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Tranquil Pacifica, California

Another quick jaunt north is the scenic town of Pacifica, California. As a student at San Francisco State University, I once lived here eons ago, but it is still as quaintly scenic and tranquil a spot as I remember.

As exciting and stimulating as San Francisco is, a quieter milieu and yes – one that is chronically foggy – is Pacifica, Spanish for peace. This rustic area feels a world away from urban life, with breathtaking views of the Pacific and green, lush rolling hills.

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Pacifica is located on San Mateo County's north coast just 15 miles south of San Francisco on Interstate 1 South. The Bay area's best fishing (on a vintage pier) and surfing beaches (Pacifica State Beach) are found here, and so is the West Coast's tallest lighthouse. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve has awesome tide-pooling.

Fly into San Francisco Int'l Airport and take BART to the Daly City Station (in South San Francisco) where you can transfer to a San Mateo Transit bus that will take you straight to Rockaway Beach. There – along a rock-strewn beach – are some cozy hotels, romantic bars and great beachside restaurants.

Pacifica boasts a wholesale orchid nursery, country-style bakeries, excellent hiking and biking opportunities and don't forget, The Fog Fest – an annual celebration of the city’s awesome displays of fog. As a festival of sun, sand and surf that defines Pacifica life on the coast, The Fog Fest was created in 1986, on the last full weekend of September.

The two-day fair, with over 190 arts and craft booths, live entertainment, music, and food and drink (including the Fog Cutter, a specialty drink), attracts over 50,000 people.

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Another quick jaunt north is the scenic town of Pacifica, California. As a student at San Francisco State University, I once lived here eons ago, but it is still as quaintly scenic and tranquil a spot as I remember.

As exciting and stimulating as San Francisco is, a quieter milieu and yes – one that is chronically foggy – is Pacifica, Spanish for peace. This rustic area feels a world away from urban life, with breathtaking views of the Pacific and green, lush rolling hills.

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Pacifica is located on San Mateo County's north coast just 15 miles south of San Francisco on Interstate 1 South. The Bay area's best fishing (on a vintage pier) and surfing beaches (Pacifica State Beach) are found here, and so is the West Coast's tallest lighthouse. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve has awesome tide-pooling.

Fly into San Francisco Int'l Airport and take BART to the Daly City Station (in South San Francisco) where you can transfer to a San Mateo Transit bus that will take you straight to Rockaway Beach. There – along a rock-strewn beach – are some cozy hotels, romantic bars and great beachside restaurants.

Pacifica boasts a wholesale orchid nursery, country-style bakeries, excellent hiking and biking opportunities and don't forget, The Fog Fest – an annual celebration of the city’s awesome displays of fog. As a festival of sun, sand and surf that defines Pacifica life on the coast, The Fog Fest was created in 1986, on the last full weekend of September.

The two-day fair, with over 190 arts and craft booths, live entertainment, music, and food and drink (including the Fog Cutter, a specialty drink), attracts over 50,000 people.

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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