Angel Island

Because it would be completely criminal not to take advantage of the kind of weather we're having here in the Bay Area, I convinced my friend Helen that we were both in need of a little day trip to my favorite (not so touristy) tourist spot in the whole area: Angel Island.

The island has had quite a history, serving as the "Ellis Island of the West" for incoming Chinese immigrants in the early 1900's, holding people while immigration officials determined whether they had a legitimate right to enter the country. Later it was used as a processing center of German and Japanese prisoners of war during World War II.

Besides being historically interesting, the island is also just plain gorgeous! If you hike to the top of the island's Mt. Livermore on a clear day (as we did), you have an amazing 360 degree view of the Bay Area. While at the top, Helen and I took the time to enjoy a fantastic picnic lunch, complete with a bottle of red wine. We felt a little sheepish about boozing it up in the middle of a hike until the guys sitting next to us busted out their own bottle of wine. And a bottle tequila which they had already mixed with Margarita mix. And 4 boxes of girl Scout cookies. No water, and no real food of any kind, but they were definitely ready to drink. At least Helen and I managed to cover all of the food groups and brought water!