BRENTWOOD HIDES A LITTLE-KNOWN BIKE SPORT
IMAGINE MOUNTAIN BIKING in a construction dump where you traverse heaps of jagged rocks, tilted pallets and jumbled logs. Think about the teeth-jarring, white-knuckled precision, that perfect exhilarating balance of body and bike. Think about the ultimate “Look, ma, no hands or feet,” except in this case no part of…
HIKING TRAILS GIVE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ON HONG KONG MINUTES FROM URBAN CHAOS, PLACID PARKLANDS OFFER A GETAWAY
WHEN I went to Hong Kong five years ago — my first visit since I left at 6 months old — the dense chaotic landscape exhilarated me. This year, it seemed Hong Kong’s return to China and the Asian economic crisis had sped up an already maddening pace. The jackhammer…
CELEBRATING THE PERSIAN NEW YEAR; WHILE MOST OF THE HOLIDAY IS STAY-AT-HOME, SATURDAY’S PUBLIC EVENT INCLUDES AN ARRAY OF MUSIC
Intimate celebrations for family and friends have just begun, but the time for a public party comes this Saturday. No-Rooz, the Persian New Year, began on Monday, the first day of spring, and the celebration lasts two weeks. That gives people time to renew friendships, make up with enemies and…
SPRING SHOWERS BRING GREAT WATERFALLS; MOUNT DIABLO HIKE TAKES YOU TO THREE (COUNT ‘EM, THREE) PICTURESQUE CASCADES
It hasn’t rained enough this year. Oh, I can hear the yelps now. Friends have threatened to renounce their acquaintance with me when I suggest taking a leisurely walk during a mild downpour. Then they go on snarling about traffic jams, the mudslides that sweep away roads and houses, and…
HOSTEL-HOPPING; THE BAY AREA AND BEYOND IS FRIENDLY HOSTEL TERRITORY FOR ALL AGES
IN THE BAY AREA, where space, time and money are all at a premium, we often plan bite-size vacations: backyard getaways, day trips, weekend escapes. Fortunately for us, the opportunities for natural beauty and urban distractions are never exhausted. Still, living here is expensive, as are the brief respites: For…
NAPA VALLEY’S SPRINGTIME DELIGHTS REALLY CUT THE MUSTARD
As a teetotaler, I sometimes feel I can never fully appreciate Napa Valley. Yes, there is still much for the abstemious to admire. We can delight in the rustic homeliness of vineyard houses or the newer, bolder architectural grandeur. We can bike through country roads that arc over jewel-green hillsides….
PETALUMA PIECES OLD WITH NEW
Wet weather was made for attic exploration. As a barrage of raindrops thump steadily on the roof, you stumble about the family antiquities. Some are puzzling fragments that you attempt to piece together to re-create a civilization long buried. Some are true treasures, wrapped in layers of cloth and wood…
READY FOR SENSORY OVERLOAD? TRY POINT LOBOS RESERVE
There are no wolves in Point Lobos State Reserve. True, Lobos translates from Spanish to “wolves.” The original name, Punta de los Lobos Marinos, granted sometime in the 19th century, refers to the “sea wolves,” or the sea lions lazily sunning themselves in a heap offshore from Sea Lion Point….
ENTER THE DRAGON; CREATURE USHERS IN CHINESE NEW YEAR
THOUGHT YOUR Y2K worries were over? Welcome to the year of the Angry Dragon. Saturday is the first day of the Chinese year 4698. Twelve animals represent the Chinese zodiac cycle, and this year, the Golden Dragon takes the astrological reign. You see, the cycle repeats every 60 years, and…