Archive for the ‘Living in Marin’ Category
Fort Baker, Marin County, California
I took this photo earlier this week while touring Marin with an out of state friend. I was surprised at how lovely it turned out with San Francisco nestled in the clouds across the bay. The photo was taken at Fort Baker, on top of the bunkers at the tip of by the bay.
It’s still February, we saw snow on Mt. Tam in the last week and yes, it is also summer camp registration time! The choices for summer camps for kids in Marin can be overwhelming and some great programs fill up very early. We registered for a coveted horseback riding camp in early January after being declined two years in a row!
Last year I wrote this post on Marin County Summer Camps and the individuals who commented have given some great information. Feel free to add your thoughts here or on that post.
Thanks to one of the commenters for letting me know about the upcoming Marin Camp Fair where over 50 day camps in Marin and other resident summer camps throughout California will be present to answer questions about the camps.
The summer camp fair takes place on Thursday, March 31, 2011 at Dominican University in San Rafael. Don’t worry about finding a babysitter, the fair is kid friendly and will feature free pizza, a jumpy house and more.
- What: Marin County Summer Camp Fair
- When: Thursday, March 31, 4:30-7:30pm
- Where: Conlan Gym, Dominican University (map)
- More Details
This sounds like a great event to help evaluate your choices- I’ll see you there!
Sorella Caffe in Fairfax is one of our favorite local places to bring the whole family. The name means “sister” in Italian–appropriate as it’s owned by two sisters–and the food, ambiance and service are top notch. We eat here often and both sisters are always there to greet us. Using fresh, organic ingredients, the pasta and seafood dishes are excellent and you have to try the Mista salad with their homemade salad dressing–a secret recipe.
With a fireplace and live music on the weekends, the ambience is very relaxed and it’s a great place to bring the kids, who especially love the big block of parmesan cheese they bring to your table to start out your dinner and the big bowl of gummy bears and animal cookies they bring out for free after your meal. We’ve eaten here probably thirty times and the service has always been amazing. This is one of our favorite restaurants in Marin. Check it out and let us know what you think!
I snapped this photo on a hike this morning of Mt. Tam from Crown Road in Baltimore Canyon. The colors were amazing after the evening rains. This hike is one of my favorites. You can take Crown Road to the left and down to Dawn Falls. We choose the trail head to the right, which leads you up on the ridge to view all of Marin’s gorgeous hills.
The Crown Road trail is accessible via Kentfield.
Driving directions:
From Sir Francis Drake, take College Avenue into Kentfield. Turn right on Woodland, left on Evergreen. Follow Evergreen up the mountain. Turn left Crown Road and continue to the end of the road. Parking can be difficult on weekends.
My wife and I recently went on a great one-hour hike at Roy’s Redwood Grove in San Geronimo Valley. It’s a super nice 3.5 mile loop that meanders through an old redwood grove and open meadows, with a nice view of the valley. To get there head west out Sir Francis Drake Blvd. from Fairfax and turn right after the golf course. It’s up on the right about a 1/4 mile. It’s great to find a one-hour loop like this for those days when you feel like a hike but don’t have a lot of time. Awesome!
I am a sucker for the holiday season. I really get into the spirit of it and there are no shortage of holiday events in Marin.
TIBURON: The Tiburon Holiday Festival takes place tonight and will feature an ice rink. Ice skate by the Bay? How cool is that?! There will also be a tree lighting ceremony, Christmas carolers, and lots of activities for kids including the holiday standard- gingerbread decorating. The Tiburon festival takes place on Main Street in downtown Tiburon starting at 5:30 pm. More information at shoptiburon.info.
SAN ANSELMO: The Town of San Anselmo will light up on Saturday night, December 4th with the annual Holiday Lighting Ceremony. The event takes place on San Anselmo Avenue at 525 San Anselmo. Santa will arrive in a firetruck! There will be free photos with Santa, music and more.
The event sponsored by the San Anselmo Chamber of Commerce takes place from 5:00-6:30 pm on Saturday. Parking is available in the Creek, Magnolia Street, and Pine Street parking lots. More information: 415-454-2510
SAN RAFAEL: The Marin Symphony will be hosting Holiday Concert by Candlelight with the chamber choir, soloists and instruments (including my favorite- handbells!) on Saturday Sunday. Tickets range from $25-30. More information at www.marinsymphony.org
The seasons classic- The Nutcracker will be performed this weekend by the Stapleton Ballet for the 22nrd year. The performances take place on Saturday and Sunday at 1pm and 5pm at the Marin Veteran’s Auditorium in San Rafael. Tickets are $18-30. More information: www.stapletonschool.org.
NOVATO: Novato will also be lit up like a Christmas tree (so to speak!) on Saturday with the tree lighting ceremony in downtown Novato on Sherman Avenue. The event starts at 4:30 and features special guests of honor- Santa and Mrs. Claus along with a variety of other activities. More information: www.downtownnovato.com.
Hope to see you out and about this holiday weekend.
Thinking of dining out this week? Thursday, November 18th is a great night to do it for the 6th annual Dine Out to End Hunger which benefits Homeward Bound of Marin. Homeward Bound is Marin County’s chief provider of shelter and residential services for homeless families and individuals, serving approximately 1,400 people per year in 14 inter-related residential programs. 97% of families and 83% of adults completing Homeward Bound’s programs go on to stable housing.
Tavern at Lark Creek, Larkspur, California
Supporting the event is easy. Simply dine at one of the participating restaurants and twenty percent of your bill will be donated to Homeward Bound of Marin. The restaurant list has some of my favorite local restaurants as well.
Participating Marin Restaurants
Corte Madera Restaurant Partners
Larkspur Restaurant Partner
Mill Valley Restaurant Partners
Novato Restaurant Partner
Point Reyes Station Restaurant Partner
San Anselmo Restaurant Partners:
San Rafael Restaurant Partner
I just returned from trick or treating with the kids. Along the way, we saw lots (and lots, and lots!) of Giants fans, beards and the like. The energy and excitement over the Giant’s game was thrilling. I was concerned about missing the World Series, yet people had brought large screen tvs into their front yards, invited us in for beverages and an inning, and generally cheered and updated us on the score. I loved this pumpkin we found.
The Giant sense of community (pun intended), was clearly felt.
And this, is why I love Marin.
The Mill Valley Film Festival returns for it’s 33 year tonight. The highly acclaimed film festival is recognized as one of the top ten film festivals in the country and is considered to be a launching pad for upcoming Academy Awards campaigns.
The festival features 143 fiction and non-fiction films — 82 features and 61 shorts representing 46 countries. 32 of the films are premieres. 21 Bay Area artists are featured. Mill Valley is always bustling for this great event. It’s a great way to capture the best of film and support our local community.
Films opening tonight include Conviction starring Sam Rockwell (expected to be in attendance), Hilary Swank, Minner Driver, and Juliette Lewis among others and The King’s Speech with Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush.
The Opening Night Gala takes place tonight after the screenings at the Mill Valley Community Center.
- What: Mill Valley Film Festival
- When: October 7-17, 2010
- Where: Marin County Theaters
- Tickets
- More Information
See you at the movies!
Imagine living in a place where the bike parking lot gets full…
I love this photo I snapped at the Sausalito ferry. The fantastic climate in Marin makes environmentally friendly commuting easy and clearly people are taking those options!