Crown Jewel

Long walks on the beach, in the East Bay? Indeed. Alameda is your island in the bay with beaches meant for strolling. Crown Memorial Beach is a relaxing stretch of sand that's an impressive 2.5 miles long. The best way to check it out is to simply walk (or bike) the paved path paralleling its shore. You'll get great views across the bay to downtown San Francisco and the Santa Cruz Mountains. If the weather's nice you'll see sailboats and windsurfers skimming across the crystal waters. The full walk goes south from Crab Cove Visitor Center to the Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary. Here you'll probably see cormorants and pelicans and, if you're lucky, the endangered clapper rail. If you don't feel like walking the full 2.5 miles, you can peel off and lounge on the beach anywhere along the way. Who knew Thanksgiving could be so relaxing?

Park in the main lot off of 8th St. in Alameda. The paved shoreline trail is dog-friendly but the beach is not.