Happy Hollow beckons with eco-friendly renovations

Happy Hollow is open again after two years of renovations. Parents who know and love it are rejoicing, but if you have young children and don't already know about Happy Hollow, now is the time to get acquainted.

The children's park and zoo originally opened in 1961. It was the era of Disneyland, and San Jose followed Oakland's lead in creating their own small version of a paradise play place for children (Oakland's Fairyland is also still open today).

Okay, so it's not exactly Disneyland, but I think that's a good thing. It's plenty big enough to spend an entire day at the park and not get bored. But perhaps what is most exciting is that this renovation was not just an opportunity to modernize the rides, add four acres to the park, and provide ADA compliance, but it was also an opportunity to green Happy Hollow.

The facilities now have LEED silver certification, which means they meet certain environmental standards for conservation. You can also donate old cell phones at the entrance to Happy Hollow, and all proceeds from the recyling efforts benefit the Orangutan Conservation. Plus there are opportunities to incorporate environmental education into the children's day, as you discuss the animals on display, six of whom are part of the Species Survival Plan (jaguar, fishing cat, fennec fox, and three types of lemurs), and visit the new education center.

What were the kids most excited about when we went? The roller coaster was the most popular, followed by Redwood Lookout (a huge play structure, where the slides are camouflaged as redwood trees), the mini putt putt cars (firetrucks and police cars going around a circle - get the firetruck which has a bell to pull), the puppet theater (plays two shows every day, we saw The Three Little Pigs), and the petting zoo (where the children can feed, pet, and even brush the goats).  The carousel - which greets you at the entrance - was a pretty big hit, too.

Admission costs $12 (ages 2 - 69), and $8 (70+). A family membership will set you back $95. And unless you buy one of the more expensive memberships ($250 - $500), you'll also be paying for parking, either $6 or $10, depending on the lot. Unfortunately, while they did improve the restaurant space, the food wasn't that great. You might want to pack your own.

For hours and location, click here to visit Happy Hollow's website.

Japantown gets younger with age

I'll wind up my Japanese-themed articles today with one final story about how SF's Japantown is growing up and getting younger all at the same time.

I've always loved Japantown. There's the Kabuki spa, the movie theater, and then the Japantown shopping center in a wooden building meant to replicate traditional Japanese architecture. That's all fine and good, but Japan today hardly looks like that. Many of the gorgeous wood buildings have been destroyed, and Tokyo is the prototype of modern pop culture - bright lights, bold architecture, hip fashion.

For a long time, San Francisco's Japantown seemed, well, kind of left behind in the past. Enter New People.

New People is an attempt to bring modern Japanese popular culture into the mix, and I have to say, I think it's successful. It's a shopping center/theater/art gallery/cafe, and it stands directly opposite the old Japantown shopping center.

Street level is the cafe and the movie theater entrance. The billing is all Japanese with English subtitles, and coming from someone whose kids are more familiar with Studio Ghibli than Disney, that's fabulous. Up a small flight of stairs, you'll find a shop carrying Japanese gifty stuff. Origami, miniature dolls, cute mugs, headphones, etc.  I immediately made up my mind to shop there for the next White Elephant party I attend.



The next floor offers fashion straight from Tokyo. I'm talking sickeningly cute clothes - pink frilly frocks and bonnets that look like they were made for little girls but in grown girl sizes, right next to more gothic or punkrock inspired fashions. Add some traditional Japanese toe-shoes in modern prints and some cool jewelry, and well, you could do some damage here.

The art gallery occupies to the top floor. The exhibit changes roughly every two months, with some smaller exhibits interspersed here and there for special events like the Cherry Blossom Festival.

Gentleman - read this carefully - this place would make an awesome date.  Catch a foreign film, look at cute Japanese stuff, see art, then grab some ramen across the street. Your partner will be most pleased, guaranteed.

Cherry Blossom Festival makes Japantown the place to be this weekend

If you didn't know that the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival was taking place in San Francisco last weekend and this weekend, don't worry. You haven't missed the climax of the event. Yet. The Grand Parade happens tomorrow (Sunday), starting at the Civic Center at 1 p.m., and proceeding up Polk and Post Street, ending in Japantown.

It's a spectacle to see - larger than life, Hello Kitty looms on her float, accompanied by traditional Japanese dancers, the Cherry Blossom Queen and her court, and much more. Apparently, it's the second largest Cherry Blossom Festival in the US, after Washington D.C.

I was lucky enough to get a preview at the Hotel Kabuki on Friday night, where the annual Friendship Ceremony took place. It was an insider's look at the Cherry Blossom Festival, an event where I was not only one of the few white people there, I was also one of the only people not wearing a kimono or other traditional garb.


Teams of performers took over the stage, twirling around in vigorous dances, beating on drums, and in between the acts, thanks were given (in English and Japanese) to the people who had come all the way from Japan to participate in the festival. Sprinkled throughout the audience were the pretty young princesses who competed to be Cherry Blossom Queen.



There was a team of master soba noodle makers - I kid you not - with a constant audience watching in awe and taking pictures of the process, and waiting for the taste of noodle bliss that would follow.

It was a good night in San Francisco, and much cheaper than a trip to Japan.

A taste of Japan in San Mateo

Maybe I'm just getting excited about the Cherry Blossom Festival - the second half of which is taking place this weekend in San Francisco - but yesterday I found myself craving ramen. And when I crave ramen, there's only one place to go. Santa Ramen in San Mateo.

I remember when we first moved out of the city into the netherlands of the Peninsula, I was excited about the nature, but forlorn about the choice of restaurants. It seemed there was nothing but crappy chains. Then I started discovering the little mom and pop gems, and Santa Ramen is one of them.

You'll often find a line at SR. It opens for lunch at 11:30 a.m., with dinner starting at 5:30 p.m. There are three flavors: Soy, Pork, and Miso. My favorite, the miso, is limited in availability and almost always runs out by closing time, so I try to get there early. The soup is about $8, and you can add on a variety of toppings like kimchi or napa cabbage with shitakes. At dinner, the menu expands to include fried chicken and edamame.

The bowls of noodles are huge, and no sharing is allowed for adults, although they let our kids share a bowl. Be sure to slurp your noodles, as that's the best compliment you can give the chef! 

Santa Ramen is located in a little shopping center right off of Highway 92 on El Camino Road (exit El Camino SOUTH, and take your first right into the shopping center).  If you don't have time to stop and eat at SR, or if the line is out the door, you can always pop into the Nijiya Market in the same shopping center. They have some of the freshest fish in the area at the best prices, and they have pretty killer sushi to go. 

Tonight, I head to Japantown in SF to tour New People, drink sake and experience some sort of traditional Japanese friendship drum circle. Sounds fun, doesn't it? More about that later.

Half Moon Bay's best kept secret

Tucked into the dead end of a side street in downtown Half Moon Bay is a plant-lover's paradise: Alena Jean's Flower Shop and Nursery.

Everytime I wander into the garden, I feel like I might stumble upon a fairy tea party. It's the magical landscaping out back, with paths, a gazebo, a pond, even a little train that runs on a track around the gazebo, that sends me into a reverie and inspires my own gardening ambitions.

 "It's Half Moon Bay's best kept secret," Alena said one day when I wandered in with a friend. "But tell everyone!"

Okay, Alena, I'm telling everyone.

In addition to maintaining the nursery - a fun and unusual collection of plants that you won't find at every other nursery - Alena is a gifted floral artist. She does big events like weddings, and I often have her make up arrangements for my house. They tend to be gorgeous and playful, and for the same price as a bouquet at Costco or Safeway, say $20, I can buy a small arrangement that is much more artfully put together.  Alena also sells fun, garden-y gift items, including gnomes, little mushroom men, and succulent wreathes, to name just a few items.

When you stroll into Alena's, you're likely to find friends gathered chatting about the latest news. The store has an old time, small town feel that the larger nurseries lack. The barn where her store is located is part of Alena's family compound, including the house next door where her parents live, and the cottage out back (that used to be a chicken coop) where her brother lives.

The Whitings have been there for 34 years, but the buildings are actually 134 years old. Known as the Martin Carty house, it looks like a fairy tale homestead. Alena's father has long run his landscape design and installation business - Florafarm - out of the same location.

In keeping with a small town, word of mouth-driven business, there isn't a great website (yet), but here are the details:

Alena Jean's Flower Shop and Nursery
340 Purissima Street
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019

Phone: (650) 726-3662

Shop hours:
Tuesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday - 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Neverland on the Bay - with 360-degree CGI

If you went zip lining at Justin Herman Plaza, you may have noticed something. A huge white tent sitting on the Embarcadero.

This is the theater for the upcoming production of Peter Pan, straight from its premiere in London. It was a huge hit when it played in Kensington Gardens, and I was lucky enough to be there for the very last night of its London run. Let me tell you, whether you have kids or not, this show is amazing.

First of all, there is the theater. This is the first time that a production has used 360-degree video projection to create a blend of CGI and live set. The projection covers the ceiling of the theater, and effectively includes the audience in the setting, making you feel like you are there with Peter, Tink, and Captain Hook.

Then there is just the fact that a wonderful, well produced show of Peter Pan is long overdue. Let's face it, the story is appealing to adults who cling to their inner child as much as it is to actual children. And this is a production that doesn't dumb it down. In fact, they don't recommend the show for children under five.


The show starts April 27, and tickets go from $30 to $125. The nice thing about a 360 degree theater is that even though it seats 1350 people, it doesn't seem like there are many bad seats. So if you want to grab a budget ticket, you won't have to worry about bringing binoculars.

We snagged our tix the day we saw they were on sale.

And I have to admit, I think I have a crush on Peter Pan, who in this production is all boy.

Free Zip Line, downtown SF

Close your eyes and imagine you're flying in British Columbia.

Nevermind. Open them, and take a look at where you really are: suspended above the Justin Herman Plaza (you know that plaza with the huge water fountain across from the Ferry Building, maybe you were even there when U2 played a concert for "Rattle and Hum"). The Bay Bridge spans before you. It's definitely downtown San Francisco.

But really, they want you to think of British Columbia.  Because the urban zip line is a marketing ploy to draw people up north this summer. This is an example of a marketing ploy done right. The zipline is free, and access works something like Disneyland's Fast Pass. You go and get a wristband with a time to stand in line. It's a hastle, and there's a lot of waiting. But it might be worth it.

The zip line is made to mimic the one set up in downtown Vancouver during the Winter Olympics. It's open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. until April 18.


PS - This isn't the only zip line in SF. If you want to go with a group - and pay for the privilege - you can zip, climb, and zoom your way through the Fort Miley Adventure Challenge in Golden Gate Park. 

In Sonoma, a collection of gardens not to be missed

We stumbled upon Cornerstone Gardens in Sonoma over the weekend, drawn in by a flying fence. Like something from the Wizard of Oz, the white picket fence appears to twist and float in the air. Once in the parking lot, we found a small shopping center, with upscale home and garden decor, sculptures, food and wine for sale. Past the stores, though, was the real draw. The gardens.

I'm not sure how many there were, maybe 20. They were small partitioned lots, each installed by a different landscape designer. It was heaven for a yard junky like myself. Many of the ideas were cool, but not something I would adopt in my own garden. 

For example, the big concrete rock-thingy with holes was fun for the kids to play on, but not a reasonable play structure at home.

Then there was the tunnel, which the kids ran through with echoing shrieks of joy. I tried to imagine the truck that could navigate my driveway to place such a tunnel (really just a gigantic tube of corrugated metal, like a drainage pipe) in my yard, and decided that wasn't such a good idea.

There were plenty of ideas I might copy, though.  I found this fence made out of posts, rebar, and rough branches. This is something I can do, and I love the rustic look of it.

It was well worth the stop, and best of all, touring the gardens is free. Ah, we like free.

Cornerstone Gardens is located at 23570 Arnold Drive in Sonoma.

Baby condor born at Pinnacles - and you can see the nest!

Birth announcement! A condor has been born at Pinnacles National Monument. For anyone who has followed the saga of the condor, this is exciting news. This is the 49th chick to be born in the wild since the program began, good progress for the  program.

Perhaps most exciting for fellow Bay Area travelers is that the nest is visible to hikers at Pinnacles. That's a rare treat.

The California condor is a huge, prehistoric-looking bird that almost went extinct, but is slowly being revived through captive breeding and releases in protected areas that are part of its historical territory.

The condor program has been expensive, controversial, and difficult. Some staunch environmentalists opposed it from the beginning, because the program required capturing the last of the free, wild condors in order to create a captive breeding program that would eventually get the condors back into the wild. There's no doubt that without that drastic step, the condor would have died out by now.

The greatest risks to the condor currently come from lead poisoning. So if you happen to be a hunter, please, for the sake of condors (and your family, assuming you eat the game), don't use lead bullets. There are alternatives. But that's another story.

If you'd like to make the trek to Pinnacles, be sure to take your binoculars, and stop in at the visitor's center to ask directions. The nest is visible from Scout Peak bench on the High Peaks Trail. It's only a two mile hike in, but it's strenuous, with 1100 - 1200 feet elevation gain depending on whether you approach from the east or the west. Note that the area immediately around the nest is closed to visitors for the time being.

Happy baby bird watching!

Bay Area Traveler returns!

It's been a few years, but now that Emil is 3 and a half, and Esme will be starting kindergarten in the fall (!), I'm starting to come to a little. The blogging itch has begun. Slowly at first, but now it's itching like crazy. So crazy I think I'm gonna have to scratch. Stay tuned...