Cayucos: Shoreline Inn; hotel review

 1 South

Shoreline Inn  

1 North Ocean Ave., (800) 549-2244, (805) 995-3681.  29 rooms.  Continental breakfast.  Some gas fireplaces.  Pets ok.  

Christmas lights at Shoreline Inn in Cayucos, California

Family owned and operated since 1981, this well-situated Shoreline Inn motel offers guest rooms with a view of the sand and surf.  A string of rooms in the original two-story strip motel all open to the ocean.  A rectangle of grass is immediately outside the first-floor rooms (perfect for children and dogs), and a staircase leads down to the sand.  First-floor rooms also have Adirondack chairs right outside the sliding glass door.  Upstairs beachfront units have private balconies.  Since you can park your car right outside your room, unloading is particularly easy.  A second building offers units that are a little posher and some have gas fireplaces.  An area with picnic tables and barbecue facilities is provided.  All this and it’s green, with solar panels providing most of the inn's power.  In December, this inn lights up with a dense, colorful holiday light display that is truly breathtaking. 

front exterior at Shoreline Inn in Cayucos, California

exterior of strip motel at Shoreline Inn in Cayucos, California

guest room in strip motel at Shoreline Inn in Cayucos, California

beach at Shoreline Inn in Cayucos, California

sunset over ocean at Shoreline Inn in Cayucos, California

2020 pandemic update:  Covid safety procedures are in effect.  A breakfast is no longer served.  Upon arrival, I opened the window and sliding door (they each have a screen) and found that allowed for plenty of ventilation in the room.  When my husband unwittingly also opened the front door, the resulting suction pulled out all the air and put my always-present virus concerns to rest.  For breakfast, Honey Girl Cafe is right across the street.  We brought our order back to our room and enjoyed it leisurely at our room’s convenient dining table while listening to the surf.  For dinner, Schooners restaurant is an easy two-block walk away. 

More pandemic updates.

More things to do in Cayucos.

More information about the Highway 1 Discovery Route.

More things to do along Highway 1.

More ideas for exploring Northern California.

images ©2020 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

San Francisco: Christmas lights and sights; things to do; staycation at Hilton San Francisco Union Square

San Francisco

I spent last Saturday around Union Square in San Francisco.  And oh what sights I did see!

Neiman Marcus Christmas tree

2017 Christmas tree at Neiman Marcus in San Francisco

ice skating at the Holiday Ice Rink

kittens in the windows at Macy's 

2017 Christmas kitten window at Macy's in San Francisco

Santacon 

participants out in full force

Santacon 2017 participants lined up at Sam's Cable Car Lounge in San Francisco

CanStruction snowman 

at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square 

(this snowman is constructed from cans of food that can feed 1,300 people and will be donated to the local community after Christmas)

CanStruction 2017 at Hilton San Francisco Union Square in San Francisco

In fact, I spent the night staycation-style at the Hilton.  We packed our necessities in just one backpack, took BART too and fro, and enjoyed Union Square like a tourist.  We ate dinner at the hotel's Urban Tavern restaurant and enjoyed a nightcap and spectacular city view at the Cityscape Lounge on the 46th floor. 

backpack on bed at Hilton San Francisco Union Square

Need a Stocking Stuffer?  

Alcatraz's first ever "Buy One, Get One Free" ticket promotion makes the perfect gift to stuff in your Christmas stockings.  And only local residents can book it.  Dates are January 30 and 31 plus February 6 and 7 in 2018.  Residents of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties are eligible.  

Call (415) 981-7625 or visit www.alcatrazcruises.com to purchase your tickets NOW.  

More about Alcatraz.  

More San Francisco Bay Area Christmas events.

Another San Francisco staycation.

More things to do in San Francisco

Way more things to do in San Francisco.

More ideas for exploring Northern California.  

images and video ©2017 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

San Francisco: Holiday Tea at InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco; things to do

San Francisco

InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco

Hotels everywhere roll out the carpet with special events for the Christmas season.  Here in San Francisco, the legendary InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco does the same.  Think afternoon Holiday Teas served with individual 3-tiered trays holding tea sandwiches, scones, and sweets.  And the 12 Cocktails of Christmas, each served with a souvenir cocktail charm--how about a Ten Lords a-Leaping made with Smirnoff Vanilla Vodka, Chambord, cranberry juice, and fresh raspberries?  Earlier, Thanksgiving features a petting zoo in the lobby, and later, New Year's Eve brings on a New Year's Eve dinner and dancing special at the Top of the Mark. 

Holiday Tea at the Top of the Mark, InterContinental Mark Hopkins
in San Francisco

tea tray close-up at Holiday Tea
at the Top of the Mark, InterContinental Mark Hopkins in San Francisco

More San Francisco Bay Area Christmas events.

More things to do in San Francisco

Way more things to do in San Francisco.

More tea times around the world.

More ideas for exploring Northern California.

images ©2017 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Best Christmas Lights and Sights in San Francisco Area

I’ve always enjoyed all the wonderful Christmas sights and events in the Bay Area and have written about them since my very first book, which was actually a booklet, titled “Getting in the Spirit:  A Guide to Bay Area Christmas Events.”  I've added a page at my website that is inspired by this interest and by my appearance on John Hamilton’s On-The-Go talk show on KGO on December 14, 2014.  Here are some of the best San Francisco Bay Area Christmas lights, sights, and events.  Get on out there and enjoy them!

2-story gingerbread house at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco

More Christmas events.

More things to do in San Francisco

Way more things to do in San Francisco.

More ideas for exploring Northern California.

image ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Pleasanton: Where to see Christmas lights; things to do

Greater East Bay

Where to see Christmas lights in Pleasanton

Christmas Cane Lane  

4000 block of Walnut Dr./Ray St.. 5:30-10pm, through Jan. 1.

Almost every house on this cul-de-sac goes way overboard with lights and decorations. Cars move slowly around the entire perimeter.  Christmas Cane Lane is a delight.

WidmerWorld 

3671 Chelsea Court. 6-9pm, through Dec. 31.

You can walk through this home's back yard holiday toy displays. The WidmerWorld display includes an electronic light show, snowy penguin scene, Mrs. Claus' house, Santa's golf land, and a train town. Santa sometimes shows up on the last weekend before Christmas.


More things to do in Pleasanton.

More Bay Area Christmas events.

More ideas for exploring Northern California.

image c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

San Francisco: Great Dickens Christmas Fair; things to do

San Francisco

Great Dickens Christmas Fair

Actually held in Daly City in a building adjacent to the Cow Palace, the spectacular seasonal Great Dickens Christmas Fair is a don't-miss.  I attended last weekend and fell in love again with stepping from the real world into the fantasy world of Dickens' London.  And I had the surprise pleasure of enjoying afternoon tea in the Dickens Family Parlour and meeting the great man himself.  Entertainment here is on-going, so you can walk for a spell and sit for a spell and eat for a spell.  Highlights include a traditional tea in the Cuthbert's Tea Shoppe (make reservations for the popular 4 p.m. tea with complimentary entertainment), opera in the Victoria & Albert Music Hall, and cancan dancing at Mad Sal's.  All this is punctuated by periodic parades featuring The Queen and her procession, and colorful characters mingling in the "streets."  Oh yes, and there are shops galore--I loved the Fitz-Gerald Manor Shop's gigantic collection of English tea cups and saucers--and crafts and games for kids and the young at heart, including the London Sweep Dispatch and Boot the Cat.  Runs weekends through December 23; 10am-7pm.

2018 update

More San Francisco Bay Area Christmas events.

Way more things to do in San Francisco.

More ideas for exploring Northern California.

image and videos ©2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Christmas events in Nevada City and Grass Valley; things to do + hotel review

Highway 49--Gold Rush Country

Christmas events in Nevada City and Grass Valley

WHAT: Victorian Christmas

WHERE: Nevada City
WHEN: December 7, 11, 14, 18, and 21; Wednesdays 5-9 PM, Sundays 1:30-6 PM
DETAILS: For Victorian Christmas this Gold Rush town’s historic district is closed to traffic and transformed into Christmas past, and enchanting melodies and costumed characters take visitors to another time and place. Enjoy tasting chestnuts roasted on an open fire, hearing strolling minstrels and brass bands, riding on a hay wagon, and more. Among the promises: Victorian singers, bagpipers, a living nativity scene, a walking Christmas tree, and, of course, Santa Claus.
MORE INFO: (800) 655-NJOY, (530) 265-2692

and

WHAT: Cornish Christmas

WHERE: Grass Valley
WHEN: On Fridays, beginning the Friday after Thanksgiving (November 25) until the Friday before Christmas (December 23), 6-9 PM.
DETAILS: Experience an old-time Cornish Christmas at this event celebrating the traditions of the Cornish miners who settled this neighboring Gold Rush town. Visitors can taste traditional food and drink, hear period music, and dance in the traffic-free downtown streets.
MORE INFO: (530) 272-8315



NEARBY LODGING: 

National Hotel 

In Nevada City, (530) 265-4551. 

Located right in the center of all the action, on the town's main street, the National Hotel claims to be the oldest continuously operating hotel west of the Rockies--maybe even west of the Mississippi. Built in 1856, it is a state historical landmark and features high ceilings, cozy floral wallpapers, and old-time furniture.


More things to do in Grass Valley.

More things to do in Nevada City.

More things to do in Gold Rush Country.
 

More Christmas events.

More ideas for exploring Northern California.  

San Francisco: Hyatt Regency San Francisco; hotel review

San Francisco 

Hyatt Regency San Francisco 

is hosting snowfall throughout the holiday season in its dramatic atrium lobby--dubbed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest. Snow falls three times daily through December 31, 2011. In addition, you'll see thousands of dramatic cascading lights and a spectacular 30-foot tree.

Eclipse Café 

will present Breakfast with Santa on December 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18 from 8am–noon






and

Embarcadero Holiday Skating Rink

presents ice skating daily in December and January.

More Christmas events.  

More things to do in San Francisco

Way more things to do in San Francisco.
 

More ideas for exploring Northern California.  

images ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

San Francisco: Safeway Holiday Ice Rink in Union Square; things to do

San Francisco

It isn't too late to have some skating fun!

Safeway Holiday Ice Rink in Union Square

333 Post St., Union Square.   Open through mid-January.  Fee. 

Oh what fun it is to twirl around this ice skating rink in the very heart of San Francisco! 

More San Francisco Bay Area Christmas events.

More things to do in San Francisco

Way more things to do in San Francisco.

More ideas for exploring Northern California.

video ©2017 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
updated 12-12-17

Healdsburg: Strolling Dine Around (CLOSED); things to do

101 North

Strolling Dine Around  

December 8 & 9, 15 & 16; (707) 479-7488. $85, gratuity included; wine additional. Reservations advised.

This 3-hour dining experience takes place at some of the town’s finest restaurants. The progressive feast includes 4 courses at a selection of 16 restaurants, each conveniently located either near or on the historic plaza and within easy walking distance of one another. You might start with a cocktail and appetizer at classy Cyrus (try a complex Pomiranian made with Hangar One Buddha’s Hand Citron vodka, pomegranate juice, lime juice, cardamom-black pepper syrup, mint, pomegranate seeds, and seltzer), perhaps followed by a healthy organic first course composed of an “I Am Satisfied” salad and an “I Am Thankful” cold coconut curry soup at counter-culture Cafe Gratitude  CLOSED. For the main course, Zin  CLOSED  is a winner with its divine roasted chicken, and consider dessert in the sweet little romantic cottage that is the Ravenous Cafe and Lounge CLOSED—maybe a round, single-portion of white chocolate-coconut banana cream pie topped high with whipped cream and ensconced in caramel sauce. A portion of the proceeds benefit charity.

More San Francisco Bay Area Christmas events.

More things to do in Healdsburg.

More ideas for exploring Northern California.