I just got my newsletter from the Yerba Buena Nursery. If you're not familiar with Yerba Buena, it's a native plant nursery located up here on Skyline just south of the Four Corners (where 84 intersects Skyline). Not only do they have a wide, albeit pricey, selection of native plants, but they also have a 50-year-old native garden that showcases the mature plants in a landscaped setting. It's a great place to visit just to walk around the garden and look at the signs on the plants, educating yourself about the flora of the Bay Area.
At the bottom of their events listing in the April newsletter is a note for a Going Native Garden Tour of 30 Peninsula gardens, to be held on Sunday, April 29 from 10 am to 4 pm. It's free, and will include opportunities to speak with the garden owners about their native garden experiences. This seems like a great opportunity for all of you environmentally conscious gardeners out there.
If you're not familiar with the native garden movement, a quick summary of benefits include:
- easier care of the plants (they naturally thrive in this environment, so they shouldn't need a lot of supplemental care, like extra watering or fertilizer)
- healthy ecosystem (native plants are necessary for native animals - including bees, butterflies and hummingbirds)
If you're interested in going on the free tour, you simply go to their website and register.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
The New San Mateo City Library
I was working at my office away from office, the San Mateo library. It's a new building, and I love working there because I can go through stacks of magazines or consult the OED as I'm researching. There are comfortable desks set up with outlets for my laptop, and it's a quiet place to work. But I usually don't get past the second floor, where the reference books are. Yesterday, I wandered on up, motivated by nothing but curiosity. What I found astounded me.
On the third floor, there was a coffee shop and a "Teen Area." It was after school hours, and the joint was hopping! There were clusters of teens scattered about the place, talking and giggling and having a great time. Did their parents know that when they said they were going to the library after school, this is what they were doing? Who cares? This was awesome! I would have dug this place as a teen.
It made me realize that our libraries have been changing to face a new world. They no longer just lend books. Modern buildings are architectural destinations in and of themselves, with auditoriums, fun kids furniture, computer centers, lounges, and even coffee shops. They are becoming culturally relevant again. Look out Barnes and Noble, you've got competition.
On the third floor, there was a coffee shop and a "Teen Area." It was after school hours, and the joint was hopping! There were clusters of teens scattered about the place, talking and giggling and having a great time. Did their parents know that when they said they were going to the library after school, this is what they were doing? Who cares? This was awesome! I would have dug this place as a teen.
It made me realize that our libraries have been changing to face a new world. They no longer just lend books. Modern buildings are architectural destinations in and of themselves, with auditoriums, fun kids furniture, computer centers, lounges, and even coffee shops. They are becoming culturally relevant again. Look out Barnes and Noble, you've got competition.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Driving to Pinnacles
Yesterday, I got up at 5am to drive down to Pinnacles National Monument to meet with a condor biologist. Leaving the house at 6:30am, I took Kings Mountain Road down the hill, hugging the hillside on this narrow road (a remnant from logging days) and devouring occasional glimpses of the valley as the sun was rising, a sliver of a crescent moon hanging in the corner of the sky just over San Jose or Palo Alto or somewhere in between the two. The camera itched at my side in the passenger seat, but I couldn't allow myself to scratch it. I had an appointment to keep.
South of San Jose, as Highway 101 narrowed and became less interstate-like, the urban sprawl gave way to open space. The sun was higher, but it was still casting that golden, early morning glow over everything. The hills were rumpled sheets of green velvet, shimmering in the sun in some places with shades of darker green on the west slopes that the sun hadn't touched yet.
Turning off Highway 101 and onto Highway 25 towards Hollister, I drove through a cherry orchard that was just this side of its peak bloom. The white petals fluttered in the breeze of trees in perfectly symmetrical rows that seemed to go on forever and ever. Hollister appeared like a remnant of the past, with its downtown storefronts, now offering quinceanera dresses that billow out like gowns that Southern belles wore before the war. Then the new Hollister stretched out to meet me, wider roads with fast food and the usual suspects of chain stores.
But beyond Hollister, as I got closer and closer to Pinnacles, the road got narrower and windier. The country got more country, with windmills and cattle and more remote velvet hills. Birds of prey soared above me, some type of hawk I've never seen before, larger than the redtails I know closer to home. I pulled into Pinnacles with a feeling of the most pleasant kind of anxiety building up in my chest. I was going to be looking for a California condor, a bird that had dwindled to some 20-odd specimens just 20 years ago and had almost disappeared from the face of the earth.
You'll have to wait and find out later what I discovered there, though. I'm still writing the articles. ;-)
South of San Jose, as Highway 101 narrowed and became less interstate-like, the urban sprawl gave way to open space. The sun was higher, but it was still casting that golden, early morning glow over everything. The hills were rumpled sheets of green velvet, shimmering in the sun in some places with shades of darker green on the west slopes that the sun hadn't touched yet.
Turning off Highway 101 and onto Highway 25 towards Hollister, I drove through a cherry orchard that was just this side of its peak bloom. The white petals fluttered in the breeze of trees in perfectly symmetrical rows that seemed to go on forever and ever. Hollister appeared like a remnant of the past, with its downtown storefronts, now offering quinceanera dresses that billow out like gowns that Southern belles wore before the war. Then the new Hollister stretched out to meet me, wider roads with fast food and the usual suspects of chain stores.
But beyond Hollister, as I got closer and closer to Pinnacles, the road got narrower and windier. The country got more country, with windmills and cattle and more remote velvet hills. Birds of prey soared above me, some type of hawk I've never seen before, larger than the redtails I know closer to home. I pulled into Pinnacles with a feeling of the most pleasant kind of anxiety building up in my chest. I was going to be looking for a California condor, a bird that had dwindled to some 20-odd specimens just 20 years ago and had almost disappeared from the face of the earth.
You'll have to wait and find out later what I discovered there, though. I'm still writing the articles. ;-)
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Kayaking with the otters - Elkhorn Slough
If there is one outdoors activity you're going to do in the Bay Area this year, this is the one I'd recommend: Kayaking Elkhorn Slough.
Elkhorn Slough is located between Santa Cruz and Monterey, and it is worth the drive for you San Franciscans. You can rent a kayak at Kayak Connection and hit the water without a guide. If you are into the birds (and there are over 340 species that live and/or stop by here on their migration path), you can take a birding tour through KC or on a pontoon boat with Elkhorn Slough Safari. I'd say just renting the kayak by yourself or with a friend is a great way to start, though.
You're supposed to keep a distance from the wildlife, but there is so much wildlife that it is hard to do. The otters come swimming up to the kayaks to check out the paddlers, then they just float there on their backs nibbling on crabs and looking ridiculously cute. There are also harbor seals aplenty, but they are usually sleeping on the beach in the sun, resting up for their nocturnal adventures. Along the muddy shore, watch the clams squirt water up through holes, making their presence known, as various birds go diving for them with long, pointy beaks.
After kayaking, head to the Whole Enchilada in Moss Landing for some delicious Mexican food in a lively atmosphere.
If you'd like to read more about Elkhorn Slough, check out my past stories on the subject:
The SF Chronicle
The Santa Cruz Sentinel
Elkhorn Slough is located between Santa Cruz and Monterey, and it is worth the drive for you San Franciscans. You can rent a kayak at Kayak Connection and hit the water without a guide. If you are into the birds (and there are over 340 species that live and/or stop by here on their migration path), you can take a birding tour through KC or on a pontoon boat with Elkhorn Slough Safari. I'd say just renting the kayak by yourself or with a friend is a great way to start, though.
You're supposed to keep a distance from the wildlife, but there is so much wildlife that it is hard to do. The otters come swimming up to the kayaks to check out the paddlers, then they just float there on their backs nibbling on crabs and looking ridiculously cute. There are also harbor seals aplenty, but they are usually sleeping on the beach in the sun, resting up for their nocturnal adventures. Along the muddy shore, watch the clams squirt water up through holes, making their presence known, as various birds go diving for them with long, pointy beaks.
After kayaking, head to the Whole Enchilada in Moss Landing for some delicious Mexican food in a lively atmosphere.
If you'd like to read more about Elkhorn Slough, check out my past stories on the subject:
The SF Chronicle
The Santa Cruz Sentinel
Monday, March 12, 2007
Filoli in bloom
The Filoli Estate is a mansion and formal garden located in Woodside and maintained in much the same state that it was in the early 20th Century. The 16-acre formal garden is incredible. I often walk around there just to get inspiration for my own plot of land. The horticulturists and volunteers work extra hard to create a spring show of flowers that is something to behold.
To find out more, you can read my article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel from Friday. Click on the drag down menu at the top right of the page and scroll to Page 24.
To find out more, you can read my article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel from Friday. Click on the drag down menu at the top right of the page and scroll to Page 24.
Chez Shea in Half Moon Bay
Last summer, the owners of one of our favorite Bay Area restaurants - Cafe Gibraltar in El Granada - opened up this small, organic cafe on Main Street in downtown Half Moon Bay. As expected, the food is incredible. I took Jacob there for the first time yesterday, and he was duly impressed. We shared the Ugalde torta sandwich, which comes with their signature handmade potato chips, and the chile relleno (from the weekend brunch menu). It may have been the best chile relleno I've ever had, and I've made it a point to try them all over Mexico. No joke.
I haven't been for dinner yet, but the dinner menu looks tempting, with dishes from all over the world - Spanish, Thai, Greek, even Irish.
The prices are oh so reasonable at a little under $10 for a sandwich. It's a cafe, which means you go to the counter and order, and they bring the food to you. But since there's usually someone standing there to greet you, and they appear rather hostess-like, it's a little confusing at first. Don't be confused - and don't expect full service. They'll tell you where to get your glass for water and they'll bring the food to you. And really, that's all they need to do, because it's the food that you come for.
So next time you find yourself at the beach and looking for a great place to eat lunch, look no further. This is it. (A bit of trivia, by the way: Shea is the name of the owners' daughter.)
I haven't been for dinner yet, but the dinner menu looks tempting, with dishes from all over the world - Spanish, Thai, Greek, even Irish.
The prices are oh so reasonable at a little under $10 for a sandwich. It's a cafe, which means you go to the counter and order, and they bring the food to you. But since there's usually someone standing there to greet you, and they appear rather hostess-like, it's a little confusing at first. Don't be confused - and don't expect full service. They'll tell you where to get your glass for water and they'll bring the food to you. And really, that's all they need to do, because it's the food that you come for.
So next time you find yourself at the beach and looking for a great place to eat lunch, look no further. This is it. (A bit of trivia, by the way: Shea is the name of the owners' daughter.)
| Chez Shea 408 Main Street |
| Half Moon Bay, CA 94019 |
| (650) 560-9234 |
Welcome to the Bay Area Traveler
Driving through Half Moon Bay and wondering where you should eat? Want to know the best place to try out kayaking or bird watching? Wondering where you can take your dog other than Fort Funston? This is the place to look. I will be linking you to my Bay Area travel stories as they're published in the San Francisco Chronicle and the Santa Cruz Sentinel, with additional stories that aren't being published anywhere else.
So check back in for tips on the best restaurants, hiking spots, dog friendly trails, playgrounds, kayaking spots, museums, and more. I love this place, and I love my job as a travel journalist specializing in the Bay Area.
So check back in for tips on the best restaurants, hiking spots, dog friendly trails, playgrounds, kayaking spots, museums, and more. I love this place, and I love my job as a travel journalist specializing in the Bay Area.
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