Red Hat Summit Travel Guide (Part 2)

This is the second part of a two-part Summit guide. Part one is at this link.

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Sights to see near San Francisco

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Going to the Red Hat Summit in either Boston or San Francisco opens the possibility of seeing some wonderful sights. I’m originally from San Francisco, so I’m focusing on San Francisco instead of Boston.

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San Francisco is an amazing city to visit with many remarkable places to see. I and many others made sure to schedule some some time either before or after the Summit for the opportunity to see the rare sights.

• The Golden Gate Bridge is arguably the most famous icon associated with San Francisco. It has an amazing history, architecture, and magnificent city views making it a very worthwhile spot to visit.
• The non-profit organization San Francisco City Guides has trained volunteers offering free guided walking tours on Thursday and Sunday, yet you can walk across it on your own any other day too. They boast 80 total city tours listed at their website.
• You can capture astounding scenic views of San Francisco by going just North of the bridge to the Marin Headlands. To get there, you could rent an Uber or a bike (it’s a steep climb), among other options.
• I took the bridge photo above with the ship during my visit to the Marin Headlands. I was burned by the sun that day, so be sure to bring sun-block, a good hat and long-sleeve clothing to avoid being scorched by the sun.
• San Francisco is famous for its cable cars. The website sftravel.com recommends “Do This: Hop on the California St. line at its terminus (California and Drumm streets). Lines hardly ever take long, and the ride up to Nob Hill presents you with beautiful views of the city.”

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• California is huge, and the logistics of travel can consume a lot of time. You can either focus your travel plans to the local sights and have more time to see things within the San Francisco bay area, or balance your travel time for more distance sights within California. Decide on your travel list accordingly.
• California has so much more to see than what can be discovered immediately. This “small” list has a tremendous amount of worthwhile places to see.
• Monterey California is an amazing city to visit hosting the remarkable Monterey Bay Aquarium in the Historic Cannery Row. Here’s some mistakes to avoid when visiting Monterey.
• Where possible, attempt to check on lodging availability in advance for places you wish to visit, especially highly popular places.
• I’m sure many of the places I’ve listed above will be possibilities for many people reading this. However, consider using Google to search for things to do during your visit for things that you enjoy because there is much more to see that I could possibly cover with this single blog entry.

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• Yosemite National Park is a magnificent place to visit. The views are quite breathtaking. Traveling from San Francisco to Yosemite is quite a long drive, so plan duly. Staying at the Ahwahnee Hotel in the Park is very expensive, and the reservations for the hotel fill up fast and early. However, it seems the Wawona Hotel in the park itself offers comparatively less expensive pricing.
• There are some nice places to stay outside Yosemite Park such as the Evergreen Lodge which is not too far away, and they offer some tours. You could rent a vehicle also and visit it, but be aware of the impact of traveling in April in Yosemite because Winter is still an issue. There are even more options through TripAdvisor or Expedia.
• Yosemite does have some camping opportunities, their website says: “From April through September, reservations are essential and even the first-come, first-served campgrounds usually fill by noon (often earlier) from April through September”. There is more listed at the National Parks Service website.

Limits & Fun

Traveling from abroad can take a toll on you with jet-lag and an offset sleep schedule. Please consider the good comments below by jgkootstra on dealing with Jet Lag and travel from abroad. I don’t want to sound like a Public Service Announcement, but be aware of your own limits while traveling, having fun and balancing your time and travel budget. Consider traveling with others, or a group if possible. At a minimum, inform others of your travel plans especially if hiking or camping.

Your own Tips

I can’t have possibly listed all the possible tips for travel and seeing the sights during the Summit. Please chime in with your comments below.

While I am not a representative of Red Hat and my views about Red Hat are just my own, I am a member of the official Red Hat Accelerators community, which gives me the connection to Red Hat and through which I engage with other RHA team members.