Vallejo, on San Pablo Bay's Far Side

The words "San Pablo Bay" may be unfamiliar to people outside of Northern California, but they describe a beautiful region that makes up a third of what most people simply call the "San Francisco Bay." Extending north and east from San Francisco, San Pablo Bay includes or borders upon Alcatraz, Angel islands, Sausalito, Tiburon and Berkeley, as well as a national wildlife refuge, the US Navy's Mare Island, and, less elegantly, San Quentin, site of the state's most notorious prison.

There's plenty to see and do here. History buffs will like Vallejo, which served as California's second capital for a brief time, fans of the Navy will enjoy tours of Mare Island, kayakers and picnickers will adore Angel Island, and thrill-seekers and animal-lovers alike will have a great time at Six Flags Marine World.

Just 35 miles northeast of San Francisco, Vallejo can be reached from there on Interstate 80 across the Bay Bridge, or by the more scenic route north across the Golden Gate Bridge on US 101 to State 37 east. Vallejo is also just 60 miles southwest of Sacramento and 25 miles north of Oakland, and can be reached from north and south on I-80, from the north on State 29, and from the west on State 37. From San Jose, it's a two-hour drive north on either I-680 or I-880/80.

Highlights

Six Flags Marine World is the USA's only combination wildlife park, oceanarium and theme park. The world's "first flying coaster" (which means there's no floor beneath your seat), the Medusa, is one of the highlights here, as is an older ten-story wooden roller coaster. The park is open on weekends from mid-March to Memorial Day except for Spring Break, when it's open daily. After Memorial Day, it is open daily through late August. Then it's open weekends only from late August through late October. Adult general admission tickets are $39.99, while its $19.99 for children 4 to 12, and free for children under 3. Senior citizen admission is $19.99. For more pricing information, phone them at 707/644-4000, Web site www.sixflags.com.

There are 33 rides, including the new V2, Vertical Velocity, 33 animal attractions and ten shows. One of the most unique offerings, I think, is the Dolphin Discovery, a recent feature of the park. You are provided with a wet suit and boots so that you can sit in the shallow water and "greet" the dolphins. This two-hour program includes an introductory learning session, the in-water encounter, and Q&A with dolphin trainers, as well as a free photo of your experience. Available to people 9 and older. Reserve in advance since this show is open to only a limited number of participants on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The cost is a high $99.99, but that includes admission to the rest of the park, too.

Just as fun is the Sunset Safari, which costs only $9.99 (in addition to park admission), where you get a one-hour chance to talk to animal trainers and take photos of elephants, penguins, porcupines, birds and reptiles up close. Sign up on your day of visit. For the toddlers, there's a Looney Tunes Seaport, featuring gentle rides and "adventures."

You can even visit here without driving from San Francisco, using a 55-minute ferry ride across glorious San Pablo Bay, then hopping aboard a shuttle bus to the park. (Ferry is $9 one way, $4.50 for children ages 6 to 12, seniors and the disabled. Ferry runs year round. A package including Six Flags admission, round trip ferry and shuttle transportation costs $47 for adults, $31 for children aged 4 to 7, and is free for kids under 4. Phone Blue & Gold Fleet, 415/773-1188, Web site www.blueandgoldfleet.com.

The Vallejo Naval & Historical Museum is a gem. Located on the site of the first Navy Yard on the West Coast that was established in 1853.the museum is replete with artifacts and memories. The yard's first commandant was David Farragut, of "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" fame, the phrase he uttered during the Battle of Mobile Bay in the Civil War. On the National Register of Historic Places, this 1927 building has several galleries crammed with old naval objects and ship models. You can get a 360-degree view of Vallejo through a working submarine periscope installed through the building's roof. The museum is located at 734 Marin Street, phone 707/643-0077, Web site www.vallejomuseum.org, Admission is $2 for adults, less for seniors and teens (ages 12 through17), and free for children under 12.

Jelly bean lovers will want to visit the Jelly Belly Candyland for its factory tours and to see where the first jelly beans to be taken into space were made. Free drop-in tours operate daily from 9 to 5 (except during the New Year's, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays). The retail store and related factory outlets are "the only place in the world where you can buy Belly Flops." (Don't ask! You have to see for yourself.) This unusual attraction is located in Fairfield (ten miles northeast of Vallejo, off of I-80 at the Fairfield exit.) Contact: Solano Business Park, One Jelly Belly Lane, phone 800/JB-BEANS or 707/522-3267, Web site www.jellybelly.com.

Also in Fairfield is an Anheuser-Busch Brewery, "located at the gateway to Napa Valley," they say. It offers free tours, free tastings (for those 21 and over only--younger people are served soft drinks and everybody gets snacks), and the usual type of gift shop. This is one of just five Anheuser-Busch breweries that offer tours in the USA, and the only one west of the Rockies. Contact them at 3101 Busch Drive, Fairfield, phone 707/429-7595. From September through May, open Tues. through Sat. from 9 to 4. From June through August, open daily except for Sundays, with the same hours.

One of the area's most interesting sites may soon become a popular tourist target if the US Navy (which left the island only in 1996) and local authorities can agree on how to admit visitors. I'm talking about Mare Island, replete with things to see, but subject at the moment to a "reservations only" policy. Although the Mare Island Historic Park Foundation is working on a museum to open "in about 18 months", you can visit the island now only by appointment. The "requested" donation is $10 (children 6 to 12 are admitted for half that price, while those under 6 are admitted for free). The island is now home to students and faculty of Touro College, so the security issue, I imagine, will have to be resolved one way or another. Most impressive is the shipyard itself, with massive dry docks, then the splendid Officers' Row mansions (with gardens), and St. Peter's Chapel (1901), boasting Tiffany stained glass windows and, with luck, Monarch butterflies outside during the winter (en route to Mexico). Contact the foundation by phoning 707/557-1538, fax 707/552-3266, e-mail kenz@atdial.net.

If you want to spend the day on a land-sea cruise, try an Angel Island State Park outing. Take the Blue and Gold Ferry (there's also a stop at Alcatraz) year round from either Vallejo or San Francisco, for $10.50 (children can ride for half price or free if they're under 5). Although the park is open daily, concessions operate only from late April through early October. Once on the island, scenic hikes (the views of the San Francisco skyline and the Golden Gate Bridge are unbelievable) and biking (rentals in season) are the highlights. There also are historical offerings such as Civil War Camp Reynolds, Fort McDowell and the Immigration Station. Known as "The Ellis Island of the West," the island was the first stop for million of immigrants from, Asia, Russia, and various Pacific regions. Sea kayaking (weekends and holidays) is also a possibility here. And in season there's a one-hour TramTour of the historic sites, with a stop at the Cove Café, which is great for a picnic. Contact Blue & Gold at 415/773-1188, Web site www.blueandgoldfleet.com. For more information on the island itself, phone 415/897-075, Web site www.angelisland.com.

There's a Bay Area Ridge Trail running 400 miles in the hills and mountains surrounding San Francisco and San Pablo Bays (some of it under construction). When the construction is completed (about 250 miles are finished), it will connect more than 75 parks and public open spaces. Near and in Vallejo, the multi-use trail runs for about ten miles and offers hiking, bicycling and horseback-riding opportunities. Pick up a brochure at the Vallejo Tourist Information center in the ferry terminal on the waterfront, or contact the Bay Area Trail Council at 415/391-9300, Web site www.ridgetrail.org.

Lodging

Least expensive, and still quite suitable, is the Best Value Inn, 4 Mariposa Street, Vallejo 94590, phone 707/554-1840. Rooms for one or two persons go for as little as $47.60 on weekdays, $55.37 on weekends. Free coffee in the lobby, standard-sized bedrooms, neat and clean ambiance.

Charging $50 every day of the week for a room with a king-sized bed (sleeping one or two people) is the Deluxe Inn, which also offers free coffee in the lobby. Nice ambiance, friendly staff. You'll find them at 2070 Solano Avenue, Vallejo 94590, phone 707/552-1600, fax 707/552-1602.

The Great Western Inn has some non-smoking rooms, and some with microwave and fridge. Some have showers, a few contain full baths. For $60, you get a standard room for one or two people, for $66 a room with full kitchen. Each room has color TV with HBO. This is a cozy place, looking like a southwestern motel, and it is family-owned-and-operated. Contact them at 1308 Lincoln Road East, Vallejo 94591, phone 707/642-1510.

I don't often list chain hotels, but the Holiday Inn Vallejo is very well located and well run by an uncommonly friendly staff. All of its 170 guest rooms have cable TV, dataports and two phone lines, safes, coffee makers, irons, and ironing boards. Facilities include an outdoor heated pool, fitness room, restaurant and bar. Rooms for one or two persons go for $89 on weekdays, $99 on weekends. Six Flags Marine World is just across the street. Phone them at 800/533-5753 or 707/644-1200. They're at 1000 Fairgrounds Drive, Vallejo CA 94589, Web site www.rimcorp.com.

Dining Out

Jollibee is a small California chain featuring chicken, sandwiches, "value meals" and breakfasts, all easily worth the price. Their sausage and egg meal, with coffee and tater tots, costs just $2.82, their cheeseburgers (with fries and a medium soda) $2.99. Two pieces of dark meat chicken, with rice or roll, runs $2.86. You'll find them in Vallejo at 4300 Sonoma Boulevard, phone 707/557-3290.

My favorite spot to eat breakfast or lunch (no dinners served) is Georgina's Cafe & Meeting Place. You go up to the counter, negotiate what you want, go back to your table and wait for your order. A breakfast croissant with two eggs, ham, melted cheese, tomato and red onions costs just $3.95, a breakfast burrito (build your own) just $4.95. At lunchtime, build your own sandwich for $4.50 (choice of six breads, five meats, four cheeses), or have a BLT at the same price. They bake their own pastries, too. Locals are often seen reading newspapers and just hanging out at this cozy haven, which serves as a convenient meeting place. The location is right in the middle of Vallejo at 1515 Tennessee Street, phone 707/552-5070.

An all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet is featured at the Princess Garden, where lunch costs just $6.25, and dinner $9.25. The regular family dinner (min. two persons) costs $9.95, with choice of soups or egg rolls, choice of one of five entrees, and rice. Regular lunches cost just $4.95, with similar choices to the family dinner. It also offers a very pretty décor, and is located at 960 Admiral Callaghan Lane, phone 707/643-0808. (They also deliver to hotels or motels.)

At the Lucky Garden Chinese Restaurant, a family dinner (min. two people) runs just $8.95. Main entree items start at $6.95, and lunch specials start at $4.25. You'll find this three-year-old establishment, clean and spacious. 860 Tuolumne Street, Vallejo, phone 707/552-3663.

You can have a real Texas-style barbecue sandwich for just $6.95 at Earl's, next door to Six Flags at 1601 Marine World Parkway, phone 707/649 1BBQ. You get your choice of one BBQ meat (pork ribs, chicken, beef links, beef brisket, catfish & red snapper), plus one side order and bread. The same thing at dinner is $9.95, but you get two side orders. A whole chicken (meat only) costs $9.95, a rack of ribs $21.95. Closed Mondays.

Worth an out-of-the-way trip is Arnie's on-the-Green, which is perched practically in the middle of a golf course out in front of the local racetrack grandstand. Luncheon selections range from as little as $2.25 (hot dog or grilled cheese sandwich) and $3.50 for a deluxe burger, and breakfast from $2.50 (two buttermilk hotcakes) and $3.95 (Golfer's Special, two eggs any style, hashbrowns and toast, with choice of bacon or sausage). Arnie's is open from 7 to 6, no dinners. Get yourself to the racetrack, then walk two minutes across the field to this one-story restaurant, surrounded most of the time by golf carts. Gate 5 Entrance, Joe Mortara Golf Course, 900 Fairgrounds Drive, Vallejo, phone 707/558-9900.

Summing Up

For more information about the Vallejo area, contact

Vallejo Convention and Visitors Bureau
Vallejo Ferry Terminal
495 Mare Island Way
Vallejo CA 94590
Phone 707/642-3653 or 800/4-VALLEJO
E-mail vjocvb@visitvallejo.com
Web site www.visitvallejo.com.