Yes, we love watching movies outdoors, and this one is kind of special. This Saturday you can watch the animated film Madagascar while sitting on the lawn in an incredible setting, while helping to raise money for a great cause. Tickets and info here.
Hard to believe the 4th is already coming up next weekend, and there’s plenty to do all over Marin. Marin Mommies has a great list of fun Independence Day activities, from Nicasio to Sausalito. And if one night of fireworks isn’t enough, the Marin County Fair will have a display every night it’s running, July 1st through July 5th.
With summer coming up fast it’s time to start thinking about fun stuff to keep the kids busy. Our friends over at Marin Mommies have a handy Summer Camp Guide that lets you browse by camp activities, grade level, and location. There’s a lot to choose from–everything from arts & crafts to mountain biking–making it a fantastic resource.
Photo courtesy of Bay Area Discovery Museum
I have lived in Homestead Valley since 1993 and there are many things I love about this part of Mill Valley. Definitely in the top five is our abundance of hiking trails. Over the years, we’ve had friends whose house it was faster to hike to than to drive. I used to leave the house every weekday morning at 6:00 am, meet my buddy on the trail and hike the “Homestead Loop” which took an hour. I don’t get up that early anymore for my walk, and have included a few others in my regimen, but my dog and I can be spotted on the trail about once a week after dropping the kids at school.
Our community is blessed to have the Homestead Valley Land Trust, and they put together a trail map that I think is an amazing resource for residents and visitors. It shows the Homestead trail where we now hike all the way to Amaranth, which then loops to four corners, and eventually drops us down on the Homestead-Lattie Lane trail (I didn’t know that was the name of it, we just call it Waterview). Then we turn back onto the Homestead trail to get home. This has evolved into an hour and a half work out that takes us through different terrains and microclimates, and is beautiful!
My family occasionally walks out the back door and hikes all the way to Muir Beach where we have snacks on the grass at the Pelican Inn or explore the tide pools (my husband drives there and runs back so we don’t have to walk both ways). While the map doesn’t take you that far, it could be the first step to many new adventures.
Seems like it’s been in the works forever, but you could actually see a SMART train being tested on the tracks in Marin as soon as April, with passenger service expected to start in late 2016. At launch it’ll run from Santa Rosa to downtown San Rafael, with the extension to the Larkspur Ferry coming later.
When you think about it, Marin County is remarkably undeveloped, especially when you consider how much sprawl there is all around the bay in other directions. As a recent article in the IJ highlighted, there’s a cool website where you can see illustrations of some of the crazy projects that were proposed for Marin back in the 50s and 60s. While development, or lack thereof, continues to be a controversial subject around here we think it’s safe to say it’s a good thing there isn’t a bridge to Angel Island or a freeway system stretching out to Tamales Bay.
Here is this week’s photo from local photographer Jackie Warner. Can you guess where in Marin County this was taken? Kind of an appropriate spot for this week. Take a shot in the comments!
Here’s this week’s photo from photographer Jackie Warner. Can you guess where in Marin County this was taken? It’s not a super tough one. Take a shot in the comments below!
You don’t need a pair of skinny jeans or a handlebar mustache to know that food trucks are bringing to life the next generation of culinary genius. They are no longer the dark and scary counterparts baring stale doughnuts and questionable tacos of my early years. They are the innovators. They are the mobile front lines that combine fearless entrepreneurial spirit with groundbreaking culinary invention.
It’s no surprise then, when you arrive at the Marin Country Mart on Sunday between 11 and 3 to find the place crawling with hipsters, families and people who forget they aren’t supposed to bring their dogs. The big draw? The event that is now widely known as Off the Grid. There you are likely to find a rainbow assortment of diesel fueled engines serving up anything from lobster rolls, deliciously creative tacos, Asian fusion sandwiches to (of course my favorite) BBQ.
I survey the terrain, trying to decide which line of deliciousness I want to commit myself to for the next 30 minutes. Indecision paralyses me for a moment, when the idea hits me: shop first – eat later.
Since I’m already at the Marin Country Mart, and knowing that I’m hosting a dinner party later in the evening, it only makes sense that I take advantage. I first head to Rustic Bakery for some sweets, then pop a few doors over to the best butcher in Marin. I’m in search of the crowd pleaser. In Belcampo speak, they call it a Tomahawk Ribeye. I call it meat flavored love.
I walk into the Belcampo store front, and am greeting by, thankfully given the size of the knives they are holding, two friendly butchers, eager to help with everything from cuts of meat, to spices, condiments as well as wine. But, as I am looking around the store, I notice something I didn’t notice before – there is an entire restaurant back there. Chairs, tables, napkins. Like real napkins. The kind that you fold and not the kind that comes on a roll. It was literally the whole deal. I take a peek on the menu, and realize that the last thing I want to do is wait in line for a sandwich and then eat it on a picnic table outside alongside humanity. I want to sit down in this cozy spot and see how the expert linguists of meat serve it themselves.
My family and I press pause on our meat order at the counter, and saunter over to the dining room with new found vigor. We sit down. Immediately sit down. Their brunch menu has everything from salads and frittatas to hamburgers and French dips. And, thankfully, for my vegetarian 7 year old, French fries and grilled cheese.
Our orders came quickly, and as soon as the plates hit the tables I’m grabbing a taste of everything. We had a hot dog served in a brioche bun. Chili that would engage the most elitist Texan. And a grilled cheese sandwich that I had to arm wrestle my usually hunger striking 7 year old for even just a bite. I couldn’t believe this place hadn’t hit our radar before, despite the countless times we had come in.
The food was so amazing, I felt compelled to share. While I love the idea of not having to wait for a table when I arrive, this is one of Marin’s best kept secrets that just isn’t fair of me to keep.
So, next time you have a special occasion, like your boss is coming to dinner, or your cooking dinner for your wife’s birthday (or maybe your celebrating that its Monday, or Wednesday or Thursday) head over to Belcampo for the meat. But maybe sit a spell, have a sparkling water or a glass of wine, and check it out. I think it could be life changing.
Jacquelyn Warner is a Marin based photographer. She was born in LA, raised in Texas, and has been sipping, dipping, hiking, bbqing, shopping and drinking here in the Bay Area for the last 14 years. She remains constant in her endless search for the perfect spot for just about anything in Marin.
No one would ever accuse me of being a “hippy.” Not by a long shot. Sure, I live in Marin and vote accordingly, but “hippy?” No. Not that I have anything against the hippy culture, of course. I just like wearing commercial perfumes over patchouli and have never been a fan of tie dye.
Which is why I always found it so curious that everyone would always tell me about the Fairfax Wednesday afternoon Farmer’s Market. The funny part is, they would tell me I would love it, and in the same breath describe it as a cute “hippy dippy” (which doesn’t sound like a positive phrase, if you ask me) collection of crafts, music, yummy food and organic produce.
At the description, my mind would flash to the overly crowded Noe Valley Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings. I would picture the tiny parking lot where they would bring in a handful of tents, throw some chalk down for the handful of toddlers, bring a couple of folk singers and make the already congested area even more annoying. Picturing a version of that in down town Fairfax didn’t really sound appealing. So I spent my first entire year in Marin completely avoiding it. Naturally.
The first sign that I might be making a hasty decision about the Wednesday night Fairfax Hippy Fest was when I was having dinner at a friends house. They revealed the most delicious pre-roasted chicken from a bag, still steamy hot, and started carving. First of all, not having to make dinner is such a plus. And sure, you can get “warm” chickens every where. But this wasn’t a normal “warm” chicken. It was so hot and delicious, that the addictive smell wafted into every corner of the house, promising home roasted deliciousness. It didn’t stop there. There were potatoes, and grainy and crunchy rosemary salt that I could almost stick my tongue directly into. I refrained. Afterall, I was a guest at someone else’s house.
I could go on about the chicken, but the point was, it all came from the Fairfax Farmer’s Market. Wow, I thought. Maybe I should just check it out.
Coincidentally, the next week, I got an invite from some friends to join them there. With the roasted chicken still fresh in my mind, I agreed. I arrived on bike, although I could have easily have driven. Sure, it was crowded, but there were still plenty of parking at that point. (Side bar, I go several times a month in the summer and almost always drive – and have never not been able to find parking.)
When I arrived, yes, there were the folksy singers, and the throngs of toddlers dancing in circles, but it wasn’t a parking lot. It was the lush green center of Fairfax, under the redwood trees. It was warm, but shaded, and there were blankets thrown everywhere with neighbors laughing and sharing snacks.
I found my friends, spread out on several blankets, letting their kids play around them. There were piping hot sweet and savory crepes on sale, delicious grilled sandwiches and beautiful baked goods. And of course, there were the chickens.
I sat down and for the next two hours I felt like time stood still. Everyone was laughing, sharing sandwiches, lush ripe strawberries, cherries and plums. Kids were getting faces painted, and donning balloon dogs and swords. After a long work day this beautiful scene before me was such a pleasant alternative to grocery shopping in florescent lights and cooking.
Am I a hippy convert now, you may ask? No, I wouldn’t say so. But, I certainly see the merits in going native.
Jacquelyn Warner is a Marin based photographer. She was born in LA, raised in Texas, and has been sipping, dipping, hiking, bbqing, shopping and drinking here in the Bay Area for the last 14 years. She remains constant in her endless search for the perfect spot for just about anything in Marin.