North Bay

We owe a great debt to whoever decided 100 years ago that the vast rolling hills north of San Francisco should go undeveloped. It's a rare thing to find, only minutes away from an urban metropolis like "the city," a wealth of beautiful vistas and outdoor activity opportunities. Here are a few favorites.

Mt. Tamalpais

Rising 2,500 feet above the bay, Mt. Tamalpais (or Tam, as it is affectionately known) has many activities. Once home to the "crookedest railroad in the world," Mt. Tam's winding trails now cater to bikers and hikers. In the 1970s, Mt. Tam was the experimental grounds for the first mountain bikers. While the long ride up from the base is grueling, the ride down is a hugely liberating experience. Alternatively, hike up the railroad grade. Start at the bottom from either Mill Valley or Stinson Beach, but for first-timers, try driving up halfway to the Mountain Home Inn and take the railroad grade up to the top. The view from the top, stretching all the way from Point Reyes in the north and Berkeley and San Francisco toward the south, is well worth the walk.

Muir Woods

While you're in the neighborhood, stop by Muir Woods. The untouched area of old-growth redwood trees is breathtaking. UC Berkeley students might be a bit jaded by too much professing of the magnificence of trees, what with the Memorial Stadium tree-sit in not-so-distant memory. But this forest is simply in a different league. Be sure to check out the old cross section of a felled redwood, whose rings show it is more than 1,000 years old.

Sausalito/Tiburon

No visit to the North Bay is complete without a drive through downtown Sausalito. Sure it's a bit touristy, but the view from the shore out across to San Francisco is iconic. Hum along to Otis Redding's "Dock of the Bay" written at this very spot 40 years ago. The town has great shops, including a surprising number of toy stores with all those toys you always wanted as a kid. For a more educational experience, the Bay Model is a fully functioning miniature representation of the San Francisco Bay operated by the Army Corps of Engineers where you can observe how the bay changes with the tides.

Marin Headlands

Leave Sausalito via the south road to find the Marin Headlands. Concrete bunkers on the rolling hills along the Pacific Ocean were once used to protect the Golden Gate entrance from enemy ships. Today the view from the headlands over the Golden Gate Bridge across to San Francisco rank on par with the Statue of Liberty or the pyramids in Egypt. The best time to visit is at night, when the Golden Gate Bridge eerily glows in the fog and the lights of San Francisco shine. Dress warmly; the fog doesn't so much roll in as it does make a full-on assault through the gate.

-Bryan Thomas

East Bay

After living in a place for long enough, you stop noticing the gems in front of you. It is hard to live up to the reputation of our neighbor San Francisco, but that doesn't mean the East Bay doesn't try. I could make the obvious suggestions about finding fun in Berkeley-Berkeley Repertory Theater, BAM/PFA, but chances are you have already explored or you're not interested. So, let's explore some alternatives.

Jazzschool of Berkeley

The East Bay is a haven for music venues, and the Jazzschool of Berkeley is one of the hidden treasures of our bayside city. Tucked away on Addison Street in Downtown Berkeley, the Jazzschool frequently hosts performances by Berkeley High School students, among other professional artists. Spend one night down on Addison Street. Walk the Downtown Berkeley Arts District and get a quick bite before catching a concert at the Jazzschool.

Jack London Square

You don't have to go to San Francisco to have a day of art and a night of jazz. The Oakland Museum of California is one of the treasures of the East Bay-just $5 with a student ID and one block from the Lake Merritt BART station. The intimate exhibition space and low ceilings make your gallery-going experience a bit more low-key than what SF's MOMA offers. If you have a free evening, walk the mile over to Yoshi's Jazz Club and Japanese Restaurant on the Oakland Waterfront.

Berkeley Marina

Hop on over to the Berkeley Marina to fly kites or take a walk by the water. Once a year, the Berkeley Kite Festival takes place. All year-round, however, you can appreciate the spectacular view of the East Bay. Its Fourth Street is right near the Marina, so stop on your way back home for a bite to eat and a stroll through the shops. Be like a kid and go play in Adventure Playground.

Parkway Speakeasy Theater

"Rocky Horror Picture Show" fanatic? Every Saturday night Parkway Speakeasy Theater, near Lake Merritt, shows the cult classic for $6 (17 and older). Don't worry about dinner, they've got it covered with a reasonably priced menu and fair selection of beer. Drag not your style? Parkway Speakeasy still has films for you, including 2009 Animated Oscar Shorts playing this week.

Lawrence Hall of Science View

Ponder the great questions of life as you sit atop the gargantuan double helix and marvel at the sculpture of the fin whale on this museum's plaza. Recapture the essence of childhood in the outdoor exhibitions and demonstrations of nanotechnology with a live gecko. Admire the view and take in the scent of eucalyptus trees wafting through the air on a spring night. The Hall is free with a Cal student ID, so take a peek inside. Check out the outside exhibits and stay for the view.

-Anna Hiatt

South Bay

Ah, the South Bay: without it, we'd still be running around with clunky Nokia bricks. We'd still be using ancient search engines like Ask Jeeves and Yahoo!, too. But the South Bay isn't just techie turf. Here are some South Bay cities with more to offer than free wi-fi:

Great America Park, Santa Clara

If you're from Southern California, there's a good chance that you've never heard of Great America. For the unconverted, Great America is a theme park. For long-time NorCal residents, it's a staple of the ever popular end-of-year high school field trip and one of the best places to spend too much on a sugary drink in a spiral plastic cup. But it's so much more than that. Classics like Vortex, Invertigo and Drop Tower Scream Zone (the ride formerly known as Drop Zone) cater to thrill ride purists, while family rides like Psycho Mouse make it OK for parent and child to share in the fun. And if you go after 4 p.m., it's only $29.99. The park opens March 29 for its 2009 season.

Mountain View

After attending a concert at Shoreline Amphitheatre, you may think that Mountain View is a barren desert, its only oasis being the Google campus, which rivals the Wonka factory with its majestic aura. But guess what? Downtown Mountain View has its own Castro Street. The Mountain View version is filled with cute shops and restaurants that give window-shopping a certain suburban feel. There's always the NASA Ames Exploration Center, too, which has free exhibits to fulfill your inner nerd's fantasy.

Gilroy

The Highway 101 route from Los Angeles to Berkeley covers some pretty stinky territory. There are a lot of cows, which means a lot of cow pies. But you may have noticed a more appealing stench just thirty minutes before San Jose, when you drove through Gilroy. Why? Gilroy is the garlic capitol-nay, mecca-of the world. Gilroy is teeming with restaurants like Garlic City Cafe, which use the city's precious crop in most, if not all, dishes. But the pinnacle of the Gilroy experience is the annual Garlic Festival, happening this year from July 24-26. Be ready to see garlic prepared in ways you never knew were possible.

San Jose

San Jose may not have the historical chops of San Francisco, but it's certainly giving the city a run for its money. Since San Jose is one of the fastest-growing cities in California, it has the crowds to fill HP Pavilion for concerts and Sharks games. Downtown, The Tech Museum of Innovation houses traveling exhibits and contains many new and permanent displays for the curious kid in all of us. Plus, there's an IMAX theater and a killer gift shop.

If you find yourself in the South Bay with just enough for food and fare, there are plenty of hip company headquarters to search for: Los Gatos is home to Netflix and both Facebook and Hewlett Packard are fixtures in Palo Alto's otherwise uncool citywide culture. What would a South Bay article be if it didn't include a Stanford insult?

-Stefanie Lee

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