The San Francisco Airport Marriott Hotel is Conveniently Close to Giants Baseball at AT&T Park

It doesn’t seem like a surprise that the San Francisco Giants have had a strong showing so far this 2010 season. Predicted to come out of the pre-season rested and ready, especially after a few years of being shut-out of the playoffs, the Giants have certainly proven themselves. With impressive pitching from the previously injured Lincecum, the Giants have become a frontrunner in the National League’s West Division. One of the oldest baseball teams in history, with the most wins in the history of baseball, the Giants are a team California can be very proud of.

AT&T Park in San Francisco’s China Basin (also known as McCovey Cove to true Giants fans,) provides spectators with great views of the bay and an atmosphere quintessential of northern California. The Giants frequently sell out the park, so it is a good idea to purchase tickets well in advance. About 14 miles south of AT&T Park, via scenic Route 101, is the San Francisco Airport Marriott hotel located in Burlingame, CA on the coast. Overlooking the bay of San Francisco, the hotel is ideal for exploring all of the outdoor recreation and activities the area has to offer.

Just a scenic drive south of AT&T Park and a stone’s throw away from the San Francisco International Airport, the hotel features incredibly relaxing guestrooms and upgraded amenities to make vacations comfortable.

Book one of the waterfront hotel’s 685 guestrooms featuring panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay, or a spacious suite, perfect for accommodating the entire family during vacations to the bay area. The hotel’s waterfront location is in close proximity to nearby golfing, downtown, the Fisherman’s Wharf and Chinatown. The San Francisco area hotel‘s in-house steal restaurant, Hangar Steak features a menu of prime steaks and seafood options for hearty meals before driving north for a baseball game. The hotel also features Flights 101 Lobby Lounge, a hip and modern  lounge highlighted by floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the San Francisco Bay, and a Starbucks coffee café.

Join the San Francisco Airport Marriott in cheering on the San Francisco Giants as the season continues and the Giants play toward a sixth World Series Championship. For more information about the San Francisco Airport Marriott please visit www.sanfranciscoairportmarriott.com.

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How to plan your trip to the United States ?

Well United States is one of the very best countries for everything you talk about. United States offers a never ending list of the top destination cities which are very famous for its attractions and for its excellent tourism profile.

Every year millions of tourist travel to United States for their holidays and vacations but do they really know how to plan a trip to United States that comes under your budget and gives you the best of your expense.

We can guide you to your journey to United States with all must visit top destinations.  There are so many things you would like to do and you would need when you are traveling to USA that includes places of tourist interest, Budget Hotels & Accommodations information, and obviously most famous cities to travel in a single state.

Although every state in USA is a very famous state and having too many top cities but you can start your trip with California, includes Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Napa Valley, Redwood National Park and Mount Shasta. These are the Top Destination that you love to see while traveling the California and then you can proceed to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego. These top 3 cities of CA will amaze you with their tourist attractions and kind of hospitality you will find for your stay.

When you visit any of these cities, you will surely need a good World Travel Guide which provides you nice guidence about  hotels and accommodation for your stay, there are plenty of options we have for you like booking.com, hotels.com, ebookers.com and many more but the best affordable rates you can find only on hotels2stay.net that gives you the best rates with instant confirmation for your booking.

So book your Cheap Hotels and trip to United States with hotels2stay.net and enjoy your vacation in United States with Great Chain of multi facilitated hotels.

A Glimpse At San Jose

Situated in the very south of the San Francisco Bay, San Jose is a beacon of technology, innovation and modern culture. With a population larger than that of neighboring San Francisco and one of the highest per family average incomes in the country, San Jose is the epicenter of Silicon Valley’s booming tech and dot-com business. Finding airfare to San Jose is also an excellent alternative for accessing the wonderful southern San Francisco Bay Area, including the beaches of Half Moon Bay, the wilderness of Año Nuevo State Reserve, and the halls of Stanford University.

A Hallmark of California Heritage

San Jose’s foundations go far deeper than just the modern tech industry of today; the affluent city is certainly not a sole anomaly of the 1990s dot-com explosion. Originally, El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe was established in 1777 as a Spanish colony central to Alta California. When California became a state in 1850, San Jose served as the Golden State’s first capital. The area surrounding San Jose remained largely agricultural until the transition of the 1970s economy established San Jose as the unofficial capital of Silicon Valley with the help of companies like IBM and Lockheed Martin.

Today, San Jose is the 10th largest city in the United States with the highest disposable income of any of those cities. Additionally, San Jose has been consistently ranked as the safest large city in the United States.

From Computers to Culture

The residents of San Jose have certainly invested a large amount of their time and money into public arts projects, municipal architectural innovations and an abundance of performing and classical art forums. They have also maintained a dedication to preserving their history, providing many more reasons to find your airfare to San Jose on cFares today. Downtown San Jose is bustling with exquisite fine dining, jumpin’ jazz clubs and some excellent boutique designer shopping. San Jose’s Center for Performing Arts invites you to indulge your senses with highly acclaimed shows ranging from ballet and symphony to opera and theater. While in downtown make sure to catch the one-of-a-kind Tech Museum of Innovation, featuring an IMAX theater, exceptional cutting-edge exhibits and hands-on activities to engage the children.

San Jose is the ideal starting point from which to explore the many beautiful regions of the southern peninsula and Pacific Coast. On your way out of town make sure to catch a sporting event at the HP Pavilion, which is home to the NHL Sharks and many Olympic trial events throughout the year. Spend an evening in a Bed and Breakfast along the Pescadero Coast and your way back, catch the sunset and explore the vineyards in nearby Saratoga.

From the founding history of California to the unknown innovations of tomorrow, San Jose has become a major center of burgeoning culture as well as access to the serene coastal communities that are characteristic of northern California’s Pacific Coast. Find airfare to San Jose and get your pass to all the understated wonders of San Francisco’s South Bay.

Final installment of this video.

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Come and see what Orange County and Southern California have to Offer!

Southern California is known through out America for its natural beauty and laid back culture.  Made iconic in the 1960’s by the Beach Boys, Gidget and the invention of fast food, Southern California lives in the hearts and minds of Americana even today.

One of the most famous areas in all of Southern California is Orange County.  Known for its unprecedented beauty and casual lifestyle, Orange County is home to some of Southern California’s most beautiful beaches.  These beaches offer a wide variety of activities for every taste.

If world class surfing is what your looking for, Huntington Beach is a must see.   Located in the northern part of Orange County, Huntington Beach lives up to its nickname Surf City, and is home to the US Open of surfing, one of the world’s largest surfing contests.  After catching some world-class waves you can enjoy fine Southern California cuisine and a nightlife that includes live music and comedy clubs.  

Orange County also offers a more relaxing type of beach going for those looking for something a little more serene.  Crystal Cove State Park is located on a beautiful stretch of California’s Pacific Coast Highway and offers three miles of Southern California coastline, wooded canyons, open bluffs and offshore waters designated as an underwater park.  Located between Laguna Beach and Corona Del Mar, Crystal Cove State Park also attracts bird watchers and mountain bikers from Orange County, Southern California and the world!

Just a stone’s throw from Crystal Cove is Laguna Beach, Southern California’s oldest art colony.  Home to famous artist such as Wyland, Laguna Beach has many remarkable art galleries. Be sure to take advantage of the free public trolley as you hop from gallery to gallery in this quaint Orange County community.  When you need to satisfy the rumbling of your belly, stop into Sapphire Laguna know for its comfort food inspired from around the world featuring the best Southern California has to offer.

Orange County is absolutely not a place to pass up when considering Southern California as a destination.

Let’s take a journey, find what you are looking for with Things to do in Orange County .  A great place to start your vacation or weekend plans: Things to do in Los Angeles.

Charming Mendocino’s Attraction is No Mystery

It’s no mystery that Mendocino is popular with tourists — after all, it was seen nationally for many years as the backdrop on television’s Murder She Wrote.

The series ran 12 years altogether, filming its last episode in 1996. During that time, 264 episodes were broadcast to millions of viewers each week, each segment serving up a good helping of scenery in and around Mendocino. Interestingly there were just nine episodes actually filmed in the town – the other 255 shows used stock exterior footage the producers grabbed while in town for those nine shoots.

When you visit this town for the first time, the seascape just reaches out and touches your spirit. It’s not just Mendocino – the entire stretch of coastline heading north into Mendocino yields view after view, each a little more spectacular than the last one. Driving this part of Highway 101, you really do have to make an extra effort to focus on your driving, lest you be lulled into some sort of meditative trance.

Mendocino is perched high on a bluff overlooking the vast Pacific. It’s a small town and really just what you would think a New England fishing village would look like. A mixture of Cape Cod architecture and historic storefronts gives the town an almost theme-town kind of appearance. Windswept trees, rolling grassy hills and steep cliffs are footsteps from the Village by way of several miles of coastal trails that are perfect for hiking and photography. Down below are remote beaches and the cragged, rocky shoreline.

In the Village you’ll find a variety of eclectic shops – unusual records, one-of-a-kind musical instruments, vintage toys, you name it — mingled with historic homes, inns and fine restaurants. With more than 60 movies filmed here, it seems like everybody has a movie connection of some sort. Blair House bed and breakfast was the fictional home of Jessica Fletcher, the character Angela Lansbury played in Murder She Wrote. Over at Heritage House, their claim to fame is that the inn was used as the setting for the movie Same Time Next Year. And so it goes.

Our accommodations for the night did not have a connection with the movies, although the popular MacCallum House bed and breakfast inn has a strong connection with Mendocino history. This house dates back to 1882 and was built by Alexander MacCallum, whose father-in-law was one of the first settlers in Mendocino. Eventually the house was turned into a bed-and-breakfast inn and went through a series of owners until it was purchased just two years ago by local residents Jed Ayres and Noah Sheppard.

The 30-something Ayres took a rather unconventional route from Mendocino high school student to proprietor of MacCallum House. He started in the hospitality business while he was still a college student, working summers at Heritage House as a waiter, bell hop and assistant manager. But after earning his MBA, he took a summer internship with computer reseller AmeriData that eventually led to a position as General Manager of the company’s Bay Area office supervising 100 employees and sales of million. From there, Ayres went on to an even more prominent position with a start-up DSL provider that, unfortunately, went out of business the next year. It was time for a decision.

“I wanted to move home and do something different and raise a family,” Ayres explains. And so it was then that he and longtime friend and local contractor Sheppard put the deal together to buy the MacCallum House, where Ayres had once worked. Ironically, they bought the restaurant from Alan Kantor, who had hired Ayres way back when as a dishwasher. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Kantor has remained with the restaurant and is today recognized as one of the best chefs in the area. Ayres has gone from dishwasher to semi-mogul, Mendocino’s version of Donald Trump.

In the short time that Ayres and Sheppard have owned the inn, occupancy has skyrocketed, due in part to the technical savvy that Ayres brings to internet marketing. The partners have gone on to buy more buildings including the well-known Reed Manor, which is the newest and perhaps most luxurious hotel in Mendocino. It’s now known as MacCallum Suites.

Our stay at MacCallum House was quiet and restful, and gave us a great chance to just walk down the block to visit the local merchants or to hike on over to the headlands where the trails offer breathtaking views of the coastline and the town itself. We stayed in the “Upper Barn Suite,” a second-floor unit in a building across the lawn from the main house. This is the largest room on the MacCallum property and enjoys views of the ocean. The unit features a private deck as well as a stone fireplace, wet bar, refrigerator and a large living room in addition to the bed, bath and kitchen areas. Furnishings are generally antique – or approaching antique.

Of course, dining at MacCallum House is a big part of the treat and, fortunately, we elected to have dinner there in addition to the breakfast that normally comes with your room. Both meals were well up to expectations. Breakfast for example, might include a Butternut Squash Omelet or Red Potatoes with Cremini Mushrooms or, the entree we tried, Lupe’s Breakfast Burrito, a delicious combination of apple-turkey sausage, scrambled eggs, white cheddar, onions, peppers and salsa on a fresh tortilla. Most of the dinner menu items highlight entrees that are regional and fresh.

After great food should come some exercise, and there is no shortage of places to hike in the Mendocino area. In addition to the previously mentioned trails, there are lots of areas where you can walk by rivers and streams and even enjoy Redwood forests. Near Mendocino, you’ll find a total of five state parks as well as five state beaches awaiting your exploration. The hikes range from casual to moderately challenging.

A slightly different kind of walk is available when the many local fine art galleries open their doors for special artist openings and group shows between the hours of 5 and 7 p.m. This is offered the second Saturday of each month. In fact, the beauty of Mendocino has always beckoned artists and the Mendocino Art Center will even teach you how to become an artist.

Finally, if you think you have to go to Napa to experience fine California wines, the Anderson Valley is an easy drive from Mendocino. Altogether there are 40 wineries and 16,000 acres of vineyards in Mendocino County. Anderson Valley, with its different climates at each end, offers excellent conditions for growing a variety of grapes.

Yes, the only mystery that Jessica Fletcher really can’t solve is how so much natural beauty ended up all in one place: Mendocino, California. AT A GLANCE

WHERE: Mendocino is about 150 miles north of San Francisco and is reached by taking Highway 101 north, then Highway 128 northwest to the coast. Scenery abounds once you get on 128.

WHAT: Mendocino is one of several Northern California Coast destinations that each offer spectacular views and a special coastal charm. Mendocino is perhaps one of the most scenic, which is why it has been used as a backdrop in more than 60 movies. When you think of a California vacation, the coast often comes to mind and this is one of the most scenic stretches of coast in the entire state.

WHEN: Any time of year. Summer is warmer of course, but any time of year is subject to fog along the coast. If rough weather hits, Mendocino is more protected from flooding than most communities in the area – but it’s still near the water and can get storms off the Pacific. A lot of people consider the weather part of the charm. Be sure and check out travel deals and vacation packages during certain times of the year that are considered to be the “off-season.”

WHY: Great scenery and atmosphere plus some of the nicest accommodations on the coast.

HOW: For more information on MacCallum House, go to www.maccallumhouse.com or phone 800-609-0492.

Vacation Destinations: Top Fantasy Retreats

Indulgence is all about taking your vacation in style and living life as a fantasy. A must to escape from daily grind and give beat to burnout, choose any luxury packages to luxurious hotels and retreat in the world where you will live a life like a dream come true. Just make a fantasy of your desires and wishes and list down below are bound to make it real and oh so happening and the world of this place is for you to take at some price and your every whim shall be taken care of.

Vacation destinations Hotel Marqués de Riscal, Spain : Imagined yourself where there is wine and more wine wherever you see. Hotel Marqués de Riscal, Spain will let you live a life of wine connoisseur, which is hidden deep in Rioja region. Here there is indulgence in elixir, from the vineyards view surrounding the retreat and have the pleasures of tasting best wines. Since 1980, designed by architectural brilliance Frank Gehry, this is wine’s love haven from the time you check in and to time you check out, you will be in kicked in world of fantasy. You won’t even think about spirits and mixers, but will enjoy delicious meals served with wine sauce. And then move on to the The Wine Bar Vinoteca for nightcap or two and gulp in some more delectable wines. And on waking up there is sore head, The Caudalíe Vinothérapie® Spa will take care and there you again indulge in exclusive wine therapy massages and treatments. Don’t drink their spa dry!

Vacation destinations Hilton São Paulo Morumbi, São Paulo, Brazil : Fantasy of living like some President or Prime Minister will cease and become alive here. Hilton São Paulo Morumbi, São Paulo, Brazil which offers this dream package at ,500 and live Like A Mogul. Immerse yourself in presidential lifestyle, beginning and ending with helicopter ride to and fro from São Paulo and ending at drop at Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport. On arrival you will be welcomed with Champagne and chocolate and then presented with key to Presidential Suite. Award winning chefs serving you dinner for romantic two, and sleep on Fretté sheets for such a good night. And in morning you need not do anything of presidential duties , but have a presidential breakfast and then wrap in Hilton dressing gown head on to having a presidential treatment in Sensory Spa, done by masseuses who are Brazilian beauty and indulge in massages, foot treatments, body scrubs and facials, as many as you like. When going for sight seeing, your personal chopper will be awaiting ready to ferry you round the city and have power trip.

Vacation destinations Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur India : Want to be a Maharaja- that’s emperor and live life king size and sleep in a bed that can accommodate some four to five couples and yet there be space? In a very picturesque location of Udaipur, Rajasthan in India, A palace like hotel which is set afloat in Lake Pichola, an abode of Taj Hotels, resorts and palaces. Feel like a maharaja- king of world, in the palace hotel amidst the Aravalli Mountains. Gleaming white marble structure, with majestic suites having stunning murals, exotic carpets, sweeping arches, claw-foot bathtubs and maharaja-size beds. And this can be seen and experienced only in India. And you will love and have the pleasure of ‘Hookah’ or being fanned by pretty Indian girl in sari; laze on chaise lounge and everything there are vibrant. Take a ride on decorated camel; pamper yourself with princely massages at Taj Spa. At night admire the brightly lit palace and take a romantic walk in the fountain lined courtyards. You will feel like Alladin and there will be so many genie’s out there to serve to your every need. Also enjoy the traditional folk and dance performed for you and dinning on exotic cuisine of India will be do delectable and you may ask for fireworks to go to show your princess jasmine and have a romantic and passionate night in your candle lit suite.

Vacation destinations ICEHOTEL, Jukkasjärvi, Sweden: You may live in New York or California or Paris or Singapore but you may have dreamed a life where you are an Eskimo, living in such a cold place and keep on snuggling to feel cozy and living in a place made up of ice. Wow, that’s not a fantasy or dream coz this has been made possible and into a reality. Enter yourself into the world famous and brilliant marvel of design and idea that’s ICEHOTEL which is in Jukkasjärvi, some 200 km in northern of the Arctic Circle in Sweden. Absolutely amazing and mind blowing fantasy retreat. Well I have only one word for it and that’s Astonishing, mimicking the construction idea and methods of nose kissing ancestors, the place is completely made up of ice. I mean, every thing, from the reception desk that shall greet you to the bed of ice for passionate love on it. The whole place is made up of ice from River Torne. As you check in, you shall be wrapped in warming furs. But its not just eyes blocks that makes the hotel, the décor of hotel is done in breathtaking and beautiful arts which are dotted around hotel. Heading on Icebar is first thing people do after donning on warm garbs, sipping on cocktails in the glasses made up of ice. As you may start feeling too cold and cannot even feel as if you have your feet below, go to warm up in ICEHOTEL restaurant which is only structure there which is not made up of ice but serves delicious local delicacies on ice slabs. You may unwind here, in a very elegant stylish restaurant before heading to cold or hot accommodation as per your choice. The retreat also has exciting and fun filled activities like ice sculpting, ice fishing, snowmobile rides and snowshoe excursions. But the best and most romantic sight is to watch the glittering northern lights in the sky together.

Vacation destinations Samudra, Byron Bay, Australia: Surfing paradise and Yoga retreat, Samudra, Byron Bay, Australia will serve your desire to ride on waves and feel the solidarity within. One of the best places on earth to catch the waves is Down Under, despite of Great Whites intimidating under the surface yet the water is lovely with such a panoramic view of vast and deep ocean. Byron Bay Manor, a retreat that combines surf and yoga at superb place of Samundra, you will be flying to relax as well as for having surfing adventure at the luxurious and lavish Byron Bay. This fantasy retreat is situated in New South Wales, Australia in some twenty seven acres of verdant grounds. The place has a distinct ambiance, a student bohemian vibe and suiting to surfer dude’s lifestyle. Here you may get a good training on surfing, initially you may not stand up but by the time you are about to live you may be doing like Kelly Slater. Invigorating Yoga in early morning is ritual of Manor, and then heading on the pristine golden sandy beach. Other then Surfing and yoga, you can simply relax at solar heated pool, which has just the right temperature which will sooth your nerves and in spa for treatment and massage that will take away all your anxious worries. You can even unwind with a book or sit in the ocean view verandah while seeing the sun going down in Samundra. Also a very good chance to improve on your billiards technique and challenge people back home.

vacation destinations for fancy retreats will rejuvenate and reinvigorate you for back to daily life and memories of these exotic destinations will be like a talisman that will keep making you go on other fancy retreat on the list.

Point Reyes: Perfect for Long Walks and Scenery

Travel just an hour north from San Francisco and it’s like you’ve gone overseas ? there at the end of the picturesque, winding road through such quaint towns as San Anselmo, you come to a preserved part of the California coastline that looks like it came right out of a commercial for Irish Spring.

But this is not Ireland. This is the Point Reyes Seashore, a couple walking along the road an awe-inspiring landscape that brings together the land and the sea in a concoction sure to stimulate the senses. Broad, sweeping, rolling hills of green work their way to the craggy cliffs that signal the beginning of the Pacific Ocean. Best of all, this area is relatively untouched by man. Altogether there are 125 miles of trails and most times you won’t be bothered by droves of other tourists.

A weekend away and a world apart might be a good way to summarize a getaway to the Pointe Reyes Seashore, a startling contrast with the metropolitan area that is so close to the south. In fact, once you cross the Golden Gate Bridge, or perhaps the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge coming from the East Bay area, there is a definite line of demarcation between city and country. Oh, there are cities up here all right ? but it’s obvious this part of the Bay area was built up by people who wanted to leave the bustle of the city behind them when they retreated from a demanding day at the office.

One of the scenic ways to reach the Point Reyes Seashore is to cross on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and turn off on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, a slow, meandering two-lane road that weaves in between the forested hills and mountains of Marin County and other locales north of San Francisco. Once we exited onto Sir Francis Drake, we passed a bay full of ferryboats waiting to return to the city to bring commuters home for the evening. Then the road took us deeper into forests that we never realized were there.

If antiques are your passion, this Northern California vacation itinerary must include a stop in San Anselmo. More than 130 antique dealers are tucked into just a few blocks of this inviting small town where tree-lined streets and historic architecture suggest a quiet, simple life enhanced by the natural beauty of the forested hills and many nearby vistas.

A little further up the road is the Samuel P. Taylor State Park with its 2,700 acres of redwood forests and grassland. It’s a quiet place to stop a boat lying on its side on landor a picnic. Enjoy the sounds of the babbling brook, the wind gently rustling the trees and the scenic splendor that made this the first park in California that was set aside specifically for city people to go visit.

Just about an hour’s drive from the San Francisco Bay, we reached our base of operations while in the Point Reyes area ? the Point Reyes Seashore Lodge. While not actually on the seashore ? there are no lodgings on this part of the coast ? this comfortable country inn is located very close to the action. The Seashore area’s Bear Valley Visitor Center is just a two-minute drive from the lodge, and the town of Point Reyes is only a little bit farther.

Even without the seashore nearby, the Point Reyes Seashore Lodge is an enchanting retreat of its own with its unique architecture ? kind of a cross between a Cape Cod mansion and a modern hunting lodge ? and its peaceful grounds. The lodge is located in the tiny town of Olema, where Sir Francis Drake meets Coastal Highway 1. There are a couple of restaurants in town and not much else, but our suite at the lodge offered a warm fire, plenty of reading materials and a gorgeous view from our balcony overlooking the lawns, walkways and streams that are all part of the inn’s two-acre backyard.

After settling in, we took one look at the sunny weather and decided it was time to quickly make our way out to the far reaches of the Point Reyes Seashore ? about a 45-minute drive from the inn ? where we wanted to visit the famed Point Reyes Lighthouse. Weather in this part of California is a little tricky. Fog can come at any time of the year, although the tendency in winter is for it to be foggy in the interior, yet clear out on the coastline. In summer, that often is reversed.

During our winter visit, we enjoyed clear views all the way out to the Seashore as we drove along the “Irish” countryside, making our way ever closer to the spectacular cliffs leading to the sea. Along the two-lane country road, Point Reyes Lighthouse encountered several historic dairy farms that the National Park Service is allowing operators to maintain. Fascinating to us were the numbers of deer we were encountering throughout the area ? not just a deer or two, but clusters of them and all pretty tame.

Along the way to the lighthouse, we saw several signs for roads leading to the park’s many beaches. We took a little side trip down to Drake’s Beach where it is surprising to see, on this pristine beach, a National Park Service restaurant. This and other Point Reyes beaches are wilderness beaches that seem to put you in tune with Nature. An airplane could have you in San Francisco in 10 minutes ? but this felt like the other side of the world.

At the end of the road was the lighthouse, an easy?if slightly uphill?15-minute walk from where vehicles are parked. The lighthouse is way out on a cliff and, just beyond, there are miles and miles of open sea. From the Lighthouse Visitor Center it is a 308-step walk down to the lighthouse ? which is also 308 steps back up. Many visitors are content to enjoy the views from the observation area. On the day we were there, those views included several migrating whales that are easily visible with binoculars.

Near the lighthouse are several trails that take you out to breathtaking ledges where there the powerful sea washes onto the rocky coastline hundreds of feet below.

After a fair amount of exploring, we next drove our way back to the Bear Valley Visitor Center to get some maps and information for further exploration of the preserve. It soon became obvious that our quick overnight trip to Point Reyes would only scratch the surface of the natural attractions in this area. In the north part of the preserve, for example, you can find herds of elk. Or you can take a short walk from the Visitor Center up to Kule Loklo, a replica of a Coast Miwok Indian Village.

We took a little hike from the Visitor Center along the Earthquake Trail, where the path follows the San Andreas fault line. It’s incredible when you see just how much the ground moved during the 1906 earthquake — the two sections now are 20 feet apart.

AT A GLANCE

WHERE: Point Reyes National Seashore is just an hour’s drive north of the San Francisco Bay area. It’s easy to include in any Northern California vacation itinerary.

WHAT: The park is an expansive area that, for the most part, has been left untouched by man and offers a close-up look at the rugged natural beauty of the California coastline.

WHEN: Year-round. Temperatures in the area are moderate, although fog can develop. Always check for travel deals and vacation packages during the shoulder seasons. Last minute travel deals are sometimes possible, depending upon the lodging operator.

WHY: The park provides easy access to a wide variety of trails and natural attractions sure to appeal to visitors of all ages. There are other attractions not too far away: Drive inland a ways and you’ll start to come across several California wineries. Even the big city’s not far away with San Francisco just an hour’s drive. If you’re looking for variety, this is a great place to go for your Northern California vacation.

HOW: For more information on Point Reyes National Seashore, go to www.nps.gov/pore/. For more information on Point Reyes Seashore Lodge, phone (415) 663-9000 or visit www.pointreyesseashore.com.

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Travel Photography Tips – How To Take Great Pictures

Taking good pictures on your family vacation is pretty easy when you know some basic photography skills. Here you will find some really simple things you can do to take your travel photos from so-so to fabulous.

Add Some Drama
You can add interest and visual appeal to your pictures by adding some drama to your pictures. One way to add drama is to show scale. You can do this by adding people or natural features to your photographs of big things like monuments, landscapes or the world’s biggest Redwood.

Clean up the Clutter
In the excitement of seeing so much of interest, it’s easy to forget about the background. But before you press the shutter release, always take a look at the image you’re photographing. Simply by changing positions slightly or changing your angle, you may be able to eliminate background clutter like billboards or power lines.

Take Pictures of the Locals
No matter where you are traveling in the world, learn how to say some basic things like “May I please take your picture?” in the local language. Offer to send those you photograph a copy so make sure to have a small notebook or pencil to jot down names, addresses or emails.

Unique and Candid Photos
Candid pictures are great when traveling but don’t forget to take the occasional portrait of the the family in front of a special landmark or beautiful scenery. Don’t forget to get in the vacation pictures too by using the self timer or remote shutter.

Always take pictures of things that interest you instead of taking pictures of things “you have to take” like those shown on postcards in the gift store. You can always buy some postcards to add to your travel souvenirs and save the really unique subjects for your photographs. Unusual subjects always make great travel photos so always keep an eye out for these unique photo opportunities.

Every Photo Has a Story
You may want to tell your vacation story by using your photographs from the time you departed to your return home so make sure to capture these moments too. Include highlights like your campground neighbors,an unusual meal you had, activities, the look on a family member’s face when he or she saw something for the first time. After you get home and upload the pictures, select the best ones to tell the story of your trip and then proudly frame it on your wall.

Recruit Additional Picture Taking Help
If you are traveling with children, give each child a camera (use disposables for the young ones) and encourage them to take pictures too.

And when you get home, you’ll be sure to have a great selection of pictures to put in a collage frame and hang on the wall. Make sure to take notes while on your trip, so you’ll have everything you need to write photo captions after you get home.

Camera Care and Maintenance
If you have any plans for being around water, make sure to bring a one time use or waterproof camera.The salt water and sand from the beach can seriously damage or ruin your camera so be extra careful no matter what type of camera you’re using.

Remember that even for the most experienced pros, not every picture will be a keeper, so bring extra memory cards unless you have a way to upload your photos while your away.
Always remember to recharge the batteries and replace the memory card every day so you can be ready for whatever photo opportunity comes your way. By doing this, you’ll be ready to go in the morning!

As you can see, taking great travel and vacation pictures can be a lot of fun and relatively easy just by following these seven tips. And, by the time you return home you will have a lot of fantastic pictures to share with your friends and family.

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Vacation Holiday In Japan Travel Guide

Thinking of a holiday vacation in exotic Asia but does not know where to go? This travel guide article introduces you to Japan, the country in which you can find buzzing cities where you can shop and party till the wee small hours of the morning or if you prefer, visit Japan’s almost nature perfect countryside and marvel at its awesome natural beauty.

Japan, or sometimes referred to as “Land of the rising sun” is an island nation located in north-eastern Asia between the northern Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan.

The country has a land mass of approximately 377,870 sq km (145 896 sq miles) which is just a tad smaller than the state of California.

The country is made up of four major island groups with more than 4,000 smaller islands surrounding the big four islands of Hokkaido to the north, Honshu, the main island, Shikoku which is the smallest of the four and Kyushu, as the southernmost island.

Japan has a very homogenous culture and thus it is not surprising that there is only one official written and spoken language. However, to the delight of tourists and business travelers, many Japanese are able to understand English and speak the language to a certain extent albeit with heavy accent as can be seen in some Hollywood movies.

The reason why many so Japanese can speak English is that the English language is the only foreign language all Japanese must learn as part of compulsory school education program.

Japan has a population of over 125 million people and most Japanese live in densely populated urban areas such as Tokyo which is the capital of Japan. Tokyo has a population of about 12 million people.

Tokyo,is a marvelous city of stark contrast which makes it as a very interesting and exciting city to tour. Tourists on holiday vacation are often enchanted with the glitzy lights of nightlife downtown Shibuya and Roppongi, homes to wonderful international and local restaurants, theme bars and karaoke clubs to dazzle you in contrast to the the tranquil serenity of Buddhist temples and sleepy side streets, where quaint local antique stores and old cafes beckon.

Tokyo is also home to the first Disneyland theme park in Asia. The other one being in Hong Kong.

Many tourists regard Japan as a food paradise haven. Japanese food is not only well known for its health benefits, it is also famous throughout the world for its painstaking presentation. It is certainly a culinary delight to indulge in Japanese food.

You can find traditional smoky yakitori stalls where customers sit around makeshift tables, drinking ice-cold beer as the sun sets on a hot summer day, to high class restaurants, where kimono clad waitresses serve the freshest sushi and sashimi.

The quality and the variety of food in Japan are so vast that you can hardly find such wide diversity and quality of food anywhere else in the world.

Traditionally, having lunch would have been from the homemade bento box, however many Japanese restaurants these days are encouraging the trend to eat out at midday by offering great lunch set meals. This may include sushi sets with miso soup and green tea.

Most Japanese have theirlunch seated by the counter so that they can watch the chef in action preparing freshly cut sushi served on a bamboo leaves.

Tokyo is usually the landing city for vacationing tourists visiting Japan and is the launching pad to other tourist attractions in this amazing country.

So if you are a tourist on a holiday vacation who loves taking in sights of natural wonders, who loves great food and plenty of nightlife action, then Japan could be your ideal holiday destination in exotic Asia.

Been at the computer too long? Need a little break? Take this 1-minute vacation. Look, listen and imagine yourself on a hike to Cascade Falls in Mill Valley, California. Then you can get back to work.
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The Do’s and Don’ts of Houseboating

There’s a certain sense of adventure you feel the first time you board your own houseboat, crank up the engines and set off for places unknown.

It’s almost like you want to run up to the front of the boat, position your arms like wings and yell out something like “I’m the king of the…..” – well you get the idea.

Having graduated later to driving yachts in Puget Sound, we realize now our houseboating experience was a relatively simple, low-risk way to sample big boating. There is a minimum of fuss, complete on-the-spot training and, for crying out loud, the marina operators will even take your boat in and out of the docking area if you still feel a little uneasy about having anything near your boat other than water.

Back when we began houseboating in the mid-80’s, we used to refer to the experience as driving your RV on the water. Today, with a trend toward larger boats and much more luxury, it’s more like taking your whole house on the water. We would never have imagined that new boats would be built with hot tubs and home theaters included, as well as multiple bathrooms — very important if you have a large group on your boat?

Of course all those distractions come in handy when you load up the boat — as most people do — with friends, relatives and anyone who will pay a few bucks to offset the cost of renting your boat. Sometimes as many as 14 people may be staying on a boat and, as one marina operator explained, not all such unions stand the strain of a week in close quarters:

“It doesn’t happen very often,” says Yvonne Cantrell of Houseboats.com, “but we have seen a few boats come back early and drop some of their passengers off.”

Moral of the story: Choose your boatmates carefully. The kids will be fine because they’ll spend all their time in the water anyway. The wife or husband’s okay, too. Close friends usually are fine if you’ve pre-qualified them with another overnight trip. Inlaws may be questionable.

The burning question for a lot of people is whether they need boating experience to go houseboating. A lot of houseboaters have experience with small boats but about 30 percent have no boating experience at all. However, customer surveys show that a high percentage of those non-boaters have brought along someone with boating experience. (Please refer to choosing boatmates above: if the inlaws boat, they have permission to come aboard).

The other important question, of course, is why? It may be a lot simpler – and cheaper — just to pack up a tent or two and park you and your family by a lake someplace for a week. But houseboating is special. The houseboating experience is part travel, part leisure and part adventure because the lake or Delta always looks a little different from the next camp spot. Each place you beach your boat you’ll find a completely different place to explore with entirely new memories and photo opportunities.

Getting back to the RV analogy, the allure of houseboating really is similar. The freedom of choosing a different port of call each night – or several in any given day – brings spice and variety to your vacation experience. And driving that big boat through those waterways and along those shorelines is like playing ferryboat captain when you were a kid. The water activities are endless – especially if you bring your ski boat or rent one from the marina – while hiking and exploring also are a big part of your houseboat vacation. And, of course the non-stop barbecues put those pounds back on just as fast as your many activities will burn them off.

All this fun does have a price tag and that price can vary tremendously by season, the area you’re visiting, size of boat and the number of people on your trip. Not counting fuel costs, and figured at maximum occupancy, Cantrell says the prices range between per person per night for a six-person boat during winter months on the Delta to per person per night for a large fully-equipped 14-passenger boat that is booked for summer on Shasta Lake.

In California, there are numerous lakes and waterways where you can find houseboat rentals, but a larger selection of marinas can be found at Shasta Lake, Trinity Lake, New Malones, Lake McClure, Don Pedro Lake, and the California Delta.

Shasta Lake

If you’ve ever driven to Oregon, you’ve probably driven right through the Shasta Lake area, a houseboat haven popular with visitors from all over the West Coast. The lake is surprisingly warm in the summer – 77 degrees on average. In addition to water activities such as water skiing, jet skiing and parasailing, the lake also is known for good fishing. Altogether, the lake has 375 miles of shoreline in a picturesque mountain setting.

Trinity Lake

This quiet, secluded lake is located just to the west of Lake Shasta. The mountain scenery is spectacular in the Salmon-Trinity Primitive Area, which covers 283,000 acres. The lake has 145 miles of shoreline. Air temperatures can reach into the 80s and 90s while the water temperature can get up to the 80s. The fishing is great – you can catch smallmouth and largemouth bass, catfish, kokanee and rainbow and brown trout.

New Melones

If you are looking for a more remote houseboat experience, New Melones is one of the state’s newest lakes and is located in California’s Central Sierra Gold Country. The lake was first filled in 1983 and offers 12,500 surface acres of water as well as more than 100 miles of scenic shoreline. Anglers consider New Melones one of the best for trout, bass, crappie and catfish. Wildlife is also abundant onshore.

Lake McClure

Lake McClure is just downstream from the Yosemite Valley and offers 7,100 surface acres as well as more than 80 miles of scenic shoreline. Another lake known for excellent fishing, anglers catch trout, blackbass, spotted bass, crappie, bluegill and catfish. Wildlife such as eagles, heron and hawks are highly visible. Lake McClure is surrounded by the Gold Rush towns of Jamestown, Coulterville, Mariposa, Sonora and Columbia (an 1860’s state historic park).

Don Pedro Lake

Near Lake McClure is Don Pedro Lake, about 35 miles east of Modesto. It is the fifth largest reservoir in California and altogether boasts 13,000 surface acres. The lake is 26 miles long and features 160 miles of shoreline.

The California Delta

In Central California, the California Delta attracts visitors year-round. This fresh-water system of waterways is comprised of agricultural islands that actually sit below sea level, but are protected by a system of levees. Five major rivers flow into the Delta, including the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. One website refers to the Delta as a “Huck Finn kind of existence” with historic river towns that are little changed from the Gold Rush era. The Delta includes more than 1000 miles of waterways. There are draw-bridges that open to allow boats to pass through, and you can share the waters with ocean-going vessels, sailboats and paddle boats. The Delta boasts excellent fishing in spring and summer.

The area is easily accessed in Sacramento or Stockton – where Old Town and the Stockton Waterfront, respectively, offer visitor attractions and restaurants. Geographically, the Delta is also convenient for many San Francisco Bay area residents. It’s therefore a busier place than most California houseboating options and has more than 100 marinas and waterside resorts plus 50 boat launching facilities.

At a Glance

WHERE: In California, you’ll find houseboating lakes concentrated mostly in the central and north central parts of the state. Most offer spectacular scenery, whether from the foothills or the mountain ranges of Northern California.

WHAT: Houseboats offer a glimpse into the world of big boating and are a great vacation option for families and those searching for something a little unusual, but still relatively close to home.

WHEN: The Delta offers a year-round experience, while other locations generally highlight late spring, summer and early fall. Prices are highest in the summer, lowest in winter. The spring and summer shoulder seasons offer a lower price with still-reasonable weather.

WHY: Houseboating is part adventure, part recreation and combines a camping-like experience with luxurious amenities.

HOW: There are several marinas and companies statewide that offer a variety of houseboat experiences. For an overview, go to www.houseboats.com and www.houseboatrentals.com, or do a Google search for houseboats and the location you are considering. For general information by phone, call 877-468-7326.

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