Monday, March 16, 2015

A walk in the Presidio


I once told someone that I was “not much of a hiker”.  I went on to explain that I preferred a more "urban environment" for my strolls.  I was drawn to the ever-changing scenery of walking in my neighborhood, admiring century year old homes one block and passing cafes and boutiques the next.  On my first maternity leave I must have walked EVERY block of the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland.  I would weave my way through the streets, taking in the architecture of the homes, and occasionally popping into a store for some browsing.  Fast forward a few years, and what was once a peaceful walk in the neighborhood is now one that requires my constant focus (looking for cars backing out of driveways, making sure my kids stop at the corner etc…). While I still LOVE these outings, the appeal of a calmer environment has definitely grown on me.  This past weekend, I may have found the perfect marriage of peaceful hiking in an urban environment during our visit to The Presidio in San Francisco.

Monday, March 9, 2015

Davis Farmers Market and Winters, CA


I love college towns. With the exception of my high school years (which were spent in Marin), I have always lived within miles of a University campus. The energy that students and faculty bring to the community is so refreshing and there always seems to be something happening when the school year is in session. One college town that is near and dear to my heart is Davis, CA. My husband and I are both graduates of UC Davis and it is one of our favorite places to escape to with the kids for the day.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Visiting the UC Berkeley Campus: A list of my favorite things to do!



One of my favorite childhood memories is going to Cal basketball games with my Dad. We would sit in the very last row of seats at the top of the stadium and my dad would watch the game while I ate a chocolate malt and then ran around the empty seats. It was such an exciting adventure as a young kid to walk through campus, admiring all the beautiful buildings and being a part of the unique energy that college campuses exude. While we don't make it to a lot of games these days, we love just taking the kids over to U.C. Berkeley. The campus has so much to offer that every trip seems to have something new in store for us. Below are a few of my favorite things to do at U.C. Berkeley.

Monday, February 23, 2015

Half Moon Bay


I consider myself a fairly good driver, but give me a scenic roadway or ridge-line, and all bets are off. How anyone can drive safely when there are jaw dropping views to be seen is beyond me. Thankfully my husband was behind the wheel on our recent drive to Half Moon Bay, which took us along the famous California Highway 1. Our trip only had us on this beautiful stretch of highway for 12 miles, but that was enough to make me a believer!

Friday, February 20, 2015

A day at Muir Woods


After our recent experience at the Redwood Regional Park, we had an itching for another hike in the Redwoods. This time we headed over to Muir Woods to enjoy one of their free admission days! Since it was a holiday weekend AND free admission, we planned to arrive as early as possible (the park officially opens at 8am). We managed to get there by 8:45 and were able to find a spot in the overflow lot (just pass the main entrance).

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Day trip to Lake Merritt


One of the best parts of living in Northern California is the availability of fresh, locally grown produce. It seems like you can't find a city in the Bay Area that doesn't have at least one Farmer's Market (if not multiple markets held several days a week). Much like the neighborhoods they are held in, each market has it's own unique vibe and variety of vendors, which makes visiting each market a special treat. The Grand Lake Farmer's Market has been on my list for a while, and with so much to do in the area, it is easy to make a day trip out of the visit.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

A lovely morning in Mill Valley


This past weekend, we were able to take advantage of a small break between rain storms and head out to Mill Valley. Our first stop was Equator coffee in the heart of Mill Valley's downtown. This is a really great place to fuel up for the day. The coffee is very good and the prices are only slightly more than Peet's or Starbucks (but you're getting small batch organic coffee that is locally roasted...bonus!!).

Monday, February 2, 2015

Redwood Regional Park, Oakland


One of my favorite parts about writing this blog has been the gentle nudge it has given our family to get out and start experiencing new things. It has encouraged us to take a trip that we have done a dozen times (such as Tilden's Little Farm) and tweak it to include a nearby hike. Or to explore somewhere that is so close to home it is practically in our backyard, yet we have never bothered to take the detour. This past weekend was the perfect example of taking the time to explore a park that I have lived within 10 miles of for the past 7 years, and never made the stop.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Jack London State Park, Glen Ellen


After our morning adventures (part one of this post), we headed north about 15 minutes to the small town of Glen Ellen. Our first stop was Jack London Village, where we enjoyed a chocolate tasting at Wine Country Chocolates. This elicited a happy dance from our 3 year old, who has developed quite an appreciation for chocolate!

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Sonoma. On a budget. With kids. IT CAN BE DONE!!


Oh wine country...that beautiful place you go to relax with a glass of wine, while basking in the California sun. Sounds amazing right? But what do you do if that day now includes young children?! Simply put...the wine regions of California are too beautiful to cross off your list just because you have your kids in tow. This weekend we took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather (70 degrees in January!) and headed to Sonoma for what turned out to be a wonderful day with the kids.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Discover and Go!


I was SO excited when my little sister told me about Discover & Go. It is a program offered by most Bay Area libraries, which allows library cardholders access to free or discounted passes at a number of Bay Area museums and venues.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

The Japanese Tea Gardens, Golden Gate Park


To cap off our long holiday weekend, we headed over to San Francisco for a morning in Golden Gate Park. With over 1,000 acres to explore it's hard to know where to begin! Our first stop was the Japanese Tea Garden. The Garden was first created back in 1894 for the World's Fair, and is now the oldest public Japanese garden in the United States. The paths meander through the 5 acres of beautifully maintained gardens which feature traditional elements such as the arched drum bridge, stepping stone paths, pagodas, stone lanterns and several koi ponds.

Monday, January 12, 2015

An amazing afternoon at the Point Bonita Lighthouse


For whatever reason the Marin Headlands were not high on my list of places to visit; however, at the urging of my sister, I decided to do a little research into one of her favorite spots, the Point Bonita Lighthouse.  I found that you had to walk through a tunnel to get to Point Bonita and that pretty much sealed the deal. My kids love tunnels! This was a fact I was not aware of until our recent visit to the Sutro Baths, but that was enough for me to pack the kids up and head out on our adventure.

Monday, January 5, 2015

Family Fun in Tilden Park



Tilden Park is one of my favorite places to take the kids in Berkeley and a hidden gem when it comes to free family fun (Note: some of the attractions have a low admission fee). The drive up to the park rewards you with some amazing views of the San Francisco Bay. I always have to remind myself to stop looking at the view and pay attention to the road! Below are my five favorite stops in Tilden.

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Sutro Baths and Lands End


By about noon on New Years Day, our house looked like a tornado had hit it, the kids were getting stir crazy and I was waiting for my coffee to kick in (the downside to actually making it up until midnight is that kids still wake up around 6:30!). So we had to get out of the house...and it had to be soon! Parks are a great option on holidays, and we had never been out to the Sutro Baths or the Coastal hiking trail. So off we went!