Zephyr Cove has just about everything you could want in a beach, except palm trees. Over a mile of sand, although it is coarse to walk on, the region’s best volleyball, a 500+ passenger vessel, a 36 passenger catamaran, a huge grassy group event area, every kind of water sport rental you could imagine, and the Sunset Bar overlooking it all with cocktail servers roaming the beach. The beach does have a certain party atmosphere that some families may find offensive. The further you are from the bar, the less of a problem it is. This can usually be avoided just by staying a distance from the bar area. With a mile of beach there is plenty of room. There is a $8 (at press time) parking fee but even so, it often becomes unavailable. When this happens they will park you at the high school across Hwy 50 and shuttle you to the beach.
Zephyr Cove also features a modern campground, lodging, beachfront cabins, stables, the largest snowmobile operation west of the rockies, and much more.
-aboutlaketahoe.com
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As you leave South Lake Tahoe heading up the west shore on Hwy 89 you’ll come to a series of beaches that all seem very similar in nature. The first of these is Pope Beach, which is basically a one mile long 300 foot wide strip of sand separating the Truckee Marsh from Lake Tahoe. Pope beach is operated by the USDA forest service, which means there will be a parking fee. This is an excellent beach for families, with lots of sand, room, clear shallow water, and relative shelter from the winds. The parking lot runs the entire length of the beach so there are no long walks. There are plenty of picnic tables and grills as well. Currently, the Forest Service is not always allowing the use of the grills. Don’t be surprised to arrive and find them gone. There are also restrooms scattered along the length of the beach.
-aboutlaketahoe.com
-Image by RickC via Flickr
Baldwin beach is a beautiful stretch of sand and consists of a south and north beach. The two are separated based on where you park. Both offer plenty of parking and have short walks to the beach. Tallac Creek flows into Lake Tahoe and separates the north and south beach areas.
While Baldwin beach has great beaches, is dog free, and has few rocks in the water, there are a couple of things to be aware of. Parking for Baldwin beach is $7 per vehicle (unless you have a season pass). However, you can leave and come back later in the day without paying again (as long as it isn’t overcrowded and there is parking available). Also, unlike Kiva and Pope beaches, there is no shade from the sun on Baldwin beach.
-examiner.com
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Burnished brass and stained wood complement roughly mortared brick and the occasional plant. Amid ubiquitous earth tones, corporate types and small parties (celebrating or simply living large) occupy deep booths done up in fine upholstery and lit from above by pin spotlights. Burgers, prime rib and steaks are the specialties of the house, but the menu also includes salmon, salads, pork chops and roasted chicken.
-citysearch.com
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Family-friendly yet upscale enough to welcome special-occasion dinners, this cozy steakhouse (part of the Houston’s family) features rustic accents, weathered wood and stonework, leather booths, a wood-burning fireplace, and patinated lamps over each table. The appealing (and canine-friendly) patio offers spectacular views of the valley, and featured comfort fare includes famous iron-skillet cornbread, mouth-watering barbecued ribs, and a hardwood-grilled filet mignon….
-www.10best.com
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Originally designed to be a 42,000 seat stadium, there were slight modifications before the final design was complete. When the ballpark was brought to the ballot box in the Fall of 1996 for voter approval, the stadium was 15 degrees clockwise from its current position. Also the center-field scoreboard was atop the right-field wall and the Giants Pavilion Building were two separate buildings. Groundbreaking on the ballpark began on December 11, 1997, in the industrial waterfront area of San Francisco known as China Basin in the up and coming neighborhoods of South Beach and Mission Bay. The stadium cost $357 million to build and supplanted the Giants’ former home, Candlestick Park, a multi-use stadium in southeastern San Francisco. A team of engineers from UC Davis was consulted in the design process of the park resulting in wind levels that are approximately half those at Candlestick. Fans had shivered through 40 seasons at “The ‘Stick” and looked forward to warmer temperatures at the new ballpark. But because AT&T Park, like its predecessor, is built right on San Francisco Bay, cold summer fog and winter jackets in July are still not unusual at Giants games, despite the higher average temperature.
When it opened on March 31, 2000, the ballpark was the first Major League ballpark built without public funds since the completion of Dodger Stadium in 1962. However, the Giants did receive a $10 million tax abatement from The City and $80 million for upgrades to the local infrastructure (including a connection to the Muni Metro). The Giants have a 66-year lease on the 12.5-acre (51,000 m2) ballpark site, paying $1.2 million in rent annually to the San Francisco Port Commission. The park opened with a seating capacity of 40,800, but this has increased over time as seats have been added.
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Before Nice was urbanized, the coast at Nice was just bordered by a deserted band of beach. The first houses were located on higher ground well away from the sea.
Starting in the second half of the 18th century, the English took to spending the winter in Nice, enjoying the panorama along the coast. When a particularly harsh winter up north brought an influx of beggars to Nice, some of the rich Englishmen proposed a useful project for them: the construction of a walkway (chemin de promenade) along the sea.
The city of Nice, intrigued by the prospect of a pleasant promenade, greatly increased the scope of the work. The Promenade was first called the Camin deis Anglés (the English Way) by the Niçois in their native dialect Nissart. After the annexation of Nice by France in 1860 it was rechristened La Promenade des Anglais, replacing the former Nissart name with its French translation.
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Originally called montagne de la Victoire, the mountain became known by Christians in the Middle Ages as Sainte-Venture. In the 13th century, a chapel was constructed at the summit. It was not until the 17th century that the mountain gained its current name.
In 1989 a fire ravaged over 50 km² of the mountain’s south face. Much work has been done to promote reforestation, but the amount of vegetation, particularly conifers, remains much less than it was prior to the fire. Access to the mountain is now largely restricted during the summer.
However, during the periods of free access, the Saint-Victoire massif is a popular destination for hiking, climbing, paragliding and, to a lesser extent, caving. Around 700,000 walkers use its paths every year.
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440 meters long and 42 meters wide, the Cours Mirabeau is one of the most popular and lively places in the town. It is lined with many cafés, one of the most famous being Les Deux Garçons and during its history frequented by famous French cultural figures such as Paul Cézanne, Emile Zola and Albert Camus.
The street has wide sidewalks planted with double rows of plane-trees. The Cours Mirabeau is decorated by fountains, the most notable of which is La Rotonde, a large fountain that makes up a roundabout at one end of the street. The street also divides Aix into two portions, the Quartier Mazarin, a.k.a. the new town, which extends to the south and west, and the Ville comtale, a.k.a. the old town, which lies to the north with its wide but irregular streets and its old mansions dating from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.
-wikipedia.org
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With 4,800 acres, we are one of North America’s largest mountains. At over 10,000 feet, we are Tahoe‘s highest. Our 3,500 foot vertical is unmatched on the West Coast. And our average annual snowfall is a formidable 360 inches. And just in case that’s not enough for you, we have one of the largest snowmaking systems on the continent at the ready, covering 70% of the mountain.
Let’s talk terrain. Put simply, we’ve got it all, from breezy blue squares to hair-raising black diamonds. There’s no better tree skiing on earth. And experts will have a field day at Mott and Killebrew canyons. This is what other mountains want to be when they grow up. This is Heavenly.
-skiheavenly.com
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