– Doug McConnell

Today is absolutely beautiful in Sausalito. Warm air, golden light, and silky blue water in Richardson Bay. Kind of reminding me of Hawaii…..and so my imagination is traveling there even if I can’t….at least right now. My first trip to Hawaii was in the late spring of 1975. I was living in Alaska in those days. I love the far north, but after a long winter there I’ll never forget the soft feeling of the air and the sweet smell of flowers I felt when I got off the plane in Honolulu. Within an hour or two I was in the water…and I was hooked. I fell in love with the islands and have returned more times than I can easily count. It was especially easy and cheap to get there in those days. Western Airlines, no longer with us, had a special “triangle fare” for people flying between round-trip from between Anchorage and San Francisco. After flying from Anchorage to see my family in northern California, I could go home via Honolulu for only an extra $25. I couldn’t pass that up……..even if I could only go jump in the water for a few hours.

Photo: Hawaii at Night by Chris Bence

On one of my early trips, I went with a few girls I met on the beach…..those were the days…..to carouse and catch Don Ho at the height of his celebrity in Waikiki. (more…)

— Doug McConnell

If you don’t mind being incarcerated for a little while, take a look at our story on the movie history of Alcatraz. Alcatraz gets about a million visitors a year…..and people go there for all kinds of reasons. It’s one of my favorite places in the San Francisco Bay Area. It has an absolutely and literally unique ecosystem, a layered and complex history (the Federal Penitentiary years were only a part of the story) and views to die for (few actually did.) I’m ready to talk about The Rock any time you are. And go to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the Golden Gate National Park Conservancy for more information.

Acatraz Sunrise by Jason Weisberger