Do you long for world class walks along the Bay? Are picnics by the SF Bay romantic enough for you?…read moreWhat about a very long walk down an endless pier? Sadly the pier itself is closed, but the shoreline is timeless and gorgeous. And let's not forget fishing on a perfect day. Along the Bay Trail, you will find happy visitors and families. There is history here with free knowledge Mon-Sun, bring your own container.

The Berkeley Pier has been closed for several years now!! No doubt they either need to retrofit it…read moreor tear it down altogether and build another one. The 4 stars is for when it was open, and you could walk all the way out to what felt like the middle of the Bay. A great way to walk off the dinner and/or drinks that you had at Skates which is right next to it. People would be out here all day and night fishing, or just hanging out. I really miss walking on this Pier, I really hope they repair or replace it, if not, I'll always be glad I got to experience it when it was open!!

I am always up for discovering new spots I haven't been to in Norcal, Bay area specifically. I had…read moreno idea Richmond had a beach! Point Molate Beach park is a somewhat hidden spot right off 580. There are picnic benches, and steep grassy area. You can get down to the sand at a couple spots with care and ninja like agility (LOL). I enjoyed some time here on a Friday morning. The views of the water and the beautiful San Rafael-Richmond bridge is one of my favorite sites in the Bay. The park wasn't crowded. The parking lot is small. The port-o-potty was surprisingly well maintained and was just cleaned when I arrived. There was some construction going on. After some research, turns out a pedestrian and bike path is coming sometime in 2027. I honestly have no complaints. I'm happy to find a nice, secluded spot to get away and take in some beautiful views. I plan to return again sometime soon.

Nature and bay come together here with breathtaking views. Drive the road to the end and have lunch…read moreat the park tables or on out to The Sailing Goat. View the bay, see deer and Osprey (sea eagles) nesting. Easy access at the last exit heading west to San Rafael. just before getting on the Richmond/San Rafael bridge.

I've never heard of Sather Gate until Saturday. We had some free time in Berkeley, so we took some…read moretime to tour the Berkeley. The Sather Gate is a very nice arch on the Berkeley campus. Soon as you get on Campus you will see the student store, keep walking towards the center of campus, then you will see the student center and the Amazon center where you can pick up and return packages. To the left you will see Strawberry Creek and the little waterfall and the trickling creek. Now look up and you will see Sather Gate. We got some nice pictures under it. It's a real tourist attractions. It seemed that 50% of the people walking under it on a Saturday in June were talking selfies. School is out of session so there isn't many people on campus. There may be summer school going on. We also see several parents with their kids on campus taking tours.

When I was foot commuting to Sprout Hall for work in the Graduate Division while attending the…read moreUniversity of California, Berkeley the Sather Gate was on one of my two main routes when going to Sproul from my office in McCone Hall. I liked the green of the gate, it helped capture my attention and was more of a sea green, so not as far away from the school colors, blue and yellow, as a rainforest green. Depending on the time of day and the season, traffic thru the gate could be quite high. It could be quite the picture-taking hotspot. Sproul Plaza could have booths and performers/demonstrators/protestors. So, depending on the happenings in the plaza I might physically pivot and take a different path for approach to the building. I gauged whether I would be turning by the end of bridge before the gate (approaching from the north), so in that sense Sather Gate became a reminder to myself to check my surroundings and physical safety.

I think this building, built in 1927, is a great example of jazz era, art deco style in San…read moreFrancisco. Walk through it many days on the way to work. Great building.

Its boarded up now and triple gated now there is no way in and everything looks rustedread more

I want to see a Children's safe Monestery Recovery Program to enter. Providing free medical care ,…read morefree food and free shelter.

I live near Skygate and walk past it several times a week. The stainless-steel sculpture sits along…read morethe Embarcadero, only about a two-minute walk from Pier 39, so many people probably pass it without realizing its history. Created in 1985 by sculptor Roger Barr, Skygate was the first piece of public art installed in that part of the waterfront. If you look closely, you'll also find a nearby plaque noting that the sculpture was dedicated to the American philosopher Eric Hoffer, often called the "longshoreman philosopher," who spent many years working on the San Francisco docks. The sculpture has a sleek, curved design made of polished stainless steel. It reflects the sky, the bay, and people walking by. On sunny days, the light shines beautifully on it, making it a popular spot for photos. Visitors exploring the waterfront between Fisherman's Wharf and the Ferry Building often stop here. Since it sits in an open plaza along the Embarcadero promenade, it's easy to walk right up to it and see how the reflections change as you move around it. Roger Barr (1921-2000), the artist behind Skygate, had an interesting life that blended art, travel, and teaching. Born in Milwaukee, he served as a Navy pilot during World War II and later studied art in Los Angeles and Paris. During his time in Paris, he interacted with prominent artists and photographers, including Pablo Picasso and Man Ray. Barr later taught art in several places, including California and France, and directed the American Art Study Abroad program in Paris during the 1960s. Another interesting detail is how the sculpture was installed here. Skygate was commissioned by the Becton Dickinson Company, a global medical technology firm, and donated to the City of San Francisco. At the time, it became the first piece of waterfront public art in the city to be fully funded by a private company. Today, it quietly stands along one of San Francisco's busiest walking paths, a small but meaningful reminder of the city's artistic and waterfront history.

Our camp site was just an 8 minutes drive away. We came on a Saturday just before 2pm and intended…read moreto just check out the beach. We did not know we also stumbled onto this little fishing village and museum too. Apparently you can also rent the space out for wedding receptions too as we had seen one being set up. The beach was also nice as we spent a few hours here. It's a pebble beach so bring something soft to sit or lay on. There are also a few picnic tables. Even if we don't camp we could see ourselves visiting here as it's very peaceful and not busy at all.

We had reservations at the campground at China Camp State Park in early August, 2024, which was…read moreintended just as an overnight stop while on-route between Santa Cruz, CA and the Oregon coast. Without having done any research with respect to what to expect at the state park, we were very pleasantly surprised to stumble upon the China Camp Village. The Village commemorates an historical (1880s) Chinese American shrimp fishing village on the shore of San Pablo Bay. The small (unmanned) museum is in one of the original restored buildings, and has exhibits that depict the work and lives of the fishermen from that era. We also walked along the pier, and took photographs of the old boats on the shore and the "Grace Quan", which is moored to the pier. The Grace Quan is a reconstruction of a San Francisco Bay shrimp junk that was a workhorse of the dried shrimp industry from 1860-1910. We ended the evening watching sunset over the bay from one of the plentiful picnic tables. Clean restrooms are available. The state park charges $5 for day use parking.

Driving through the Robin Williams Tunnel is one of the distinctive moments on the route between…read moreSan Francisco and Marin County. Set into the steep, wooded slopes of the Waldo Grade, the twin-bore tunnel carries Highway 101 through the hillside just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Its rainbow-painted portals add a burst of color to the drive, especially when approaching from the San Francisco side, where the road curves through the hills and opens toward views of the bridge, bay, and Marin landscape. Originally built in 1937 as the Waldo Tunnel to create a faster- reliable highway connection through the challenging grade, the first bore was later joined by a second as traffic between San Francisco and the North Bay increased. It was renamed the Robin Williams Tunnel in honor of the late actor and comedian, who had deep ties to Marin County and lived in Tiburon for many years. The drive itself is brief, but it feels good : the light changes as you enter, the sound of traffic echoes around the tunnel walls, and the colorful arches signal that you are either arriving in Marin or heading back toward San Francisco. It is a practical piece of the Bay Area infrastructure, and also a cheerful and fitting tribute to Robin Williams--historic, useful, and full of local character.

Pulled up to what most people just think is "the tunnel after the Golden Gate Bridge"... but this…read moreone actually has a story. The Robin Williams Tunnel (formerly the Waldo Tunnel) is basically the doorway into Marin County and Sausalito. After Robin Williams passed, they renamed it in 2015 because he lived right nearby in Tiburon -- and honestly it feels fitting. The Bay Area has a personality, and somehow this entrance matches it. Northbound is the real experience. You're in traffic, rock walls around you, then suddenly you come out the other side and the whole Marin coastline opens up in front of you. It's one of those moments where everybody in the car goes quiet for a second. Southbound is the opposite -- you exit the tunnel and boom... the Golden Gate Bridge appears like a movie reveal. It's weird reviewing a tunnel, but this one isn't just infrastructure. It's a gateway and kind of a tribute at the same time. Some places you pass through. This one actually feels like you arrived.