Fellow Yelper Terry T. very thoughtfully picked up on my fondness for mosaic tiled stairs and…read morerecommended I take a look at this particular flight. Vallejo?? Well, I immediately filed it into the cobwebs of what's left of my brain thinking it would be hidden in my subconscious. Sure enough I was recently driving on Route 37 and decided to stop in Vallejo. I'm not sure why, but I suddenly remembered those stairs were somewhere in town. Found 'em. They're in a relatively inconspicuous spot off the main thoroughfare, Sonoma Blvd. it took local neighborhood activists to get them renovated after they fell into a state of disrepair since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Inspired by the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps in San Francisco's Inner Sunset (review: https://bit.ly/3rRhxgn), they were able to recruit Aileen Barr and Colette Crutcher, the artists behind that masterwork as well as others in the city. Now I know nothing about Vallejo's history, so I couldn't appreciate a lot of the details of the imagery. Starting with the giant compass on top, it's pretty clear there was a lot of shipbuilding and other maritime activities like the ferry service to and from San Francisco. Obviously it's best to appreciate the two flights of stairs up close for all the trivia, but the best vantage point is actually across the street where the stairs look like a cascading waterfall. So if you're ever in Vallejo... RELATED - Exploring north of San Francisco? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2tIHlkV

Did some sight seeing in the home town today. A project the city had been trying to finish for a…read morewhile now got finished and dedicated at the end of 2021. I've finally made my way down town to see these beautiful steps. These centrally located, yet tucked away treasure can be found of the main road of Sonoma Blvd and Capitol street in downtown Vallejo. Visit for a breathtaking views of the city, walks for pets exercise, or just great photo opps. Whatever may be the case you are sure to enjoy some time enjoying this historical sweet space!

Lots of details about this interesting corner of the Bay Area provided by our guide Dan G. He was a…read morewealth of information, pretty funny and as a local was able to share a lot of perspective on the islands changes. Great day trip and I wish we had more time to poke around.

Wonderful tour led by Jim. History + nature! A great morning spent on the island…read more For people who are looking to visit the Naval Museum on the island, it is no longer open, but this tour is operative and you get to see the naval chapel and walk around the area. I was originally looking for information about the museum and arrived at this page: https://www.mihpf.org/tours. I hope this will help you find their tour options and dates! All digitalized, no fuss. And it turns out I was the only who signed up for today's tour, and they did not cancel on me because of that. I really really appreciated it. One last thing, the money you spend on the tour goes into helping this foundation : ) Yay!

003/2026/Jan Passing…read morethrough this Old Navy shipyard which has a brewery , a bay trail, historical bldgs and public art attractions for tourist ! Wish could stay a little longer for a tour! For sure next visit will make time!!

Mare Island has regular scheduled tours which we missed so we decided to do a self guided tour…read more There are only a few buildings you can still go in but still great to walk around. The cementary and museum are closed, the church and admiral home are open with specific times. There are a lot of history on the island!

Such a beautiful venue, and honestly, I think it deserves some more attention and appreciation! As…read morethe photographer of my sister's wedding, I knew that lighting was going to be important. The lighting here was really nice once it was past noon. The inside of the chapel was timeless and beautiful. It is a lot roomier than I expected inside. The chapel pretty much comes with everything you will need, including the stereo system and a changing room for the bride. We didn't even decorate the chapel because it was pretty enough the way it was. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a venue in Solano County. The history of the chapel is amazing, and the people who work here clearly adore and care for the chapel. Side note to citizens not involved in the wedding ceremony, please take couple pictures somewhere else when you obviously see a photographer trying to get photos of the bride and her party! I had shots be completely ruined or have to be heavily edited due to activity from unknown parties taking their own random photos in the background of the chapel. We had the chapel reserved at this time, and it really did stress out the bride as well. I did my best to avoid them, but still, common courtesy says this is a once in a lifetime event and please be respectful of that!

First off, the chapel is beautiful. We didn't need to do anything decor wise…read more Service wise, Sandy and Miguel, were assigned to us as our helpers on our wedding day. They were both so kind and sweet. They greeted us and helped us out with so much. We really enjoyed them! Jen is also amazing! She is very available, ready to help, and easy to reach -- which isn't something you find often. They were all around just great!

Beautiful downtown by a beach. Must visit. All the way to here to get the olive oil. It had…read morebeautiful decor during Christmas time

Downtown Benecia is a family friendly spot, with great restaurants and local businesses. There are…read morelots of fun events and a terrific Thursday night Farmer's Market. Benecia is a gem!

Sweet space for affordable living…read more.... In downtown Vallejo, the Temple lofts are amid one of the creative, artistic, entertaining, and business savvy places you'll find when you come here. The building is made up of studio to 2 bedroom apartments. Open to the residents is a beautiful ballroom like space to reserve for small parties/gatherings. A friend who lives here was able to throw a bridal shower for our mutual friend...everything came out great. This place caters to those who are in the Arts and entertainment field. Its close to great restaurants, library, city hall, Soltrans bus transportation, Ferry Station, Vallejo Marina, and so much more....

MY PHOTOGRAPHS: (1) Hawk perching on tree that is next to trail. I used a 300mm telephoto lens on…read moremy camera; (2) Tree next to trail with red berries; (3) Isolated grove of palm trees surrounded by an ocean of tall wheatgrass; (4) Pickleweed (has red color) and birds (a northern flicker and two quails); (5) Cracked mud in a dried marsh in a long strip of land between trail and the bay. The plants in the dried marsh are likely to be Frankenia salina. Mr.Rick Shroy, a photographer living in Oregon, told me that my photo is of a red-tailed hawk (and that it is not an osprey). ATTRACTIONS. Mare Island San Pablo Bay Trail provides access to a part of the S.F. Bay area (the shoreline of San Pablo Bay) that few S.F. Bay area residents have ever seen. The trail allows hikers to see plants and birds that thrive in marshlands and tidal zones. What I liked best from my two visits in November 2020, were the views of several hawks zooming here and there over the vast fields of tall wheat grass, taking photographs of a hawk perching on the top branch of tree, and taking photographs of the thick tangles of alkali heath (Frankenia salina) that grow between the trail and San Pablo Bay. The alkali heath surrounds the dried mud flat situated between the trail and the Bay, and the alkali heath also grows in oval-shaped patches situated in the middle of the dried mud flat. These oval-shaped patches are cute looking. DIRECTIONS TO THE TRAIL. From the west, take Route 37 to reach Mare Island. During your drive from the west, you will pass the parking lot and trailhead to TUBBS ISLAND TRAIL, which provides a nine-mile round trip hike, and access to the shore of San Pablo Bay. In contrast, the trail on Mare Island provides a round trip hike of only 2.8 miles, and the closest that this trail gets to San Pablo Bay is about 200 feet. If you are driving from the east, you need to find Tennessee Street in Vallejo, then drive south and cross the blue-colored bridge, and continue on to Azuar Drive, and then turn at Dump Road. At the end of Dump Road is a parking lot and the trailhead. Once on the trail, you hike south (towards San Pablo Bay) for 500 feet. Then, the trail takes a left turn (towards the east), and from there it is 7,000 feet to the very end of the trail (2.8 miles total round-trip hike). BIRDS AND PLANTS. Birds found on Mare Island include a type of raptor called an osprey. A survey from the year 2013 revealed the presence of 60 adult ospreys nesting on Mare Island. My photographs include a large hawk sitting on a bare tree. It is possible that this is an osprey. Hikers will notice the vast expanses of tall light-colored grasses. The stems of these grasses are all dry and easy to snap in half. My two visits were in November 28 & 29 (late autumn), and so it is possible that these grasses are green in the spring. I believe that these are tall wheatgrass (Elytrigia pontica), the dominant plant at Mare Island. Tall wheatgrass tolerates soil that is high in salt. Pickleweed is green in the summer and red in the autumn. Hikers will enjoy the palm trees situated next to the trail, and the distant palm trees. The distant palm trees appear like isolated islands surrounded by an ocean of tall wheatgrass. REFERENCES. (1) McGuire & Dvorak (1981) High salt-tolerance potential in wheatgrass. Crop Science. 21:702-705; (2) Ferner (2011) A profile of the San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (511 pages); (3) Brake, Wilson, Leong (2014) Status of ospreys nesting on San Francisco Bay. Western Birds. 45:191-198; (4) Mare Island Regional Park Task Force (2007) Mare Island Shoreline Heritage Preserve (94 pages); (5) www dot mareislandmuseum dot org; (6) www dot sfbayospreydays dot org.

Access to more people. The island is kind of wasting away. The city of Vallejo should sell the…read moreisland because they can't afford to maintain it. You have all these streets that were put up and no houses. The historical buildings are nothing more than rat and bat nests.

This bridge connects Vallejo and Mare Island. I definitely prefer this bridge over the blue…read morecauseway bridge. It's a lot more stable and the view is beautiful! I love driving across the bridge during sunset where you could see the ocean on one side and the boats/ferry on the other side. The bridge is pretty steep though. When you're going uphill, you can't see the other side of the bridge so slowdown as you reach the peak when going towards the island! There is often traffic going downhill and everyone comes to abrupt stop. I often take this bridge from Mare Island and off Admiral Callaghan Ln which brings you to a shopping center area filled with Costco, Target, Panera Bread, CVS, etc. It is very convenient.

Great (and only) bridge that connects Vallejo to Mare Island to Petaluma/Novato! Beautiful super…read moretall bridge that you can spot from quite a ways in the distance because of it's height. Right before (if headed towards Vallejo) and right after (if headed towards Petaluma/Novato) is where Highway 37 goes from two lanes to one or one lane to two so expect some traffic either way. I have never been through this stretch of road (no matter what time of day or night) without being stuck behind a car or two. The good thing about occasionally being stuck on this bridge is the great views from it! Amazing bay and estuary views from a 360 degree vantage point high in the air. Beautiful! Great big wonderful structure that serves its purpose!

This beautiful clock, built in 1914, is a city historical landmark. I could not find out why it…read morelanded in Vallejo in 1932. I read one article that said it was the largest windup clock in the world. How the clock got its name is interesting. You can read about it on weird California, http://www.weirdca.com/location.php?location=599 Georgia Street is no longer bustling, yet this clock still stands as a testament to a time when Vallejo was an important city. The city of Vallejo maintains this clock, when I stopped on a Sunday to admire this magnificent clock it had the correct time.

According to legend, two men were accused of setting off a bomb during a parade. A number of people…read morewere suspected and in the end, two men were arrested and convicted. One of whom was sentenced to life in prison and the other to the death penalty. As part of the evidence presented, there was a picture of the pen with this large clock in the background, proving that he was nowhere near the attack. It was a while later that a second look at the evidence included examining this picture and the pen were pardoned. Now a famous clock, it was rechristened the "Alibi Clock" and was moved from San Francisco to Vallejo. The clock isn't in terrific condition but in addition to telling the time, it tells a story. Stop by, take your picture with it, and maybe you too will be saved from a crime you didn't commit! ROUND NUMBER REVIEW 8600!

Best experience ever! I had 8 relatives from Japan come to visit my mother who is in Memory Care…read more Valley Vacay was responsive and bent over backwards to accommodate us. From picking us up at the airport, to driving us all over the Silicon Valley and San Francisco, the service was amazing. Edward, the owner, was our driver on the longest day 6:30am to 11pm, and he kept the group happy and met their every request--even a visit to Home Depot!? I cannot rave enough about Valley Vacay's services.

Edward is amazing and couldn't more highly recommend valley limo…read more We had a trip from SF to Sonoma for the day and the crew was on time, helpful, and so easy to work with. The car was new, had Bluetooth for music, and they had no problem getting to our favorite spots, even if they were off the beaten path. Will be booking again soon :)