The USS Hornet became one of the most decorated ships in naval history. The ship recovered Apollo 11 space capsule which contained the first men to walk on the moon. The Hornet is reputed to be haunted.

Every year they have an exhibit of European Trains

www.railtown1897.org

Kids of all ages will enjoy the Aquarium in Monterey. It’s an easy day trip from the Bay Area, though I highly recommend an overnight stay in the Monterey/Carmel Area.

Asilomar is a delightful place to stay. It’s the State of California Convention Grounds... which sounds awful, but is actually a lovely place designed by Juila Morgan

8260 Boeing Street Building
#621 North Field, Oakland Airport
Oakland CA

510-638-7100

Also http://www.aerospace.org

USS Pampanito, a fully restored WW II Submarine. History buffs, and those wanting to honor the generation which saved the world, should visit the USS Pampanito in San Francisco, the USS Hornet in Alameda, the USS Potomac in Jack London Square, and the Jermiah O’Brien.. one of the last remaining Liberty Ships

They have limited hours - 11 AM to 4 PM Friday/Saturday/Sunday, so be sure to check the web site before visiting

It'a an attractive museum with interesting special exhibits. Two other things make the museum special.... a spectacular set of Rodin sculptures, and a stoneworks installation by Andy Goldsworthy. Go see Rivers & Tides if you'd like to be fascinated by his installations. The movie is both intriguing and boring... and I stayed through the entire thing. (It actually was the last movie I saw at Berkeley's Fine Arts Theater before it was torn down to be resurrected in a few years as part of a mixed use comples at Shattuck and Haste.

Madison Hardware is long gone, my mom left the apartment in the late 90’s, and I hadn’t played with trains (politically incorrect expression amongst model railroaders) till my 51st birthday, when I bought a Kato N Scale train set. I moved the computers out of the home office, and it’s now the train room shared by me and Lucy The Cat (aka Catzilla)

That’s a long prelude to tell you that the best model railroad in the East Bay (not counting the outstanding setup in Walnut Creek) is the Golden State Model RR Museum.

They have a wonderful N Scale setup, a large O scale under construction, a particulary delightful HO Scale model, and an extraordinary traction (aka streetcar) layout representing 40th and Piedmont Avenue.

Go!

If you're in a hurry, the easiest way to get to Portola is via Reno

The museum is housed in a Carnegie Library. It’s in an iffy neighborhood

http://www.californiastaterailroadmuseum.org

http://members.aol.com/raycash/sidewalk.htm

http://members.aol.com/chelleb/sfaa.htm

Everything a budding scientist would love

http://www.mocfa.org/

Greens, an excellent vegetarian restaurant, is a delightful place to dine.

I spent one special night there several years ago... looking at a “live” telecast of a Total Solar Eclipse over Turkey. It was an intimate affair - me and thousands of other folks at 4 AM!

Speaking of intimate... the Tactile Dome is a special place. In one of my last acts as a member of Mensa, I had the fun of a nude trip through the tactile dome. My lips are sealed. It was a very 60’s thing do do, but I did it in 1978.

Frank Oppenheimer was a (the?) founder of The Exploratorium. His brother J Robert is better known for managing the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Sam Waterston did an extraordinary portral of him in “Oppenheimer - An American Tragedy”

For the 4th of July 2003 we took a cruise aboard the SS Jeremiah O'Brien from San Francisco to Stockton. I got to meet President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, listen to a Jazz Band (in addition to Big Band Sounds on my iPod) and had an all around great time!

The best deal in town (other than the Peet’s $20 coffee card) is the West Coast Live Double Header

Go to Sedge Thomson’s West Coast live radio show (www.wcl.org) when they play at SFMOMA, and the $10-12 admission charge includes admission to the museum

Sedge’s show is outstanding- the variety of guests is remarkable, and he’s one of the finest interviewers around (even better than Terry Gross, of Fresh Air). I can’t think of anyone who interviews people better. Sedge is extremely well prepared (and we often hear the guests say that they heard that he was good). An interesting side light is watch the frustration of the producer as they try to signal Sedge that he’s out of time, and he keeps on going.

We’ve had the pleasure of seeing Steve Allen, Sammy Cahn and other delightful guests over the years, and have hosted several Client Appreciation Parties at the show

Tune in KALW 91.7 FM Saturday 10 AM to Noon to listen to the show

Then plan a trip to “see” live radio. You’ll not regret it

Stop by this museum when you visit the Winchester Mystery House

It’s a remarkable home - beautiful details, staircases that go nowhere, cabinets which are an inch deep, and a maze of rooms and hallways.

Go see it!

www.intel.com/go/museum

Are you a railroad buff? Denver and environs has a lot to offer you. The Colorado Railroad Museum in nearby in Golden (yes... home of Coors Beer). Along the Front Range south of Denver (through Colorado Spring?), the BNSF and UP share trackage. About 100 miles north of Denver is Cheyenne, Wyoming... site of the UP Transcontinental Rail Line... and home to another 4-8-8-4 Big Boy in a park east of town.

1-800-365-6263