03/14/08
Not long ago, the delightful Scott Beale of Laughing Squid took me to see the birthplace of Jack London in San Francisco. I've been a Jack London fan for a very long time and have visited many of his haunts in the Bay Area and beyond. But I had never before been to the very spot near South Park where he was born in 1876. It was a surprising discovery for me and a reminder that Jack got around quite a bit in his short (forty years) but action-packed life.
Pieces of the London legacy are scattered hither and yon. Certainly, anyone interested in following in the footsteps of the famed journalist, novelist and adventurer needs to stop by Jack London Square in Oakland. But the best single place to get the full measure of the man is in...
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02/26/08
I had a terrific experience the other day wandering around Berkeley, Oakland and Alameda. Usually, I do my own driving but this time, thankfully, I left the car behind and boarded an AC Transit bus with the fabulous and fun Ronda Robinson behind the wheel. We shot an episode for Bay Area Backroads on Channel 4 and will post it soon on my new website, www.OpenRoad.TV; The Traveler's Video Guide to the American West.
Ronda's won AC Transit's "Rider's Choice Award" and I can see why. She's warm engaging and perceptive, and she's got a great nose for fragrances and food.
We stopped at Berkeley's fabled Cheeseboard Collective for some morning bread and cheese and saw a huge line forming on the street for the Collective's...
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02/08/08
I'm producing a half-hour television special about the spectacular East Bay Regional Park District, the largest and most diverse local park system in the nation. I've visited the East Bay parks many times for personal and professional reasons over the years, and think I know them pretty well. However, working on this television project, I'm reminded of exactly how immense, complex and special the park system truly is. No matter where we live in the Bay Area, we're all very fortunate to have the East Bay parks in our backyard.
The East Bay park district was born during the depths of the Depression, and time and time again for many decades the voters of Alameda and Contra Costa counties have supported the growth and enhancement of the...
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01/25/08
I've been exploring the open road of the Livermore Valley lately, and have been reminded of all the special spots along the way. Many of us never get off I-580 to poke around, and that's a mistake.
First of all, this is wine country with, quite literally, deep roots. Wente Winery has been in the same family since 1883. Generation after generation, the descendants of C.H. Wente have been producing fine wine. Concannon has also been in the neighborhood since 1883, which, coincidentally, was the year my grandfather was born on the other side of Mt. Diablo in Brentwood as I mentioned in a previous blog. These days, I believe there are about 40 wineries around Livermore. After...
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01/09/08
OpenRoad.TV's Doug McConnell shares his thoughts about the wide winter vistas of Northern California
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12/28/07
My mother's father, Ray Gregory, was born in Contra Costa's Brentwood in 1883. His father was busy multi-tasking in the nineteenth century setting up post offices and serving as a Methodist minister in post gold rush California. My grandfather was a terrific storyteller and he used to regale me with tales about the California he knew as a kid. I suspect some of his stories were even true.
I was hooked by history early on. The histories of California and the West especially grabbed my imagination and have never let go. These days, I enjoy visiting places my grandfather might have known. When he was a boy, John Muir lived nearby on his ranch in Martinez. Now the Muir home and some of its grounds are protected by our national park...
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