Thursday, January 16, 2014

Born and Raised in Northern California - Show and Tell Friday

Pin It Now!

 
I finally started packing some things for my move next month even though I'm not totally sure where I'm moving! My apartment is not very photo worthy now nor will it be for the next month so I'm going to share some previous photos with you for the next month! At least when I get into my new place I will have something new to blog about! I'm looking forward to that! 
 
This week I saw that Conde Naste came out with their 10 top cities in the U.S. and I'm happy to live close by three out of 10 of them and I've shared them all with you here on my blog in the past! I was born and raised in Northern California so I'm really proud that these 3 places made the top 10! Most people that come to California visit Southern California but Northern California has some of the best touristy places too!  Carmel, California came in #6 on their list and these first two photos are ones I took of the quaint little cottages there. I love going to Carmel! It's a little over an hour away from me so it's a perfect day trip!
About an hour and a half north of my place is Napa which was ranked #10 on their list. I've shared many of my wine tasting trips there on my blog and here are some of my favorite photos...
 
 
 
 I remember when you could go to Napa and do FREE wine tasting at all the wineries. Now they get so many visitors that they charge for wine tasting.
 
It is such a beautiful place...I've even wondered how I could move there and make a living!  I think the same thing about Carmel though!  I guess I should be happy that I can visit these places on a day-trip!
 


 
San Francisco is #3 on their list. In my opinion I would rather go to Carmel or Napa than San Francisco but if you've never been there it's beautiful (in a different kind of way). My favorite thing to do in SF is to bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge and ride down into Sausalito which is another great place that should have made this list!
 
Photo taken from a top floor restaurant in SF

Biking across the bridge is popular!
There are sidewalks on each side of the bridge. One side is for bikes and the other side is for pedestrians but it can still get crowded with bikers going in each direction on a small sidewalk. This area is where we start the ride.

About to take a Spring-time ride across the bridge
 
 
 
I just happened to find this photo from a few years ago of me wearing a "Carmel" sweatshirt while in San Francisco!  I must have lost that sweatshirt because I haven't seen it in years! I look like such a tourist and yet I was born and raised here!  I think that's what I like the most about living here (besides the weather) ....there are so many fun places to visit and they are all so close by!
 
I live in Silicon Valley but I was here before it became what it is now! When I grew up here there were still a lot of fruit orchards.  Now instead of orchards I drive by Apple, Google, Ebay, Yahoo, Hewlett-Packard (I work at HP!), Netflix, Intel, Adobe...I could go on and on!  It's a different place than when I was little but it's still home and I still love it here and I can't imagine living anywhere else! 
 
I hope you enjoyed your little tour around some of the best cities in the U.S.  (there are many more that didn't make this list!

[signature.gif]

30 comments:

Mila said...

Thanks for hosting!

Unknown said...

It's looks beautiful Cindy!!!
Happy packing ( not there's such a thing ) I'm still unpacking from a recent move
Many thanks for hosting
Hugs from Montreal
Suzan

Jessie @ Dream and Differ said...

Thank you for hosting! Have a great weekend!

Mary Ann Pickett said...

I'm having fun exploring this beautiful, new city...San Francisco. We moved here two months ago.

Diane said...

I agree with you Cindy, we vacationed in CA this past summer and I fell in love with the entire State. I would seriously consider being a winter snowbird if it wasn't so expensive too live! Thanks for hosting my friend...good luck with your home decisions. Diane

Sara Chapman said...

I used to live about an hour north of SF and I thought it was the best place on the planet. The best weather anywhere and a real gardener's paradise. But a home in Seattle cost about half of one in Santa Rosa, so ...

Unknown said...

Thanks for hosting :) Have fun in SF!!

The Vintage Chateau said...

My husband and I honeymooned in Carmel 37 years ago and I haven't been back since. Clearly, it's time!
Karee

Athena at Minervas Garden said...

What a beautiful part of the country you live, Cindy! I love the rose-covered cottage in Carmel. I've been to Sacramento--not sure if that qualifies as Northern California, but it was pretty, especially in Old Town. Thank you so much for hosting the party, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Cottage and Broome said...

Cindy, good luck with your packing! Thanks for hosting again this week, Laura

Poppy said...

Thanks for hosting, Cindy and hope you find a beautiful new home!

Poppy

Unknown said...

Thanks for hosting the linkup this week! I'm so happy you did a post on Northern California. My husband and I just moved to San Francisco from Texas a couple of months ago and it's been quite an adjustment! I'm ready to go explore but sometimes I miss home terribly. If you're interested (or want a good laugh), I do a series on my blog called "What the hills y'all" about a Texas girl living in CA.

Thanks for sharing!

Sandra
www.notesfromtheslife.com

The Kim Six Fix said...

I live out in the East Bay and I agree with you, I think the outskirts of the city are more fun than SF itself!

Heirloom treasures said...

What a really nice place to live. I hope you find something nice soon.

Nancy's Notes said...

Loved the tour! Thanks for hosting, Cindy!

Peggy Thal said...

Love beautiful San Francisco. We used to visit all the time when my husband got his Masters (2) at Stanford. Always crazy driving with a VW and shifting with all the hills. Fisherman's Wharf - my favorite place with the seals sleeping on the dock. Dungess crabs, Chinese food and some of the best Restaurants around. Loved Spanglers across the bridge too. Now we live in Virginia with happy memories.

Lin from A {tiny} Cottage In The Woods said...

Hi Cindy,
I lived in N. CA from 1972-1988. Loved your tour... I miss seeing these places! Along with the fantastic CA restaurants and shopping. :)
I'm joining your party for the first time today, and look forward to many more.
Lin

Katherines Corner said...

Such a beautiful area. I lived in California for 2 years and never made in to San Francisco. Thank you for sharing this. As always, thank you for hosting. Hugs! P.S. have you entered my newest giveaways yet?

Curtains in My Tree said...

we are anxious to see your new pad and how you arrange it LOL
I haven't been to California for years use to live around Visalia and Los Banos

Savannah Granny said...

Cindy, I know you will have your hands full but I know you will enjoy your new place. Good luck with the hunting.
Thanks for hosting, xoGinger

This N That said...

Loved the pictures of SF..Brought back memories..Beautiful wineries..Good look with your move..whenever or wherever..

This N That said...

Loved the pictures of SF..Brought back memories..Beautiful wineries..Good look with your move..whenever or wherever..

This N That said...

Loved the pictures of SF..Brought back memories..Beautiful wineries..Good look with your move..whenever or wherever..

Laurel Stephens said...

Your post and photos make me miss my home state of California and my home town of Saratoga!

Cynthia said...

I agree! Carmel, Napa and Sausalito ARE some of the most beautiful places! Would love to visit there again. . .

Sonia said...

We love Northern California...especially Carmel, Napa and Pacific Grove! You are blessed for living so close to such beautiful places...we moved from California almost 30 years ago ...we sure miss living there and try to visit every year. Hoping you found your new apartment...I'm sure it will be beautiful when you get through with it!
Miss Bloomers

Magali@TheLittleWhiteHouse said...

What amazing places to live close to! Good luck with packing!

DD's Cottage said...

HI Cindy,
I live in the same area as you and love living by the beach. Carmel is one of your favorite places to visit too!

LWood said...

Just a thought, Cindy. I'm sure you've been looking through Craigslist in your new home search. I also know you're concerned with staying in a safe budget for your monthly rent. But have you considered bumping up your search to the next level higher rent wise, and then showing prospective landlords your blog here? I know that being a landlord is a gamble when taking on new renters, I think you might be pleasantly surprised that someone (it could happen!)would give you a price break knowing that you keep such good care (understatement!) of your home. Wherever you end up, we all look forward to your new place.

Thanks for sharing with us all these years. I think I've been following your blog for 4 or 5 years now, so yeah, I'll miss the old place too...lots of memories via your blog.

Blessings to you!
Michelle
Holland, MI

Jen Beaudet said...

This is a great post! I grew up in Southern California but love living in Northern California now. I'm way up here, west of Redding and have lived here for about 14 years now but still miss the beach. Your post makes me want to take some trips! (but they'd have to be weekend trips instead of the day trips you can do). Thanks for this post!

Jennifer:)