Happy Anniversary Golden Gate Bridge!

The Golden Gate Bridge is celebrating its 75th Anniversary on Sunday, May 27th!

Lots of fun things happening around the bridge. More information here: http://goldengatebridge75.org

Here are some photos from my daily commute from Marin to San Francisco. Most taken from the bus.

To see more daily commute pictures click ‘LIKE’ on the Sally Around The Bay Facebook page.

Thank you!

One of my most popular blog posts is the one I wrote about cheap haircuts in Marin. It seems affordable haircuts are in high demand around here. Today Celia wanted to get her hair cut but when she called to make an appointment she found out her favorite hair dresser, Tere was no longer working at the usual place.

After a little detective work we found Tere was now working at Tabu Hair Salon in San Rafael.

Tabu Hair Salon is located in the little mall off of Francisco Blvd in San Rafael (behind City Carpets). I cannot believe in all the years I have lived in Marin County I have never been to this mall! It is located right on the water of The Canal and is full of a bunch of treasures like KabaBBQ serving Persian food, a Taqueria, a Vietnamese restaurant and a small Mexican grocery market (that sells Corona beer actually made in Mexico).

Celia was very happy to find Tere and get her hair cut. Tabu Hair Salon is a super fun place owned by Juliana and Omar.

There is an area for kids and adults to play! You can play pool while you wait for your $10 haircut.

Celia was very pleased with her $10 haircut.

I just met Omar and Juliana for the first time but it seems Omar specializes in artistic haircuts (see photo) and Juliana in colors and cuts.  They have the coolest  kid in town. Check out his hairdo!

Did I mention the standard haircuts are only $10?!

Tabu Hair Salon
415-424-1653
555 Francisco Blvd, E
Suite 11
San Rafael, CA 94901

For people who live in Marin and work in San Francisco here are 5 reasons to take a Golden Gate Transit bus to work.

1. You can. If we don’t use our public transportation we might lose it.
2. It’s better for the environment than driving in.
3. Way cheaper than driving in. You only have to pay the bus fare, no bridge toll, no parking fee, no gas, no wear and tear on your car.
4. Frees up your time to do other things. You can read, rest, text, work, check your Facebook, tweet, blog, space out, whatever – all sorts of things you can’t (or shouldn’t!) do while driving.
5. It’s one of the most beautiful commutes in the world!

I know there are hundreds of excuses why not to take the bus to work but I challenge you to try it. Don’t forget we also have the awesome Golden Gate Ferry option!

A friend whom I adore once quoted Eleanor Roosevelt to me when I was making an excuse for not doing something. That quote has stuck with me for years.

“Do one thing every day that scares you.”  ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Yes, Marin is filled with many spandex wearing folks doing their part by commuting on a bike. I commend the cyclists. However, Marin is also full of very steep hills and not all of us have the strength to go up the hills or the guts to go down them on a bike. For the rest of us who are not triathletes , thankfully we have other options for getting around.

If you use some form of public or alternative transportation please leave a comment below sharing with others how you do it.

When you do start taking the bus here are some basic bus etiquette tips to follow.

Views from the bus

A year of photos from the bus: Google+ Album

I regularly post my early morning sunrise commute photos taken from the bus while crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on Facebook.
Click ‘Like‘ to be a part of my  morning commute fun. Thanks!

After this last year I now consider myself somewhat of a plumbing expert.

I thought I would share a few tips with you as a public service announcement.

1. Go check the little connector pipe behind your toilet and make sure the plastic hasn’t cracked and the metal is still in good shape. Last night while sitting around minding my own business, reading O Magazine, on my bed, I heard a noise that sounded like an air compressor. I thought to myself, hmmm someone must’ve left the air compressor on AGAIN. But then I heard a sound I didn’t recognize, like water trickling so I got up to explore and found… my toilet acting like a geyser!

Okay, so maybe a geyser is somewhat of an exaggeration BUT in less than 30 seconds the water was already 1 inch deep in the whole bathroom and heading for my bedroom. Thanks to the bathmats for slowing it down long enough for me to wedge myself between the toilet and the shower to turn the water off. The plastic nut on the connector CRACKED and water was shooting out of it every which way! So I rushed to Home Depot around 8pm and purchased a new one. This is where I learned it was called a “toilet connector”. I was talking about my experience online and it seems I am not the only one this has happened too so GO check your toilet connector right now and make sure it is still in good condition.

2. Call a plumber and have them come out with one of their fancy little cameras on a snake and check your pipes. Make sure there are no roots or other things inside the pipes. If roots get in your pipes and you haven’t had them checked in the last year, guess what? Your insurance company won’t pay for any flood damages. Go read the fine print of your insurance policy or just trust me and hire a plumber to do this little preventative thing. A year ago, my house flooded with the neighborhood poop and it was not pretty. I lost the whole downstairs of my house. The insurance company’s first response was it must be roots and they won’t be covering. Turns out it was not roots. THANK GOODNESS but if it had been I would have been screwed! This is what my house looked like after the flood was cleaned up. It actually got worse, they had to take most of the floor board out too.

3. Finally, if you don’t have one of those mushroom things in your yard. GET ONE! Call a plumber now and have them install it. Because if your house does flood with poop this is a release that will make the poopy water shoot all over your yard instead of your house. Poop is never pleasant but trust me, you’d much rather have it all over your yard than your house. If you are like me and don’t like that silly looking thing in your yard you can always decorate it to look like a magic mushroom

I understand hiring a plumber for preventative work is about as much fun as going to the dentist but take it from me. It’s worth it.

I had a great experience with the plumber who rescued me from the poop flood. I used Amesos Plumbing in Marin, they were fast, knowledgeable and available to provide my insurance company with all the reports, photos, etc that they needed.

While we are on the subject of plumbing and broken things, if any of your appliances have issues I know an awesome repair company: Appliance Techs of Marin They fix things like dish washers, garbage disposals, washing machines, dryers, etc…

During the whole poop flood process I realized I needed a new insurance agent, a helpful one. That is when I found Shere Goo from State Farm in Mill Valley. She is excellent!

Have you had any plumbing nightmares? Share below.

I am in serious need of some quiet time. Despite my big plans to slow down in 2012, I feel like I have sped up. I need to follow Laura Fenemore’s advice and listen to what my body is saying. I’m sitting here at home, on this holiday weekend, with a sore throat. I am exhausted. I decided I am going to hibernate this weekend and recover. I’m also going to take some time to reflect on what is really important to me. I’m starting with clearing out the clutter in my life: emails, piles of paper and my closet.

I just deleted 735 emails from my in box. Some junk, some newsletters, some blog requests, others;
letters from kid’s schools and sports teams, personal friends and family, strangers who want something, friends wanting to hang out, responses to emails I sent, endless. So many not read.

Decided I needed a fresh start. Have been trying to get on top of my email account for months and it has been a slippery slope. Every time I opened my email I felt bad for not responding to each person, especially my friends and family. Problem is, each time I respond I get another email back almost instantly. Tried to keep up but couldn’t. Realized today, I was never going to catch up.

Feels good to start fresh. I wish people would be more conscious about the number of emails they send. I know I’ve been guilty of shooting off too many because I’m too lazy to pick up the phone. Sometimes a quick phone call could save 10 email exchanges.

What do you do when your email in box reaches the point of overwhelm?

I plan to spend more time enjoying the sunsets. Thankful to my friend Marilyn who has been getting Poncho and I out on more sunset walks.

This photo was taken along the path that starts at Blackie's Pasture in Tiburon.

Happy Saturday!

It’s another beautiful winter/summer day here in Marin County and it is almost Valentine’s Day!

Have you thought about what you are going to give your honey, your child, your best friend or your mom for Valentine’s Day yet? Want to give them something new and different? I have an idea for you!

Go to San Anselmo today!

Tamara Holland is having an Art Sale TODAY.

Where: 2 Florence Ave. in San Anselmo, CA.

When: Today, February 4, 2012 from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

This has been the strangest winter I have ever spent in the Bay Area. The weather has been nicer than a normal Bay Area summer.

Here are some photos from the past week.

Took a walk during my lunch break today and happened upon this friendly seagull near the Bay Bridge.

View from the Golden Gate Bridge taken from my bus ride in to the city this morning.

View of Richardson Bay from the Tiburon Bike path. Amazing colors last night.
Wonderful winter walk with Marilyn LoRusso last night.

Dear Marin County Restaurants:

I am trying to decide where to plan the next TweetUp. Please help me make this decision. This is a GREAT opportunity for a local Marin restaurant to get new customers and lots of exposure. Please pass this information on to all your restaurant friends.

What does a TweetUp mean for my business?

It means I will be talking about YOUR business online to my thousands of friends, fans and followers and many of them will also start talking about YOUR business to their friends, fans and followers. (Lots of local exposure for your business.) It also means 20 – 50 (or maybe more, you never know) people will show up at your business ready to spend money. $$$ They will buy drinks, food and they will talk about YOUR restaurant to all their friends, family and followers.

A little Twitter birdy told me the media (ie. The Marin Magazine!) shhh don’t tell anyone will be attending the next TweetUp. They will be taking pictures and introducing our community to the world, which means YOUR restaurant will likely be introduced to the world via the prestigious Marin Magazine.

When the Marin Twitter Community comes to your business it is not a one time thing. It’s a gift that keeps on giving. When we decide we love a business we support that business, we go there often, we introduce our friends to it and we talk about it on Twitter, FourSquare, Facebook, Google+, Path, Yelp, YouTube, our blogs and anywhere else people will listen to us. (We like to talk.)

If you are interested in being THE restaurant to host this next fabulous TweetUp please contact me and convince me as to why we should do it at your restaurant. Maybe you want to offer us a free appetizer or a drink. Maybe you want to purchase a month or 2 of advertising on my blog —-> see the ads over there (I offer very reasonable rates), maybe you want to give us gift cards to thank us for all the promotions, perhaps you want to donate a percentage of the profits to a worthy cause, be creative. Give us an incentive or at least a thank you for shouting about your business to the world and for bringing paying customers and the media in to your business.

If you are interested in being the next restaurant TweetUp destination, please contact me and give me a reason to coordinate this.

If we have already had a TweetUp at your restaurant, we are open to coming back – just give us a reason.

I look forward to hearing from you! Please fill out the form below, send me a tweet or email me at sally @ sallyaroundthebay.com

Thanks!

@Sally_K

PS. Join The Marin TweetUp Community to hear about upcoming TweetUps.

Thank you for passing this information on to the local restaurants in Marin.

For more information on TweetUps see past blog post: What is a TweetUp?

]]> http://sallyaroundthebay.com/2012/01/calling-all-marin-restaurants/feed/ 1 http://sallyaroundthebay.com/2012/01/weird-winter-weather/ http://sallyaroundthebay.com/2012/01/weird-winter-weather/#comments Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:03:50 +0000 Sally_K http://sallyaroundthebay.com/?p=4447

This has been the strangest winter I have ever experienced in the Bay Area. It’s been sunny and beautiful. No rain. I know this weather is probably not a good thing but worrying and whining about the fact that we haven’t had any rain is not going to change the fact that we haven’t had any rain. I have to say I have been enjoying the beautiful weather and views. I think I remember last year we got some record rain fall and Tahoe got some record amounts of snow. Maybe it is just the earths way of balancing things out.

Thanks to this odd weather I have been able to get some beautiful photos.

Taken from the bus right after crossing the bridge in to the city.

Taken from behind the Ferry Building.

Taken from the bus while crossing over the Golden Gate Bridge in to San Francisco.

 Hope you are enjoying this weird winter weather!

It makes no sense to worry about things you have no control over
because there’s nothing you can do about them,
and why worry about things you do control?
The activity of worrying keeps you immobilized.
Wayne Dyer (via BrainyQuote)

To see regular morning sunrise photos, taken from the bus, on the Golden Gate Bridge, be sure to like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SallyAroundTheBay

It is my belief that the best way to bring balance back in to the world is to support local, independently owned businesses. What better time to do it than Black Friday?! There are SO many reasons as to why it is better to shop local than big box / chain stores but I will spare you my ramble.  ShopLocalSF lists some of the reasons here: www.shoplocalsf.org/org

Below is a list of local, independently owned Bay Area businesses, organized by area.

Last night I asked my Twitter, Facebook and Google+ friends to tell me their favorite places to shop in the Bay Area. The response from Twitter was overwhelming! Facebook friends offered a few tips and one Twitter friend responded on G+. Hmm what does that say about G+?

If your favorite independent locally owned shop is not on the list please leave a comment below and I will do my best to add it to the list.

I came across the 3/50 project which I think is a fabulous idea! They’re asking that we spend at least $50 a month at 3 different locally owned independent businesses.  Read more about it here: www.the350project.net  Their Twitter hashtag is #350proj You can follow @cindabaxter, the founder of The 3/50 Project on Twitter. If Twitter is not your thing you can also “like” them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/The350Project

Thank you for checking out my Shop Local list! I’m currently offering special (a.k.a. affordable) prices to local, independently owned businesses for sponsorships on my blog. If you’d like to place an ad like the ones you see to the right of this post please contact me for pricing.  —–>

Another suggestion I got was to shop at your local Farmer’s Market – great crafts and food gifts often available.

For that special holiday outfit you might only wear once try local consignment and thrift shops. You might just find the perfect outfit!

I’ve also included a few coffee shops and restaurants on this list because we need to eat, right?!

Please join me in taking the pledge to shop local as much as possible. #shoplocal

North Bay / Marin

Corte Madera
A Childs Delight (Toys)
Meadowlark Gallery
Mimi The Sardine  (eco-coated products for kids)
Rick’s Wine Cellar (stop in and have a glass or pick up a bottle for a gift)
The Book Passage
Tiller Diggs (home & garden,  jewelry & clothing)

Fairfax
Good Earth Natural Foods (healthy holiday meals & gifts)
Iron Springs (brewery & restaurant)
Revolution 9
Sherman’s General Store
The Hummingbird Restaurant
Various & Sundries

Larkspur
Coquelicot (antiques, home & garden, jewelry)
Lark Shoes
Marin Brew Co. (brewery & restaurant)
Modern Cookie Co. (opening Dec. 5)
Rustic Bakery
What Poppy Wants (boutique & vintage consignment shop)

Mill Valley
At The Top Salon (gift certificate or jewelry)
Dan’s Liquor (for your holiday wine or bubbly)
F. Joseph Smiths (massage, ask for Jessica B)
Mill Valley Market (for you holiday groceries)
Moss & Moss
Mountain Biking Marin (bike tours and clinics)
Pharmaca (not totally local but great alternative to the big box drug stores & wonderful products)
Red Dragon Yoga (clothing, gift cards, yoga classes to destress)
Tea Fountain
Title 9
The Book Depot
Two Neat (gifts)
Vintage Wines
Woodland’s Pet

Muir Beach
The Pelican Inn (restaurant)

Napa
Peju Winery (this is where you take your out of town guest – fun!)
Rancho Gordo (heirloom beans) <– now that is original!

Novato
Dr. Insomnias (coffee shop)
Class Cycle (bike shop)
Grazie Cafe Italiano (restaurant)
Moylan’s (brewery & restaurant)
Studio 4 Art (make stuff)
Marin Humane Society (adopt a pet, pet store)
Rustic Bakery

Petaluma
Copperfield Books
Della Fattoria (restaurant)
iLeoni (kitchen & gifts)
Knitterly  
Mrs. Grossman’s Stickers (great field trip for young children)
Nan Winters (clothing)
Shop Paper White
Tara Firma Farms (for your healthy holiday meal or a fun activity for the family)
McEvoy Ranch (body care products, olive oil, more)
Robindira Unsworth (jewelry, clothing, accessories)
Sorella (hair studio, fashion boutique)
Tuscan Gardens (home & garden)

Pt.Reyes
Zuma (arts and crafts)
Pt. Reyes Open Studio

San Anselmo
3  Ring Cycles (bike store)
Gathering Thyme (herbs & health care products)
Gioia’s Boutique (Clothing)
Great Acorn Co. (gifts)
Holiday Pop Up Shop (Dec. 3 Only)
Marin Coffee Roasters
Pure Joy Body work
Sidekicks (clothing)
Susan’s Store Room
Fig Garden (gifts)

San Rafael
A Childs Delight (Toys)
Andy’s Market (great wine & chocolate selection)
Art Works Downtown
Bananas At Large (musical instruments & pro audio equipment)
Beads of Marin
Bedrock Music & Video
California Bike N Bean (bike store)
Celebracion Bridal (pretty dresses, tux rentals & tiaras!)
Clogs Unlimited
Dharma Trading Co. (fiber art supplies & clothing blanks)
Friends Books (used books, 100% proceeds support San Rafael Public Library)
Elegant Images Fine Art Photography
Gamescape (non-electronic games)
Jan Orcutt, Accupunture (remember to take care of yourself)
Marin Jewelers Guild
Merritt Chiropractic Center (might need this after all the shopping)
Pin Up Hair Emporium & Unique Boutique
Ponsford’s Place (Bakery)
Red Dragon Yoga
T & B Sports
The Magic Flute
Toni Tierney Baby Clothes (she often has great sales right out of her headquarters)
Via Diva (furniture)
Viva Diva (clothing)
Youth in Arts – Retail shop

Sausalito
Mollie Stones (groceries, gifts)
Sweet Ginger (Sushi restaurant, gift card!)
Downtown Sausalito is full of lots of wonderful little shops.

Sonoma
Bram Cookware
The Girl & The Fig (restaurant)

Santa Rosa
T & B Sports

Tomales
Fallon Hills Ranch (to buy your ranch raised grass fed holiday meal)

Online
Cowboy’s Fuzzy Duds
Bean Up The Nose Art
The Marin Store (Marin Magazine)

East Bay

Albany
Five Little Monkeys (Toy shop)

Berkeley
Berkeley Bowl (groceries)
Gather Berkeley (restaurant, gift certificate)
Kermit Lynch (wine importer on the larger side)
Tail of the Yak (gifts)
Fourth Street in Berkeley has lots of great shops

Hayward
Hayward Book Shop

Oakland
Calm, A Salon
Cole Coffee (local roasted coffee)
Glamour Paws
Laurel Book Store
Oakland Dish
Oakollectiv (local hand painted t-shirts, local designs)
Paws and Claws (pet shop)
Relish Catering (for your holiday parties)
Someone’s In The Kitchen
The Crucible (gift & art sale 12/10 – 12/11)
The Oakland Chocolate Factory (you can get my gift here)
The Wine Mine
Tootsies (shoe boutique, pedicures)
Walden Pond Books

Walnut Creek
Five Little Monkeys (Toy shop)
Walnut Creek Yacht Club (restaurant)

South Bay

Palo Alto
Books, Inc

San Francisco
A Childs Delight (Toys)
Cheekbob (pet store)
Christopher’s Books (Potrero Hill)
Cowgirl Creamer
Create More (Apple supplies, support & more!)
Farmers Market
Ferry Building San Francisco (lots of independent shops here)
Flax Art & Design
Green Apple Books – Inner Richmond. Clement at 6th.
Her Majesty’s Secret Beekeeper (honey!)
MSR museum (best #sf place for small children. Small place, lots to do & see, parents just relax @ entrance & watch them run. @thecara)
Pacific Catch (restaurant, gift certificate)
Palio Paninoteca
Prints, Etc (vintage art, framing, concert posters, antique stock certificates, maps, curiosities, collectibles, etc)
Rancho Gordo Beans (SF Ferry Plaza Farmers Market)
Recchuti (Did someone say chocolate?)
Streetcar Museum
The Book Passage (ferry building)

San Jose
Hicklebees Books (mostly kids)
Streetlight Records

Thank you to everyone who sent suggestions!

Happy Holidays!

#ShopLocal

Please leave a comment and let us know what you got at your local independently owned store!

If you live in another area please make your own list and share it with your readers!

If your appliances break during the holiday season… don’t fret! Call Appliance Techs of Marin!

According to this video you might even get a date if you shop local.

*disclaimer I have not been to many of these businesses they are suggestion I crowd-sourced from my social networks. If there are any corrections that need to be made please leave a comment below.

**This is an evolving/growing list. I plan to add links to all the businesses and to keep adding more local, independently owned businesses. However, if I continue working on this tonight I may find myself disowned by my family. Thanks for shopping local.

PS. Please feel free to copy/use this list and pass it on to others. I’d appreciate a link back to the original list. Here is the link: http://sallyaroundthebay.com/2011/11/shop-local-bay-area/ Thank you!

Thank you for shopping local!