I love Marin County! It’s full of interesting and fun people! For instance, meet Leslie Lakes (formally Hendricks) who is new to Marin and was kind enough to share some of her favorite things about the Bay Area through the eyes of a newbie.

What do you love most about the Bay Area?
Having relocated to the Bay Area from the East Coast (Montclair, NJ), I’m incredibly appreciative of so many things that native Marinites take for granted: like the comparatively warm and moderate weather; the exquisite beauty of the surrounding natural terrain and landscapes; the fact that within a short radius of Mill Valley where I live, I can see and experience the ocean, mountains, marinas, bird sanctuaries, valleys, the magnificent structure of the Golden Gate Bridge; the culture of San Francisco, not to mention the looming and majestic Mount Tamalpais from our front door!  I love the fresh, sweet smelling air, as well as the fog that rolls in early in the morning, and burns off in the afternoon. I love the fact that flowers bloom all year round; the characteristically health oriented culture, and that public buses have bike racks. How cool is that!

What is your favorite restaurant in the Bay Area?
While there’s a plethora of excellent and multi-ethnic restaurants in the bay area, for great Deli sandwiches, LOUIE’S DELI on Bridgeway in Sausalito can’t be beat!  We also enjoy DISH in Mill Valley, but if I had to choose only ONE restaurant…it would be SARTAJ on Caledonia Street in Sausalito. SARTAJ is a small quaint, Indian ‘Mom and Pop’ operation where every dish is made with love and just the right amount of spices. Portions are ample and the prices are very reasonable. But, mostly because it’s where my husband and I courted before we got married.  We even have our own special table for two by the window! (I love Sartaj!!! Their Chai tea is delicious!)

What is your favorite coffee or tea shop?
I love lattes and café au lait “to go” (always “extra hot”) either from PEET’S or STARBUCKS, but to actually sit down to enjoy coffee, I prefer to go to LA BOULANGE (Strawberry Village, Mill Valley) because it’s the closest thing to being in France (where I’m from) as they serve café au lait with lots of frothy hot milk foam, in a bowl.

Where is your favorite place to shop for clothing, books, kids stuff, etc?
For clothes: THE FAMILY THRIFT STORE (Miller Avenue, Mill Valley); GOODWILL (San Rafael); H&M (Terra Linda); MARSHALL’S (Novato) and ROSS stores (throughout).
For books: Without a doubt – BOOK PASSAGE in Corte Madera!
For children’s things: GOOD NITE MOON (where I work on a part-time basis) at the Corte Madera Town Center, and WEE THREADS (E. Blithedale Ave., Mill Valley)

Favorite place to hike or bike? Favorite park? or Favorite outdoor activity?
While my husband is a professional bike mechanic (MIKE’S BIKES) and quite passionate about cycling, I lean more toward getting places – on foot! I love to walk and often do for miles and miles.  My most favorite outdoor activity is normally horse-back-riding, but in this current economy, walking is cheaper.  I enjoy walking just about anywhere! For exercise, I often take the bike path from Mill Valley to Sausalito town center, and back again.

Can you tell me a little bit more about what you do? What kind of people do you work with? Who do you help?
I’ve often been called a “Renaissance Woman”.  My main profession is that of licensed Massage Therapist with over 23 years experience in the field with a private practice in Mill Valley.  I’m also a singer/songwriter of children’s fare; a visual artist, as well as voice-over artist.

I love people and animals, and am actively involved in the community and with major fund-raising efforts (i.e., KIDDO, Marin Symphony, The Marin Humane Society, etc.).

Thanks Leslie!

I’m having so much fun coworking at BZhive! I’m really enjoying getting out of my home office and working with others. Today I met with a client in the conference room, teaching her all about benefits social networking.

I also discovered (actually remembered) that BZhive is located in walking distance to one of my favorite deli’s!  This makes me happy because as you know, I like to eat. BZhive is also in walking distance to my Chiropractor. This also makes me happy because I like to feel good and getting regular chiropractic adjustments makes me feel good. You should try it!

@fun_master popped in and snapped a picture of us working in the conference room.

Another fun fact I learned about BZhive is that Hila (co-owner) is an artist and makes some pretty cool things she sells on Etsy. I hope she brings in some of that jewelry for me to see.

BZhive is the new coworking office space in San Rafael. Come in and check it out. They have lots of community events happening in the evenings (most are free).

Today I went to see my chiropractor (who is also a client and formally a colleague). Let’s just say I’ve known them for a very long time.  Drs. Norlin and Maria Merritt run Merritt Chiropractic Center in San Rafael. I’ve seen a lot of chiropractors in my time and they are the best! I get regular adjustments from Norlin who is constantly taking post graduate trainings to stay up-to-date on the latest techniques. He’s really good. I had some pretty scary car accidents as a teenager (fyi – I was the passenger, not the driver). These accidents left my neck pretty sore causing all sorts of other problems. Did you know if your neck is out of alignment it can be causing headaches and many other health related issues in your body? Anyway, getting adjusted by the Merritt’s has helped me tremendously. I feel 100 times better and have so much more energy. When you go in to the Merritt’s office you get more than a spinal adjustment, you also get an attitude adjustment – Maria and Norlin are always so upbeat and positive it’s a pleasure to visit with them.
In the next few months I plan to interview them so stay tuned for more info about the Merritt’s.

After my adjustment today I walked across the parking lot to a little deli called LJ’s Deli.  I would have never even known this deli existed if Maria had not told me about it. I’ve been there a few times already and every time I’ve had superb, friendly service and delicious food. Today I ordered a turkey sandwich on a sour dough bread with cranberry sauce. Yummy!

LJ’s Delis is located at:
4380 Redwood Hwy, Ste B15
San Rafael, CA 94903
415.479.8081

Merritt Chiropractic Center is across the parking lot at
La Plaza #C414
4340 Redwood Hwy
San Rafael, CA 94903
415.472.2232
www.merrittfamilychiropractic.com
Merritt Facebook Fan Page
Twitter @DrsMerritt

Strawberry Gourmet Deli makes tasty sandwiches! If you are looking for an excellent deli in Mill Valley then I suggest you try Strawberry Gourmet Deli, they are conveniently located right off the freeway in Strawberry Village (near In-N-Out).

The food is fresh and there are lots of choices from dolmas to salads to falafel to sandwiches. I had a turkey sandwich on dutch crunch bread with cranberry sauce. Strawberry Gourmet Deli makes the best turkey sandwiches ever! In the past we’ve used them to prepare sandwiches for corporate tours with Mountain Biking Marin and they did an awesome job preparing lots of sandwiches for the big groups.

The service is great, sometimes I’ve been there with 20+ people in line and they just move us through quickly with a smile.

Oh, and they have great desserts! Writing this post just made me really hungry for one of their sandwiches I think I’m going to go get one right now.

Strawberry Gourmet Delicatessen
1216 Strawberry Village
Mill Valley, CA 94941
415.381.2088