Yes, you've heard it before. Of course you know your city, you live there! How dare "they" tell you to tour it some more...
It's easy to get stuck in a rut and not do things that are so close to home. Going to the same restaurants, same places, parks, etc. Yesterday, I spent the day doing something that many tourists do on their trip to Long Beach. I took the
Aqualink to the Queen Mary and then to Shoreline Village. I love being on a boat so for me, $5 was fair to spend to have someone take you for a ride across the port without having to clean the boat at the end. If you want to make it really special, they also sell snacks and drinks for the quick 20 minute tour.
As for me, I started snapping away before we even left the harbor. I was so excited to be on a boat! The boat left at noon with me and one other passenger on board (shown above). I stood outside the entire time snapping away at everything...the water, the oil islands, boats, buoys, houses, and the shoreline. It was a bit hazy outside but it didn't take away from my enjoyment.
Once I arrived at my destination, I walked around Shoreline village for over an hour watching people. You can't help but put a smile on your face when you sit in the sun, watching the water and observing people enjoying the day. Even though I have been to this place many times before, I saw it in a different light yesterday. We are lucky to have such nice weather right now so it was a shame not to get outside.
I will be touring different places in the area and sharing it with you. Here are some pictures I took of my afternoon of being a tourist in my hometown. I hope you find something new in your town that you haven't seen before.
Click here for
MORE Photographs
Did I mention that I love this state? It was my last few days in town and I decided to make a trip up the coast. Highway One is a beautiful drive and you can make it even more interesting if you veer off course and drive off on the smaller roads that take you to several of the little towns and tourist destinations in the state. It's what I did when I came across Andy and his yard ship so you'll never know what you will find.
This drive took me to Boothbay harbor to walk around the area and be a tourist for a while. I walked into a gallery and spoke with one of the artists in the gallery, John Vander. He agreed for me to take his photograph while he told me about his current exhibit, "tourist season." For more on this exhibit, click HERE.
After the brief stop, I continued back to the main highway and traveled North through Camden and saw many other quaint towns while observing clammers and fishermen until I hit the main destination, Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. It was one of the foggiest days I've ever seen so it wasn't the best day to visit if you wanted a clear view of the park. It didn't matter to me, the park is beautiful. Bar Harbor is another tourist destination and after traveling to Boothbay, I grew tired of the shops selling everything you can think of with the city name in the item.
I drove up the Northern California coast, Oregon Coast up until mid Washington. This drive didn't disappoint. The only advice I would give is to take your time. Don't make it a day trip like I did. Enjoy it and take at least a few days wandering around and seeing the sights in all their glory.
