Archive for Shopping
Dear Trader Joe’s
Posted by: | CommentsDear Trader Joe’s,
I wanted to thank you for the Frozen Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough I just discovered at your store. They are amazing! I love these cookies! What a great idea to have individually frozen balls of dough so I can make as few or as many cookies as a like at one time. I love that I can just bake one or two cookies at a time because we all know if I were to bake a dozen or more cookies at one time I would also eat a dozen or more cookies at one time.
These cookies are delicious!
Thank you!
Love,
Sally
PS. Many of the people living in Southern Marin would be really happy if you opened up a store in Marin City or Mill Valley and by the looks of how busy your central Marin stores are I think Trader Joe’s would do quite well in Southern Marin.
Fresh baked cookies in less than 15 minutes!
Preheat oven to 350
Open package
Remove the amount of cookies you want to eat NOW!
Place frozen balls of dough on baking sheet
Bake for about 12 minutes
Eat yummy, warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies!
*Bonus: Your home will smell like fresh baked cookies.
PPS. Trader Joe’s did not pay me to write this. They don’t even know I wrote it but I’m happy to accept payments, gift cards or free frozen cookies as a thank you. 
Healthy Yummy Food at Comforts in San Anselmo
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If you are in a hurry and want something healthy and super yummy then Comforts Café in San Anselmo is the place to go. My favorite dish from Comforts is their Chinese Chicken (or Tofu) Salad. It has got to be the best Chinese Chicken Salad ever! It is always fresh and the dressing they use is delicious. The Chicken Okasan is also very popular in my household.
Comforts always has their fresh Chinese Chicken (or Tofu) Salad in a box and ready to go. This is a great lunch to grab when you are on the run. They also have a huge selection of prepared healthy food which you can pick up in the afternoon and bring home for dinner.
Comforts Café has two sides. One side is a sit down more formal café the other is the take out, more casual side. I usually go to the take out side because… I’m usually in a hurry but both sides are good and on a sunny day it is really nice to sit outside while dining.
In addition to all delicious and healthy meals they have a full service café where they serve excellent tasting cappuccinos, lattes, mochas, etc…
After filling up on fine food at Comforts you can take a stroll down San Anselmo Avenue to Gioia’s for a little boutique shopping.
Comforts is located at:
335 San Anselmo Avenue
San Anselmo, CA 94960
415.454.9840
Photo borrowed from www.comfortscafe.com
Coworkers Buzzing Around the Bay
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After my visit to the new, cool coworking space BZhive in San Rafael, I asked the owners Hila and Dani if they would be interested in sharing some of their favorite Bay Area places with me.
Here are some of the places owner and artist Hila buzzes around the bay to when she is not working:
Where is your favorite place to hike or bike in the Bay Area?
Terra Linda/Southern Novato Hills – different trails, mostly the “shortcut” from Terra Linda to Sleepy Hollow (San Anselmo).
What do you love most about the Bay Area?
The weather, the air, the view, the people. I’m coming from a relatively hot and humid climate (Tel Aviv) so the weather here is just perfect. I only wish the beach and the water were warmer. The people here are much more relaxed and patient. Above all we love San Francisco- one of my favorite cities if not “the” favorite. gracious and gorgeous. I love it especially when it’s gray (which is most of the time) it gives it just the perfect bittersweet taste of melancholy.
What is your favorite restaurant in the Bay Area?
The Slanted Door in SF love the the food the scene and view.
(I think Hila and I have similar taste. I love this restaurant!)
Favorite Coffee/Tea shop?
Cafe Gratitude especially the one in Berkeley. I’m grateful for a great food- especially the sweets… and you know you are safe there- it’s all vegan! (Another one of my favorites.)
Favorite park? Bon Tempe Lake (From Fairfax)
Favorite place to shop?
Crossroad Trading. Favorite location is Irving st in SF. I like the idea of recycling and exchanging. AND what great finds! (I’m telling you, I think Hila is my long lost sister.)
Read more about BZhive in the MarinIJ.
Be sure to follow BZhive on Twitter to keep up with the latest happenings at the hive.
The social interaction and possible collaboration that comes when people get out of the home office can also make people more productive, according to a 2008 study by Stephen Humphrey, formerly a management professor at Florida State University’s business school.
“People who work interdependently with others have better performance ratings, lower stress, lower turnover intentions, and greater work and organizational satisfaction,” the study found. – Jim Welte, MarinIJ 2/7/10
Stay tuned you just might see me working out of BZhive one of these days.
Shopping with a View in San Francisco
Posted by: | CommentsAs you may or may not know my neighbor Amy and I are pretty dedicated hikers. We go out every morning (6-7 days a week) with our dogs for a hike. However on super rainy days we do not go. This is problem because hiking is what we do for exercise. I decided instead of being a wimp on rainy days I’d go out and buy some rain gear so at least we could still get out when it is pouring rain, even if we didn’t go on the trails we could walk up and down the winding hilly streets of our neighborhood.
I wanted good quality rain gear but I didn’t want to spend the money I would have to if I went to REI. Instead, I went to the Sports Basement in San Francisco. The Sports Basement is an awesome place for getting great deals on quality brand name athletic clothing. A few years ago I bought a big puffy down Northface jacket from the Sports Basement. I called REI first to compare prices and it was $50 cheaper at the Sports Basement.
The Sports Basement in the Presidio is located in one of the most beautiful spots in San Francisco. It’s right across the street from the Crissy Field Beach located below the Golden Gate Bridge. The views are breathtaking. You can see the bridge, Alcatraz and the city skyline. We were lucky because when we got to the store it was not raining so we took a walk on the beach before doing our shopping. The boardwalk was full of happy people walking, jogging, rollerblading, biking and playing with their dogs.
It’s fun to shop at Sports Basement. It has a very casual friendly feel. There are couches throughout the store and they encourage you to hang out and chat. There is even a play area for kids. Lot’s of community stuff going on there. I found a great rain jacket and a pair of convertible pants I love! We’re back to walking or hiking everyday and it feels great!
Food, Fun and Friends
Posted by: | CommentsI haven’t gotten out much in the last week. I think after the holidays and traveling I kind of wanted to hunker down and stay home. Today I’m wishing I was a bear so I could hibernate.
Just because I haven’t been going out doesn’t mean I haven’t been having fun and eating delicious meals.
On Friday morning, I went for a tour at the new Larkspur Hotel in Mill Valley. I’m interviewing hotels looks for the best one to host the Mountain Biking Marin Cross Country Mountain Bike Adventure coming up in May of this year. I was very impressed with this new hotel. It’s located on Highway 1 in Mill Valley right off of Highway 101, next to Frantoio. The Larkspur Hotel has done an amazing job remodeling the hotel (formally the Holiday Inn Express) and I was very impressed with Greg, the General Manager and Cassie, the Sales Manager. The hotel is beautiful, has a view of the bay and Mt. Tam and is located right next to the bike/walk path that will take you in to Sausalito or Mill Valley. I was wowed by the people and the place. I plan to recommend this hotel to Celia for the Mountain Biking Marin adventure.
I almost forgot to mention. Cassie from the Larkspur Hotel gave me a goodie bag when I was leaving. Among other things, it had a solar powered plastic flower that moves when the sun shines on it. Really, I think this is what sealed the deal. It goes nicely with the wind-up toys and purple pens in my office. (All reminders to me that life is about having fun.)
After my meeting at the hotel I met with Marilyn LoRusso, aka @Fun_Master at Cafe del Sol in Tam Junction and spent the afternoon chatting about social media and making life fun (Marilyn has some great tips on how to stay in the fun mode). I enjoyed sipping on a delicious ginger limeade during our meeting.
Then on Friday night we had a small dinner party. Since one of my fabulous neighbors gave me a gift certificate to Whole Foods I splurged on a yummy meal. We started with brie cheese and olive bread for appetizers while I prepared blackened salmon, roasted veggies, broiled asparagus, and salad. We finished the meal off with some Porto from our visit to the Napa Valley Wineries and yummy dessert.
I used the blackened salmon recipe I found on RealSimple.com. It was delicious!
Doggie Wash in Mill Valley
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I have a clean doggie! I went to Woodland’s Pet Food & Treats and rented a bathtub (also known as a Pet Wash Center) for Poncho. He is now very clean and fluffy (and smells good).
The dog bathtub rentals are run similar to a do-it-yourself car wash. First you enter the fancy store filled with dog toys, dog food, and homemade dog cookies that look like human cookies, then you go to the counter and pay $15 for a dog bath. (Yes his bath cost more than my haircut but this is Marin where even the dogs feel entitled.) You then lead your dog up the steps in to the tub, clip him in with cables that are attached to the tub walls, put your token in the machine and begin the wash cycle.
First you rinse your dog, then move the knob to shampoo/conditioning cycle, then rinse again, and rinse some more to make sure you get all the soap off. Then use the blower to blow him dry. Meanwhile your dog looks at you like he hates you but in the end he comes out happy, fluffy, smelling and looking good.
Afterwards you walk through the fancy dog store trying to explain to your dog that all the toys and snacks on the shelf are not actually his.
Anyway, washing your dog on a Sunday afternoon at Woodland’s is a fun family activity for everyone but your dog.
Poncho is very good at expressing his feelings.
Woodland’s
701 Strawberry Village
Mill Valley, CA 94941
415.388.PETS
I tried to take his picture after the bath to show you how clean he is but I think he is still mad at me. He refused to get up.
A look back at 2009
Posted by: | CommentsHappy New Year!
Today is 01.02.2010 which is a palindrome. I thought this would be a great day to review the past year. Sally Around The Bay is less than a year old. I had the idea of starting this blog floating around in my head for awhile, but I did not start working on it until the beginning of last year. I think it was right around New Year’s last year when the name finally came to me. I remembered that my name, Sally was actually a word in the English dictionary meaning to go out on a venture or an excursion (usually off the beaten path).
Last year around this time I was feeling a little burned out and decided I needed to do something to motivate myself to get out of the house and try new things. I know when I travel I like to find the “local” spots to try rather than the typical overpriced tourist traps so I figured people might be interested in reading about the various local gems I found. I was right. Since I started this blog back in April I have had so much support and encouragement and have made a lot of new friends. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read my blog over the past year.
I was just reviewing my blog posts thinking about 2009. I’m so thankful I started this blog. I have met some of the most amazing people because of it. I have also discovered some pretty awesome restaurants and businesses around the bay area.
I think the blog experience that I personally got the most out of was the visit to the farm in Petaluma. I got to meet Tara Smith who I found incredibly inspirational. I met Tara thanks to Peggy (my Twitter friend turned real friend) mentioning the farm on Twitter. View photos of the farm visit here.
Another fun experience was visiting Mrs. Grossman’s sticker factory. When I saw Mrs. Grossman on Twitter my brain went on fast forward down memory lane. I was so happy when they invited me to come in for a tour.
My blog inspired me to be bold, to try new things. As many of you know I did a big bold move when I wrote the open letter to MiniSF telling them about my Big Mini Dream. That was fun. I did not get my Mini (yet) 
I’m still hoping… but I did have a ton of fun with it and did catch their attention. Thank you to each of you that supported my Big Mini Dream. I was amazed at all the support I got. You people are awesome!
I got a new hat to help save a home.
Thanks to my blog I got out of my comfort zone and tried new shops and restaurants.
Some of my favorites were:
Coast Café in Bolinas.
Naan ‘N’ Curry in San Francisco
Toronado & Rosamunde Sausage Grill in San Francisco
The Whipper Snapper in San Rafael
Peju Winery in Napa
Also learned I like more than one Sushi restaurant in the Bay Area and that Thai food makes me smile. I think I discovered the best Chinese food in the Bay Area. Oh and I almost forgot the best Dim Sum in San Francisco!
Discovered Fourth Street in Berkeley.
Shopping at Gioia in San Anselmo.
Met a super cool relationship expert and the bloggers at MoreMarin. I also met Lissa Rankin from Owning Pink.
Thanks to my blog, I got interviewed on the BlogHer show The Juice and was mentioned on the Miniology radio show. Also something exciting to me was I got sponsors for my blog (check out the upper right column —> and be sure to click on them. Thanks!)
I can’t forget Mill Valley on Tuesday Nights or Marilyn, the fun master. I met Marilyn earlier this year, she always reminds me to have fun. I also met ATOMsanRafael who are super nice people that fixed one of my broken appliances.
My fondest memories from 2009 are the TweetUps and the wonderful people I met at the TweetUps especially Diane Fischler and Ken Underscore.
Twitter is Magical
Awesome Marin TweetUp
Stay tuned for future TweetUps in Marin! Working on one for February. (Still looking for a restaurant in Novato to volunteer). Moylan’s – hint hint.
Happy New Year!
I look forward to another year of blogging.
Wine Tools
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve still got Napa on my mind.
According to our friends, if we were going to buy fine wines we needed fine wine tools such as the Wine Saver Vacu Vin to preserve our wine after opening. They said the best place to get this was at Dean and Deluca located in St. Helena. Plus, they wanted us to see this adorable Dean and Deluca store full of gourmet food, wine and unique kitchen supplies. They also suggested we get some bread and cheese to snack on between wine tasting. This turned out to be a great idea! We bought some olive bread and sweet buttery bread that tasted like a big giant croissant. I resisted buying the chocolates.
I also resisted buying the gelato.
I figured I had eaten so much the night before. It was best to stick with the bread and cheese.
Fourth Street in Berkeley
Posted by: | CommentsToday I went to Berkeley with Twitter friend @PoButler to meet with Analisa from the Corte Madera Town Center who we met at the Pacific Catch TweetUp. We met to talk social networking (my favorite thing to talk about). It was fun! Thanks to Peggy and Analisa I have now discovered Fourth Street in Berkeley. It’s a charming little street full of shops, cafés, book stores, a toy store and even a Chocolatier. Now, I’m wishing I would have remembered to take pictures at Chocolatier Blue, they had the most amazing organic, colorful, sparkly chocolates. Take a look here.
We had breakfast at Bette’s Diner which is like a blast from the past 50′s style diner. I had already eaten so I got a Chai Tea. The tea was really good. Peggy ordered a Buckwheat Waffle, it looked good and she said it was tasty. Analisa had a big bowl of Oatmeal with raisins. I was kind of wishing I hadn’t already eaten.
After breakfast, Peggy and I decided to check out the Fourth Street scene. Peggy had to do some Christmas shopping for her little ones. She took me to a really cool locally owned toy store called The Ark that specializes in “classic, imported, Waldorf-inspired, wooden and just all-around fun toys.” Doesn’t this toy store just look fun?!
After the toy store I spotted the Chocolatier so we headed over there and had a Dark Chocolate Tart thing. Whatever it was, it was delicious!
One last stop was the Crate & Barrell Outlet store. I have been saying for months years that I need new glasses. I do not have one full set of any glasses anymore. Hardwood floor + glass + me = a lot of broken glasses. I found the cutest glasses ever and they were on sale so I bought 8. I now have 8 matching drinking glasses, imagine that! Dinner party time!
Visit www.fourthstreetshop.com for more information about this area in Berkeley.
