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Woodside, Calif.—For
tourists, there's really one attraction in
wooded Woodside, California. It's the Filoli
Gardens and Estate, a beautiful destination
featuring garden tours, special events and a
gift shop, all open to the public.
Woodside is a
town that locals consider a desirable place to
live, thanks to the forested surroundings,
extensive horse and bike trails, and close
proximity to San Francisco Airport, San Jose
Airport, and corporate offices in nearby Silicon
Valley south of the community. Located on the
San Francisco Peninsula, midway between San Jose
and San Francisco in San Mateo County, Woodside
is also only 16 miles from the Pacific Ocean and
beaches of Half Moon Bay. It's geographic
location makes for enjoyable weather all year
long. Seldom too hot or too cold, the climate is
conducive to the gardens, plants and flowers
that grow at Filoli all year long.
Although it
is situated on the San Andreas Fault, a source
of earthquake activity in California, residents
maintain insurance, use proven methods for
securing valuables that can break, and often own
other properties, thanks to financial success in
a variety of business endeavors. Celebrities
such as Shirley Temple Black, actress;
Michelle Pfeiffer, actress, and husband David E.
Kelley, producer; Neil Young, rock singer; and
Joan Baez, folk singer, are some of its better
known residents.
The corporate
elite living in Woodside have also included the
likes of Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer;
Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle Corporation; Gordon
E. Moore, co-founder of Intel; John Thompson,
CEO of Symantec; Thomas Siebel, founder of
Siebel Systems; and Scott Cook, co-founder of
Intuit, Inc.
A small shopping and dining area includes
several restaurants (including the famous
Buck's of Woodside where deals are brokered), a
hardware store and a nursery. While eucalyptus,
oaks and redwoods dominate the landscape,
the superb weather makes gardening a delight.
Though not open to the public, many private
estates feature graceful gardens and landscaping
in concert with the spectacular grounds the
public can view at Filoli Gardens. What's unique
about Woodside is its dry, warm climate during
summer months, thanks to the Santa Cruz
mountains that separate it from the ocean less
than 20 miles away. This set of mountains that
extend to Monterey Bay 40 miles south, make
roads and driving conditions sometimes
challenging. While the roads are well
maintained, traffic can clog the well-traveled
by-ways that connect Woodside with the Bay Area
and the beach, especially during rush hour and
weekends.
What to
see:
Filoli Gardens and Estate -
Named Filoli, to Fight, to Love, to Live,
William Bourne built the country retreat
completed in 1917.
Open February through October. Address: 86 Caņada
Road, Woodside, California 94062. Directions: Approx. 30 miles south of San
Francisco in Woodside, south of Highways 92 and 280 Junction. Call for hours, schedule changes and
restrictions: (650) 364.8300 x507. www.filoli.org.
Where
to stay:
Redwood
City offers superb hotel accommodations less
than six miles from Woodside. But for a special
treat, head to the beach at Half Moon Bay.
Map of Woodside
Woodside is
5.5.miles southwest of Redwood City and approx.
18 miles
from San Francisco Airport (SFO) in Burlingame.
The oceans and California
beaches of Half Moon Bay, plus fine resorts such
as The Ritz-Carlton, are
approx. 25 minutes away with a distance of 16
miles. |
