Local Escapes: Crystal Cove State Park

I love exploring places close to home, I feel that I am fortunate to live in an area that boasts both majestic mountains and serene ocean scenes. On the coast of Southern California nestled between Laguna Beach and Newport Beach lies Crystal Cove, a state park and beach. I was excited about visiting the legendary tidepools, a magical place where many kinds of sea life abound.

Leaving My Heart In San Francisco (Again)

It seems that every time I visit San Francisco, I fall in love all over again. I once was fortunate enough to live in the city (as it is affectionately called) for seven years, and it still retains a special place in my heart. I'm not sure what I love more-- each neighborhood with its own unique personality or the open-minded attitude of many of its residents-- San Francisco is high on my list of towns I would love to live in again.

During the time I lived here I moved all over the city-- from the Outer Mission to Twin Peaks, then on to the Panhandle, crisscrossing across the city to South of Market, and finally up to Potrero Hill. And during that time I had never visited Lincoln Park, a beautiful piece of land on the northwestern corner of the city that was dedicated to President Abraham Lincoln in 1909. I was interested to discover that the land on which it stands was a cemetery in use in the 1860s, and in 1902 it was turned into a golf course. There was certainly no denying an eerie feeling as the sounds of fog horns filled the air, and I imagined this serene setting transformed into a graveyard filled with fog.

But the day was too beautiful and the sky too blue to linger on these thoughts for too long-- I was eager to explore this place I'd never visited before. Lincoln Park is located next to the Legion of Honor, and I was thrilled by the numerous views of the city. On one side was the Golden Gate Bridge, and on the other you could view downtown and City Hall. Even though I haven't left yet, I am already missing this magical city, this place that never ceases to amaze me. I promise myself that I will be back, that I will not wait so long this time. San Francisco is singing her siren's song, and I am listening.

Honoring the Legion of Honor

Also known as the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, this San Francisco monument and museum of fine arts conjures of images of Greek and Roman times. It was actually a gift from Alma de Bretteville Spreckels to the city of San Francisco. Located in Lincoln Park where the Pacific Ocean spills into San Francisco Bay, this majestic building is one of the city's greatest treasures. And even though I had previously lived in San Francisco for over seven years, I had never once visited the Legion of Honor. So I took the opportunity to capture some of its beauty.