Why not San Francisco? For one thing, the internet doesn’t need another travel site pointing out must-see attractions in The City that everyone knows about.
This is not to say that all places worth visiting in San Francisco are well-trodden and of the magnitude of the Golden Gate Bridge.
But big or small, they are in San Francisco. Visiting them inevitably is demanding because of the city’s traffic, density, and popularity, not to mention its steep hills.
Looking outside of San Francisco has much to recommend it, particularly since I write about quirky, interesting, and unhyped places that are less often visited.
Besides being interesting, the quieter places are more relaxing than big-time destinations, and I hope to reach readers who share those preferences.
I have been a tourist throughout my life. As a kid, I went on cross country trips during the summer in the family’s Ford station wagon that allowed Dad, a young business professor, to attend career-building meetings and projects in his field.
By the time I was 12, I already had been in most of the 45 states and half-dozen Canadian provinces that I count today.
At 16 I sailed alone from New York on the SS Aurelia, an old Italian liner billed as a “student ship,” to Le Havre, France. I then proceeded to tour Europe on a Eurail Pass.
The family spent the year in The Netherlands near Utrecht where Dad was teaching. My parents, whose wanderlust was lifelong, bought a Volkswagen van, and the family took frequent road trips throughout Europe, including a few “Iron Curtain” countries.
As a working adult, I traveled during my vacations and for business. Now retired, I am exploring my own backyard in the Bay Area where I have lived since 1974.