In the middle bay, which covers the section between the Bay Bridge and the Potomac River, grasses decreased 28 percent.

WSJ: Chesapeake Bay grasses decline again

For more niche views, explore the dramatic island prison in the middle of the Bay with " A tour of San Francisco's Alcatraz" and Ms. Bing's the-title-says-it-all " San Francisco's blissful Golden Gate Park".

BBC: This is San Francisco week

By the time he reached the middle of the bay and the wind began to bite, he realized that it was December, and no more than forty degrees, and the farther out into the bay he ventured the colder it would get.

NEWYORKER: Max at Sea

You can have a tropical paradise or a refuge in the middle of San Francisco Bay.

FORBES: Most Expensive Private Islands 2005

About 2, 500 people currently live on Treasure Island, a man-made island in the middle of San Francisco Bay that dates back to the late 1930s and is connected to San Francisco and Oakland by the Bay Bridge.

WSJ: China in Talks With U.S. Home Builder

There will be a fireworks display every night, but subdued enough not to interfere with flights in and out of Chek Lap Kok airport or with residents of Discovery Bay, a middle-class housing enclave along the Lantau coast.

CNN: Making A Magic Kingdom