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Cruising Fabled San Francisco Bay

Program Number: 13331RJ
Start and End Dates:
5/19/2013 - 5/22/2013; 10/2/2013 - 10/5/2013;
Duration: 3 nights
Location: Oakland, California
Price starting at: $696.00 - Price may vary based on date, departure city
Program Type: History & Culture; Natural History
Meals: 8; 3 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 3 Dinners    
Meal Options: Vegetarian; Low Fat; Low Salt    

Discover the wonders of one of the world’s great bodies of water — San Francisco Bay — from the Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Bridge to Alcatraz Island, from Jack London Square to the Embarcadero. Board a comfortable 50-foot custom vessel, refitted for educational voyages with large windows for panoramic viewing and a sound system throughout, skippered by our knowledgeable captain/instructor, a biologist by training and an historian by interest.




Highlights

• Gain a unique perspective on San Francisco Bay’s cultural and natural history from aboard a comfortable, 50-foot custom vessel.
• Discover Angel Island, the Ellis Island of the West, site of the U.S. Immigration Station that processed a million people and now a lovely state park.
• Learn about San Francisco’s waterfront, historic lighthouses, Rosie the Riveter National Park, Treasure Island, Alcatraz and the Marin Headlands.



Activity Particulars

Walking up to one-half mile a day. Negotiating stairs to embark and disembark the boat.



Coordinated by Road Scholar.
Accommodations
Comfortable waterfront hotel in Oakland.

Road Scholar Instructors
These instructors are participating on at least one date of this program. Please note that changes may occur.
Ronn Patterson
Ronn Patterson is a naturalist, marine biologist, student of whales, professional photographer, teacher and writer. For more than 25 years, he has led natural-history trips to such places as Africa, the Amazon, the Andes, the Galapagos, Baja California and Mexico. He has worked as a wildlife biologist in Alaska and been a member of the scientific committee of the International Whaling Commission. Ronn is a professional skipper and captains his boat, Delphinus, nearly 10,000 miles each year.
 
Meals and Lodgings
   Executive Inn & Suites
  Oakland, CA 3 nights
 Executive Inn & Suites
Type: Four-Star Hotel
  Description: Situated along the Oakland estuary, the hotel has views across the water and is just minutes from Jack London Square.
  Contact info: 1755 Embarcadero
Oakland, CA 94606 USA
phone: 510-536-6633
web: www.executiveinnoakland.com/
  Room amenities: Refrigerator and Microwave, Flat screen TV with 36 cable channels, balcony or deck, high speed Internet, coffee maker, coffee, tea, hair dryer, iron, and alarm clock.
  Facility amenities: This hotel offers a fitness center, airport and local area shuttle, wheelchair-accessible facilities, free parking, copier/fax/ATM on site, USA Today and guest laundry and valet.
  Smoking allowed: No
  Elevators available: Yes
  Additional nights prior: $129 Contact hotel for availability.
  Check in time: 3:00 PM
  Additional nights after: $129 Contact hotel for availability.
  Check out time: 12:00 PM


Travel Details
  Start of Program:
3:00 pm. hotel check in time. 4:00-5:00 pm. meet in hotel lobby for Road Scholar registration. You will be staying at Executive Inn & Suites that night.
  End of Program:
Program ends at 10:00 am. Room check out time is 12 pm. You will be staying at Executive Inn & Suites the night before.
  Required documents:
The Road Scholar Health & Safety Form is required. Please fill out and return your Lunch Sign-up Sheet.
  Parking availability:
Hotel has free parking.
Transportation
To Start of Program
  Location:  Oakland, CA
  Nearest city or town:  Oakland
  Nearest highway: I80
  Nearest airport:  Oakland
  From End of Program
  Location: Oakland, CA
    (Additional transportation information same as above)
Travel Details
 

Oakland Airport to Executive Inn & Suites Oakland, CA

 

From Airport

 
 

Service:

 

Hotel Shuttle
Executive Inn & Suites Complimentary Shuttle
Advanced Reservations Required

 

Travel Time:

 

15 mins 
 

Distance:

 

10 miles
   

Courtesy guest shuttle service between Oakland International Airport and the hotel is available, upon request, between the hours of 6:30 A.M. and 10:30 P.M. Shuttle service to the airport is available from 6:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. and departs the hotel on the hour.
 

Oakland Executive Inn & Suites from San Francisco Airport

 

From Airport

 
 

Service:

 

Public Transportation
Advanced Reservations Required

 

Per Person/One Way:

 

$8.50
Prices are subject to change.
 

Travel Time:

 

1 hour 
   

Take BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) from the San Francisco Airport via the Pittsburg/Bay Point train to the City Center/12th Street Station near Jack London Square or to the Oakland Airport. Contact the hotel for transportation to the hotel via complimentary shuttle by calling 510-536-6633. All BART stations have automatic ticket vending machines that accept nickels, dimes, quarters and $1 coins, as well as $1, $5, $10 and $20 bills. You can also use a credit card in select machines.
 

Oakland Jack London Square Amtrak Station to Executive Inn & Suites Oakland

 

From Train Station

 
 

Service:

 

Hotel Shuttle
Executive Inn & Suites Hotel Shuttle
phone: 510-536-6633
Advanced Reservations Required

 

Travel Time:

 

5 mins 
 

Distance:

 

2 miles
 

Oakland Executive Inn & Suites from San Francisco Airport

 

From Airport

 
 

Service:

 

Commercial Van/Shuttle
Super Shuttle
phone: 800-258-3826
Advanced Reservations Required

 

Per Person/One Way:

 

$39, $15 each additional shared van
Prices are subject to change.
 

Travel Time:

 

30 to 40 mins depending on traffic 
 

Distance:

 

25 miles
   

Book online at http://www.supershuttle.com. Private Sedans also available at $95.
 
Driving Directions
  Executive Inn & Suites from the North and San Francisco From I-80 East take I-880 South toward Alameda/San Jose to exit 40 towards 16th Avenue/Embarcadero Exit and turn Left on Embarcadero to the hotel.
  Executive Inn & Suites from the South and the Oakland Airport Take I-880 North towards Downtown/Oakland to the 5th Avenue/Embarcadero exit and turn Left at Embarcadero to the hotel.
The prices listed for commercial services and facilities that are not included in the program cost, such as airport shuttles or extra nights lodging, are subject to change without notice. Since Road Scholar cannot guarantee the accuracy of these prices, we strongly suggest contacting the companies directly for the most up-to-date information.


Daily Schedule

Day 1: Arrival/Orientation & Get Acquainted, meet our captain/instructor
(Sunday, May 19)
   
 Afternoon: Check in to hotel after 3:00 p.m. and register for Road Scholar at 4:00 p.m.
 Dinner: We gather for a wine/cider social and dinner at the hotel restaurant.
 Evening: Orientation and get-acquainted program in hotel meeting room. We meet the captain of our boat and learn what to expect on the two days of cruises.
   
Accommodations: Executive Inn & Suites
Meals Included: Dinner

Day 2: View the East Brothers Lighthouse, Marin Shore and visit Angel Island.
(Monday, May 20)
   
 Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel.
 Morning: Take a shuttle to the Delphinus at the Berkeley Marina. Board the boat for today's trip on the Bay with an afternoon at Angel Island. We travel north past the port of Richmond, northern California's most diversified cargo handler. Richmond is also the home of the historic Kaiser shipyards. The Kaiser Shipyards were seven major shipbuilding yards located on the U.S. west coast during World War II. They were owned by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company, founded by American industrialist Henry J. Kaiser. Four of the Kaiser Shipyards were located in Richmond. These shipyards produced 747 ships including many of the famous Liberty ships and Victory ships. Our cruise takes us near East Brothers Island, an active lighthouse for 133 years and is now a bed and breakfast inn. We continue toward the Marin shore to dock at Angel Island. Known as the Ellis Island of the west, Angel Island is a grass and woodland covered mountainous island with spectacular views of Marin County, San Francisco and the Golden Gate. In 1910 immigration facilities were opened on the island and functioned until 1940. While detaining Chinese immigrants and denying some of them entry, European immigrants faced only an inspection on board ship and were never detained on the island.
 Lunch: We enjoy lunch on Angel Island.
 Afternoon: We continue our visit to Angel Island as we learn more about its natural and cultural history. We board the Delphinus for our return to Berkeley and head toward the Golden Gate and Alcatraz Island on our way. The Golden Gate Bridge, acclaimed as one of the most beautiful bridges in the world, was the longest suspension bridge span in the world when it was completed in 1937, and has become an internationally recognized symbol of San Francisco and California. Since its completion, the span length has been surpassed by eight other bridges. Alcatraz Island has served as a lighthouse, then a military fortification, then a military prison followed by a federal prison until 1963. It became a national recreation area in 1972 and received land-marking designations in 1976 and 1986. Today, the island is a historic site operated by the National Park Service as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
 Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.
 Evening: We have a relaxing evening with a chance to visit with new friends.
   
Accommodations: Executive Inn & Suites
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Board the boat to cruise Oakland's waterfront, Jack London Square, the Bay Bridge, Alameda Point, and San Francisco's waterfront
(Tuesday, May 21)
   
 Breakfast: We have a full buffet breakfast in the hotel restaurant.
 Morning: Take a shuttle to the Berkeley Marina to board the Delphinus for another day cruising the Bay. We travel past Oakland's waterfront and Jack London Square. Jack London Square recaptures the vivid history of the City of Oakland and the adventurous spirit of legendary writer Jack London. It creates an important tie between a lively working waterfront, a celebrated culinary community and the multiplicity of cultures that create the urban fabric of the East Bay. We'll discuss the Oakland Bay Bridge originally built in 1936. On October 17, 1989 a section collapsed during the Loma Prieta earthquake. At Alameda Point we see the renowned USS Hornet The HORNET CV-12 is one of the 24 legendary Essex-class aircraft carriers built during and after World War II. Built at Newport News, Virginia, and the eighth ship to be named “HORNET,” she is one of the most decorated ships of the US Navy.
 Lunch: We stop in McCovey Cove located just outside the Giants baseball stadium for our special lunch served aboard the boat.
 Afternoon: Continuing our cruise we travel along San Francisco's waterfront with views of the recently renovated Ferry Building, gateway to the Financial District; Coit Tower which was built in Pioneer Park atop Telegraph Hill in 1933 at the bequest of Lillie Hitchcock Coit to beautify the City of San Francisco; Pier 39 with its festival marketplace and resident sea lions, and the famous tourist attraction, Fisherman's Wharf. As we cruise our instructor continues to tell us more about the history of the area, and as we return to the Berkeley dock we pass Treasure Island, an artificial island connected by a small isthmus to Yerba Buena Island. It was created in 1936 & 1937 for the Golden Gate International Exposition of fill dredged from the bay.
 Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.
 Evening: Enjoy a final lecture about the area.
   
Accommodations: Executive Inn & Suites
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Breakfast and Good Byes
(Wednesday, May 22)
   
 Depart From: Our program ends. Please check out of the hotel by 12:00 p.m.
 Breakfast: Program ends after farewell breakfast and program wrap-up at the hotel.
   
Meals Included: Breakfast

Free Time Opportunities
  
  Oakland, CA Jack London Square
Jack London Square is a popular entertainment destination on the waterfront of Oakland. Named after the author Jack London and owned by the Port of Oakland, it is the home of stores, restaurants, hotels, an Amtrak station, and a San Francisco Bay Ferry dock. Enjoy lawn areas, picturesque piers and walking paths. For additional information, visit www.jacklondonsquare.com/
  Oakland Museum of California
When the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) first opened its doors more than forty years ago, it brought together three historically independent disciplines—art, history, and natural sciences—under one roof. This progressive multidisciplinary approach was to celebrate the many facets of California. OMCA is conveniently located one block from the the Lake Merritt BART station (between 8th and 9th streets at Oak Street). OMCA is at the corner of Oak and 10th Street. For additional information, visit http://www.museumca.org/
  Redwood Regional Park
A hidden redwood forest whose peaceful groves give little evidence of its bustling past lies on Redwood Road just a few miles over the ridge from downtown Oakland. In the mid-1800s, what is now Redwood Regional Park was the scene of extensive logging to supply building materials for the San Francisco Bay Area. The logging era has long since passed, and a stately forest of 150-foot coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) has replaced those cut down. Take AC Transit bus #46A from Coliseum BART. Deboard on Skyline Boulevard at 11500 Skyline Boulevard. For additional information, visit http://www.ebparks.org/parks/redwood#about
Important information about your itinerary: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information featured on this website. Itineraries are based on our best information at this time. Circumstances beyond our control may require us to adjust itineraries or other details. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding. Information will be sent to you from your Program Provider approximately three weeks prior to the program start date. The prices listed for commercial services and facilities that are not included in the program cost, such as airport shuttles or extra nights lodging, are subject to change without notice. Since Road Scholar cannot guarantee the accuracy of these prices, we strongly suggest contacting the companies directly for the most up-to-date information.


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