Bay Area, California – a travel blog

by Julie Tetel Andresen | April 19, 2016 |

I’m in the Bay Area around San Francisco, the second leg of my trip around the world. My niece, Julia, and her family live in Mill Valley, just north of San Francisco. My sister, Carol, and her husband, Phil, live in Carmel Valley. It’s about two and a half hours south of the city, around Monterey Bay. Carol and Phil picked me up, and we drove to Julia’s.

Bay Area: Marin County

The area north of San Francisco – Marin County – is about as tony and pricey as you can imagine. It’s the 5^th richest county in the country in terms of per capita income. It’s also one the most solidly democratic. Nancy Pelosi is from here.

Mill Valley’s main square:

It’s where kids rollerblade and ride their tricycles and scooters. A bookstore/coffee shop is in the background. Good coffee places abound.

Mill Valley has a cute downtown, great boutique restaurants and hotels, and nice clothing stores. I got my hair washed and blow-dried at MilVali Salon. Thus did I continue my quest to get my hair done in as many places around the world as I can.

April has been wet, which is wonderful news for Northern California. Still, the drought is near enough that you have to ask for water in a restaurant. When you do get a glass, it’s a really small one, like a kiddie juice glass.

The redwoods are a distinctive part of the Northern California landscape. And they are revered. Here we are at Cypress Trail in Mill Valley in a redwood forest.

From left: Niece Julia holding daughter Maxine and baby Doyle, sister Carol, and me.

Bay Area South: Monterey

We also visited the Monterey Aquarium, a couple hours south of San Francisco. It’s beautifully poised on one edge of Monterey Bay. The day we were there it was packed. I love going to museums filled with kids laughing and learning and having a good time.

I was amazed to see the diurnal (daytime) octopus.IUt has figured out how to open a jar, get the food out, then reseal the jar. Here’s a video of it:

This feat is but one more example of how (many, but not all) humans underestimate the intelligence of the fellow creatures on our planet.

The Monterey Aquarium also has a cool Seafood Watch app. You can check at a restaurant as you’re deciding what to order. The categories:

Best Choices: Buy first. They’re well managed and caught or farmed in ways that cause little harm to habitats or other wildlife.

Good Alternatives: Buy. But be aware there are concerns with how they’re caught or framed.

Avoid: Take a pass on these for now. They’re overfished or caught or farmed in ways that harm other marine life or the environment.

Download: Seafood Watch App

Global tally: Diurnal octopi score big for figuring out how to manipulate a human creation such as a jar. Humans score low for overfishing too many places.

Bay Area: One More Thing

Here’s another instance of human stupidity. Mine, in this case. I offer it to you in the form of a travel tip:

Don’t leave your cash card at the ATM.

Really.

I left San Francisco and just landed at the Osaka, Japan airport. There I took out my wallet to get my cash card to get some yen. And discovered the card wasn’t there. What?! I mentally retraced my steps. And now realized I’d left it at an ATM in Carmel, California.