2009 Christmas Trip w/Crystal, Ryan & Alexandria

The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city in California and the 13th most populous city in the United States. It is the most densely populated city in the state, the second most densely populated major city in the U.S.

In 1776, the Spanish established a fort at the Golden Gate and a mission named for Francis of Assisi. The California Gold Rush in 1848 propelled the city into a period of rapid growth, transforming it into the largest city on the West Coast at the time. After being devastated by the 1906 earthquake and fire, San Francisco was quickly rebuilt, hosting the Panama-Pacific International Exposition nine years later.

Today, San Francisco is a popular international tourist destination renowned for its chilly summer fog, steep rolling hills, eclectic mix of Victorian and modern architecture and its famous landmarks, including the Golden Gate Bridge, the cable cars, and Chinatown.

Vallejo,is the largest city in Solano County, California. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay. Vallejo is named for General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, original Mexican military officer and title holder, he helped to settle and oversee the north bay region. General Vallejo wanted the site named Eureka, but the other citizens of the area wanted to name the new city after the General.

Downtown Vallejo retains many of its historic Victorian and craftsman homes

Also check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carquinez_S… and http://www.glencovemarina.net/ The future seemed uncertain for the neglected lighthouse until three Asian-American businessman teamed with Robert Hubert to finish the task of moving the dwelling to the nearby marina. One of the businessmen, Ittsei Nakagawa, served as the designer for the project, which they had named Lighthouse Harbor. After much delay, the lighthouse eventually made the short trip to the nearby cove that is now known as Glenn Cove Marina. The historic lighthouse, minus its light tower and fog signal building, is home to the marina’s office.

Oakland, founded in 1852, is the eighth-largest city in the U.S. state of California. Oakland is approximately 8 miles east of San Francisco and the cities are separated by San Francisco Bay.

Spanish colonialism
Conquistadors from New Spain purported to claim Oakland and other Ohlone lands of the East Bay, along with the rest of California, for the king of Spain in 1772. In the early 19th century, the Spanish crown deeded the area which later became Oakland (along with most of the East Bay), to Luís María Peralta for his Rancho San Antonio. The grant was confirmed by the successor Mexican republic upon its independence from Spain. The area of the ranch that is today occupied by the downtown and extending over into the adjacent part of Alameda (originally not an island, but a peninsula), included a woodland of oak trees. This area was called encinal by the Peraltas, a Spanish word which means "oak grove", the origin of the later city's name. Upon his death in 1842, Peralta divided his land among his four sons. Most of Oakland fell within the shares given to Antonio Maria and Vicente. They would open the land to settlement by American settlers, loggers, European whalers, and fur-traders.

Lunch: Monday through Friday, 11:30 am to 2:30 pm
Brunch: Saturday and Sunday
breakfast 8am to 2:30pm

Monday-Friday
breakfast 7am-2:30pm
lunch 11:30-2:30
Saturday/Sunday
breakfast 8am-2:30pm

Sausalito (from Spanish: sauzalito "small willow grove", from sauce "willow" collective derivative -al meaning "place of abundance" diminutive suffix -ito; with orthographic corruption from z to s due to seseo) is a San Francisco Bay Area city, located in Marin County. The community is situated near the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge. Sausalitos has the reputation as an artistic enclave, as a picturesque residential community (incorporating large numbers of houseboats), and as a tourist destination.