Sometimes, to fully appreciate the beauty of San Francisco, you need to get out of San Francisco and check out its magnificent skyline.
A wonderful redwood park with a creek running through it just outside of the coastal town of Half Moon Bay. It has about 20 miles of trails with everything from a a leisurely stroll to mountain biking.
The Blue Bay Inn is easy to get to from Manhattan by taking the Sea Streak Ferry from East 35th Street or Pier 11 Wall Street – takes about 40 minutes (it also stops in Highlands). Overlooking Sandy Hook Bay, it is a rare boutique hotel offering a great location for a business meeting out of the City or a quick getaway at the shore
The Atlantic Highlands is just west of Highlands and Sandy Hook on the Jersey Shore. A boutique hotel is situated on the shore (see "Blue Bay Inn") that is just a 5 minute walk from the commuter ferry from Manhattan.
Cabinas El Mirador Lodge is an excellent place to stay in Drake Bay, on Costa Rica's beautiful Osa Peninsula. The view is exceptional...
Apple Hill, located off Highway 50 between Placerville and Lake Tahoe, is best known for the many apple vendors and beautiful scenery. There are wineries with tasting rooms, micro-breweries with tasting rooms, fruit vendors, and Christmas tree farms.
The Golden Gate Bridge is a world-famous suspension bridge completed in 1937. It is part of US 101, and it connects the City of San Francisco to Marin County and the rest of the northern California coast.
The natural air conditioning system that San Francisco's fog provides engulfs the Golden Gate bridge most afternoons, providing very dramatic temperature changes, and leaving the tourists running to the shops to buy more clothes.
The Shipwreck Grill offers patrons fine dining off of Barnegat Bay. Just off of Route 35 in Brielle, New Jersey, the menu offers an incredible array of seafood specialities (but don't worry, there are specials for the land lubbers among us...).
For those of you headed to the Jersey Shore via New Jersey Transits' North Jersey Coastline, sit on the east side of the train for a treat (if you are fortunate enough to be on one of the new NJT double-decker cars, sit of the top level for a better view). As you approach and pass through South Amboy, New Jersey look in the middle of the Raritan Bay.
The Mediterranean Sea dips into the Lebanese countryside in the picturesque Bay of Jounieh.
Jounieh is the capital of the Kerserwan region and is home to the prestigious Casino du Liban, as well as LBC (Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation). Also, in only nine minutes, Téléphérique (a cable-car system) transports passengers from Jounieh to an altitude of 650 meters at the Our Lady of Lebanon shrine in Harissa.