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.

Hey, Marin you don’t have to go all the way to San Francisco to ice skate this holiday season!

“On Friday, December 3rd – for one magical, fun-filled night only – Tiburon Holiday Festival 2010 will feature an OUTDOOR ICE SKATING RINK for families, couples, ice skating enthusiasts, and everyone to delight! So grab your coziest scarf and hat and get ready for a once in a lifetime opportunity to ice skate along the shores of the San Francisco Bay with the most breathtaking backdrop of the twinkling, present-wrapped San Francisco skyline.

The evening’s festivities will include: the traditional Fountain Plaza Tree Lighting Ceremony with classic holiday carolers, costumed characters strolling along magical Main Street, wonderful holiday treats, yummy gingerbread house decorating, Winterland Snow Globe Making/Photo Shop for kids, and more! In addition, the town’s eclectic shops and tasty restaurants will be offering budget-worthy discounts and specials to while away the hours.

With spectacular views of the SF skyline, Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay, and Angel Island (plus ice skating too), only a Scrooge would dare miss this memorable San Francisco Bay Area holiday event!” – Shop Tiburon

More info here: http://shoptiburon.info/events/tiburon-holiday-festival-2010-featuring-outdoor-ice-skating/

And the winner is…………………………………..

Madeline Schaider!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Since many of the entries were made by friends and I wanted everyone to win, I asked @pdost (an unbiased observer from Indiana) to use random.org to select the winner. We had a total of 31 entries combining blog comments, tweets & Facebook posts. Thank you!

I really enjoyed reading all the comments thanks to everyone who participated!

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Contest is now closed. 8/10/2010

How would you like to have a $50 gift card to Guaymas Restaurant in Tiburon, CA? Guaymas serves authentic, delicious, fresh Mexican food and is located in one of the most beautiful places on earth (in my humble opinion). If you like good food and amazing views of the San Francisco Bay then Guaymas is the place to go!

Here is your chance to win a $50 gift card to Guaymas! All you have to do is leave a comment below and tell me what you love about the San Francisco Bay Area.

The winner will be picked randomly using random.org. The winner will be announced on Monday, August 9, 2010. Winner must email me their mailing address in order to receive prize. Please only send me your address if you are the winner.

Photo borrowed from www.guaymasrestaurant.com

Want more chances to win?

1. “Like” Guaymas & Sally Around The Bay on Facebook and leave a comment on the Sally Around the Bay Facebook page saying “I want to go to Guaymas!”.
2. Follow me on Twitter and tweet this contest by simply copying and pasting the text below and posting it to your Twitter account:

Hey @Sally_K I want to go to @GuaymasTiburon http://bit.ly/GuaymasContest (Pls RT)

Guaymas
5 Main Street
Tiburon, CA 94920
www.guaymasrestaurant.com
415.435.6300

The Tiburon Art Festival 2010 is now accepting artists for this amazing juried art event-by-the-bay. They are looking for paintings, sculptures, glass, woodwork, jewelry, photography and mixed media. 64 juried artists will be selected to show their work on Historic Ark Row in downtown Tiburon, California.

Live music, family entertainment & activities, wine, beer & champagne, all steps away from the waterfront of the San Francisco Bay.

Application deadline June 14th. Judging weekend June 18 & 19. Art Festival August 28th & 29th.

Application info here: http://tiburonartfestival.homestead.com/webpages/application.html

The actual event is August 28 – 29. The Tiburon Art Festival

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Wine lovers – here is an event for you!

Eat, Drink and be Merry at the Tiburon Wine Tasting Festival

Drink premium wine with a view of the Bay!

The 27th Annual Tiburon Wine Tasting Festival is on May 15th, 2010.

Located in one of the most picturesque waterfront communities in the world, the Tiburon Wine Festival is considered one of the Bay Area’s premiere wine events! Breathtaking views, world-class wines (vintages from over 60 premium wineries), with many of the wines being tasted by the public for the first time. Complementary cuisine from over 20 restaurants and chefs, a fabulous silent auction, and live entertainment from the Cedricke Dennis Jazz combo. – tiburonwinefestival.com

Most importantly, there will be food from the following sponsors: (I like food.)

TIBURON PENINSULA
Asqew Grill
Caffe Acri
Cottage Eatery
Foodniks
Guaymas Restaraunt
Milano Ristorante
Pasta Pomodoro
Prima Palate
Sam’s Anchor Cafe
Steve & Angelo’s Sausage Booth
Servino Ristorante
Strawberry Gourmet Deli
Tiburon Grill

MARIN COUNTY
All Seasons Catering
Buckeye Roadhouse
Bungalow 44
IL Davide
Frantoio Ristorante & Olive Oil Co.
Judy’s Breadsticks
P.F. Chang’s

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
Aidell’s Sausage
Clover Stornetta Cheese
Farm Fresh To You
Lettieri & Co.

For more information and tickets visit: www.tiburonwinefestival.com

Fun things to do in the Bay Area this weekend. Are you trying to think of fun things to do with your family that is in town? Has your family already seen all the usual San Francisco tourist stops? Fisherman’s Wharf,  shopping on Pier 39,  the famous curvy Lombard Street and Ghirardelli Square? If so, here are some new ideas to entertain your out of town guests over the holiday season. Have fun!

1. Take ferry to San Francisco and walk around the ferry building and then go ice skating in the Embarcadero.
2. Walk around Tiburon.
3. Take a ferry to Angel Island and go for a hike.
4. Go shopping on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley.
5. Visit the Camera Obscura in San Francisco. (The giant camera)
6. Walk around Chinatown, be adventurous and try some Dim Sum.
7. Visit a farm in Petaluma! Learn about where your food comes from.
8. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.
9. Go to Golden Gate Park Japanese Tea Garden, Botanical Gardens, Conservatory of Flowers and so much more.
10. After Golden Gate Park you can walk around Haight Street and see the famous Haight/Ashbury neighborhood.
11. Go for a Mountain Bike ride in Marin County
12. Tuesday Night Comedy Night in Mill Valley with Mark Pitta.
13. Take a drive to Stinson Beach and keep driving to find the secret town of Bolinas.
14. Go wine tasting in Napa and then try some delicious vegetarian food.

Happy Holidays!

If you have any suggestions for fun and unique things I didn’t list here please leave a comment letting us know.

If you are visiting the Bay Area or live here and are looking for a fun thing to do, I suggest spending a morning in Tiburon. Tiburon has one of my favorite views of the Bay. You could start with breakfast in Tiburon at at the New Morning Cafe or stop by Cafe Acri for a light breakfast and coffee or tea. The view from Cafe Acri is pretty amazing. Cafe Acri is located right on the corner of Main St in Tiburon.

After breakfast you could take a stroll along the water front and soak in the amazing views of the Bay. Whether it is sunny, foggy, cloudy or rainy you will still get a beautiful view.

Be sure to check out the fountain at the entrance to Main Street.

Main Street is a lovely little street full of charming shops and restaurants.

Make sure you go all the way to the end of Main Street and turn so you don’t miss Ark Row where you will find even  more shops, restaurants, wine tasting and the Tiburon Playhouse.

After perusing the shops, maybe tasting a little wine and having lunch you could catch a film at the Tiburon Playhouse.

Or if you are the more adventuresome type you could take the ferry to Angel Island and do some exploring.

Finally the thing I love most about Tiburon is that it is a dog friendly town. Many of the shops even have bowls of water set outside their doors to keep your furry friend hydrated.

And of course, if I had a Mini I’d totally drive it to Tiburon.

Guest post by Jen A, Owner of Puppy Love Pet Sitting

I love pet sitting around The Bay, as it gives me a chance to roam various neighborhoods when I’m out dog walking. Last weekend, I had the pleasure of pet sitting Poncho, a super smart and playful Black Lab who loves to love and like most Labs, loves to eat! I heard there were some great restaurants in Tiburon, so Poncho and I began our mission.  As we were wandering Tiburon looking for some good recession specials, I realized our adventure was two fold: cheap eats AND dog friendly.  You might think this would be an easy find for the Bay Area; not so. While there are a lot of restaurants with patios, they are usually accessible only by going through the restaurant, where dogs are not allowed. Yes, you can find the occasional cafe that allows pets, but I wanted a meal, not a muffin.

I walked down both sides of Tiburon Blvd. and mingled with downtown long enough to know Poncho wasn’t welcome in any of the local and well known restaurants. Hungry but not defeated, we trekked further down the beaten path. Around the corner and located in what is known as Ark Row, was a small Salvadoran/Mexican restaurant with an even smaller patio called, ‘Poncho’s Casa Manana’. Could it be? This whole time searching for a dog friendly patio and here it was, fatefully waiting to be found.

The owner came out as I walked on the patio. I thought he was going to tell me the usual, ‘No Dogs Allowed.’ Instead, he had a cup of water that he placed at the foot of my table so that Poncho had something to drink. Poncho got waited on before I did! I was grateful for his efforts and introduced Poncho to the owner whose name is…you guessed it, Poncho.

The complimentary chips and two different salsas were first on the table. I ordered a soft shell, open faced taco and it came with a side salad. I saw the dessert menu and had to have a coconut ice cream bar to make a perfectly sweet end to my flavorful and well portioned meal. When the bill came, I could hardly believe the total for my entire meal plus dessert; $6.00! No recession specials needed here, Poncho’s is by far the best deal for price and quantity.  Poncho (the owner) returned outside several times to check on me and to make sure Poncho (the dog) had enough to drink. Sold! Any restaurant with authentic food that gives this level of service deserves my business and that of all dog-friendly folks.

Poncho’s (the restaurant)- 110 Main Street, Tiburon
Poncho (the owner)- Accommodating and friendly. His mother and brother own restaurants in San Rafael and Terra Linda.
Poncho (the dog)- The best dog ever, his Facebook page says so. Become a fan.

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Note from Sally: Jen A is a wonderful dog sitter! Poncho was very happy with her. She was perfect for me because she sent me daily emails about Poncho. I’d highly recommend Jen to any dog owner who worries (like me) about their best friend while traveling. Jen took great care of Poncho and kept in contact with me via email so I always knew Poncho was okay. I think Poncho loves Jen more than me now. You can contact Jen by emailing her.

The weekend Celia’s cool cousins came to visit was the weekend of eating food from all different cultures. After the American breakfast in Tiburon and the best Dim Sum ever lunch in San Francisco’s Chinatown we had dessert in North Beach (also called San Francisco’s Little Italy).

North Beach is located between Chinatown and Fisherman’s Wharf. We walked in the sprinkling rain from Chinatown to North Beach passing many shops along the way including this interesting smoke shop…

By the time we got to North Beach it was pouring rain so we ducked in to the first Italian restaurant we saw, Mona Lisa’s.  We landed in the perfect place for some yummy dessert. Mona Lisa’s has a huge dessert menu! Celia and I shared the Flute Limoncello – “Refreshing lemon gelato swirled together with limoncello, presented in a champagne glass” and we ordered espresso to warm us up. The espresso was authentic and delicious Italian espresso served in the tiny cups.

It was still pouring rain after dessert and we had no umbrellas so we decided the walking part of our San Francisco tour was done for the day. On our way back to the car we passed a group of women all huddled together. Being the nosy person that I am, I walked over to see what they were doing? They seemed to be playing a very serious game of cards. I pretended to be looking at my phone while I took this photo. *wink*

We then got in the car and took a few site seeing detours on our way home. First we drove down the famous curvy Lombard street,  then we drove through Fisherman’s Wharf and then to Crissy Field (to show our visitors our secret-amazing-view-of-the-Golden-Gate-Bridge-spot) located just past the Sports Basement.

After taking in the breathtaking view we stopped at Sports Basement (which happens to be much cheaper than REI but has the same stuff) and I finally got a new pair of hiking shoes so I can continue my daily hikes in Marin without slipping and twisting my ankle. By the way, the rain we got last week brought a whole new wave of wildflowers to the trails!

We have house guests visiting from Colombia this weekend. This was a great incentive for me to sally around the bay and check out lots of new places.

We decided to start our adventures with breakfast in Tiburon, CA. Tiburon has amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco and the Bay. We had breakfast at a charming little café called New Morning Café which I discovered while reading this blog.

New Morning Café is a cozy, warm and friendly place. We started with café lattes and orange juice. The orange juice looked like grapefruit or tomato juice but it was definitely orange juice and tasted great. I’m wondering if it was made out of blood oranges.

We had heard the meals were big so we decided to share two meals among four people and it was the perfect amount. We had a delicious Omelet made of basil, tomato and mozzarella cheese with wheat toast. Half of the meal was more than enough for me.

After breakfast we took a stroll along the boardwalk in Tiburon before heading to San Francisco for a day of site seeing. To be continued…

New Morning Cafe is located at:
1696 Tiburon Blvd
Tiburon, CA
415.435.4315