water taxi CONSERVATORY OF FLOWERS (1878) This striking assemblage of glass and iron, modeled on the glass hous

CONSERVATORY OF FLOWERS (1878) This striking assemblage of glass and iron, modeled on the glass house at Kew Gardens in London, exhibits a rotating display of plants and shrubs, including an astounding variety of orchids. After years of remodeling, it opened in 2003 and is one of the park s must-see attractions. If you re around during summer and fall, don t miss the Dahlia Garden to the right of the entrance in the center of what was once a carriage roundabout. The conservatory is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to 4:30pm, closed Mondays. Admission is $5 for adults; $3 for children 12 to 17 years of age, seniors, and students with ID; and it s free to all the first Tuesday of the month. For more information, visit www.conservatoryofflowers.org or call

Readers are spoiled for choices when it comes to fictionalized accounts of California s pioneers. Salinas water taxi native John Steinbeck, one of the state s best- known authors, paints a vivid portrayal of proletarian life in the early to mid1900s. His Grapes of Wrath remains the classic account of itinerant farm laborers coming to California in the midst of the Great Depression. Cannery Row has forever made the Monterey waterfront famous, and East of Eden offers insight into the way of life in the Salinas Valley.

San Francisco s temperate marine climate means relatively mild weather year-round. In summer, temperatures rarely top 70 F (21 C; pack sweaters, even in Aug), and the city s famous fog rolls in most mornings and evenings. In winter water taxi the mercury seldom falls below freezing, and snow is almost unheard of. Because of the fog, summer rarely sees more than a few hot days in a row. Head a few miles inland, though, and it s likely water taxi to be clear and hot.