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Legoland or Bust(ed): A Green Road Trip to the Theme Park

Locations in this article:  San Diego, CA San Francisco, CA

San Francisco remains one of my favorite cities, and not simply because it’s way out in front in terms of eco-initatives (though, really, any city with a waste diversion rate of 78 percent and aiming toward being the world’s first zero-waste city by 2020 is my kinda town!).

With sea lions still providing huge novelty to our kids, we headed for Fisherman’s Wharf to try and determine the social hierarchy as they barked incessantly and pushed each other off the docks.

Snarky sea lions aside, San Francisco is also home to the Hotel Intercontinental’s eco-flagship property in the Market district. The chain, in making over this property, decided to take it as far as it could. The result is not only a beautiful hotel, but one that shows other hotels (not to mention guests) just how cost-effective and comfortable eco-friendliness can be.

On the recommendation of a Bay-living friend, we made our way to the Ferry Building to indulge in a Gott’s burger. Gott’s is noted for its “artisanal and fresh ingredients”, which is a San Fran way of saying fresh produce (much of it from their own garden) and locally raised meat, as well as packaging that’s either recyclable, compostable or renewable. All of which is a bonus on top of a really great burger. The shakes are awesome, too.

Bellies full, we prepared to once again head south.

Besides a quick stop in Carmel to bury our toes in sand, we headed straight for Monterey to give us ample time to take in its world-class aquarium.

Monterey Bay Aquarium is perhaps most famous for its popular and downloadable Seafood Watch brochure, outlining which species of fish are sustainable…and which are being fished right out of the food chain. More recently, the Aquarium sponsored a bill (signed into law) that prohibits the sale, trade and distribution of shark fins in California, ending the state’s participation in the shark fin trade.

More locally, it’s known for its popular sea otters (you can see them on the Otter Cam) and penguins (ditto via the Penguin Cam). It was the only institution in the world to exhibit a young great white shark and routinely offers up ocean creatures that visitors rarely get to see in the wild. The Aquarium’s popular touch pools – where visitors can truly get a hands-on experience – continue to thrill, as does the more recent wave crash tunnel that beautifully illustrates the power of our oceans. We could have spent three days at the aquarium but LegoLand beckoned…and we were on a schedule.

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