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Over 20 shark species have been observed in California’s Monterey Bay, including white, basking, thresher, blue, mako, and salmon sharks. Great white shark sightings in nearshore waters are not uncommon during summer and early fall when they return to feed on young elephant seals. Shark attacks on humans are rare in Monterey Bay, and the last fatal attack occurred near Santa Cruz on 9th May, 2020, when 26-year-old Ben Kelly was attacked by a great white shark while surfing just south of Manresa State Beach.

The Pelican Inn near Muir Beach, California was built in 1978 by English expat Charles Felix in the style of a traditional 16th century British country inn. Architectural features salvaged from old establishments in the UK and US were used to help create its period appearance.

Tolls on the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge (also called the John F McCarthy Memorial Bridge) are collected in the westbound direction towards San Rafael at the toll plaza on the east side of the bridge.

Muir Woods has chargeable parking which must be booked in advance online or by phone for a specific 30 minute arrival window. You can park until closing and it is advisable to print or download your reservation beforehand as there is no wi-fi or cell phone coverage nearby.

San Quentin State Prison is located in the town of San Quentin in Marin County, some 13 miles (or 21 kilometers) north of San Francisco. It is the oldest prison in California and holds only male inmates. The state’s only execution chamber, located at San Quentin, was closed in 2019 following Governor Gavin Newsom’s moratorium on the death penalty in California. The last execution at San Quentin occurred in 2006. Notable San Quentin prisoners include Charles Manson, Hans Reiser, Merle Haggard, Scott Peterson, and Eldridge Cleaver.

Mount Tam is 784 meters (or 2571 feet) above sea level at its peak, with three major summits, named the West, Middle and East Peaks. The West Peak is unofficially considered the highest point, while the East Peak offers the best views of San Francisco. The West Peak was some 28 feet higher before it was flattened for construction of a radar dome in 1950.

You can swim and surf at Stinson Beach and lifeguards are normally on duty from late May to early September. The water is cold, even in summer, and you should be aware of the dangers of rip currents and the rare chance of sharks swimming near the shore.

The Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, California offers free self-guided tours, personal guided tours for $39 for groups of up to 6 people, and an in-depth Jelly Belly University tour costing $59 per person for groups of up to 6 people. Tours are available daily, except the Jelly Belly University tour, which is only offered Monday though Friday when the jelly bean factory is in production. The factory is closed New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.

Petaluma was branded The World’s Egg Basket during the first half of the 20th century when it was arguably the center of California’s poultry industry. Peaking in the mid 1940s, the region’s poultry ranches produced over 600 million eggs annually. The industry developed here in part due to climate and proximity to river and rail links, but the main catalyst was the development and commercial production in the city of a reliable temperature-stable incubator for chicken eggs in 1879.

The giant electrical wall outlet, plug and cord sculpture is on the side of the PG&E substation on 1st Street and D Street in Petaluma. When the 1920s building was refurbished in 2015, the utility company commissioned Joel Jones of Basal Ganglia Studio to design the sculptural installation for the outside wall which was made from steel and fiberglass by Shawn Thorsson.

Some of the best times to observe bioluminescence in northern California’s Tomales Bay inlet are on completely dark, moonless nights in late summer or fall. The bioluminescence is caused by tiny marine plankton known as dinoflagellates, which emit blue-green light when the water is agitated by wave action or a boat cutting through the surface. It is thought that the light emission is the dinoflagellate’s defense response to ward off predators. There are several commercial kayak tour operators in the area that organize night time paddles in Tomales Bay to view the phenomenon. Ideal conditions for bioluminescence are total darkness, with calm waters and relatively warm surface temperatures.

Dress code at The French Laundry restaurant in Yountville is jackets for gentlemen, with ties optional, and jeans are permitted provided they are not distressed. Shorts, sportswear, sandals and sneakers are not appropriate.

Pfeiffer Beach at Big Sur, California, has distinctive areas of purple sand, which are mostly grains of reddish-purple manganese garnet crystals. Garnet is a commonly-found mineral in beach sand, but usually at relatively low quantities. Pfeiffer Beach is notable because of the abundance of garnet minerals in the sand which give it a distinctive purple color. These garnets likely originated in the rocks of the nearby Santa Lucia mountains. Over thousands of years, erosion caused rock fragments to break away and be transported to the ocean by the rivers. Erosion over time will have worn these rock granules down until only tiny grains of the most erosion-resistant hard minerals, such as garnet, remain. Waves and currents wash these garnets onto Pfeiffer Beach, and as it is a relatively heavy mineral it tends to settle in concentrated patches on the beach.