Light Up My Life and the Bay

2020 has definitely been a challenging and dark year on so many fronts that anything that brightens and lightens it up is welcomed.  During the holiday season, that can be a literal one via Christmas lights and decorations, always my favorite part of the holidays.  This year may look different as many of my go-to’s - Around the Bay and Away: Christmas By the Bay are understandably not available to avoid crowds especially indoors like the Fairmont Gingerbread House and Westin Sugar Castles.  Unfortunately, with the tree lighting ceremonies and festivities cancelled and financial burdens, sadly Pier 39 and Ghirardelli Square also did not have their usual trees up so Macy's Union Square is the only one up. 

Not one to give up, I still intended to make the best of it but as safely as possible.  A couple of them are paid events but surprisingly discovered some new free ones as well. 

Filoli Holidays

With the cancellation of the Embarcadero Building Lighting, my annual kickoff to the holiday event the Friday before Thanksgiving did not happen.  Instead, Filoli Holidays the Monday before Thanksgiving was the perfect place to kick off my holiday season this year.  The last time I was at Filoli during the holidays was 15 years ago so returning this year was especially appropriate since I got a membership back in March pre-pandemic.  Tickets with advanced reservations are required, with discounts for members.         

With that early reservation date, I was lucky enough to walk through the historic house all decked out before it had to close again for the 3^rd time less than a week later due to tighter restrictions.  

However, in anticipation of ever-changing restrictions, Filoli has done an amazing job in decorating their gardens and outside space like a Winter Wonderland.  

With limited admission, it never felt crowded and their outdoor fire pits at multiple spots like their tennis courts spaced 15 feet apart allows visitors to take a break, relax and warm up with a hot drink.  

Open daily this holiday for day and evening admission but I recommend evening to get the full light experience and give yourself at least 2 hours to fully enjoy it. 

Santa Cruz Boardwalk/Farley’s Christmas Wonderland

The weekend before Bay Area went back into lockdown, I made the most of it with one last hurrah.  While most were in line at the grocery stores and Costco trying to stock up on more toilet paper and groceries, I was stocking up on Model Bakery English Muffins via curbside pickup and Gayle’s Bakery croissants when I found myself down in Santa Cruz County for someone to squeeze in one more haircut.  

An after-lunch stroll along the very quiet Santa Cruz Boardwalk to some Christmas music and decorations

and with most walk-thrus (Deacon Dave’s and Widmer’s World) around the Bay Area closed this year, I was pleasantly surprised to discover Farley’s Christmas Wonderland.  We arrived right before it opened at 5:30 so it was not yet crowded.  

Do note that since not all their displays are waterproof, they are not open if it rains and new rule of look but do not touch since sanitizing everything is impossible.  But what a beautiful sight and was a great “last day of freedom” for the year. 

Christmas in the Park

I had discovered Christmas in the Park just 4 years ago - Around the Bay and Away: Christmas In the Park but loved it so much I have returned every year since and sometimes, even twice a year.  Fortunately, even though they could not proceed as usual, they reimagined it this year into a paid drive thru event.  Different setup and location but with some of our favorite displays and even more lights including the new Tunnel of Lights synchronized to Christmas music, I’ll take it!  Advanced tickets are required and use the restroom beforehand as be prepared for an hour wait just to drive into the park if you arrive after 6:30 but as long as you are in the car line by 9PM, you will get in. 

 

Christmas Tree Lanes

Surprisingly the Christmas Tree Lanes - Around the Bay and Away: Christmas Tree Lanes Bay Area are up as I thought it would be cancelled to limit crowds.  Since the Chestnut Lit Houses last year only had about half participating, this year I skipped it to explore a new one in Palo Alto.  To stay safe, I did choose to enjoy them from the car this year as a drive thru vs. a walk thru so pictures are limited.  Since Alameda is within half an hour from me, I chose to see it on a weeknight and San Carlos and Palo Alto’s I arrived right when it got dark on Saturday so was able to drive thru after only a 5-minute wait in line.  Otherwise, be prepared for long lines to get in via car as Palo Alto is a drive thru only this year for 2 weeks only due to county health guidelines. 

 

Willow Glen Holiday Lights

If you missed out on getting tickets to Christmas in the Park or financially not able to afford it this year, the Willow Glen Holiday Lights is a wonderful alternative.  This is another new one for me so I was seeing it through the eyes of a child and what I love about this one is, it’s not just one or two blocks like the Christmas Tree Lanes but an entire neighborhood so it took us an hour just to leisurely drive thru.  

Some of the blocks were even themed with lighted arches, regular and Christmas Tree shaped, lighted candy canes, reindeer driven sleigh that spanned 4-5 houses.  

Note:  maybe because it was more spread out but this one had the most unmasked viewers walking. 

Since many of these I experienced as a drive-thru, I took some videos vs. pictures this year so hop over to my IG:  around_the_bay_and_away and look under Holiday 2020 to experience what I have so far including inside Filoli’s Historic House before the recent closure.  Either in person or virtually through my eyes, I hope this will brighten and lighten up your 2020 and put a smile on your face this holiday season.  Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and an even Brighter 2021 from Around the Bay and Away!!

Please note that restrictions are constantly changing so confirm before going that it is still open. 

Filoli Holidays – Advanced Paid Ticketed Event

86 Canada Road

Woodside, CA 94062

650-364-8300 - Holidays at Filoli | Filoli

Farley Christmas Wonderland - Free

108 Sea View Avenue

Santa Cruz, CA

farleys christmas wonderland (farleys-christmas-wonderland.com)

 

Christmas in the Park – Advanced Paid Ticketed Event

635 Phelan Avenue

San Jose, CA 95112

408-809-XMAS - Christmas in the Park

 

Christmas Tree Lane Palo Alto – car based only - Free

1700-1800 block of Fulton Street

Palo Alto, CA

Christmas Tree Lane Palo Alto

 

Willow Glen Holiday Lights - Free

(whole neighborhood) Willow Street between Cherry and Glen Eyrie

San Jose, CA

This Nation Needs More Empathy, Less Apathy

Empathy vs. Apathy

Two letter difference but worlds apart, like the current state of our divided nation.  Empathy, by definition, the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.  Fifteen years later, I still remember my first volunteer meeting to promote the annual Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk.  My response of “not wanting more people to suffer from this debilitating disease” behind my motivation to volunteer and walk left them temporarily speechless.  At that time, no one close to me suffered from Alzheimer’s but I understood the devastating effects it had on patients and family members.  Wanting to spare a stranger of that pain is empathy.  The ability to relate and feel another person’s pain as their own, results in a proactiveness to take action to spare another, instead of not caring due to a lack of direct impact or personal benefit.  The latter would be apathy, by definition a lack of interest, enthusiasm, and concern and ultimately lacking the motivation to do anything or care about what is going on around them. 

Educating Yourself

Between Covid19, civil unrest and the immense divisiveness and infighting, our nation’s pain is highlighted for the world to see this year.  Remaining ignorant vs. educating oneself or doing nothing and being complacent is no longer good enough.  Doing nothing, apathy, is like Tou Thao allowing George Floyd to die the way he did.  You may think that is not part of the problem but it is and at the minimum, definitely not part of the solution.  In the aftermath of George Floyd, I learned about white privilege.  It does not mean growing up with privileges like financial ones but the privilege of someone not crossing the street when they see you solely based on skin color.  I learned that saying Black Lives Matter does not mean all lives do not matter, admittedly a previous misconception of mine.  It means they have to fight harder to bring to people’s attention that they matter too, something that should be unnecessary.

One Person Can Make a Difference

Too many think one person cannot make a difference whether it is following safety protocols backed by science or voting, the perfect example of apathy.  But if everyone thought that way or figure someone else will do it for them, nothing changes and right now we are literally fighting for our lives.  Our nation leads the world in the number of Covid cases and deaths, neither to be proud of. 

Hawai`i is struggling with historic unemployment due to the quarantine but with empathy and educating myself, I am aware that with a high elderly population, less advanced medical facilities and multigenerational households common on the island, it is necessary to protect their elders. 

Instead of complaining and protesting their quarantine measures that cancelled my vacation, I instead chose to support Maui businesses by ordering their products online and sharing the idea in my blogpost encouraging others to do the same.  That resulted in almost a thousand additional dollars of business in a couple of weeks for one farm and support of at least 2 other businesses by a family on island, so yes, one person can make a difference, even if it seems small. 

Vote

Now that you can see how one person can make a difference and complacency is no longer acceptable, I hope you do vote this election.  There is no candidate where you will agree with all his policies and platforms as no one can please everyone all the time.  I will be voting based on who I feel can unite this country with diplomacy based on past actions and rhetoric.  I will be voting for a candidate that even if I do not agree with his pro-life/pro-choice platform, I at least know where he stands on the issue not just where he stands right now until something else benefits him a month or a year from now.  I will be voting for who I feel will make realistic decisions for Americans. 

Even without children, I will vote so that someone’s child will not be the victim of xenophobia because racism is not condemned enough, so the future generation will not see the extinction of polar bears due to climate change, so they will have hope for a brighter future.   All I suggest is for you to join me in voting with empathy for a candidate who will act for the greater good of the nation as a whole so we can live up to our name again, the United States, not Divided States of America and not because the candidate benefits you on a single issue right now.  This nation needs more empathy, less apathy. 

When It’s Time to Change

All of us have heard the phrase, “Nothing is permanent”.  It is a thought that often causes anxiety and stress and this year the lack of permanency is more pronounced than ever.  However, it also makes us appreciate life’s simple things that we may have taken for granted in the past with the realization that it will not always be there. 

Growing up back East for over 9 years, the fall foliage was in full display around October but never really paid much attention to it.  It was not necessarily because I took it for granted but more because I lacked appreciation for the colors due to what it symbolized to me, the end of the life of those leaves before it falls off, similar to death.  So instead, I was more of a spring loving girl as it promised new life and new growth as the trees come back to life with fresh buds and green leaves after a season of winter dormancy. 

Maybe it is because we are opting outside more lately to safely escape for a little normalcy, maybe it is the reminder to not put off until to tomorrow what you want to do today as there may never be a next time or maybe subconsciously, I am ready for that change it symbolizes, but I had a desire to finally see that fall foliage this year. 

Like most people, California is not what comes to mind when you think of fall foliage.  However, the palm tree lined streets many envision is not the real California either as we have microclimates just in the Bay Area alone.  To see fall foliage though does require a much longer drive into the mountains like Alpine County but with a free Friday off, there was no better time than the present to head up for some leaf peeping.  Traveling along CA-88, some spots were more impressive than others and please note that these are just approximations as there were quite a few unplanned U-turns as we passed areas we deemed worthy of stopping. 

Caples Lake

Our first stop at Shot Rock Vista Overlook was disappointing as there was no foliage.  Zero, zilch, nada.  The 83 degrees shorts weather vs. the cooler temperatures was probably the main reason.  But our next stop at Caples Lake treated us to half the color spectrum of the rainbow, yellow, orange, and red.  

This was one of my top 3 of the day, having the lake as a backdrop, 

the solitude with only one other couple there and one of the cleaner restroom facilities, a luxury in this area.  Feeling unrushed, I was seeing colors everywhere including my sideview mirror as we were pulling out that I could not resist trying to be artistic by snapping a picture of the reflection, trying being the optimal word.  

Red Lake Area

The Red Lake Vista Point was picturesque in terms of the overview of Red Lake but very sparse foliage from that viewpoint.  

However, if you are able to stop at the pull out after you round the corner, I did get a glimpse of more colors.  Since we were short on time, we decided to keep on going towards Red Lake Creek.  On the way, we did pass an area that warranted a U-turn when running back along the freeway seemed a bit too dicey.  Boy am I glad we did as this may be my favorite if not a close second.  Although the colors leaned more on the yellow side which means the peak is probably right around the corner, the backdrop that framed it as you overlook the valley and the lack of people here since the few cars parked chose to walk down the gravel path instead, made for a peaceful experience. 

 

Red Lake Creek Cabin, Hope Valley

Just approaching the area is a visual treat for your senses with colorful trees lining both sides of the freeway, so if I had to choose, this one would be my favorite.  

With the rustic barn/cabin and the mountain where the colors even extended further up the hill, it just has a postcard quality to it.  

As a result, this is a popular spot which means the most crowded, even though it may just be past its prime, hanging on to maybe one more week.

Wylder’s Hotel

Wylder’s Hotel was our last stop and turnaround point.  Even though we just left our favorite spot, this area and right across the freeway from it has its own picturesque quality to it.  If you have worked up an appetite leaf peeping, an eatery on site is also a welcome sight.

Having seen it firsthand though, none of these pictures do it justice.  So, go see it in person for yourself before like the Brady’s sing “autumn turns to winter, and winter turns to spring.  It’s not just for seasons, you know, it goes for everything.” 

This year, the thought that nothing is permanent may ironically give us peace.  The chaos, the racial injustice, Covid, civil unrest, instead of being afraid of change, most of us are ready for it.  Not only is there very little great these days, what has been happening this year is not even close to being good enough.  Instead of repeating it again and again, listen to the Brady Bunch “day by day, it’s hard to see the changes you’ve been through.  A little bit of living, a little bit of growing all adds up to you.  When it’s time to change, when it’s time to change”, so come spring like that little girl from back East, we can start anew for a better normal.