CA Security Pro - Local Home Security Systems Blog

With winter upon us, our San Francisco reps offered us some ideas for cooler weather activities around The City. The colder weather brings a welcome null in tourism. That means that many of the same attractions are still open, just less crowded! Winter is the best time for a San Franciscan to get out and do all the "tourist" attractions. Sometimes at off season prices too.

January is actually the natural time that the sea lions come in closer. Sure, many sea lions have made a home where they know the tourists will feed them but the numbers swell in January when nature calls them closer to the shore. Bundle up and bring a camera. 

While you are out, take in all the fun and some yummy hot clam chowder Pier 39 has to offer. Stroll around free of a thousand tourists bumping into you. If it's been a while, remember that there is ice cream, chocolate, crepes, sea food (duh!,) and every food imaginable right there in walking distance and a brisk winter walk does wonders for the soul and creates even more desire for all the amazing food available at Pier 39. There are also great shops which can be easy to forget since lost locals avoid pier 39 and it's summer crowds. 

Or go see a great film. The most popular film noir festival in the world returns to San Francisco's majestic Castro Theatre for its 14th edition, January 22-31, 2016. Its timely theme, given the threat traditional arts face from the technology revolution and its skyrocketing living costs, is “The Art of Darkness”—a collection of 25 noir-stained films exploring the pressures, pitfalls, paranoia and pain of being an artist in an indifferent and often cruel world. This time the tortured protagonists aren't felons or fall guys, they're writers, painters, dancers, photographers, and musicians.

And start planning Valentine's Day now. February is right around the corner, take a stroll down Lover's Lane. In the late 1800s, U.S. soldiers used this path in the Presidio to get into town to visit their sweethearts. What a lovely piece of history. Alongside this beautiful path, you'll also find Wood Line here. Andy Goldsworthy is an artist who makes large installations in nature and urban settings. Wood Line is a series of tree pieces that form a serpentine shape in the middle of a eucalyptus grove. To get here, take the Presidio Blvd. entrance to the park and look for a small parking area to the left. Lover’s Lane begins there; you won’t miss Wood Line to the right after just a couple of minutes.

As we progress further into winter, it's time to take a look at what there is to do around town in Stockton. While we usually suggest the local gems that might have been overlooked, our Stockton rep is suggesting we take a look just outside of Stockton this time.

One must-do trip that's just about 2 hours away is a visit to Yosemite in the winter. There's usually snow through February and it's gorgeous! A must see if you have only visited during the summer. A winter bonus is that it's less crowded with the exception of Christmas week. Visit one of the lodges for a hot cocoa, plan a romantic Valentine's Day overnight or just a day trip to hike in some snow or sled down some hills. Just remember you might need chains so check the weather here.

If you don't want to go that far, there is the Mother Lode Gold Rush country, about an hour outside of Stockton. The nearest Gold Rush towns are Chinese Camp, Jamestown, Sonora, and Columbia. The last three all have hotels, restaurants, and other visitor services, while Chinese Camp is as close to a ghost town as a populated community could be. These places are rich in history and a great opportunity to look at where our great state came from.

Not far from Sonora and Columbia you'll find several caves and caverns that give tours; you can enjoy a standard tour (lots of climbing) or get adventurous and rappel, spelunk, or take a zip line ride. There are also some mine tours. This site offers some advice for planning a trip through gold rush country.

Another option is to explore the Delta, which is the area where the San Joaquin and Sacramento river valleys merge toward each other before flowing into S.F. Bay. CA Highway 12 (just north of Stockton) is the main Delta highway, there's also highway 4 and several rural roads that run along sloughs, little islands, farming communities, and fishing/boating marinas. The most charming parts are along the lower Sacramento River--Isleton, Rio Vista, Locke, etc. You'll find great farm stands and the freshest seasonal produce on this drive with plenty of options for a meal or snack right on the water.

A quick walk outside will tell you that winter is still here. Our Oakland rep wanted to share a few of this favorite things to do when there's a chill in the air.

Winter hosts some great festivals, so throw on a jacket and get out there. Coming up January 30th and 31 is the Bay Area International Childrens' Film Festival. Since its inception in 2009, the festival's mission has been to showcase a variety of award-winning films in a wide range of formats including animation, documentary, shorts and feature films. Besides being a fantastic activity for the entire family, the event encourages children to immerse themselves in the enchanting world of film. Or catch the Oakland Art Murmur Feb. 5th & 6th. The Oakland Art Murmur strives to foster a community-wide appreciation of and support for local arts. Art galleries all over the city are open on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon to showcase the diverse artistic talent of the community. For a year round calendar of local festivals, check out everfest.com.

If art's not your thing, hopefully murder is... murder mystery plays that is. Join in on a Dinner Detective Interactive Murder Mystery Show. The show is an interactive and improvised comedic murder mystery set in the present day. Performers are dressed just like everyone else. The show takes place throughout the entire room and performers may be seated at your table. Throughout the night, murders and mayhem will occur, hidden clues will come forth and our Detectives will help everyone try to solve the crime. In the end, they have a prize package for the Top Sleuth who comes closest to solving the crime.

And if you are looking for kid friendly entertainment, our guys highly recommend this blog: fun with kids in the East Bay. Highlights for this month include snow days (Woo Hoo!) teen theater's performance of Legally Blonde at the Berkeley Playhouse or visit Curiosity Hacked and build a Light Saber on the 24th!

Even us home security geeks need to get out and have a good time every once and a while and this winter our representative from in Fresno is is showing us how it's done Fresno style.

First stop is the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, if you haven't been there yet, it's a must do and now! Fresno's Chaffee Zoo. is the Central Valley’s destination for “wild” adventure. Visit the animals in habitats created to mimic their own habitat, including a tropical rain forest. You can take in a bird show, feed the giraffes or chat with the keepers. The Chaffee Zoo is also proud of their new Sea Lion Cove exhibit, modeled after Central California’s Coast Point Lobos. The cove will give you an up-close and once in a life time experience with the unique sea lions. You can find a full schedule of events here.