When people think of NorCal, most minds automatically think of San Francisco. It makes sense though as San Francisco is a rather old city being founded in 1776. It’s got plenty of character and is also home to many tourist attractions such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Fisherman’s Wharf etc. and Silicon Valley: the hub of high-tech innovation, scientific development, and start ups. Born and raised in Southern California, I’ve made my fair share of trips up to the city of SF and decided to search beyond it.
I ended up booking a spot in the seaside town of Sausalito, California. It was our anniversary and also our first little family vacation as we brought Toyo along.
Anyways, Sausalito is a quaint little town slightly north of San Francisco that’s nestled on the coast and hills beyond. It’s the perfect spot for relaxation and delicious Italian food. It’s also close enough to venture into the city by car or by a 30-minute ferry ride. The drive from Los Angeles took slightly over 6 hours, but the views were worth it. Our place was a cute little apartment stuffed into the hillside with a “treehouse” feel. Every room had giant windows allowing its guests to take in the scenery surrounding them.
We had originally planned to venture out and explore, but after stepping into our place, we decided that we actually didn’t mind just staying in. It was the epitome of a weekend getaway..during the week. I’m not a wine drinker, but our host left us some treats and I spent the entire trip eating pizza and drinking wine. The rest of the town pretty much consists of good eats and sight seeing on the coast. If you’re looking for a nightlife, take the ferry across. If relaxation, good views, and cool weather is on your list, I recommend Sausalito 100%.
Similar to John’s trip in China, this town served as another means of planted tank inspiration because you’re literally surrounded by water and foliage. It’s gotta be some of the freshest air you’ll ever breathe lol.
Either way, we spent our short two days vegetating. Before we left this town and headed home, we decided to make a few stops in San Francisco. We figured we might as well since we were in the area. After a day and a half of pizza and wine, we decided we’d keep it light and went for some raw, cold-pressed juices at this juice stand. Took some pictures to satisfy John’s inner photographer persona and moved on. I obviously took the picture on the left because wherever we go, he’s holding the camera and I’m sick of seeing photos of myself.
Another pit stop we made was a must on our list. We’ve been long-time customers of this establishment and finally had the opportunity to make a visit. Aqua Forest Aquarium is a well-known live fish store in the SF area, and for a good reason too.
Aqua Forest Aquarium carries a plethora of aquarium goods such as nano fish, aquatic plants, hardscape material, tanks, tools and pretty much everything an aquascaper dreams of having in their tanks, maintenance stands, cabinets, and lives.
They also have a nice amount of planted tank setups on display. We definitely recommend stopping by if you’re ever in the area.
All in all, this small trip was definitely needed and well-deserved (in our opinions). We always have a great time when making the trek upstate, but Los Angeles will always be home. Either way, if you visit NorCal, we highly recommend exploring beyond the tourist places. Our favorite parts of our trips are the days we wander off the beaten path and get lost. You never know what you’ll find and more often than not, it’s nothing short of amazing.
