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.

You have got to see the methuselah tree which is over 1800 years old! I'm in awe of gigantic…read moretrees! It is only 45 to 60 minutes south of San Francisco, right above the skyline just west of Woodside, CA. Methuselah is conveniently located just a short walk off of Highway 35 (Skyline Boulevard) 3.3 miles north of Sky Londa and Alice's Restaurant and 0.5 miles south of the Caltrans' Skeggs Vista Point. The closest parking is across the road at El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve. Be careful crossing the road as cars can come around the corner quickly. Methuselah will be visible from the road. Pass through the gate and follow the trail to the base of the tree. Methuselah is a massive old-growth redwood and it is the oldest and largest living tree in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Take a trip to see the methuselah. You won't be disappointed!

"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.

1 of only 3 Public Frank Lloyd Wright sites in CA and they only allow visitors twice a year so…read morecount yourself an architecture nerd and a lucky-one if you do get a spot on the tour. Older review from before Covid, you can email hannahouse@stanford.edu for next tour dates. You can take as many pictures as you want outside but no pictures of the interior so I added some I found online. This is what makes this design unique compared to other FLW works: -Hexagons/honeycomb, back in 1936 imagine the precision that had to be done by hand to make the huge structure a honeycomb as well as small details like the stone tiles. One cut slightly wrong would have snowballed into huge misalignments. -First FLW work in non-rectangular structures -First FLW work in the Bay Area It's not as epic and grand as Fallingwater or as contemplative as Taliesin West and it is smaller than some of the US public FLW sites but it's only 1 of 3 in Cali you can see the interior of and you get a more complete picture if you can see inside/out and hear the docents anecdotes about the design and house.

Hanna House is one of the few northern California buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Located…read morein a residential neighborhood within the boundaries of the sprawling Stanford University campus, the home is currently occupied by a private party and is not open to the public. However, it once served as the official residence for the Provost where the university regularly held alumni and fundraising events and one might reasonably assume the home may someday return to it's previous semi-public stature. Although visitors are discouraged from trespassing on the property, the house has been magnificently maintained and is visible from the street below. A relatively new arrangement with the Stanford Historical Society will enable the public to tour the house twice each year. Interested parties should contact hannahouse@stanford.edu to receive information about future tour dates and booking arrangements.

I come here often. Get coffee and scone at Peet's across the street. I sit on a bench and read the…read morepapers. All the trees light up at 4:30P-so pretty! Large expanse of grass where kids and dogs like to run on. Very clean.

"Fremont Park" is a small city park in Menlo Park, CA. It's located at the corner of Santa Cruz…read moreAve & University Drive. It features a large grassy area, benches, picnic tables and lots of shade trees. It's a fairly simple park, and it's perfect for a place to read, have a picnic, or just take a break. The significance of this place is not as a park, but for what used to be here. As historic information boards will tell you, this was the site of Camp Fremont. Camp Fremont was a World War I US Army training camp, and the birthplace of the 8th Infantry Division. When I was in the US Army, I served in the 8th Infantry Division (Mechanized) in Germany. Now, the WW1 vets are all gone now. But this small park remembers when an Army Training camp was here.

Came here to watch the limited release of Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein. Boyfriend was the…read moresweetest and did his research on theaters near us that played Frankenstein, and bought tickets over a week in advance, since he knew I was very excited to watch this with him even though the movie wasn't quite his cup of tea. The theater is spacious, and the seats are so comfy. We were able to recline in these seats, and pretty much just lie in them as if they were comfortable beds. The staff was also very nice! Parking was a bit hard to find. My boyfriend had to drop me off in front of the theater while he went to go find parking a bit further away. I'm glad Aquarius played Frankenstein. I left the theater awed, and as a fan of the novel, I cannot stop raving about how good the movie is. Thanks Aquarius for choosing to screen it!

Free street parking was easy to find around the corner on a Sunday afternoon. The theater doesn't…read morelook like much from the outside, but they have decent offerings at the concessions stand for snacks, ice cream, beer, and wine, and limited showings of films in two auditoriums. I saw The Drama this past weekend, an interesting dark comedy I actually found amusing. Auditorium 1 only has a single aisle on the left side, but plenty of room in between each row so it's easy to access any seat, and seats that recline all the way, like lying flat in a bed! Temperature was perfect for staying cool and comfortable on a hot day. Picture and sound were just right too. Staff interaction was minimal but sufficient. This is a great theater, and I only have positive things to say about it based on my recent visit.

Have some time & the itch to visit a museum? Head over to the Stanford campus to check out this…read morebeautiful center! * Location: Car accessible (free museum parking), or 20 min walk from Palo Alto Caltrain station. * Admission: Free! Walk-in & say hello to the front desk staff to get your center map via QR code and recommendations. * Exterior & interior architecture are beautiful in their own right, Rodin sculpture garden makes it even better. * Center is relatively compact but contains great range of collections - antiquities from around the world, 16th-18th century European art, modern 21st century, & more. Roaming the many halls is a fantastic way to spend an afternoon! Tip: Checkout their website for an overview of temporary exhibits and guest speakers.

This is a great free art museum on the Stanford Campus. We visited on a Saturday so there was ample…read morefree parking in the lots right in front of the building. It's a beautiful building and well laid out, it took us maybe an hour and a half to two hours to see most of the exhibits. They have a great collection of different eras and regions of art. Many artists I've heard of thought not their most famous paintings. I really enjoyed the modern gallery too. The highlight for me was the extensive collection of Rodin sculptures including details on how he constructed the spectacular "Gates of Hell" that is replicated outdoors. I visited the Rodin museum in Paris a long time ago and this collection, while small, was still really good and informative. I also love a good Richard Serra steel sculpture and there is one outdoors on the other side of the museum from the Rodin garden.

Checked out this art piece on the Stanford University campus on Sunday, and it was reminiscent of…read morethe artist's Wood Line log sculpture in SF, which I had visited several months prior, the curves of the sandstone river wavy like the slither of a snake. It was built by 8 stone-wallers from Great Britain and consists of 6,500 stones, with the artist aiming to emphasize a connection to nature through the sculpture's materials, location, and design. The parking lot in front of the Anderson Museum (on Museum Way) is free on weekends and provides direct and easy access to this awesome Andy Goldsworthy exhibit.

Also known as 'The Snake", Stone River is an permamant art installation on the Stanford Campus. It…read moreis the work of Andy Goldsworthy. Goldsworthy, a native of Brittan, uses natural products and strives to make a connection to the area the art is emplaced. From the artist : 0 "Movement, change, light, growth and decay are the life-blood of nature, the energies that I try to tap through my work." and "My sculpture can last for days or a few seconds - what is important to me is the experience of making. I leave all my work outside and often return to watch it decay." True to his vision, Stone River was constructed using limestone from campus buildings damaged during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The installation is massive stretching almost 320 feet and used almost 130 tons of stone. From my perspective it looks like a giant snake especially from the air. As noted Stone River is located on the Stanford Campus and is right next to the Cantor and Andersen art museums. Its a cool stop especially if you have kids as they can run amok over, around etc on it.

Great size venue, good bars, good sound system and no bad seats. They get large acts for a small…read moresize venue, which used to be a theater. Lots of character.

Going to the show tonight, got there at 6:30 with a handicapped friend and they would not let us in…read morethe lobby to wait! It's 36 degrees outside right now! The security guy was rude and disrespectful. Asked to talk to the manager and the security guy came back and said the manager said no can't let you in! Will NEVER go back to this theater!

This fountain sits right in front of the Hoover Tower. It's peaceful and beautiful. You can't…read moresunbathe, but you can take tons of pictures.

Beautiful landmark on the campus of Stanford University in Palo Alto…read more.. My friend, Judi, and I have been friends since college time. She went away to Stanford University while I graduated from the University of Hawaii. We kept in touch over the years and when I told her that I was interested in visiting Northern California, she invited me to stay at her house. She was really happy that I wanted a tour of her alma mater and she gladly showed me around. When we passed by this fabulous fountain, I asked her about it and she didn't know anything. I looked it up on Yelp and saw photos from my friends, Ann and Stan! Yay! I believe that the fountain is named after President Herbert Hoover since the Hoover Tower is named after this US president. This fountain is so stunning in the daytime! I want to see it again in the evening!

Not much more to say that wasn't already written. This is a great place to hike. Note that no bikes…read moreare allowed which makes for a safe and comfortable hiking environment (coming from someone who enjoys cycling). They do have a lot of bike rack parking at the base of the hill, and there is often a ranger or someone at the booth, which is nice as this means someone can keep an eye on your bicycle. I really like that it's paved in a nice circular path, with ample room for people to pass each other on the path. Also, the hike has a nice mix of undulating hills and incredible views, so there's a variety along your hike. I always spot wildlife when I'm hiding, so just keep your eyes open. There is one large portable bathroom at the base of the hill, but otherwise, no other facilities (I believe no access to drinking water on the path either). As other reviewers have mentioned, parking can be quite difficult to find, even if you're willing to walk. The best thing is to get there early!

Nice place to get a decent workout in with gorgeous views of Palo Alto…read more Have to park but of a ways down from the entrance which could be street parking if you're lucky or parking at the high school. Can take various trails around the dish. It's not a very shaded hike, so should have hats/visors/sunnies ready. If you're lucky, may even see some adorable wildlife. Good majority is paved.