Archive for February, 2008
After descending Mount Tamalpais, we took the Bolinas/Fairfax Road to the north. Now this is one of the best scenic back roads that you will ever find in California. It is magnificent. It is open from 9am to sunset and has wonderful views down to the ocean and the Bolinas Lagoon.
In front of us were a whole host of cyclists. We were going downhill and they were traveling fast. The road is very narrow with double yellow lines and as it was dangerous to overtake them, we traveled at their speed. It was no hardship as there was so much beauty to enjoy and, apart from being hungry, we were not in a hurry.
We came to a junction and the cyclists were congregated there. Now we could overtake but we didn’t know which way to go as there was no signpost. As we were heading for Bolinas, which is on the coast, we turned left. It was the right choice.
Eventually we hit Highway 1 and we crossed it and headed to Bolinas. Now Bolinas is a very special place. You will see no signs to it at all along Highway 1 because the locals remove them as soon as they are put up. This is not a place which the world has forgotten but more a place the locals want the world to forget. It is a truly unique, gentle place with a lot of color.
One of the first buildings you see, as you get close to the town, has a huge peace sign in front, which gives you an idea of what to expect. There are no parking lots around and you just park at the side of the road and walk. Lots of interesting buildings and shops but the local residents are the icing on the cake. There are a lot of places in the Bay Area where hippies of a certain age have made their homes but Bolinas must be the prime location. It is not unusual to see a group of locals gathered together chatting, playing instruments, singing or even dancing.
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February 23 2008 | Special Places | No Comments »
After our abortive visit last Saturday, we made our second attempt today.
Once again we stopped at Peet’s on Geary but this time I remembered to take my bag with me and we didn’t get a parking ticket.
The weather today is not so good as last Saturday. No wonderful views of the city or the ocean but lots of fog. The higher we got the less we saw but we did rise above the fog and the sun was brilliant. We had several scary moment s along the way. The sun was blinding in places and Tom found it difficult to see where we were going. The edge of the road was just inches away and beyond that a steep drop, so it was a white knuckle ride.
Once again not many people around that that’s not surpriseing as it is jut 8 am. We head to East Ridge and park next to the Visitor Center. There is a parking fee of $6 which you place in an envelope and post in the green pipe, leaving the stub on your dash.
On a clear day the views are spectacular up here. Today it is surreal. We are way above the fog and we look down on a sea of fog. No buildings are poking through. In fact the only points of reference we have is Mt Diablo to the east and a few hill tops scattered to the south.
We climb to the top via the Plank Walk. A 0.3 mile trail to the peak. There is a fire look out at the top. The trail starts off as wooden planks and rises steadily but soon it become more and more of a rock climb.
As I approached the top I could hear voices. I rounded the top and saw a group of about a dozen young men all chattering in a foreign tongue. I noticed a smell but could not work out what it was but then spotted a bread roll with half a dozen sticks of smoldering incense stuck into it. I’d found the source of the aroma.
I sat below them on a rock in the sunshine writing my journal and waited for Tom to join me. He had stopped further down to take some photographs. As I sat there soaking in the sunlight and writing, I occasionally gazed towards the city. I noticed the top of the Sutro Tower sticking up above the fog.
More young men joined the group above and my curosity got the better of me. I climbed a little higher to see what they were doing and was met by a curious sight. Most of them were merrily chatting together but several were further down holding small silver bowls in one hand and a silver spoon in the other. The bowls contained a white liquid and they were scattering it over nearby rocks and bushes. Obviously a celebration of some kind, but what? Eventually I caught the eye of one young man and asked. He was pleased to explain to me and Tom (who had now joined me) that they wre from Mongolia and were celebrating their New Year, which this year was one day after the Chinese New Year. The liquid was milk and they were communing with the spirits. We were fascinated.
Of course this is a very spiritual area. The Native Americans who were here way before the Spainards arrived, regarded this as a holy place.
We waited, Tom at his camera and me sitting on a rock, for some time. The fog was slowly lifting. As we watched, one of the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge appeared. Tom was waiting for the Bank of America tower or the top of the Trans American pyramid to appear. We waited in vain though and just after 10 decided that it was time to find somewhere for breakfast.
February 18 2008 | Special Places | No Comments »
If you ever find Bolinas, this is a great place for breakfast. Mind you, today it’s gone 11 so I suppose your could call it brunch.
The Coast Cafe is easy to find in the middle of town. There is seating inside and out and it has a very pleasant, laid back feeling about it.
This is not your typical diner sort of breakfast joint. As this is Bolinas, it is bound to be different. For a start, there are no booths or seats at the counter, just lots of wooden tables and chairs. There is even one very big table that seats 12. While we were there, several small groups ate at this table and, even though they didn’t know each other, they happily chatted together.
We decided to eat inside and could sit anywhere we liked. Our choice was a long table for two at the back near the counter. Our order was taken soon after we sat down. I ordered oatmeal ($4.50) with a side of wheat toast ($1.75). I asked if they served steelcut oats, this being a very organic, environmentally conscious community, but they didn’t. Tom ordered a French Omlette from the Specials List ($10) with English Muffin.
Let me tell you about one of the locals who was standing near us at the counter. She was a lady wearing a paint spattered jacket, old jeans and non matching, multicolored hiking boots. Round her neck she had a garish, wooden parrot on a rope. But the one thing that really caught our eye was her hat. Obviously her own creation as it was made out of twigs, newspaper and string. People like this are a common sight in Bolinas and nobody turned a hair. It’s a place where you can wear and do whatever you like.
Now to the decor. Definitley coastal. From the ceiling are suspended 12 surf boards, mostly old fashioned, wooden ones and some of them are huge. Glass floats in net bags and assorted floats are everywhere. There are several original paintings and framed photographs on the wall. A nice touch were the shelves attached to the walls filled with books, dolls and assorted objects. But the best feature is the old fashioned, pot bellied boiler in the corner which was lit and provided a real homely feel to the place.
We didn’t have too long to wait for our food. My oatmeal came in a big, deep green ceramic bowl on a huge red plate. The brown sugar and raisins came in small white ceramic pots. The milk in an old fashioned silver jug with a lid. The jam was home made strawberry. It was all scrumptious. Tom’s omelette had goat cheese, green onions, mushrooms and tarragon in it. The home fries had a seasoning on them which added to the taste. His verdict - excellent. We both loved the jam.
I asked for directions to the restroom and the server pointed to the floor and told me to follow the frog footsteps. How charming. They led out of the door, across the patio to the restroom. Inside was an entrance room with two doors leading to two stalls. In the entrance were two old bar stools and a blue wooden cupboard with a mirror on the front. The stalls could only be described as rustic. No decoration at all but an unusual touch was the toilet roll holder and the paper towel container which were both made out of small planks of dark brown wood.
We really enjoyed the food, the service, the ambiance of the place and it certainly is near the top of our list of places to go for a great breakfast. Needless to say, we will be back.
February 17 2008 | Breakfast Log | No Comments »
Today was forecast to be a beautiful sunny day so we set off at 6 to go to Mount Tamalpais (or Mount Tam as it is affectionately called). As we had eaten late last night (we met up with friends Dirk and Maria with their sons Jason 5 and Jacob 11 months for a meal at Dish Dash in Sunnyvale). we were not particularly hungry so we stopped at Peet’s on Geary Street. Tom had a coffee and muffin and I had a cocoa. No paper to read because there were none available in the stands outside.
As we came out of the door just after 7 am, it was to see a meter attendant in a small electric car place a ticket on the car. We were parked at an expired meter but we thought the charges didn’t apply until later. It said on the citation that the violation was under Section TC37C Street Cleaning, though we saw no signs up giving that information and we were not the only cars there. This was not a good start to the day but it gets worse.
We head north over the Golden Gate bridge and turn onto Highway 1 towards Stinson Beach. Marin is waking up as we drive the uphill, twisty road and turn right into the Mount Tamalpais State Park. The road continues uphill with spectacular views down to the city. The sun is in our eyes looking south and the skyline is in silhouette. Looking the other way there were marvelous views of the ocean and the Farallon Islands were the clearest I have ever seen them. Unfortunately there are no suitable places to stop and take photos.
This is an amazingly twisty road. As we round one bend we come across a flock of wild turkeys in the road. There were about eight females and three males. The males were doing their courting display. We stopped, fortunately there were no other cars around, and took photos. Tom’s camera was in the trunk so he used mine because it was quicker and he didn’t want to disturb them by getting out of the car. Just a bit further on we surprised four deer who were about to cross the road. They turned and raced back the way they had come down the hill.
We came to an ideal spot with a view southward where we could pull over so Tom could take some photos. I decided to stay in the car and start writing but when I reached down for my bag it wasn’t there. It suddenly dawned on me that I left my bag, complete with my wallet containing credit cards, driving license, green card, car keys, journals - in fact my whole life was in there. ‘Thomas’ I screamed, ‘I’ve left my bag in Peet’s’. He immediately jumped back into the car, did a Uturn and we hurtled back down the hill at break neck speed to get back to the city. Even though we made good time, after all it was only about 20 miles, the journey seemed endless. Of course I was thinking the worst scenario would greet me when we arrived, that someone had walked off with it and I would have to go through the painful process of canceling all my cards and arrange replacements. At best I was hoping that an honest person had handed it to one of the baristas behind the counter.
Imagine my shock and surprise when I rushed into Peet’s exactly one hour after we had left to find my bag in exactly the same place I had left it. Oh, what a relief.
We had to abandon our plans to climb to the top of Mount Tam and then drive the back roads to Bolinas. The light was past its best for taking photographs and besides the place would be crowded. We decided to have breakfast and visit the De Young Museum. Mount Tam and Bolinas will have to wait for another day.
February 11 2008 | Special Places | No Comments »
Well, we should not be here at all but that’s a different story and you will have to wait for the next post!
Finding somewhere to have breakfast in San Francisco has been a hit and miss affair for us because we do not know where the good places are. We have been to the Cafe Rain Tree several times before so we headed for there before going to the De Young in Golden Gate Park.
It is on the corner of Irving and 8th Avenue. With a green awning outside, it is easy to find. Here you can get an Irish breakfast with two Irish bacon rashers, two Irish sausages, two eggs, homefries, black and white pudding, grilled tomatoes with toast and jelly for $9.95.
The place is quite small but a miror inside makes it look bigger than it really is. There are no booths, just scarred and pitted wooden tables with old fashioned, red upholstered and chrome chairs. At the counter are 10 stools. This is a bit of a dive but, heck, they serve a proper breakfast.
Tom ordered cheese omelet with hash browns and English muffin (7.50). For me it was the usual oatmeal ($3.75). I also ordered banana to go with it (50c extra). In no time at all our food was served. Tom always asks for his hash browns to be extra crispy but these didn’t look as if they were. The omelet to me looked small with just a slice of cheese inside. My oatmeal came on a plate in a small deep bowl with brown sugar, raisins and milk in small stainless steel bowls (much better than the plastic pots a lot of places use). I was expecting slices of banana on top of the oatmal but what I got was a whole, peeled banana on the plate which I had to cut up.
Tom’s verdict on the omelet and hash browns was mediocre. My oatmeal was good. Only complaint from me being there was not enough milk but there was a jug of milk on the table so I didn’t have to ask for more.
There were five paintings, or should I say canvases, on the walls and they looked original. There was no other ornamentation at all.
The unisex restroom was as you would expect. It was tucked away at the back and had cracked tiles on the floor and was grubby and old fashioned but at least the water was hot.
Verdict - OK and we will come again if we do not find something better in the vicinity.
February 09 2008 | Breakfast Log | No Comments »
The weather forecast was not good, 60% change of rain with temperatures in the low 50’s. We decided though, come hell or high water, we would go up to the city today. For the past few weeks we have been cooped up at home either due to rain or sickness.
At 6:30 AM we set off, just as it was getting light. A quick breakfast stop in San Carlos and it’s one short hop to the city.
Tom loves taking photos of run down industrial areas, so we turned off the freeway at Mariposa. After a circuitous route down dead end streets and over appalling road surfaces, we end up on 3rd and we turn into Amodor. We park in the shadow (well we would well have been in shadow if the sun were shining) of a huge concrete eyesore with a sign outside saying Bodemix Concrete. As it is cold and wet outside, I decided to stay in the car and write my journal while Tom took his photos. He was soon back because it started to rain.
We then had to make a decision whether we would attempt a staircase walk or make our way to the Golden Gate Park and the De Young Museum. I looked up at the sky and I could see blue patches ahead so the staircase walk it would be. We set off down the Embarcadero, past the ballpark and assorted sculptures. I did notice the two ladies made out of scrap metal were gone and a large spider in their place. I wonder where the ladies went. Tom and I both liked that one.
We parked in Sansome Street near the Levi Plaza at a parking meter. As it’s a Sunday, we don’t have to put any money in the meter. First port of call was Levi Plaza where we took photos of the fountain and also of the staircase in front of us and Telegraph Hill with Coit Tower at the top.
The Filbert Staircase must be the most well known stairway in San Francisco but today there
are not many people around. I guess that is due not only to the weather but also to the fact that it is only 9 am on a Sunday morning and Superbowl Sunday to boot so I’m sure most people are still tucked up in their warm beds. The reason this location is so well known is because of the film ‘The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill‘. We did see a couple of parrots and heard an awful lot more.
The first part of the staircase is concrete and it rises steeply up the hill. The staircase is wet and there is a sign warning that the steps can be slippery when it rains. There is a lot of vegetation clinging to the hillside and it gave off a pleasant aroma in the damp atmosphere.
The second part of the steps are wooden. On either side are gardens with houses set back. What must it be like to live on such a steep hill with the only access being via a staircase? Where do they keep their cars? How do they move furniture in and out?
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February 05 2008 | Special Places | 2 Comments »
On our way up to San Francisco, we stopped at Vic’s for breakfast. Tom used to live in San Carlos and he came here often.
We arrived at 7:20 AM and there were only a couple of customers there, so no problem getting a table. By 9 though it will be packed. As diners go, it is quite big. There are 18 booths, mostly seating four, just three tables and 10 places at the counter.
Coffee and water arrived almost before we took our seats and our order was taken straight away. I ordered oatmeal for $4. I asked what it came with and was told brown sugar and milk. When I asked about fruit, I was shown the choices on the menu. There was one that took my fancy - walnut, cranberries and raisins - for $1.75, so I went for that. The server pointed out that it was $1.75 for each item. Mm… sounds a bit expensive but I went with the walnuts and cranberries. Tom ordered Vic’s scramble with spinach, onions, ground beef and cheese with hash browns - extra crispy requested - with English muffin for $11.75.
Now to look round the place. This is a classy joint - hence the high prices I guess - and it’s reflected in the decor. Lots of paintings on the walls all in matching frames. Near us, high up, were two shelves with assorted bottles, jars and knick knacks. Near the front door is a big sign which says ‘Vic’s dog wall’ and underneath are posted pictures of customer’s dogs - lots of them all noting name and breed.
There was a radio playing quite loudly. It would have been fine if it was music but there was talking as well and that was quite distracting.
The food arrived at 7:30 - that was just 10 minutes after our order was taken so we were impressed. My oatmeal came in a small, deep bowl on a large plate. Also on the plate, along with the spoon, was a small stainless steel jug of milk (but there was more than enough), two stainless steel cups, one with cranberries and one with walnuts and a fairly large plastic container of brown sugar covered in cling film. The walnuts tasted good because they were coated in something. I have one complaint about the sugar - it was stuck together. I had to break it up with my spoon before I could get any out. Oatmeal was good though.
Tom cleared his plate and his verdict was good but the hash browns were nowhere crispy enough.
Now off the to restroom. I’m expecting good things here but I came back disappointed. They were at the end of a long corridor. There were more paintings on the corridor walls but they were exactly the same bland mix with matching frames as in the main restaurant. The restroom itself had no paintings or decoration of any kind on the walls. The only artistic touch was a watering can made out of wood filled with artificial flowers. There were two stalls and one handicapped stall. The place was bright and clean but boring. Also, there was no hot water. Even though I ran the tap for a couple of minutes, the hottest was just barely warm.
Verdict - food OK but every expensive. Our final bill came to $23.11 with coffee and tax.
February 03 2008 | Breakfast Log | No Comments »
After descending Mount Tamalpais, we took the Bolinas/Fairfax Road to the north. Now this is one of the best scenic back roads that you will ever find in California. It is magnificent. It is open from 9am to sunset and has wonderful views down to the ocean and the Bolinas Lagoon.
