. The same is still true now that's it's moved to West Oakland; however it's a bit easier now since the shuttles pick up and drop off at BART. For those in the East Bay, you save yourself the bridge toll if you're driving now. Getting there is always easy since people arrive at different times, so there's never a wait to get on the shuttle bus; however, getting home is annoying because you will have to wait to load the busses. In 2018, the first year in Oakland, I think they handled it pretty well. There were a ton of buses, so we didn't have to wait long at all. Instead of one line, there were several lines for the buses, so this sped things up too. I like that festival feels smaller and more intimate. Previously, you could stand in between the stages and see and listen to all the bands. However, at the new location in Oakland, the stages are much further away unfortunately, so you will have to trek between the stages and move between them to see and hear all the acts. One of the nicest features of the festival is the gorgeous views on SF. Don't miss sunset for amazing views. I also love the surprise touches too like the light up jellyfish the come through the crowd and the massive light up balloon arches. TIP: Also, be sure to bring layers. Your cute festival look will feel foolish once the sun goes down when it turns downright chilly.

This year marks Treasure Island Music Festival's 10th and LAST year. I was so amazed at the free…read moreshuttles to Treasure Island, but was very disappointed at the very last minute warnings for cancellation of events. I know that this event is usually more organized and rain is hard to plan around, but it's just sad a few acts were cancelled. Ran by Another Planet Entertainment Music, treasure island has a great amount of acts and a good amount of food trucks. With the bay bridge in the background and a colorful Ferris wheel, the festival offered beautiful skyline photos! It's very sad that this music festival had to end on a rainy note, but at least they won't lose business next year because there will be none next year! Will miss you TIMF!

First time came to the observation deck, I think it is best spot to view the golden bridge, even…read morewas cloudy day we still able to get quiet a few very good shots of bridge, I can't imagine how great views would be in sunny days. It's very easy-accessible, you can drive and bike to there with short walk to the top, very windy at the top, bright a jacket and watch your hat is great idea. At almost 500 feet above the bay, this high cliff-top vantage point was a prime location for big coastal defense guns when the army was there.

It's been awhile since my visit, but it was one of my touristy stops as an adult doing a solo…read morevacation with my friends. If you're in SF, depending where you're at, you can spot Coit Tower in between the business buildings which is neat. Great view of the white concrete column on Telegraph Hill, with the hills, the bridge, and the trees in the background and foreground. There's an elevator entrance fee. Discount if you're an SF resident, if not, it's going to be $11 (so make sure you maximize your time there). There's different fees for the docent led tours or if you want a tour of one of the floors only. A bit confusing, but there's signs and lots of workers there. There's also a cafe if you're feeling peckish. We didn't do anything fancy during our visit. We just took the elevator up and got some postcards of the local parrots. Great views of the surrounding SF area and we were lucky since it was a sunny, windy afternoon.

Iconic landmark of SanFrancisco so it's definitely a must to visit especially those that wants 360…read moreshot of the city. It sits the tallest natural geography of SF overlooking the bay, the city and surrounding. There are tons of great shots coming up from north beach. The parking is free , there are restrooms, bus stop, rest areas and a small shop. You can pay a small fee to walk up the very top of the tower but be warn it is 13 flight of stairs. The elevator was t working so be prepared. The good thing is that, each milestone has its own rest spot for a lil breather. Definitely try to make it a trip up here especially during sunny and cloudless days.