Archive for the ‘Living in Marin’ Category
It’s that time of year again when you need to start planning for your kids’ summer activities. Either of these resources can help you make a decision that’s right for your child.
Check out Marin Magazine’s Summer Camps Guide which has listings for a wide variety of day and overnight camps, or you might want to stop by the Marin Camp Fair being held at Dominican University this Saturday, March 9 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. More than one hundred day and overnight camps for kids from Preschool to High School will be sharing information about their programs. There will also be a bounce house, professional hula hooper, free pizza and door prizes for the first 250 families.
Location: Dominican University of California Campus, Conlan Gymnasium, 1475 Grand Ave, San Rafael.
The Marin County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Service is launching a new notification system tomorrow, on Alert Marin Day, Jan. 26th. It’s an upgrade to the Telephone Emergency Notification System (TENS), that calls you when there’s an emergency. Now you can register your cell phone or VOIP number to receive emergency alerts by text, voice and email. You may register multiple geographic locations for notification, such as home, work, children’s school, or a parent’s home.
Go to www.alertmarin.org for info and registration. It just takes a couple of minutes, and it could save your life or property!
Wow, how cool is Oxbow Public Market in Napa! My dream would be to open up something like this in Marin…we have nothing like it. It’s an indoor marketplace with all kinds of super cool restaurants, butchers, cupcake makers, coffee houses, gifts, oysters, and cheeses from around the Bay Area. The atmosphere is awesome and the concept and food are amazing. Stop by here on the way up to wine tasting on the Silverado Trail in Napa. Very inspirational and another reason why we love living North of SF.
Oxbow Public Market. 610 & 644 First Street, Napa, California 94559
I thought I’d share a wonderful blog that I frequent often when I’m looking for something to do with the kiddos. Marin Mommies has loads of ideas, mostly focusing on Marin, but with some branching out to other parts of the Bay Area too. They list weekend events, local beaches, hikes, family friendly recipes, birthday party venues, and day trips in the area. If you have kids and live in Marin, or visit often, you should definitely check it out.
We’re always looking for parks in Marin that have a lot to offer kids and families, and what we really like about Miwok Park in Novato are all the cool things for kids to do. The grassy field is perfect for throwing the ball around or playing soccer, and there are plenty of shady spots to get out of the sun. There’s a large play structure area and lots of picnic tables in the trees with BBQs, and the creek provides a great place for the kids to play. Then the really unique thing about the park is the Museum of the American Indian, which educates kids about the local Native American tribe…super cool. Parking can be limited for big groups but there are also spots in the surrounding neighborhood.
What a great way to spend a sunny September day! Limantour Beach, only 35 minutes from Fairfax, is perfect for going on a long walk or building a sand castle. Our kids love playing in the sand dunes and had a lot of fun creating a fort there. There are great hiking trails on your way in and a lot of bird watching in the lagoon just to the north, and sometimes we even see harbor seals resting on the beach. It can get a little windy, but it’s easy to find a wind break in the sand dunes to set up camp for the day. We love going into Point Reyes on the drive home for a late lunch, or just stopping for a treat at the local Point Reyes bakery. We are really lucky to live where we live, and West Marin is one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Google Map of Limantour Beach
I almost hesitate to write about this place because I would hate to see it get overrun with crowds. Where else can you sit by the pool in Marin and have dinner and cocktails while watching your kids swim? Have dinner at Ricky’s Restaurant at Inn Marin and you don’t have to stay at the motel to use the pool. It’s great on a hot day and is perfect for birthday parties. The early evening we were there they had live music by the pool and people were dancing. Such a cool vibe and just what Marin needs, and the food was really good too. There’s a large grassy area for kids to run around too, right next to the pool. Hawaii in Marin? Don’t tell too many people about it:)
I stopped by former Grateful Dead member Phil Lesh’s new Terrapin Crossroads restaurant and music venue with the family recently, and what a great place. We sat outside and had dinner on the water with the kids, sipping beer and margaritas while they played bocce. Locals pulled up in their boats while we ate, and after dinner we headed into the bar for some live music. The food was tasty, with a nice selection of small plates and entrees to choose from. Looks like they have private lounge rooms to rent as well. The ambiance is super cool and this is one of our new favorite spots! We’re looking forward to checking out a good bluegrass show coming up on August 3rd and 4th.
Terrapin Crossroads
100 Yacht Club Dr.
San Rafael, CA 94901
415.524-2773
You may not have heard about Outstanding in the Field, but it’s an exciting culinary adventure that I am just itching to experience. The creators have a mission to reconnect people with the food they eat. They call them restaurants without walls and set up long farm tables in unique places, like in the middle of a vineyard, on a ranch, in a cave, or right by the ocean. We just discovered this but it’s been going on for 20 years. The aim is to bring people as close as possible to the ingredients on their plate–literally so close that they may be grown just a few feet away.
Take a look at the schedule and see if there’s an event for you. Tickets run in the $200 price range and they have been selling out fast. If you missed the one you want (we missed the Michael Minna event at Devils Gulch – bummer!) then sign up on the email list so you are sure not to miss out next year.
Outstanding in the Field does many events here in California, but they also travel. How about dining in a vineyard in the Rioja region of Spain? Or sampling some Mahi Mahi, taro, and starfruit at an organic farm on the island of Hawaii? Honey, I think it’s time to plan a vacation!
The wait is over and Fairfax has its fancy new natural foods store, with the Good Earth location at 720 Center Blvd. having its grand opening yesterday. We stopped by this afternoon to take a look and it’s impressive. They did a really nice job and the place is huge, especially compared to the old spot, and it was packed– both with shoppers and those just curious to check it all out.
While it’s a great addition to Fairfax and it’s very cool to have such a nice, big market in town, it’ll be interesting to see how it affects the vibe of the area. With all the traffic and cars in the parking lot it sure looks like it’s not going to be the same for the many cyclists who’ve been accustomed to having a mellow and convenient place to meet up, with easy parking. We’re wondering what happens when people want to keep parking there while they go on rides. Will the market have to end up monitoring the lot, and citing those who aren’t shopping?