Marin Magazine September 2016

THE VILLAGE AT CORTE MADERA

Our beautifully remodeled store has been reopened in its original location. Stop by to see our furniture and decor collections in a whole new light.

BRUNELLO CUCINELLI

San Francisco

384 POST ST. 415.986.4300.

In Marin

Out & About

WALTER KITUNDU (TOP LEFT); TIM PORTER (TOP RIGHT);

ART BY DEBBIE PATRICK (MIDDLE); CHRIS FLENTYE (BOTTOM)

Musical at Art Works Downtown

THE AIR-KING

A tribute to the golden age of aviation in the 1930s, featuring a prominent minute scale for navigational time-readings. It doesn’t just tell time. It tells history.

OYSTER PERPETUAL AIR-KING

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SEPTEMBER IS FASHION month at Marin Magazine. This time around we have a new team picking the clothes, the model, the photographer, the location and the looks. Photographed in Point Reyes Station, our feature looks at the latest in fall fashion trends with a focus on local stores and boutiques, all with a coastal town backdrop. You’ll also want to read Kasia Pawlowska’s examination of the history of denim, from the miners of yesterday to the high technology of today.

Next up, Melanie Haiken examines Marin’s drug epidemic and its impact on kids. With more prescriptions, availability and access and more stress than ever, what is being done to help our county’s young people avoid abuse of drugs? Beyond safety and health, a child also needs quality education; our 2016 Private School Guide has information you need to make informed school choices for your family.

We follow that with a look back at Marin County’s fi rst female supervisor, Vera Schultz, and her six-decade career in public service. Writer Mark Wilson describes her ongoing in fluence exempli fied by the Civic Center and Marin City, two signature projects she spearheaded.

Up front we climb Hawk Hill, and we talk to activist Jen Reidy, sculptor John Libberton, energy drink maker Todd Berardi, Angel Island Immigration Station docent Joe Chan, and Marin City Health and Wellness Center CEO JayVon Muhammad. And if you love neighborhood shopping and eating, check out our new City Streets department — this time focusing on San Francisco’s Polk Street.

In Destinations we’re off o Hawaii to get a taste of poke and learn which resorts are friendliest to big groups. And we explain why anyone setting out to explore America’s national parks should think Northern California fi rst.

It’s a big issue full of fun, insightful reads, and plenty of inspiring ideas for looking your best this fall. Enjoy!

FASHION FUN

This month’s fall fashion shoot saw the team heading to West Marin on a warm, sunny afternoon for a full and active day. Pastries from Bovine Bakery and coffee from Toby’s Feed Barn got the group ready to go. Photography took place at Toby’s and the Old Western Saloon and beside the road to Marshall. Flip to the fashion section to see the dramatic results.

Photographed in Point Reyes Station, it’s a look at the latest in fall fashion trends, all with a coastal town backdrop.

Marin Magazine Staff Editors

Above, from left: Mimi Towle, Nikki Wood and Dan Jewett

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Contributors

Melanie Haiken Writer, “Dangerous Game” (p.

70)

Melanie Haiken is a writer, editor and web project manager based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her work is characterized by a focus on clarity, depth and insight, no matter the topic covered. Haiken writes for Health, Fitness, Real Simple, Yoga Journal and many other national magazines and websites. She has also created award-winning marketing and custom publishing materials and communications campaigns for clients like Adobe, Wells Fargo, Lane Bryant, Kaiser Permanente and Safeway. To see more of her work visit melaniehaiken.com.

“Go West” (p. 58)

Milan and Shannon Rosan Photographers,

The Rosans are a husband-and-wife photography and video team based in Northern California. Focusing primarily on lifestyle and fashion, their keen eyes craft images that are compelling and natural and give a sense of place. When not shooting, the two like to play with their rambunctious teddy bear/clown dogs Sammie and Olive, search for the best slice of pizza and plan their next big adventure. See more at milanplusshannon.com.

Michael Shapiro

Writer, “Poke Is Here” (p. 86)

As a longtime Hawaii resident and editor for Hana Hou!, the magazine of Hawaiian Airlines, Michael Shapiro has had more than his fair share of poke, the island delicacy composed primarily of raw fish. Lucky for the writer, his office is located directly across the street from establishments that offer some of the best poke on Oahu. More fish than man, Shapiro has won numerous awards for his writing, including the Hawaii Ecotourism Association’s Travel Writer of the Year.

The scoop on Bay Area events you’ll want to attend

[UPCOMING EVENTS]

ANGELS BY THE BAY

WHEN WHERE WHY YOU SHOULD GO

October 1, 5 p.m.–midnight

Meadow Club, 1001 Bolinas Road, Fairfax

Marin’s most anticipated gala, Angels by the Bay, benefiting the Marin Center for Independent Living, is a not-to-be missed event at the exclusive Meadow Club. Guests will be greeted with valet car service and martini and cosmo fountains. Enjoy tantalizing hors d’oeuvres and wine tasting as you peruse the silent auction items. A gourmet dinner is paired with fine international wines and the live auction — emceed by Senator Mike McGuire — promises to feature one-a-kind experiences designed for every taste. After dinner relax in the Telford’s cigar and cognac lounge, join in the poker tournament or dance the night away.

HALLECK CREEK FUNDRAISER

WHEN WHERE WHY YOU SHOULD GO COST FIND OUT MORE WHISTLESTOCK

Sept. 16, 6 p.m. VIP, 6:30 p.m. general Rancho Nicasio, 1 Old Rancheria Road, Nicasio

Halleck Creek Ranch’s signature event to raise funds to support its therapeutic horseback riding program for Bay Area youth and adults with special needs is back. Enjoy a VIP reception featuring wine tasting and a selection of local cheeses, as well as dining under the stars with preferred seating for sponsors and VIP. Music is by Buck Nickels and Loose Change. The event honors Temple Grandin with the Halleck Creek Ranch Silver Buckle Award for her dedication to advocating on behalf of people with autism and for her love and promotion of humane animal practices. Grandin is a world-recognized speaker and writer whose life story is portrayed in the movie Temple Grandin. There will also be live and silent auctions of one-of-akind items including travel, food, jewelry, wines and other goodies. $125 general, $175 VIP 415.662.2488 halleckcreekranch.org

COST FIND OUT MORE

WHEN WHERE WHY YOU SHOULD GO COST FIND OUT MORE

September 25, 2:30 p.m. gates, 3–6:30 p.m. music

Rancho Nicasio, 1 Old Rancheria Road, Nicasio

Enjoy a little bit of Woodstock right here in Marin. Whistlestop’s third annual benefit concert features legendary music from the ’60s, performed by Unauthorized Rolling Stones, Rick Stevens (former lead singer of Tower of Power) and Lydia Pense and Cold Blood. Tickets include fabulous musical entertainment, gourmet food, one alcoholic drink, a costume contest and groovy souvenirs.

$125 (includes a $75 tax deduction, food, music and one drink) 415.456.9062 whistlestock.com

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POV

Rock Some Bands

Your Letters

100 Years

The article “Point Reyes Days” (August) was most compelling. Having been to many of the places mentioned, and being a supporter of the national park system, I found new information presented; the story reminded me to visit the lighthouse again and other areas that I have missed. SHERYL NELSON, NOVATO, VIA ONLINE

More Champs

I was disappointed to see you miss one of my favorite Olympians (Currents, “Community Champs,” August). Ted Murphy of San Anselmo won a silver medal for rowing in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and besides all that, he is an all-around great guy. MAGGIE MCCANN, LUCAS VALLEY

A very notable omission in Marin Magazine ’s list of local Olympians is Steve Clark (he lived in Tiburon, not sure where in Marin today). He won three Olympic swimming gold medals in 1964 and would have won two more in 1960 under current rules. BARRY SPITZ, SAN ANSELMO

Eds.: We heard about even more Olympic medalists from Marin; here they are. Ellen Estes, Novato (Water Polo); Tim Evans, Larkspur (Rowing); Scott Munn, Larkspur (Rowing); Ken Flax (Hammer Throw); Jake Highland, Novato (Volleyball); Jennifer Azzi, Mill Valley (Basketball).

Open Waters

Thanks for your story on dredging (“Shallow Waters,” August). Consider a feature on the dredging of Corte Madera Creek, where the Larkspur Marina deepwater homeowners have successfully established their own assessment district. We are currently dredging and have done so successfully for four years. This benefits recreational users as well as residents along the creek.

ANGELA AND ARTHUR CURLEY, VIA EMAIL

80 throckmorton avenue mill valley, ca 94941 415.388.8776 www. sofiajewelry.com

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Your comments may be edited for clarity and brevity. Send letters to Marin Magazine , One Harbor Drive, Suite 208, Sausalito, CA 94965, or email us at letters@marinmagazine com . Please include the town where you live and a daytime phone number.

The scoop on Bay Area events you’ll want to attend

[UPCOMING EVENTS]

WILDCARE GALA

WHEN WHERE WHY YOU SHOULD GO COST

FIND OUT MORE

Sept. 17, 5:30–8:45 p.m.

Benziger Family Winery, 1883 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen

Celebrate a spectacular evening of wildlife and wonder at the 2016 WildCare Gala. The gala features gorgeous wines, a delicious, locally sourced meal, and exciting encounters with WildCare’s live Wildlife Ambassadors, including Sequoia, the northern spotted owl. A glittering silent auction and exciting live auction will complete the evening. Set under a legacy oak tree at the beautiful Benziger Family Winery in Sonoma, this will be an evening all about amazing wildlife and, with luck, you’ll even catch a glimpse of the winery’s own owl guardians.

$350

415.453.1000 ext. 31, wildcarebayarea.org/gala

20/20 VISION — PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE

WHEN WHERE WHY YOU SHOULD GO COST

FIND OUT MORE

Sept. 24, 6:30–10 p.m.

Art Works Downtown, 1337 Fourth Street, San Rafael

Enjoy live music by headliner Danny Click and the Hell Yeahs!, guests Jerry Hannan and Shana Morrison, plus piano by Jeff Castro; delicious food from local eateries including Green Chile Kitchen and Il Davide; festive libations; art exhibitions; and interactive artist demonstrations throughout the entire Art Works Downtown art center.

$45 (Aug. 1–Sept. 17), $55 event week, $250 VIP (for two) 415.451.8119 artworksdowntown.org

MILL VALLEY FALL ARTS FESTIVAL

WHEN WHERE WHY YOU SHOULD GO COST FIND OUT MORE

Sept. 17–18, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Old Mill Park, Mill Valley

Celebrate 60 years of art under the redwoods. Explore 130 local and national fine artists in all media, enjoy live music in the amphitheater and see children’s entertainment in the fairy ring. Woodcut print artist Tom Killion has graciously created this year’s poster art to celebrate the 60th event — a true Mill Valley tradition.

$10, $5 seniors/students, free for kids under 12 415.381.8090 mvfaf.org

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Behind the Scenes

Our fall fashion feature is always a blast to photograph and gives an inside look at what will be in stores this fall. This year’s shoot, at Toby’s Feed Barn in West Marin, features denim, leather and fringe. For a behind-thescenes take on the action from associate editor Kasia Pawlowska, head to marinmagazine.com/ fallfashion2016.

Private School Guide

Weighing private and public school options and trying to figure out where your son or daughter should attend school next year can truly be overwhelming. Our online Bay Area Private School Guide can help you find and narrow down the choices by city, county, affiliation and name. Head over to marinmagazine.com/privateschools to start your search.

Let’s Be Social

Want to learn about the latest store opening, controversial topic in Marin or best Dine Out deal? We share topics like these and others on our social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Google+. Join us and join the conversation; marinmagazine.com/letsbesocial

Weekend Family Fun

When it’s time for summer outings with the family, figuring out what to do can be tricky. For easy planning, sign up for Marin Magazine’s Weekend 101 newsletter, packed with ideas for activities to please all ages. Head to marinmagazine.com/newsletter to get started.

© 2016 Landmark Vineyards. All Rights Reserved. LANDMARK, the Stylized L, and the accompanying logos are trademarks of Landmark Vineyards or its affi liates, Kenwood, CA. LV15755

ome for the wine. stay for the view.

Visit the enchanting courtyard at Landmark Vineyards, nestled below wine country’s Mayacamas Mountains. Stroll our picnic area, play Bocce ball, and sip award-winning small-production Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs found only here at Landmark. And then, lose yourself in the view.

In Marin

CELEBRATING THE PEOPLE, PLACES AND CAUSES OF THIS UNIQUE COUNTY

BIRD CALLS Have you ever heard a hawk talk?

BY LAURIE MCANDISH KING

WALTER KITUNDU

Golden Gate Raptor Observatory director Allen Fish releases a northern harrier.

housands of hawks are on the move in Marin, some coming, some going, some just looking around for food: punctuating the skies with their lazy circles, soaring above commuters on Highway 101, or powering southward across the Golden Gate. Hawk Hill is one of the best places to view them, and on September and October weekends there’s an added bonus — Hawk Talks — at which a volunteer from the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory talks about hawk identi fication and behavior. There’s no need to RSVP — just show up on Hawk Hill around 11:30 a.m. Hawk Talks are from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, weather permitting (heavy fog or rain cancels). You’ll find out which species makes that lonesome keeer-keeer call, when the red-tailed hawk gets its red tail (they aren’t born that way) and why the peregrine falcon needs to be so fast. Your favorite part of the presentation is sure to be a look at a hawk that was banded earlier in the day. You’ll see the fierce beak, sharp talons, and beautiful feathers up close, then witness the hawk flying away as it is released to continue its journey. Be sure to wear sunscreen and dress in layers. Bring your own food and drink (nothing alcoholic), binoculars and perhaps a field guide. Dogs on leash are allowed. ggro.org

Green Goods

September marks the begining of fall, the start of football season and the back-to-school shopping frenzy. Shop smarter this year with these products that will go the distance and last beyond 2016. KASIA PAWLOWSKA

GALA FOR THE GOOD OF ARTS

Seven-Year Pen

Pens: here one day, in the trash the next. But not all pens are created equal. The seven-year pen has a huge ink cartridge that can make a line five-and-a-half feet long, every day, for — you guessed it — seven years. With 38 different designs, pick carefully; you’ll be holding on to it for a while. $8.95. seltzergoods.com

Stainless Steel Straws

U Konserve, a Sausalito-based company, is trying to make a dent in the 500 million plastic straws Americans use every day with its reusable stainless-steel drinking straws. Dishwasher safe, these straws are equally suited to cold drinks, smoothies and adult cocktails. $7.95. ukonserve.com

Silicone Bags

Available in five different colors and designs, Stasher bags not only store your food, but are also freezer-, microwave- and dishwasher-safe. Made from platinum silicone, this is the world’s first airtight nonplastic bag and will replace hundreds of plastic bags annually. $11.99. stasherbag.com

The Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival began with a group of artists showing their work in downtown store windows. As the fest grew, it moved to Lytton Square and then to Old Mill Park in 1962. In recent years, Marin’s arts community has taken a financial hit with the rising costs of living, but the Friends of the Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival are hoping to offer a hand. On September 10, a gala at the Throckmorton Theatre and an after-party at El Paseo will help raise funds and celebrate a milestone: the event marks its sixth decade this year. Printmaker Tom Killion, longtime festival board and committee member — he started his career at the event at age 16 — has created a piece for the anniversary as well. Here are more details about the festival. mvfaf.org K.P.

THE NUMBERS

ARTISTS

COCKTAIL CHATTER

School of Rock

Marin is an idyllic place for those with an urge to explore. And though it is easy to focus solely on the views, College of Marin geology professor Steven Newton suggests occasionally looking down — or up — to observe the impressive plethora of rocks that comprise the land we love. “The most common rock type in Marin is greywacke (a dirty sandstone formed underwater by a variety of rock fragments)," he says, "but there is plenty more to unearth, depending on where you are.” Here, some of the best local spots to indulge your inner geologist. CALIN VAN PARIS

Scholarship Tips

Inverness

Just past the city of Inverness lies a weathered granite cliff face, easily viewed and examined from an unassuming pullout. A favorite field trip stop of Newton’s, the wall of granite showcases quartz and other minerals contained within and, according to the professor, “looks just like granite you would find in the Tehachapi Mountains in Southern California.”

Point Reyes

The Point Reyes conglomerate is a sandy, exposed sedimentary formation showcasing large, rounded grains that have been sculpted by water over millions of years, resting atop a granite foundation. For a different kind of geologic excursion, Newton recommends walking the earthquake trail near the Bear Valley Visitor Center; the parking lot lies directly on the San Andreas Fault.

Marin Headlands

A leisurely drive along Conzelman Road reveals well-exposed chert, a fine-grained sedimentary rock also visible along the local hiking trails. And if you find yourself at Point Bonita Lighthouse, Newton suggests keeping an eye out for pillow basalts, which he describes as “scrapings of the ocean floor that have been metamorphosed, or cooked by heat and pressure.”

Ring Mountain

Ring Mountain is an easily accessible area that, according to Newton, is rife with serpentinite, a greenish, metamorphic specimen that happens to be the state rock of California. “There are a couple other rocks up there that have been really cooked and altered,” says Newton, citing eclogite — which features a mixture of red garnet, green omphacite and blue glaucophane — and blueschist as examples.

High-Tech Pet

Just because you have pets doesn’t mean you can’t also have a life. Whether it’s chickens, cats or dogs, here are a few innovations that keep your mind at ease and your beloved buddies safe. K.P.

1 Solar Chicken Door

Don’t leave the party to close your chicken door. Programmable, solar and easy to install, this gate is predator-proof and features a photo sensor option that closes the door automatically when the sun goes down. $180–$245, chickendoors.com

2 RFID Cat Door

Congratulations. Your child got accepted into Harvard. Now, who is going to pay for it? Before loans come into play, take a look at scholarship opportunities, as there are thousands of them, offered by schools, nonprofits and others. Collegeboard.com alone has more than 2,200 possible scholarship options that total nearly $6 billion. Here are some aspects to be mindful of in your quest for the optimal funding fit. K.P.

DEADLINES Some scholarship application deadlines are early in the fall of senior year. Mark the due dates on your calendar and work your way backward to figure out how much time you’ll have to get each piece of the application finished.

RESEARCH Researching scholarships, requesting information and application materials, and completing applications all take time. Be sure to allot time for each step.

REQUIREMENTS If you have a question about whether you qualify for a certain scholarship, contact the scholarship sponsor. There’s no point in applying for a scholarship that you are not eligible to receive.

INSTRUCTIONS Stick to the word limit for the essay. If supporting materials are not requested in the application, don’t send them.

This door works with all radio-frequency identi fication chips (the one your pet gets at the vet for ID purposes) and allows di fferent settings, meaning any animal can leave, but only your pet can get back in. Stores up to 32 pet IDs. $125, sureflap.com

3 GPS Pet Tracker

Dog out of sight? Don’t worry. This GPS device attaches to your pet’s collar, letting you find him quickly on a map. Customize a safe-travel zone, get alerts and track your pet’s daily activity as well. $79, pettracker.com

WHAT’S IN A NAME

Wade Who?

In Marin, many place-names are attributed to the Miwoks, from Tamalpais to possibly Bolinas. Other commonly seen titles are also familiar as they pop up in the names of area schools — we’re looking at you, Sir Frances Drake. But other monikers’ roots are a bit more elusive. Here are some local schools and information about their namesakes. K.P.

• A. E. Kent Middle School is named after Albert Emmett Kent, who moved to Marin County in 1871 and bought the land that would later become the town of Kentfield.

• The Dixie School District does not have Confederate roots; it’s named after Mary Dixie, a descendant of the Miwok Indian tribe who used to live in Vallecito, California.

• Edna Maguire School in Mill Valley is so called in tribute to the educator and historian who was born in 1888 and inspired students with tales of California’s gold country.

• James B. Davidson was the first superintendent of the San Rafael City Schools district, which was established 155 years ago. The middle school there is called Davidson to honor him.

• San Rafael’s Mary E. Silveira Elementary School commemorates the woman who was an advocate for quality education in the Dixie school district.

• Neil Cummins was a principal in the Larkspur–Corte Madera School District; the elementary school there was named after him.

• Vallecito Elementary School in San Rafael gets its designation because of its location; it’s nestled in a valley, or vallecito in Spanish.

• Wade Thomas was a principal of Main School in San Anselmo and the school district’s supervisor starting in 1923. He died unexpectedly while the school was being retrofitted and it was rechristened in his memory.

A Man of the Future

Beyond family, Tiburon’s Jon Fisher has two great loves: building game-changing tech companies and Star Wars. In July, he combined the two when his new company, CrowdOptic, held a developers’ conference at the legendary Skywalker Ranch in San Rafael. “I’m 44 years old, so Star Wars had a profound effect on me,” Fisher says of the rare opportunity to host a conference at Skywalker. “It was great to showcase our product in the home of one of the greatest entrepreneurs and inventors of all time.” Fisher should know a thing or two about inventing something and being able to sell it. This is his third such instance: he has already sold a company called AutoReach to AutoNation and another, called Bharosa, sold to Oracle in 2007 for a reported $50 million. Now Fisher and his regular startup team, which this time includes investors John Elway and Ronnie Lott, are back with a never-before-seen technology that utilizes smart glasses and video streams from remote cameras to allow users to see through walls or around corners. In some applications, the augmented-reality technology, currently the only patented solution for wearables like Google Glass and Sony SmartEyeGlass, uses triangulation to give wearers the best view possible. “This venture haunts me,” Fisher says. “The understanding of where a device is pointed will help us fight catastrophes caused by things like bad weather and fire.” Indeed, that’s already happening — the technology has been picked up by a wide range of institutions (it is not available to consumers) like the police in China, the Denver Broncos, UCSF and the San Francisco Zoo for its new wolf exhibit; cameras are even being mounted on fire helmets, in ambulances and on paramedics. The technology might just “make us all superhuman,” Fisher says. DANIEL JEWETT

GAME OF FLOODS Concepts are easier to grasp when they’re presented in a playful way, which is exactly what County of Marin staffers were going for when they created a game to get residents thinking critically about sea level rise. Game of Floods is a small group activity, where four to six players are asked to develop Marin Island 2050, a dystopian future landscape that is riddled with deteriorating homes, community facilities, roads and more that were all ravaged by storms. The game was inspired by a local mapping activity developed for Supervisor Kate Sears’ southern Marin sea level rise project by Department of Public Works engineer Roger Leventhal and CMG landscape architects. It was originally introduced in May 2015, early in the project planning process, to educate citizens. The game board, game pieces, instructions and other supporting materials were designed by the Community Development Agency (CDA) and Department of Public Works (DPW) staff and are available online. Let the games begin. marinslr.org K.P.

From top: The CrowdOptic crew with developers at Skywalker Ranch; Olga Khylkouskaya, Jon Fisher and Austin Markus.

Kathleen Harrison Photography

QUESTIONS FOR

Jen Reidy

People wielding guns kill an average of 91 Americans every day, and here in Marin, some of our own youth became part of this statistic in May when one Novato High School student was shot and killed and another critically injured. Historically, gun control is a political hot-button issue, and Marin County residents have traditionally been more aligned with the policies of gun reform groups such as the Brady Campaign. Although she had never been involved with these organizations, nor very politically active at all, when tragic news of a massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary hit the airwaves in 2012, Marin County resident Jen Reidy took notice. The shooting occurred one town away from where she grew up, in a place “much like Marin County.” This event set in motion a journey Reidy never expected. She left her job in high tech, poured her time and energy into community organizing, and just last summer found herself co-leading 500 orange-shirted people onto the Golden Gate Bridge in protest. As the head of the Marin chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense, she hosts informational sessions and organizes marches in Sacramento. KIRSTEN

JONES NEFF

1Why did you become involved in the gun violence prevention movement? A year after Sandy Hook, I was shocked and angry that Congress did not strengthen gun laws and I began to pay attention. It became clear to me that if we do nothing, nothing will change. It was an epiphany.

2

How did you get started? I was inspired by early Marin Moms Demand Action members Cynthia Pillsbury and Tia Liddell-Ivery and others. I joined Marin Moms Demand Action as the communications coordinator and began to host informational house parties. At first the only people who came were my family and friends, who felt obligated. But now I joke that my small house is so packed people sit in the bathtub.

3

Why are house parties effective? At house parties and other info sessions I can make it clear that this is not about taking people’s guns away. We want to let hunters and other gun owners know that we support them and our work is about finding common ground, about agreeing that we all want to keep guns out of the hands of convicted criminals, domestic abusers and people on the no-fly list.

4

Have there been lockdowns here in Marin? There have been three gun-related lockdowns in Marin schools that I know of. It is so sad that children today, including my own, think of lockdowns at school as totally normal. After the lockdown at her school my youngest asked me, “Why would anyone want to shoot a little kid?”

5

What has it been like working on this issue here in Marin County? Marin is a great place to work for gun violence prevention. Ninety-two percent of Americans want stricter gun regulations and in Marin people will speak up when politicians are not representing their concerns.

6

What are some steps lawmakers could take right now? Closing background check loopholes. We estimate that between 30 and 40 percent of all gun sales today do not go through background checks, which really opens the door for convicted criminals, known domestic violence abusers and those who are mentally ill.

7

Why wear orange? The Wear Orange movement began in Chicago and went national when friends of Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old Chicago student killed by gunfire, decided to honor her life by wearing orange — the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others.

How can people get involved? We have about a dozen moms here in Marin volunteering up to 10 hours a week. Join us. Sign up at momsdemand action.org to receive text alerts and instructions on how to contact local and national representatives who are voting on important gun legislation. Or follow our Marin Moms Demand Action chapter on Facebook to see what is happening locally. Everyone’s voice matters and you can make a difference. m

8

CITY STREETS

Polk Street

WITH ITS DIVERSE mix of bars, shops, restaurants, longtime establishments and exciting newcomers, Polk Street is easily the liveliest and most dynamic thoroughfare in Russian Hill. Getting its name from the 11th president of the United States, James Knox Polk, the two-mile street has changed significantly in atmosphere over the past 50 years. In the 1960s and ’70s — before the Castro reigned as the city’s major gay locale — Polk Street held the distinction. Only one vestige of that era remains: the Cinch Saloon (the second oldest surviving gay bar in San Francisco), between Washington and Clay streets. Today the neighborhood vibe is upscale yet eclectic, with specialty boutiques, intimate watering holes and fine-dining eateries dotting the street. We’ll home in on the stretch that’s closer to Marin, between Vallejo and Filbert streets. KASIA PAWLOWSKA

SAINT FRANK COFFEE

Founded in 2013 by Kevin Bohlin (formerly of Ritual Roasters), this two-level coffeehouse delivers singleorigin pour-overs in a bright, Scandinavian-inspired space. saintfrankcoffee.com

PARLOR MINI SPA

Launched last January by Corte Madera’s Michelle Clark, this spa offers quick (but not rushed) 30-minute treatments. parlorminispa.com

12 3

TONIC Wednesday night trivia, guest bartending opportunities, creative cocktails and weekly specials keep this bar full every night. tonicbar-sf.com

FERME A PAPIER Cat Seto, a San Francisco–based designer and illustrator, opened this stationery shop that also sells candles, calendars and other goods. fermeapapier.com

5

LA FOLIE

Mill Valley’s Roland Passot, a James Beard Best Chef in California winner, opened this establishment in 1988. He later opened Left Bank Brasserie in Larkspur as a casual alternative. lafolie.com

6 7 8

RUSSIAN HILL BOOKSTORE Established in 1993, this family-owned bookstore offers new and used books, games, cards, gifts and more. russianhillbookstore.com

ROYAL OAK Since 1975, the cash-only bar has been delivering competitively priced drinks in a cozy atmosphere of plush velvet sofas, Tiffany lamps and ferns. 415.928.2303

LES CENT CULOTTES Parisian chef

Sophie Legendre is behind this two-level shop that carries women’s and men’s French undergarments and sleepwear. lescentculottes.com

WHILE YOU’RE THERE Beyond our map, wander down and nab a steering wheel–size doughnut at Bob’s (open 24 hours, at 1621 Polk Street) and check out all the nearby consignment stores, including Polk A Dot, Cris Consignment and ReLove.

WHERE TO PARK Street parking is metered and can be a bit dicey; if you can’t find a space try Express Parking garage at 1650 Jackson or the Lombardi Parking Garage at 1600 Jackson.

An avid surfer, paddle-boarder and fisherman, 60-year old Hank Mielke was so fit, he almost skipped the checkup that saved his life! During Hank’s prostate exam, his doctor found a suspicious lump. It turned out to be a rare, aggressive prostate tumor. Marin General Hospital’s multidisciplinary team of prostate cancer specialists worked with Hank to craft a treatment plan that balanced his personal priorities with cutting-edge care. Hank underwent delicate, robotic-assisted surgery to remove his prostate, while preserving the nerves needed for continence and sexual function. The surgery was followed by carefully planned radiation and hormonal therapy. Hank describes the seamless, collaborative care he received at Marin General Hospital as “first-class treatment, all the way.” With his cancer in remission, Hank is out of the woods – and back in the water.

To read more healing stories, visit www.maringeneral.org/healing

I’m Hank, and this is my healing place.

RODEO BEACH

Chipping Away

BY TIM PORTER

JOHN LIBBERTON HAS packed several lifetimes of success into his 92 years. He helped pioneer TV commercials with Foote, Cone and Belding, gave that up after 30 years to do voice-overs for radio and all the while was (ahem) carving out a career as a sculptor, working on mega-size pieces of marble in Carrara, Italy, and on smaller ones in his home studio. Locally, his iconic sail sculpture “Bolinar — Close to the Wind” anchors the northern entrance to downtown Sausalito. Before we talk about sculpture, we have to ask: were those early years of TV advertising just like Mad Men? Oddly, I never watched Mad Men. It’s available for download and I plan to do that. How long have you been sculpting? All my life, 50 or 60 years, even between trips while I was working at the ad agency. I started out doing wood carving and then graduated to marble. Why marble? Marble is a wonderful material. One of my favorite marbles is Italian statuario, which is the warm, white marble that Michelangelo used for the “Pieta” and the “David.” I also like Thassos marble, which is from the Greek island of that name. It’s a warm, white marble, very fine-grained. Did you study sculpture? No, never. We all used to carve something out of a piece of soap in grammar school. Didn’t you do that?

ON THE JOB

John Libberton, sculptor, Sausalito, john-libberton. homestead.com

Do you have a favorite tool? I don’t have one favorite tool. Many tools are important for each job — diamond saws, pneumatics, grinders, hammers, points, sanders. All are important and necessary for each project. How can an artist be commercially successful? You have to be very talented and very good; otherwise it’s a terrible waste of time. Some people think they’re doing good work and they may sell it to friends, but they’re not going to sell it commercially. Artistically, have you changed since you were younger? I’ve always liked simplicity and I like geometric forms. That is what I enjoy best. You’re drawn to classic shapes. Very true, very true. But, I don’t like to do anything that’s derivative. I like them to be unique to me. What’s been the most interesting thing about your life? I haven’t thought about that. I’ve had such a varied life doing sculpture, jewelry, painting, doing voice-overs and television production, and traveling. It’s been special, to have all these varied interests and being pretty successful at all of them. And here you are. Yes, I am. I’m still doing it. m

This Sausalito sculptor has built success into his long life.

MADE BY MARIN

Hiball Energy

PEOPLE TODAY LEAD highly demanding lives — fielding myriad requests, minding ever-mounting responsibilities, trying to manage it all. They often crave some kind of additional boost; what they don’t need is one with synthetic additives. Recognizing the appeal of a wholesome energy drink, Mill Valley native Todd Berardi launched Hiball Energy in 2005. Berardi’s goal was to create a beverage unlike the Red Bulls and Monsters that dominated the market, one free of arti ficial ingredients or sweeteners. The result? Beverages that contain only an organic blend of boosters like guarana, ginseng and ca ffeine, as well as vitamins B3, B5, B6 and B12.

PHILOSOPHY

Following three packaging changes over the last eight years, Hiball Energy fully upgraded to all-organic and Fair Trade Certified ingredients. “We are excited to bring this transparency to light, as our organic and fair trade ingredients for energy are what make Hiball unique, premium and efficacious,” Berardi says. THE SCOOP Hiball recently launched several new products. Among these are cold-brewed coffee and a protein energy drink. Most recently the company introduced Alta Palla — Italian for “highball” — a line of sparkling juice beverages. BEYOND MARIN With consumers continuing to seek clean, organic and sustainably sourced products, Hiball has become the fastest-growing natural/organic energy drink brand in the United States. Hiball Energy and Alta Palla are distributed nationally at Whole Foods Market, Kroger, Safeway, Target and others. You can also order by the case or purchase monthly subscriptions online. WHAT THEY SAY “From day one, our mission has been to create the healthiest energy drinks, free of synthetic, artificial ingredients, sweeteners or color,” Berardi says. “Our tagline says it all: It’s All Good.” hiballer.com KASIA PAWLOWSKA

HIBALL ENERGY, $8 (4-PACK)

ALTA PALLA, $7 (4-PACK)

Todd Berardi (left) and director of sales Dan Craytor

Ellis Island of the West

STORY AND PHOTOS

BY LAURIE M C ANDISH KING

From

JOE CHAN WANTS to meet you. He has a story to tell.

Joe’s parents both entered the United States at Angel Island before he was born, and Joe grew up hearing their stories. He has since become an expert in the history of the Angel Island Immigration Station, and he volunteers as a docent, sharing the story of his family — and that of hundreds of thousands of other families — with visitors from around the world.

Remnants of those stories are still visible at the immigration station. The barracks display historical re-creations of immigrants’ living quarters, including a men’s game room that houses a ping-pong table, record player and mahjong tiles. With a little gentle prodding, Joe will show you his parents’ Certi ficates of Identity, reproduced as delicate photo-etchings on a commemorative monument that lies between the old barracks and the sea.

Known as the Ellis Island of the West, the Angel Island Immigration Station processed nearly a million immigrants from 82 countries between 1910 and 1940. But their treatment was in sharp contrast to the immigration experience

A story from yesterday offers perspective on the troubles of today.

top left: Docent Joe Chan points out carved Chinese characters, still legible under many layers of paint; this historical re-creation shows the crowded conditions in the men’s dormitory.

Results and patient experience may vary.

In the U.S., the CoolSculpting procedure for non-invasive

reduction is cleared for the flank (love handle), abdomen, and thigh. In Taiwan, the CoolSculpting procedure for non-invasive fat reduction is cleared for the flank (love handle) and abdomen. The CoolSculpting procedure for

If You Go

Ferries to Angel Island run from Tiburon (Angel Island Ferry), San Francisco (Blue & Gold Fleet), and Oakland/Alameda (Blue & Gold Fleet). The Immigration Station is open Wednesday through Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; admission is $5 for adults and $3 for youth. The station is a 1.5-mile walk from the ferry landing at Ayala Cove. Find more information and ferry schedules at parks.ca.gov

implied by the famous poem that is nearly synonymous with Ellis Island:

… Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me ...

For many Asian travelers entering through Angel Island, “processing” was a frightening ordeal. A high barbed-wire fence surrounded the Immigration Station, and gun towers guarded its perimeter. Families were separated — men in one section, women and children in another. At one time the Asian men’s barracks, designed to accommodate 56 people, housed more than 200.

Inside the barracks, narrow metal bunks were stacked three high, with suitcases stashed into corners and laundry hanging at all angles. The newcomers were required to strip, en masse, for physical exams and had to use the restrooms in groups and on a schedule. Many were denied mattresses to sleep on.

The average length of stay on Angel Island was three-and-a-half weeks, but some immigrants were detained for nearly two years as they waited for their entry papers to be approved. (The average processing time for the 12 million people who entered the U.S. through Ellis Island, by way of comparison, was just three-and-a-half hours.)

On the immigration station’s website, Lina Fong recounts the story of her mother’s 17-day stay at Angel Island: “Many people committed suicide in the restroom. She was scared to go. Every day there was someone crying. She felt like those were the worst times of her life.”

In part, the difficult circumstances were an understandable, if very unfortunate, result of overcrowding. But the Angel Island facility also enforced policies like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. As the name indicates, the policy was designed to exclude, rather than embrace, immigrants from China; Americans were afraid Chinese laborers would take their jobs. The result was that the Angel Island Immigration Station — also called “The Guardian

of the Western Gate” — became a holding station for Chinese immigrants hoping to enter the country.

The Chinese Exclusion Act was the fi rst law preventing a speci fic ethnic group from immigrating to the United States. It was followed by laws intended to limit the immigration of Japanese, Indian and Filipino people and was later strengthened by the Immigration Act of 1924, which instituted a quota system restricting immigration of Russians, Greeks, Italians, Spanish, Eastern Europeans, Africans, Arabs and East Asians in an attempt “to preserve the ideal of American homogeneity.” We still use the quota system today.

It was a quirk of fate — and poetry — that led to the preservation of the Angel Island Immigration Station (the station was awarded National Historic Landmark status in 1997). Closed after a fi re in 1940 and slated for demolition in 1970, the detention barracks were preserved because of the discovery of Chinese poetry carved into their splintered wooden walls. Here’s one such poem:

Why should anyone complain

If he is imprisoned here?

From ancient times, heroes often were The first ones to face adversity.

Joe points out a few of the more than 200 poems and poetry fragments that have been painstakingly restored. He reads some aloud in Chinese, remarking on the attention to rhythm and classical form, the nuanced historical references, and the calligraphers’ skill and artistry.

The poetry here helps to preserve a record of immigration history, but the museum serves an even more important purpose: it reminds us of our national struggle to accept immigrants and embrace ethnic diversity. As President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who signed the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act, said, “We are a nation of many nationalities, many races, many religions, bound together by a single unity, the unity of freedom and equality. Whoever seeks to set one nationality against another, seeks to degrade all nationalities. Whoever seeks to set one race against another seeks to enslave all races. Whoever seeks to set one religion against another, seeks to destroy all religion.”

Whether you’re seeking to understand more about the immigrant experience, provide a civics lesson for the kids, or learn a little history on a day trip to Angel Island, the Immigration Station is worth a visit. Be sure to say hello to Joe if you see him. m

Chan shows visitors a threedimensional model of the Angel Island Immigration Station site.

JayVon Muhammad

The CEO of the Marin City Health and Wellness Center is a woman of many talents and, seemingly, endless energy.

BY JIM WOOD • PHOTOS BY TIM PORTER

THE ADDRESS OF the Marin City Health and Wellness Center is 630 Drake Avenue in Marin City. But the best way to fi nd the place is to look for a jam-packed parking lot. Behind that parking lot is a singlestory shingled building that looks a tad tired. But on the inside, the place is full of energy. Phones are ringing, keyboards are clicking and folks of all ages, sizes and colors are asking for assistance. And quickly receiving it. Within a crowded waiting room, a middleaged man in work clothes is checking in for his dental appointment; a kid in soccer shorts is about to get a sports physical; and a soon-to-be-mom is there for her prenatal care consultation. The Marin City Health and Wellness Center is a FQHC, a federally quali fied health center, whose mission is “to provide primary medical, dental and behavioral health care to patients living in Southern Marin and San Francisco.” Last year, more than 3,400 patients availed themselves of the center’s services in almost 11,300 visits.

In addition to support from the federal government, the Health and Wellness Center receives help from dozens of individual Marin philanthropists, as well as the Marin Community Foundation, Marin General Hospital, Marin Housing Authority, Blue Shield of California, Good Earth and Whole Foods. It was also the only beneficiary this year of a county grant aimed at treating opioid addiction. The center, with 44 employees, operates on an annual budget of just over $5 million.

And in the middle of it all is CEO JayVon Muhammad, an exuberant 44-year-old mother of three and grandmother of three more, who oversees the entire operation. Currently, Muhammad lives in San Pablo but is determined to someday move to Mill Valley.

Can you tell us about your childhood, early years and current family arrangement? My mother was a drug addict for most of my life; she’s been clean now for about six years. And my father was a drug dealer. But that’s not as strange as it may sound; in the neighborhood where I grew up, most folks were involved with drugs. In the 1980s, crack cocaine is what devastated most [such] neighborhoods, and Hunters Point, where I spent many of my teen years, was no exception. When I was born, all my family lived in the Fillmore, but when that got gentri fied some of my family moved out to the East Bay, some to Sacramento, and my immediate family moved to Hunters Point. I have 11 sisters. They’re really half sisters: we all grew up together and knew each other very well, so we’re really like “sister sisters”; we just didn’t share the same mother. I also had three brothers, but one was murdered, so now it’s just the two brothers. Both my mom and dad are still alive and so are all my sisters; it’s just that we’re scattered between here and Sacramento, and we’re hoping to change that. So, it’s been a journey and it still is a journey.

What type of education did you receive? I’m a midwife. I completed three years of a midwifery program and received an Associate Science of Midwifery (ASM) degree. I became pregnant in high school, so I got my GED a few years later than most people [my age], but I got it. Then I attended two years of general college courses in the U.S. and one year of medical

In the 1980s, crack cocaine is what devastated most neighborhoods, and Hunters Point, where I spent many of my teen years, was no exception.

school in Mexico. So I have a lot of education; it’s just not at the same time or, possibly, in the right location. But when I was in my teens and pregnant, I had the worst experience. I would go to the doctor and it was always really quick. The doctor would listen to my baby and measure my belly but no one would ever ask me, “Where is the dad?” or “Who did this to you?” I was not made to feel like a mother, or a parent. So when I grew older and became a parent and was looking for ways to give back, I decided to become a foster parent to young mothers. I didn’t want other girls to go through their pregnancy like I did. At fi rst, they said I couldn’t because I was too close in age to the girls who’d be living with me. Then

they gave me two psychological assessments and I passed them both and, when I was 21, I had one of only two foster homes in San Francisco for teenage girls who were pregnant. Three girls at a time were living with me until I got married; then it was two girls. By the way, I selected my second husband very discreetly. I knew I did not want to live the way I’d grown up; I knew exactly what I did not want and what I could tolerate. It was always on my mind that things had to change. My husband and I have now been married 21 years and, in addition to my daughter, who has given me three grandchildren, we have a wonderful son who’s 18 and a beautiful daughter who’s 19. As for foster children, in all, I helped 20 girls through their pregnancies and several of us, children included, are still really close; we often chat on Facebook. So you could say I learned a lot about health and wellness in those years.

How did you acquire the leadership and management skills to be CEO of a $5 million, multitasked organization that employs 44 people? I think part of it comes from

growing up with challenges, like the challenge of poverty and lots of other challenges. I’ve always had a desire in my gut to do better. And, I want to create something better for poor people. All my life I’ve wanted to help poor people, create something better for them. But not just poor people; I want something better for all people. Here at work, I try to create a space for each of our employees that makes them healthy and happy, where they can be themselves and not have some rigid environment where a person is standing over them telling them what to do and how to do it. That’s how they can do their best to help other people. I’ve been the CEO at the Health and Wellness Center for three years, but before that I had a year in management with Sutter Health and, before that, in community relations with the Allen Group, which provided community relations services for the Third Street Muni light-rail project in San Francisco. Not having an advanced college degree has never held me back, because I won’t let it. And I don’t want to go back and get an advanced college degree. I’m not spending another dime to be what I already

am, I just want to be a greater version of who I am — and I’ll get that by working with others. I learn from everyone. I choose people to work with us because of their passion; if they have leadership skills too, I can train them to do their job. I don’t care if they have a college degree; if a person has the skills required for the positions, has a good interview and passes a background check, I hire that person, and then I force [that person] to lead. Personally, I have a good work ethic. I’ll show up sometimes when nobody else does and I will stay late until the job is done. I probably work 12 hours a day and can get by with four hours of sleep. And I love my work; it’s who I am.

What are your goals for the Marin City Health and Wellness Center? I think the Marin City Health and Wellness Center can grow into a life-changing clinic. In Marin City, if we have enough time, we will create a clinic that not only improves people’s lives through medical doctors, but also improves their economic health. Think about it: economic health is really what makes people healthy. And [the lack of] that’s what communities like Marin City

suffer from. It’s so simple. People with financial resources eat better; they have better schools and parks because they have more tax money. So that’s what I want: I want to see the Health and Wellness Center grow into a life-changing clinic, where people become not only medically healthy, but also economically healthy.

The Health and Wellness Center has opened the Marin Family Birth Center. Please tell us about that. It’s in San Rafael, on Las Gallinas near the Northgate mall. We’re very excited about it, but it has been very costly to build; we saved up before starting to build it out, and it will be costly to operate, but worth it. It’s an alternative birth center that offers the care and support of midwives, doulas, childbirth educators and lactation counselors. This will be Marin’s fi rst licensed freestanding birth center; it creates an opportunity for families to deliver their babies in a homelike environment.

You are also a midwife. How many babies have you delivered? Maybe 300; I haven’t really kept count. I was a volunteer midwife in Albania during the war in Kosovo; then I worked a little in Jamaica and I went to medical school in Mexico and to midwifery school in Canada. All the while I was “catch-

ing babies.” That’s what I call being a midwife, catching babies. And I got my license to be a midwife after three years of apprenticeship and two additional years of academic schooling at the National College of Midwifery in Taos, New Mexico. Midwifery means “being with woman,” but men can be midwifes too. A man midwifed my second child.

Are all midwifed births natural? It depends on what we consider natural. Midwives are able

This will be Marin’s first licensed freestanding birth center; it creates an opportunity for families to deliver their babies in a home-like environment.

to work within many hospitals, but out-ofhospital births are di fferent. Di fferent doesn’t mean it’s more painful. In fact, I believe it can hurt more when a mother is lying on her back in a hospital bed and pushing against gravity trying to get the baby under a curve and out. A mother working with a midwife decides how she wants to have her baby delivered. A lot of mothers choose the most comfortable way, and for many that means while squatting. That way they’re working with gravity, not against it. Many midwifed babies are delivered in water. There are two midwives present at every midwifed birth and emergencies are rare. That’s because you the mother must qualify by being healthy (what we call “low-risk”) before you can have your baby with a midwife. Because of my job as the CEO, I haven’t caught a baby in two years. But last week I helped out when my daughter gave birth to my grandbaby at Kaiser Hospital.

This year the Health and Wellness Center sponsors seven girls and 11 boys. Most are at-risk youth living in public housing, and for 32 days we’ll travel in two big vans and visit 26 cities in the United States.

The baby wasn’t coming out right, so I told my daughter to get up on her hands and knees; she did, and everything went fi ne. But it was crazy for a while because my daughter is deaf and we had to work through a sign language interpreter who was a 20-year-old boy who’d never experienced childbirth. So for a few minutes, it was really crazy. But, like I said, everything turned out fi ne.

What else do you have going on this summer? Well, I’m about to leave on my fourth Quality of Life Road Trip. This year the Health and Wellness Center sponsors seven girls and 11 boys — most are at-risk youth living in public housing — and for 32 days we’ll travel in two big vans and visit 26 cities in the United States and we’ll even go into Canada, so the kids have

to have their passports. It’s all about empowerment; many of these children — mostly they’re 14 and 15 years old — have never been too far out of Marin City. In Detroit they’ll tour Whole Foods; they’ll see Niagara Falls; they’ll visit a synagogue in Brooklyn; in Washington, D.C., they’ll meet Congressman Hu ff man; and in West Virginia they’ll go down into a coal mine. They’ll hopefully learn two things in those last two stops: one, how to respectfully ask questions, and two, that black people aren’t the only ones who are poor. We select the kids who are struggling the most to go on the trip, and they can’t bring their cellphones — we provide a phone so they can call home when they want to. Last year we toured Harvard; this year it will be Spellman and Morehouse colleges in Atlanta, Georgia. And we work with the kids while they’re in the van. Like, we list the “Things You Can’t Say Anymore.” They can’t say they don’t understand business, because we toured a business in Detroit; they can’t say they can’t go to college, because in Atlanta they met college students just like them, only a few years older. We’ll stay in homes and churches; the Christ Episcopal Church in Sausalito has been so helpful in arranging places for the kids to stay. Once in a while we’ll stay in a motel. Each child is asked to bring money, and when that can’t happen we quietly slip them a few dollars. The trip costs about $100 a day for each child and we raise that from Marin businesses and individual donors. We say Quality of Life Road Trip involves 26 cities, two countries, 32 days and 18 changed lives. And it does; it really changes lives — I’ve seen it happen. m

By 2033, a private college education will cost half a million bucks. It feels awfully good to start planning now. If your wealth manager’s not driving the process, find someone who will.

Don’t stay stuck in a loveless relationship — download our Practical Guide to Finding Happiness at www.privateocean.com/guide

I see a future CEO or tech entrepreneur or senator!

I see half a million dollars in education debt. I see a future CEO or tech entrepreneur or senator!

I see half a million dollars in education debt.

From Strauss to Sabatasso, jeans have been a Bay Area staple from the start.

BY KASIA PAWLOWSKA

— with the possible exception of leather jackets — come with as much built-in attitude and gusto as jeans do. Yet they are hardly exclusive. Unlike precious stones or luxury handbags, jeans are a truly democratic piece of attire, cutting across cultural and socioeconomic lines, donned by construction workers and supermodels alike.

Even the late fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, famous for introducing a women’s tuxedo suit, reportedly con fided once, “I have often said that I wish I had invented blue jeans: the most spectacular, the most practical, the most relaxed and nonchalant. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity — all I hope for in my clothes.”

Saint Laurent, of course, did not create blue jeans — the invention is attributed to Jewish immigrants Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss. In 1853, Strauss, a Bavarian-born merchant in San Francisco, began selling brown cotton tent canvas, which was sewn into plain pants for miners during the Gold Rush. He later began carrying a sturdy twill that some say took its name from serge de Nîmes, a fabric from the city in southern France, and had it dyed indigo.

The pants were nicknamed “jeans” after the city of Genoa, where sailors wore similarly colored blue cotton uniforms. Davis, a Strauss client, was a Russian tailor living in Reno; he made items ranging from horse blankets to wagon covers for Central Pacific Railroad workers and started applying copper rivets on stress points for added support. In 1872, Davis asked Strauss to help finance a patent for riveted-pocket pants. The patent was approved in 1873 and the pants born out of it became the first iteration of the 501 jean, then called XX. To set the jeans apart from others on the market, Davis started sewing a double orange-threaded stitched design onto the back pocket. To this day the design is synonymous with Levi’s.

Miners and railroad workers aside, another signi ficant population wore Levi’s jeans — convicts. From 1885 until 1901, Levi Strauss & Co. had government contracts to supply clothing and dry goods to San Quentin and other prisons in California. Decades later, an entrepreneur -

ial young woman took advantage of the excess denim at San Quentin and started a nationwide fashion craze, her denim styles gracing the cover of Rolling Stone and the posteriors of the rich and famous.

That woman, Melody Sabatasso, a Fashion Institute of Technology graduate, operated a small boutique in San Anselmo, where she reworked jeans into jackets, skirts and unlikelier items such as bikinis, inscribing the signature “Love, Melody” in red crayon inside the garments. But it all began with a dress. “I wanted a dress for a wedding,” Sabatasso says today. “I never wore dresses and wanted to wear one the same way I wore my jeans.” As it turned out, a friend of Sabatasso’s was working at the Cannery in San Francisco, wearing a Love,

Melody original design, when Lauren Bacall came in and inquired about the item. Sabatasso ended up making Bacall a skirt and jacket — and learning something in the process. “You don’t know your worth,” the actress replied upon receiving her clothes, paying Sabatasso double what she’d charged.

Sabatasso’s mom took the act on the road after this, selling her daughter’s creations while the freshly validated designer toiled away in San Anselmo. With the help of a “rag man,” Sabatasso bought denim from San Quentin by the ton, picking out the best-quality jeans — “mostly Levi’s,” she says. Throughout the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s she created signature patchwork denim for the likes of Elvis Presley, Mick Jagger, Sonny and Cher, Grace Slick, Tina Turner, Bob

Dylan, Dolly Parton and others. These days she’s still designing (having moved on to mostly leather goods) and making custom belts, handbags and home accessories in her Greenbrae studio. One of Sabatasso’s regular clients is another famous Marinite: Narada Michael Walden. Most recently she made him a custom vest for a Prince tribute.

America’s fascination with jeans continues and the present-day versions have come a long way since their inception, appearing in a number of varied forms: selvedge, waxed, stonewashed and — nodding to San Francisco trends — with technology woven in.

A collaboration between Google’s Advanced Technologies and Projects (ATAP) and Levi’s innovation team will yield Levi’s Commuter X Jacquard by Google, available in stores and online starting in spring 2017. Simply put, this product will be a jacket with conductive yarn woven in that lets cyclists and everyone else on the move access their phone’s mobile apps, adjust music volume, silence a phone call or get an estimated ETA, all by just touching the sleeve. The digital connectivity is provided through a smart tag, and apart from this detachable tag, the whole interactive garment is washable and durable like regular denim.

Simultaneously iconic and dynamic, jeans have meant a lot of di fferent things to di fferent people in their 143-year history, from purely functional to casual to everything in between. No item of clothing is more recognizably, emblematically American. The future of this egalitarian wardrobe staple will undoubtedly continue to unfold, one wash at a time. m

Clockwise from top left: Miners wearing Levi’s; Melody Sabatasso amidst denim and friends in San Anselmo; Levi’s Commuter X Jacquard by Google in action.

FALL FASHION IS A BREEZE ON MARIN’S RUGGED COAST.

Photography by Milan + Shannon Styling by Leah-Marie

FALL FASHION IS A BREEZE ON MARIN’S RUGGED COAST.

Photography by Milan + Shannon Styling by Leah-Marie

{Opener} Starburst poncho by Stick & Ball, $1,120; Twist zip skinny jeans by AMO, $250; both at 7 on Locust (Mill Valley) 7onlocust.com. Harlow hat by KIN/K, $115 at kinkhats. com. Heritage Western R-toe boots by Ariat, $150 at Marin Tack & Feed (Forest Knolls) marintackandfeed. com. Albert Jake turquoise ring, $275; A Touch of Santa Fe necklace and earrings, $1,350; labradorite cuff, $425; all at Kokopelli Gallery (Sausalito) kokopellisausalito. com. Saddle courtesy of Miwok Stables (Mill Valley) miwokstables.com.

{This spread} Iris dress by dRA, $132 at draclothing. com. Mayra Bug boots by Old Gringo, $607 at In Her Shoes (San Rafael) inhershoesmarin. com. Desert Queen blanket by Jen’s Pirate Booty, $231 at Tumbleweed (San Anselmo) tumbleweedcalifornia.com. Poppy hat by KIN/K, $176. 5k sapphire and sterling silver atelier ring, $1,850 at Kenlynn (Larkspur) kenlynn.net. Large spiny oyster necklace by La Rose, $850; multicolor cluster earrings, $375; lapis lazuli ring by Derrick Gordon, $350; multicolor ring by Geneva Apachito, $295; all at Kokopelli Gallery.

{Opener} Starburst poncho by Stick & Ball, $1,120; Twist zip skinny jeans by AMO, $250; both at 7 on Locust (Mill Valley) 7onlocust.com. Harlow hat by KIN/K, $115 at kinkhats. com. Heritage Western R-toe boots by Ariat, $150 at Marin Tack & Feed (Forest Knolls) marintackandfeed. com. Albert Jake turquoise ring, $275; A Touch of Santa Fe necklace and earrings, $1,350; labradorite cuff, $425; all at Kokopelli Gallery (Sausalito) kokopellisausalito. com. Saddle courtesy of Miwok Stables (Mill Valley) miwokstables.com.

{This spread} Iris dress by dRA, $132 at draclothing. com. Mayra Bug boots by Old Gringo, $607 at In Her Shoes (San Rafael) inhershoesmarin. com. Desert Queen blanket by Jen’s Pirate Booty, $231 at Tumbleweed (San Anselmo) tumbleweedcalifornia.com. Poppy hat by KIN/K, $176. 5k sapphire and sterling silver atelier ring, $1,850 at Kenlynn (Larkspur) kenlynn.net. Large spiny oyster necklace by La Rose, $850; multicolor cluster earrings, $375; lapis lazuli ring by Derrick Gordon, $350; multicolor ring by Geneva Apachito, $295; all at Kokopelli Gallery.

{This page} Long-sleeve navy dress with tie neckline by Adelyn Rae, $111 at adelynrae.com. Polo Pony throw by Stick & Ball, $495 at 7 on Locust (Mill Valley) 7onlocust.com. Goatskin suede fringe shawl by Cowgirl Chic, $450 at cowgirlchicdesigns.com.

{Opposite} Heritage Contour Field Zip boots by Ariat, $290 at Marin Tack & Feed (Forest Knolls) marintackandfeed.com. Lacy dress by dRA, $141 at draclothing.com. Fringe tassle sweater by Wildfox, $196 at Tumbleweed (San Anselmo) tumbleweedcalifornia.com. Jagger hat with gold collar by KIN/K,$180 at kinkhats.com.

{This page} Long-sleeve navy dress with tie neckline by Adelyn Rae, $111 at adelynrae.com. Polo Pony throw by Stick & Ball, $495 at 7 on Locust (Mill Valley) 7onlocust.com. Goatskin suede fringe shawl by Cowgirl Chic, $450 at cowgirlchicdesigns.com.

{Opposite} Heritage Contour Field Zip boots by Ariat, $290 at Marin Tack & Feed (Forest Knolls) marintackandfeed.com. Lacy dress by dRA, $141 at draclothing.com. Fringe tassle sweater by Wildfox, $196 at Tumbleweed (San Anselmo) tumbleweedcalifornia.com. Jagger hat with gold collar by KIN/K,$180 at kinkhats.com.

{This page} The Angels shirt by Love Binetti, $375; The Angels skirt by Love Binetti, $450; both at 7 on Locust (Mill Valley) 7onlocust.com.

Desert Holly Western boots by Ariat, $200 at Marin Tack & Feed (Forest Knolls) marintackandfeed.com.

Buffalo leather purse with horn button closure by Love, Melody, $895 at Blanc (San Anselmo) blancboutique.com.

Turquoise Sleeping Beauty chandelier earrings, $425; Turquoise Sleeping Beauty concho belt, $13,800; both at Kokopelli Gallery (Sausalito) kokopellisausalito.com.

{Opposite} White tassel gauze top by Sea, $320 at Intermix (Larkspur) intermixonline.com. Jagger hat with boreal beaded band by KIN/K, $160 at kinkhats. com. Bri Bri black and silver belt by B-Low the Belt, $148 at Tumbleweed (San Anselmo) tumbleweedcalifornia.com.

Black goatskin fringe skirt by Cowgirl Chic, $450 at cowgirlchicdesigns.com. Azeb Getaway tote by Raven + Lily, $242 at ravenandlily.com.

Heritage Western R-toe boots by Ariat, $150 at Marin Tack & Feed. Concho ring, $275; coral chandelier earrings by Geneva Apachito, $550; both at Kokopelli Gallery.

{This page} The Angels shirt by Love Binetti, $375; The Angels skirt by Love Binetti, $450; both at 7 on Locust (Mill Valley) 7onlocust.com.

Desert Holly Western boots by Ariat, $200 at Marin Tack & Feed (Forest Knolls) marintackandfeed.com.

Buffalo leather purse with horn button closure by Love, Melody, $895 at Blanc (San Anselmo) blancboutique.com.

Turquoise Sleeping Beauty chandelier earrings, $425; Turquoise Sleeping Beauty concho belt, $13,800; both at Kokopelli Gallery (Sausalito) kokopellisausalito.com.

{Opposite} White tassel gauze top by Sea, $320 at Intermix (Larkspur) intermixonline.com. Jagger hat with boreal beaded band by KIN/K, $160 at kinkhats. com. Bri Bri black and silver belt by B-Low the Belt, $148 at Tumbleweed (San Anselmo) tumbleweedcalifornia.com.

Black goatskin fringe skirt by Cowgirl Chic, $450 at cowgirlchicdesigns.com. Azeb Getaway tote by Raven + Lily, $242 at ravenandlily.com.

Heritage Western R-toe boots by Ariat, $150 at Marin Tack & Feed. Concho ring, $275; coral chandelier earrings by Geneva Apachito, $550; both at Kokopelli Gallery.

{This page} Cloe hat by KIN/K, $176 at kinkhats.com. Blanket striped pampa poncho by Stick & Ball, $695 at 7 on Locust (Mill Valley) 7onlocust.com. Turquoise Sleeping Beauty chandelier earrings, $425; concho ring, $275; Turquoise and silver ring by Ronnie Willie, $225; turquoise cuff by Ronnie Willie, $475; single-stone cuff by J.O. White, $325; all at Kokopelli Gallery (Sausalito) kokopellisausalito.com.

{Opposite} Turquoise pendant and necklace, $1,300 at Kokopelli Gallery. Wildwood wrap dress by Jen’s Pirate Booty, $297 at Tumbleweed (San Anselmo) tumbleweedcalifornia.com. Magnolia boots by Ariat, $170 at Marin Tack & Feed (Forest Knolls) marintackandfeed.com.

{This page} Cloe hat by KIN/K, $176 at kinkhats.com. Blanket striped pampa poncho by Stick & Ball, $695 at 7 on Locust (Mill Valley) 7onlocust.com. Turquoise Sleeping Beauty chandelier earrings, $425; concho ring, $275; Turquoise and silver ring by Ronnie Willie, $225; turquoise cuff by Ronnie Willie, $475; single-stone cuff by J.O. White, $325; all at Kokopelli Gallery (Sausalito) kokopellisausalito.com.

{Opposite} Turquoise pendant and necklace, $1,300 at Kokopelli Gallery. Wildwood wrap dress by Jen’s Pirate Booty, $297 at Tumbleweed (San Anselmo) tumbleweedcalifornia.com. Magnolia boots by Ariat, $170 at Marin Tack & Feed (Forest Knolls) marintackandfeed.com.

HAIR &

MAKEUP Elizabeth Chang (elizabethchang makeup.com) using Face Atelier and Kerastase USA.

HAIR & MAKEUP

ASSISTANT Stacy Buch MODEL Emily Arnold/Look Model Agency ASSISTANT Kasia Pawlowska

LOCATION

Toby’s Feed Barn and around Point Reyes Station

{This page, clockwise from left} Sandy Lane teak rustic fringe purse by Bed Stu, $175 at Tumbleweed (San Anselmo) tumbleweedcalifornia.com.

Kerem convertible handbag, $198; Azeb getaway tote, $242; Azeb clutch, $82; Azeb computer sleeve, $148; all Raven + Lily at ravenandlily.com.

{Opposite} Gia top, $128; Charlie vest, $92; Gigi pant, $150; all by dRA at draclothing. com. Black snakeskin purse, $1,100 at Blanc (San Anselmo) blancboutique.com. Collins boots by Birkenstock, $195 at birkenstockusa.com.

HAIR &

MAKEUP Elizabeth Chang (elizabethchang makeup.com) using Face Atelier and Kerastase USA.

HAIR & MAKEUP

ASSISTANT Stacy Buch MODEL Emily Arnold/Look Model Agency ASSISTANT Kasia Pawlowska

LOCATION

Toby’s Feed Barn and around Point Reyes Station

{This page, clockwise from left} Sandy Lane teak rustic fringe purse by Bed Stu, $175 at Tumbleweed (San Anselmo) tumbleweedcalifornia.com.

Kerem convertible handbag, $198; Azeb getaway tote, $242; Azeb clutch, $82; Azeb computer sleeve, $148; all Raven + Lily at ravenandlily.com.

{Opposite} Gia top, $128; Charlie vest, $92; Gigi pant, $150; all by dRA at draclothing. com. Black snakeskin purse, $1,100 at Blanc (San Anselmo) blancboutique.com. Collins boots by Birkenstock, $195 at birkenstockusa.com.

DANGEROUS GAME

BY MELANIE HAIKEN ● ILLUSTRATIONS BY DAVE URBAN

MATT WILLIS, MARIN’S chief of public health, is pacing the rug as he ticks off statistics, a frown creasing his forehead. We’d planned this interview to discuss Marin’s high rates of teen drinking and drug abuse, along with efforts by Willis and colleagues around the county to bring those numbers down.

But things had taken a dramatic turn the day before, when news broke about a “party bus” stopped by police near the Larkspur Ferry Terminal with 33 Marin teenagers ages 15–17 aboard, along with jaw-dropping quantities of hard alcohol, marijuana and prescription drugs.

The kids, who hailed from practically every community in Marin, had planned a six-hour joyride to celebrate the first day of summer, a plan initiated by a Tiburon 16-year-old with a $900 cash payment. And although the bus was stopped as it pulled out of the terminal, the trash was already full of empty alcohol containers.

The situation has Willis rattled, and that’s understandable. Since his arrival on the job in 2012, he’s worked exhaustively to raise awareness about the county’s substance abuse problems, creating task forces,

launching initiatives, and forging partnerships with schools, community groups and government agencies. And yet clearly the message is not getting through — or at least not to those who need it most.

“This isn’t just about the bus; this is an ongoing public health crisis for us here in Marin. Our numbers for teen drug and alcohol use are way higher than the state average,” Willis says. According to the most recent data from the California Healthy Kids Survey, almost half of all Marin 11th graders and more than a quarter of ninth graders drink or use drugs, while a third of all 11th graders and 10 percent of ninth graders qualify as heavy drug users.

There are more shocking stats, too: over the last 15 years, drug-related ER visits and drug-related deaths in Marin more than tripled. “We had one accidental overdose death every two weeks from 2012 to 2013; that’s about three times as many accidental overdose deaths as car vehicle deaths,” Willis adds.

While the number of fatalities within the county dropped in 2014, deaths are just the tip of the iceberg, he says. “We know that for every overdose death, there are about 1,000 people a ffected by the problem.” And, says Willis, county data don’t include the young Marinites who die of similar causes while away at college.

“We’ve had too many of these tragedies recently, and the seeds are here; those habits were established during the high school years, and

WE HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM ON OUR HANDS AND WE’RE JUST NOT GETTING THROUGH TO PEOPLE.

— MATT WILLIS, MARIN COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER

With more prescriptions, more opportunity, more access and more stress than ever, what is being done to help kids avoid drugs?

the grief is experienced in our community.” Willis also points out that the data do not include cases in which high schoolers died suddenly without a clear cause of death but drugs — or withdrawal from drugs — may have been a factor.

In fact, if there’s one thing about the party bus incident that has Willis most upset, it’s the deadly risk posed by the simultaneous presence of prescription drugs and hard alcohol. “This is where we see our fatalities,” he says. “Kids are already intoxicated and their decision-making changes. They take a Xanax or two and that’s enough to be fatal.”

A STARTLING 24 PERCENT of all Marin 11th graders and 15 percent of all ninth graders surveyed by California Healthy Kids admit to using prescription drugs recreationally. Even more alarming: 16 percent of 11th graders say they’ve used two or more drugs at the same time.

Indeed, prescription drug abuse is one of Marin’s most pressing issues.

“More than 400,000 prescriptions for painkillers, sedatives and stimulants are written in Marin annually, and we only have 250,000 people total, including kids,” says Timi Leslie of the community coalition RxSafe Marin. “That adds up to about 21 million pills every year being dispensed into our community. So when you talk about availability, it’s really everywhere.”

And Marin is not spared from vulnerability to America’s epidemic of opioid addiction. In the past five years, the number of young adults seeking treatment for opiate abuse in the county has doubled. Nationally, statistics from the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids show that nearly half of young people who inject heroin start by abusing prescription drugs.

Frankel says. “Some parents are living vicariously through their kids, or they’re trying to be a hip friend rather than a parent. In some cases, a parent is just a big kid himself.”

Willis, who has a daughter at Drake High School, agrees: “There’s a lot of that wanting to be ‘cool Dad,’ here.”

And even when we are concerned, we’re failing to communicate that to our kids, Willis adds. “The data show that 53 percent of kids say that their parents are not highly concerned about substance abuse, yet 90 percent of parents say they’re very concerned. That’s a big disconnect.”

MARIN IS A COUNTY famous for high expectations, a ffluence, and a liberal culture that values independence, dislikes rules and sets a high priority on fun. In other words, it’s many of the factors that make Marin so quintessentially Marin that are fueling the teen drug and alcohol crisis, experts say.

“We allow kids a lot of independence and a lot of freedom here, which sometimes is a good thing,” says David Frankel, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist with a Marin practice who treats many teens. “But that also means a lot of parents don’t know where their kids are much of the time.”

Part of the issue is misguided love, says David Sheffof West Marin, author of Clean and Beautiful Boy, a memoir about his son Nic’s drug addiction. “Parents want their child to be popular and have fun and they don’t want the child to be mad at them so they turn a blind eye to things,” Sheff ays.

There’s also a quality in the culture here that leaves many parents reluctant to take on what’s perceived as a traditional “hard line” role,

Then there’s the fact that Marin’s adults statistically are shown to do quite a lot of partying themselves, behavior they’re likely modeling for their kids. “Marin has one of the highest rates of adult binge drinking in California, and it’s no accident that there’s a correlation between that and what the kids are doing,” says Lisa Molbert, director of intensive outpatient services for Muir Wood Adolescent and Family Services.

“AT THE BEGINNING , it was very innocent, just having a few beers here and there — this was just the norm in the culture,” says Charlotte Long (not her real name), who was a varsity soccer star and straight-A student when she began drinking and doing drugs in her sophomore year at Redwood High School.

WE THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE IT COMES FROM A BOTTLE IN OUR MEDICINE CABINET, IT MUST BE SAFE.

— TIMI LESLIE, CO-CHAIR OF RXSAFE MARIN

WHAT WE HAVE IS A MAJOR PROBLEM OF PERCEPTION. — LISA MOLBERT, DIRECTOR OF INTENSIVE OUTPATIENT SERVICES FOR MUIR WOOD ADOLESCENT AND FAMILY SERVICES

AT THE TIME, THEY DIDN’T SEEM LIKE BAD CHOICES; THEY FELT LIKE CHOICES THAT WOULD ALLEVIATE THE SUFFERING I WAS FEELING.

— CHARLOTTE LONG, RECOVERING ADDICT

“All my friends were very similar to me, academically driven, gifted in athletics, and fun all-around people, and this is just what we did — someone would say, ‘Let’s bring a keg and some weed up on Mount Tam’ and off e’d go.”

But with the help of a wealthy boyfriend who had easy access to drugs, Long’s use escalated quickly and she became addicted to cocaine. “I was under a ton of pressure from school, my parents, all these extracurriculars, and drugs became my escape and release,” she says.

At UC Santa Cruz, she continued to get straight As — while driving to the Tenderloin as often as four times a week to score drugs. “I graduated in the top 10 percent of my class at UC Santa Cruz and I was a full-blown heroin addict — I lived a totally double life.”

Long wasn’t alone; among her group of high school friends there were numerous near-misses, and one friend died of an OxyContin overdose at UC San Diego just after Christmas break. “There was a lot of loss of life among my group of friends,” Long says. “These were smart kids who came from good families, struggling with addiction and not knowing what to do.”

Long was one of the lucky ones — if you can call it lucky to watch your life unravel, she says. But four and a half years ago, living out of her car and panhandling in the Tenderloin, she asked her family to help her go into treatment.

Today she’s active in drug policy at the county level, eager to help make changes so that what happened to her doesn’t happen to others, with possibly even worse consequences.

STIGMA IS AS DANGEROUS AS THE DRUGS. — MARK DALE, FAMILIES FOR SAFER SCHOOLS

“NO ONE IS TRACKING the numbers and communicating them to parents,” says Mark Dale of San Rafael, founder of Families for Safer Schools and chair of the Alcohol and Other Drugs Advisory Board for the Marin County Board of Supervisors. “And the silence is killing us.”

Dale should know; he almost lost a son to drug overdose not once but twice, an experience that set him on a mission to get Marin’s schools and communities to begin sharing data on overdoses, ER visits, and other drug- and mental health–related incidents.

“The schools are concerned about their reputations, afraid parents will find out about these incidents and the school will be painted as a drug school,” says Dale, whose son was only in middle school the fi rst time he overdosed. “But every school in Marin has lost kids to prescription drugs or a combination of drugs and alcohol. And we’re not hearing about the size of the problem.”

And how can we expect kids to be brave enough to speak up, asks Dale, if we aren’t?

“Every time a child dies, the parents go to the child’s friends and ask, ‘Did you know he or she was doing this?’ and the answer is always ‘Yes, but we didn’t know how to help and we were afraid of getting him in trouble.’ I’ve seen so many situations where nobody had the courage to tell the parents to get the child help.”

A.J. TORCHON WAS only 19 — a Novato High School graduate just a few months into his sophomore year at UC Santa Barbara — when he died of an accidental painkiller overdose.

Blindsided and anguished, his parents, Ric and Jeannette, made a decision they didn’t even realize was unusual: they put the cause of death in his obituary. “A woman from the paper called me and said, ‘Are you sure you want to say this? People don’t usually want that information in there.’ ”

But the Torchons did, hoping that by being open and honest they could alert other families to the dangers they’d missed.

“When people, especially in a ffluent communities, think about people dying from drug overdoses, they think of people who are addicted,” says Ric Torchon. “But A.J. wasn’t an addict. Parents don’t realize that a drug overdose can happen the fi rst or second time someone uses a drug.”

“One of the hardest things in this situation is the stigma that’s attached to it,” says Susan Kim of Novato, whose son, Trey Lagomarsino, died of an overdose of prescription cough syrup in 2013 at the age of 23.

“You’re going through this horrible tragedy, and you don’t want the shame of being judged,” she says. “But if we don’t speak about it, if we don’t make the information public, how will anyone else know what’s going on? I raised three boys here in Marin and had no idea what the kids were taking.”

THE

EVERY PARENT WANTS to believe he or she’d know right away if a child was getting into trouble, but as Charlotte Long’s story suggests, this is often not the case. “Part of being a drug addict is you have to lie and deceive the people closest to you,” says therapist David Frankel. “I’ve had kids in my practice who are using heroin and lying to me and it’s even taken me a while to figure it out, so I have a lot of sympathy for parents and how hard it can be to spot.”

One strong tip-off, though, is a pattern of untruthfulness or secrecy, he says. “You might see a flurry of little lies, things that don’t add up, and then when you ask about them, you get seemingly nonsensical reasons why the kid’s not telling the truth,” Frankel says.

Other signs to watch for include declining grades, withdrawal from friends, or physical changes like lethargy or gaining or losing weight. But don’t be fooled by the myth that drug use is associated with kids who are “screwups,” says Frankel. “Many kids with drug problems are quite high achieving, and kids who use drugs seriously over time get better at hiding it.”

medications, then it negates the benefit for the kids who actually need it, say several parents disturbed by the situation.

Many parents also mistakenly believe so-called “smart drugs” aren’t addictive, says Sheff. “I meet kids in treatment all the time who took Adderall to help with school, then couldn’t stop. They go through withdrawal and get super anxious, and then they either start taking it again or they take something else to calm down.”

FEW TOPICS CAN turn a room of Marin high school parents tense as quickly as allegations of stimulant abuse. That’s what I heard from a number of parents and kids, reluctant to speak out for fear of angering or betraying friends and peers.

“When parents see their kid, who is brilliant and has always gotten perfect grades, suddenly start struggling in AP calculus, they decide something’s wrong with him and call a doctor, who then feels persuaded to prescribe drugs,” says one parent, echoing comments by dozens more.

“Good parents are being told it’s the right thing to do. It’s not like they’re drug seeking and trying to trick the doctors; it’s the situation, the workload, the expectations, this whole stressed-out equation,” another parent says.

Of course, there are also kids who are getting pills illegally, often from friends selling their own prescriptions. At some high schools, the use of ADD meds as study aids is so widespread that kids who choose not to use them actually feel at a disadvantage, some students told me. “I am quite literally the only person I know my age who got through high school and college without trying Adderall, and that is not an exaggeration,” says one Tam High grad.

The trend has become pronounced enough that this spring Partnership for Drug-Free Kids released a short documentary, Breaking Points, highlighting the ways teens use stimulants to cope with stress and pressure and offering healthier solutions.

This phenomenon has serious consequences for kids with legitimate learning disabilities, for whom the medications are intended to help level the playing field. If already high-achieving kids are also taking these

THERE’S NO QUESTION that for many of those interviewed for this story, the summer party bus incident was a dispiriting sign that Marin has a long way to go to get a handle on the teen drug crisis. But it is also putting the topic on the table in a big way, Matt Willis says.

“Sadly, for many of us who do this work, incidents like this party bus [discovery] don’t come as a surprise anymore,” says Willis. “We already know this is a huge issue. But thankfully tragedy was averted this time, and at least now we can use this as a catalyst for important conversations.”

In August, a town hall meeting brought together public health officials, the school districts, and numerous task forces to discuss the party bus incident and look at next steps to prevent another such situation. “We hope this will be the beginning of putting together an overall strategy of safety,” says Mary Jane Burke, superintendent of schools.

TEENS NEED TO HEAR THAT THIS IS A BIG DEAL.

— MARY JANE BURKE, SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS

PARENTS ALWAYS THINK THEY’D KNOW.

— DAVID FRANKEL, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST

KIDS WILL DO ANYTHING TO GET AHEAD, SO IF TAKING A STIMULANT GIVES YOU AN ADVANTAGE, WHY WOULDN’T YOU? — ANONYMOUS STUDENT

Last January, Redwood High opened an on-campus Wellness Center, providing substance abuse counseling and education, sexual health services, and mental health support on both a drop-in and an appointment basis. The response was even better than expected, says Wellness Center director Jessica Colvin. “We had between 50 and 200 students a day dropping in, and we saw several hundred individually.” A second wellness center is opening at Drake this fall, and Tam will have one come January.

Perhaps the biggest effects may stem from a school-based initiative known as “Be the In fluence,” which focuses on uniting parents in a shared effort to hold the line on partying and abuse.

Parents who sign up to participate get access to contact info for other parents, making it possible to con fi rm a child’s whereabouts, ascertain there will be adult supervision at a party and in general check in about what’s going on in the teens’ social world.

“What it does is create a culture in which parents don’t feel so isolated and alone,” says Linda Henn, coordinator of the program, which started at Redwood, then spread to Tam and Drake and on to Branson, Marin Catholic and San Domenico. “So often parents feel like they’re the only ones saying no, and you start feeling like you’re going crazy; no parent wants to be the bad guy when everyone else is giving in.”

Other efforts center around educating parents in ways to hold the line more fi rmly, says Burke. “It’s [parents’] job to set limits and provide boundaries and consequences, whether that makes us popular or not.”

And while kids may kick and scream over limits, they’re often secretly relieved to be able to blame parents for preventing them from doing something they weren’t entirely comfortable with. “My daughter tells me now that what helped her decision-making more than anything else was having her ‘mean mom’ to provide her the cover to say no. But we have to give them that opportunity to blame us.”

And if you think your child is in trouble? “One of the most helpful things a doctor once said to me was, ‘If you think there’s a problem, there’s a problem,’ and I’ve found that to be true for so many kids,” says Sheff. “Trust your gut.” m

FOR MORE INFORMATION

These organizations offer information and support to educate parents and teens about drug abuse prevention and treatment.

FAMILY SERVICE AGENCY OF MARIN A division of Buckelew Programs, FSA offers a host of behavioral health services for teens and families. 415.491.5700, fsamarin.org

KAISER PERMANENTE SAN RAFAEL CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY SERVICES Individual and group treatment and support groups for Kaiser members. Walk-in hours Monday–Friday 9 a.m.–3 p.m. 415.491.3000

MARIN COUNTY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND RECOVERY SERVICES The mental health and addiction arm of Marin Health and Human Services, BHRS offers prevention, intervention and treatment services. 888.818.1115, marinhhs.org/behavioral-health-recovery-services

MUIR WOOD ADOLESCENT AND FAMILY SERVICES A private drug and alcohol treatment program with outpatient programs for boys and girls in San Rafael and an inpatient program for boys in Sonoma. 855.300.1720, muirwoodteen.com

NIDA FOR TEENS The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) produces effective fact-based educational materials for teens, including the PEERx program on prescription drugs. teens.drugabuse.gov, teens.drugabuse.gov/peerx

NOVATO BLUE RIBBON COALITION FOR HEALTHY YOUTH novatoblueribbon.org

PARTNERSHIP FOR DRUG-FREE KIDS A national organization providing resources, education and referrals as well as the documentary Breaking Points , available for individual rental and community showings. drugfree.org

R x SAFE MARIN A coalition of community members and experts working to prevent prescription drug misuse, abuse and addiction. rxsafemarin.org

SAN RAFAEL ALCOHOL COMPLIANCE TEAM (ACT) A cooperative program run by San Rafael and Terra Linda high schools and the SRPD to prevent teenage drinking and drug use. facebook.com/sanrafaelact

REDWOOD HIGH SCHOOL WELLNESS CENTER An on-campus counseling center offering confidential supportive services for students struggling with substance-related concerns as well as stress, anxiety and depression, sexual health issues, family conflicts, and more. 415.945.3663, tamdistrict.org/rhs_wellness

REDWOOD HS BE THE INFLUENCE redwoodptsa.org/be-the-influence

DRAKE HS BE THE INFLUENCE tamdistrict.org/Page/8878

TAMALPAIS HS BE THE INFLUENCE tamdistrict.org/Page/9403

TWIN CITIES COALITION FOR HEALTHY YOUTH thecoalitionconnection.com

MARIN COUNTY’S FIRST FEMALE SUPERVISOR, VERA SCHULTZ, WAS A WOMAN AHEAD OF HER TIME.

BY MARK ANTHONY WILSON

PAVING NEW ROADS

Some people were born to make history. Vera Schultz, the firt female member of the Marin County Board of Supervisors, was one of those people. Schultz was a true pioneer for women’s rights in Marin County, but she was also a trailblazer in the field of urban planning, environmentally sensitive design and social justice. Marin County would not have some of its most valuable assets if not for her legacy. It was for this reason that she earned the title “First Lady of Marin” during her six-decade career in public service.

A Political Spark

Vera “Bobby” Schultz was born in the rural desert community of Dutch Flats, Nevada, in 1902. Her passion for human rights had its roots in a childhood encounter. Her father invited all kinds of people to dine at the family table; one night, he entertained an elderly neighbor, an ex-slave named Ike, and a Southern woman boarding with the family refused to join them. “Then you’ll just have to have supper in your room, I guess,” Vera’s father said. Years later, when Schultz was fighting for quality public housing that would benefit African Americans (who had few other options) in Marin, she told this story to explain her commitment.

After fi nishing high school at age 16, Schultz enrolled at University of Nevada in 1920, majoring in journalism and working on the school paper. In 1924 she began graduate studies in English at UC Berkeley, eventually earning a master’s degree. Several years later in 1926, she married Ray Schultz, whom she met at University of Nevada; he joined her in Berkeley and became a San Francisco insurance agent. The couple built a summer cottage in Mill Valley, intending to stay just a few of months, but ended up moving there, partly for the weather. “When I fi rst came to Marin in 1928, I just loved this place, so full of the beauty I used to long for when I was growing up in the desert,” Schultz recalled according to Evelyn Radford’s biography Vera: First Lady of Marin. “I thought I was in heaven here — I have been in heaven here.”

From

Schultz’s interest in politics and social reform began when she helped organize the local chapter of the League of Women Voters and attended every board of supervisors meeting for her first 10 years in Marin (a record few politicians could match). Her husband supported her political ambitions, she said in a 1981 interview in The Pacific Sun , “because he realized they were motivated by a deep interest in government, and a knowledge of it.”

During these years she worked as a bookkeeper for the local school district and campaigned for a new council-manager form of Mill Valley government, which voters approved in 1941. In 1946 she was elected to the city council — its fi rst female member, and her fi rst political offic e — beating six male contenders. Years later she told the Marin Independent Journal that the men on the council denied her the mayor’s seat, even though she’d won the most votes, which traditionally should have gotten her the job. She served on the council six years.

Path to Higher Office

In 1950, appalled by lobbyist in fluence and corruption in state government in Sacramento, Schultz decided to run for the California Assembly. She campaigned as a Democrat on a reform platform and lost; Marin County was heavily Republican at the time. In 1952 she was chosen as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where she backed the reform candidate Estes Kefauver.

COURTESTY OF: JIM KEAN/ MARIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL (TOP); ANNE T. KENT CALIFORNIA ROOM, MARIN COUNTY FREE LIBRARY (BOTTOM)

top: Schultz files campaign papers with the Marin County clerk in 1964; a June 1960 page from the Marin Independent Journal focuses on the construction of the civic center and includes a campaign ad for Schultz at the bottom.

That same year, she ran for an open seat on the Marin County Board of Supervisors. At the time the Ladies Home Journal featured her in an article on women delegates, boosting her campaign, and in November the initial tally had her winning by 165 votes. But the losing candidate asked for a recount and, in a scenario reminiscent of the 2000 U.S. presidential election, scores of Schultz’s votes were disqualified for ballots allegedly hard to distinguish, while dozens of counted absentee votes for her opponent had been improperly sealed with Scotch tape rather than sealing wax as required at the time.

Schultz filed a complaint, and a county judge ruled most of her original votes should be counted, winning her the election. Her swearing-in took place in the hallway, while the men took the oath inside council chambers.

During her two terms as supervisor, Vera Schultz led the fight for many of the reforms and services Marin County residents take for granted today. Initially she had to battle the entrenched power of the “Court House Gang,” a group of male civic leaders who resented any attempts at change, especially led by a woman. Nonetheless, Schultz prevailed in almost all her efforts.

One of her first proposals moved to establish the office of County Administrator to bring business management skills to the complex activities of government. She went on to help create a County Personnel Commission, which would pick the most qualified people for county jobs and end the corrupt spoils system. She also worked to establish the County Parks and Recreation Department, as well as the public works department and a county counsel’s office. Schultz helped modernize county government operations by introducing data processing and central purchasing. The voters clearly supported her efforts: she was reelected in 1956 by a two-to-one margin.

Two Signature Projects

In her second term she introduced two important projects with overlapping timelines: construction of the Marin County Civic Center and the housing development now known as Marin City.

In the early 1950s, Marin County’s fast-growing population was ill served by county offices in 12 scattered locations and an antiquated courthouse in downtown San Rafael. Schultz advocated for a new courthouse complex, and in 1953 supervisors began seeking a site. They settled on a private ranch just east of Highway 101 and interviewed architects; in 1957, four of the fi ve supervisors agreed to draw up a contract with Frank Lloyd Wright. Schultz was Wright’s strongest proponent, enthusiastically championing his then-radically modern design. But Supervisor William

Fusselman, together with County Clerk George Jones, vehemently opposed using Wright and attempted to block the plan, in a battle royal that lasted four years.

At a supervisors’ meeting August 2, 1957, held to formally approve Wright’s plan, Fusselman asked to have a report on Wright by an investigator for Sen. Joseph McCarthy read into the record. It accused Wright of “active and extensive support of communist views and enterprises.” Wright stormed out of the meeting: “This is an absolute and utter insult, and I won’t be subject to it!” he declared.

Deploring the accusations, Schultz said, “This county does not look into the political beliefs of any of its employees. It certainly is inappropriate that we should subject a man of Mr. Wright’s caliber to such unfounded and unsubstantiated charges.” In the end, the report was never read into the record, Wright’s plans were approved, and the contract with him was signed by the four supervisors. Fusselman kept trying to thwart construction, in vain: a majority of Marin residents supported the project. Today Wright’s environmentally sensitive design, with its graceful bridging of two hillsides and nature-based colors, is considered one of the fi nest public buildings in the United States by architects and critics around the world.

The Marin City project, Schultz’s other major feat, was innovative for its time, one of the first experiments in racially integrated public housing in California. During World War II the site, not far from the Sausalito waterfront, held temporary U.S. government housing for shipyard workers. After the war, the land by law had to be offered back to the county or for sale on the open market for future development.

Schultz’s interest in politics and social reform began when she helped organize the local chapter of the League of Women Voters and attended every board of supervisors meeting for her first 10 years in Marin.

As the site’s wartime housing was rapidly deteriorating, Schultz saw an opportunity: to create a new kind of community there, a racially harmonious neighborhood with low-cost and middle-income housing for thousands of residents. During the war the housing held a roughly equal mix of blacks and whites, but afterward most of the whites left. The black residents were unable to move, constrained by fi nancial hardship and racist clauses in real estate covenants that prevented them from buying homes across the county.

Evelyn Radford’s biography describes how Schultz overcame opposition to the project within county government; her opponents were the same ones she would face in her Civic Center battle — Fusselman and Jones.

Jones fi red the fi rst volley, writing dozens of letters to the Housing and Home Finance Commission in Washington, D.C., the agency that would turn the site over to a new owner. He told the commission to ignore letters Schultz had sent on behalf of the supervisors, saying he had a buyer who would pay “above current value” for the land. When Schultz called the commission’s office to see why all her letters were being ignored, she was told to come to Washington right away. When she got there, she read the letters from Jones and was shocked. Schultz quickly reminded the commissioners of the

COURTESY OF: AARON GREEN ASSOCIATES (TOP); ANNE T. KENT CALIFORNIA ROOM, MARIN COUNTY FREE LIBRARY (BOTTOM)

It isn’t that women gain by taking something away from men, but women gain by being more truly men’s partner.

From top: A civic center site meeting in 1957 includes (from right) Green, Wright and Schultz; an early civic center brochure.

law requiring the government to offer the land to the county fi rst, charging that Jones was trying to manipulate the process for his personal gain.

Back in Marin, Schultz confronted Jones, who couldn’t deny his actions. The board merely reprimanded him for using county stationery for personal correspondence rather than conduct a formal inquiry as Schultz favored; still, the U.S. government turned the land over to the Marin County Redevelopment Foundation in 1956. Aaron Green, an associate of Frank Lloyd Wright, designed 300 units of housing built over the next six years; famed landscape architect Lawrence Halprin designed most of the outdoor common areas.

A Political Exit

In 1960, in part to help pay for the civic center, the county reappraised property taxes, and Schultz’s district was fi rst to have its taxes raised. Many voters blamed her, and she lost her bid for a third term that year. “That was the low point of my life,” she told the Marin IJ in 1981. “I had really enjoyed being a supervisor. We were paid $150 a month in those days, so it never was the money — it was the opportunity to do some good.”

Yet she remained active in county government and public affairs. Although she never held office again (losing a state senate bid in 1964), her list of late-inlife accomplishments is impressive. She served on the boards of the Marin Housing Authority and Marin Redevelopment Agency, led the bond campaign to create Marin General Hospital, helped create the Marin Senior Coordinating Council, was a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging in 1965, and helped create several public parks and Marin’s fi rst school for disabled children.

Schultz became blind during the last several years of her life, but kept informed on current events by hiring a secretary to read several newspapers to her every day. She moved to Texas in 1995 to be with her daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren and died shortly after, at age 93.

Perhaps the best assessment of Vera Schultz’s legacy is her own remark, a comment made in 1983 to the Pacific Sun but just as relevant today. “Before women can be expected to change the world, they have to be firmly anchored in it,” she said. “We are still marginal. The most important thing to both men and women is that when women are more equal, it completes men too. It’s going to be better for both. It isn’t that women gain by taking something away from men, but women gain by being more truly men’s partner. This is the best thing for a family, and it’s the best thing for society. That’s what lies ahead.” m

Additional research provided by Ania Skulimowska.

From top: Marin City high-rise towers as they looked right after construction around 1960; the two-story Marin City units with landscaping in place and kids enjoying the play area.

Destinations

THE LATEST LOCAL TRAVEL DEALS AND GETAWAYS PLUS JOURNEYS AROUND THE GLOBE FOUR

BY KATHERINE MINKIEWICZ

The pool for guests at the Kaanapali Beach Hyatt Residences.

OAHU

• Waikiki

The new Ritz-Carlton Residences are just a five-minute walk from the beach and close to luxury boutiques and restaurants on Kalakaua Avenue. For more than four, pick a three-bedroom; each unit has views of Waikiki, a fully equipped kitchen, ensuite bath and pullout sofa bed for extra guests. theresidenceswaikiki.com

• North Shore

The villas and condos at the North Shore’s Turtle Bay Resort have benefited from the resort-wide renovation. Guests have access to the resort’s pool and amenities, and for more than four, the three- and four-bedroom cottages and villas can accommodate up to eight people. Each unit has a private lanai, washer and dryer, and access to a separate pool area. turtlebayresort.com

Kauai

• Poipu

Known as the sunny side of the island, Poipu has many new and improved plus-four options. On the high end of the price range is the Kukuiula, which has an exclusive private club, spa and pools. Koloa Landing’s Poipu Beach Hotel offers the largest villas on the island with up to 3,600 square feet of lodging space. And Whalers Cove Resort is a boutique 38-unit property, which recently earned a Trip Advisor top spot nod for the area. Each unit is privately owned, with an on-site management that provides services such as grocery shopping. These well-appointed oceanfront condos include washer and dryer,

THERE’S STILL TIME to plan that family vacation in Hawaii, but be aware: when you’re traveling with more than four, the usual hotel options rapidly decline. Whether you’re looking to squeeze everyone into a condo or spread out in a luxury villa, here are jaw-droppers worthy of any group stay.

A private deck at Kaanapali Beach Hyatt Residences.

Malie Organics in the bathrooms and full kitchens and are touted as a great value for the prime location just minutes from the beach, shops and two world-class golf courses. kukuiula.com, koloalandingresort.com, whalerscoveresort.com

Big Island

•

Kohala Coast

South Kohala Management has been a staple in Big Island vacation rentals since 1982 and offers vacation homes and villas. The company recently added KaMilo, a new luxury community of single-family homes next to the Mauna Lani that gives guests access to the resort. For groups bigger than four, the existing twobedroom (plus) condos or the new homes will

do the trick. All homes are near the resort clubhouse, communal pool and private golf course. southkohala.com

MAUI

• Kaanapali

The big news on this sunny stretch of white sand is the new Kaanapali Beach Hyatt Residences. Guests here have complete access to the pools, restaurants and attractions of the neighboring Hyatt Regency Maui. The 40-acre beachfront property has an in fi nity lagoon pool with a tiki bar and a designated children’s area. Each of the 131 units includes a fully equipped kitchen, private lanai with daybed, views of Kaanapali Beach and a queen

sleeper sofa. For more than four travelers, a two-bedroom can accommodate up to six people and a three-bedroom can handle eight. kaanapalibeach.hyatt.com

• Wailea

Andaz Maui Villas is a luxury resort featuring 10 beachfront villas on 15 acres, an awardwinning spa, restaurants and multiple pools. Each unit offers 500 square feet of outdoor space including a plunge pool, lanai and barbecue. Villas also come with custom queen sleeper sofa beds. For more than four, book a three-bedroom villa, which sleeps up to six people, or a four-bedroom villa with room for eight. maui.andaz.hyatt.com m

PARADISE, PAUSED Your Hawaiian vacation is going great. You’re drinking, eating, swimming, tanning, snorkeling — and then you notice your wedding ring is gone. So who you gonna call? Ring Finders, of course. Chris Turner established the Ring Finders Directory in Vancouver six years ago. Turner, who had been running his own metal detecting service for more than 20 years, created the Ring Finders Directory to help people around the world locate their valuables with the help of local specialists. The finders are all independent contractors who set their own rates and terms, and while there are no guarantees, the site’s blog clearly illustrates the skill of the finders — read: many photos of successfully reunited owners and their objects. theringfinders.com KASIA PAWLOWSKA

Clockwise from left: Kauai’s Whalers Cove Resort is a great value; two views of the familyfavorite Turtle Bay Resort.

FIND YOUR PARADISE AT KAUNA‘OA BAY.

The natural white sands of this crescent-shaped beach inspire true relaxation. Kauna‘oa is also the perfect launching point for adventure on or under the water — from riding an outrigger canoe to stand-up paddling, snorkeling or even swimming with manta rays.

Enjoy complimentary daily breakfast and 5th night free with our Fall Into Winter special.

OnlyMaunaKea.com

Poke Is Here

The best places to find the fresh and light island treat.

BY MICHAEL SHAPIRO

LET’S GET ONE thing straight: It’s pronounced poh-KAY. Hear it. Say it aloud. Remember it, Marinites, because poke is likely heading your way if it hasn’t already arrived. And if you insist on saying it incorrectly, you’ll force local restaurateurs to add an acute accent (accent aigu, in French) over the final e (à la poké) on their signage as a concession to your ignorance of the Hawaiian language, just as poke purveyors from San Diego to Santa Barbara have already done. And if you visit Hawaii ill prepared to properly order ahi poke, be ready for a good-natured mocking, haole.

Now that you can say it, let’s defi ne it. That’s harder to do, at least nowadays, as just about anything cut into cubes and served raw might be called poke. Traditionally — i.e., starting around the time Captain Cook

stumbled across the Hawaiian Islands in 1778 and probably much earlier — poke was a preparation of cubed raw re ef fi sh mixed with sea salt, limu (seaweed) and inamona (roasted ground kukui, or candlenuts). The word “poke” means “to cut crosswise” in Hawaiian, though it’s possible that the term wasn’t used to describe the dish until about the mid-20th century. This “Hawaiian sashimi,” as poke is sometimes miscalled, was a staple for early Polynesians. It isn’t thought to have been particularly diverse, making use as it did of the comparatively limited pantry of local ingredients.

Contact with the world beyond Hawaii and the in flux of immigrants from Japan, Portugal, China, the Philippines and the United States brought new flavors — soy sauce, rice, chili, onion, avocado, sesame,

ALWAYS SERENE, NEVER TAME.

Slow down, breathe deeply and find peace as you soak in the beauty of Kauna‘oa Bay. Or venture forth to connect with the untamed spirit of Hawaii’s largest island. Make your Mauna Kea escape now at OnlyMaunaKea.com or by calling 866.977.4589

mayonnaise — and poke diversi fied, becoming as mixed and varied as the islands’ multicultural landscape has. Poke remains a staple because it’s simple, fi lling, balanced, portable and versatile and takes advantage of Hawaii’s access to the freshest of fresh fi sh. A s fi shing techniques improved (and as nearshore reef fi sh declined with the rise of tourism), big pelagics like ahi (yellow fi n tuna), ono (wahoo) and bill fi sh replaced reef fi sh as the central element in modern poke. Alongside those standbys you’ll often fi nd smoked or boiled tako (octopus), scallops, mussels, crab, shrimp and, it is this writer’s grim duty to report, tofu.

If you’re a poke virgin on your way to Hawaii, start with the gateway poke: ahi shoyu — yellow fi n tuna with sea salt, sliced onion and scallion, typically dressed in soy sauce and sesame oil. Be sure the ahi is fresh; previously frozen fi sh might be fi ne for the seasoned poke eater, just as someone introduced to beer through microbrew ale could probably stomach a Budweiser in a pinch. From there move on to the spicy ahi, which is usually marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, mayonnaise and Sriracha and dappled with crunchy orange pebbles of tobiko (flying fi sh roe) If you’re really hungry, try a poke bowl — the above-mentioned preparations spread over white or brown rice, like chirashi sushi.

These days poke is everywhere in Hawaii: wrapped in plastic and Styrofoam at supermarkets or built into delicate, layered towers capped with microgreens at Alan Wong’s in Honolulu, which means you’ll fi nd superior

Helumoa Playground at the Royal Hawaiian

Opener: Da Poke Shack. This page from top: Poke Bombs from KTA; popular Umeke’s Poke Bowls.

This ‘Hawaiian sashimi,’ as poke is sometimes miscalled, was a staple for early Polynesians.

at high-end restaurants and resorts (which have a tendency to overcomplicate — and overprice — it), but also at takeout stands, roadside trucks, supermarket counters and tucked in the back of liquor stores (no joke). If you want to know where the best poke is, don’t bother asking the concierge, who’ll probably circle you back into the hotel. Instead, ask the valet who brings your car around.

Oahu, being the most populous of the islands, has the best selection of local poke

Poke remains a staple because it’s simple, filling, balanced, portable and versatile and takes advantage of Hawaii’s access to the freshest of fresh fish.

spots. Tamura’s Fine Wines and Liquors gets it s fi sh fresh daily from the Honolulu Fish Auction and ha s fi ve locations: Honolulu, Wahiawa, Hauula, Kapolei and Kailua. Head to the back, where you’l l fi nd the poke counter and a pretty diverse selection, including proprietary and seasonal recipes (and they let you sample). Up on the North Shore, poke bowls derived from an old family recipe have earned Kahuku Superette a loyal following; in winter you’ll be standing in line beside locals and pro surfers alike. Back in Honolulu, Yama’s Fish Market is a mostly unknown treasure, where you can get true Hawaiian and local food to accompany its superb ahi poke. Fresh Catch, with two locations, in Honolulu and Kaneohe, is beloved for its tako poke — smoked on-premises.

On the neighbor islands, pickings are hardly slim, but you have to know where to go: On Maui, it’s Tamura’s again, in Wailuku,

Like Poke?, a truck parked off aleakala Highway in Kahului. On the Kona side of Hawaii Island, head for Umeke’s Poke Bowls and Plate Lunches in Kailua-Kona; on the Hilo side, it’s Suisan Fish Market , fi ns down the freshest fi sh in East Hawaii. For the Kauai bound, Ishihara Fish Market in Waimea is the south shore’s poke stop; on the north shore it’s Dolphin Restaurant in Hanalei or Kilauea Fish Market in Kilauea.

If you’re in a hurry, though, you can do what locals do and hit a Foodland supermarket (or KTA on Hawaii Island), where, though they often use frozen fish, they offer a wide selection. And please, kind reader, take these recommendations seriously; as an island resident who is not using a pseudonym for his byline, I’m hazarding my personal safety by divulging this information, a risk akin to spilling Hawaii’s best secret sur fing spots to Lonely Planet. So enjoy your poke … just don’t tell ’em I sent you. m

Three Sisters

Promoting global goodwill and understanding.

Fueled entirely by volunteers and funded by donations and proceeds from special events, the nonprofit Sausalito Sister City programs are active and energized, promoting a vision of global unity. As the international sister city program celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, the timing of winning an International Best Overall Sister City Award for cities with a population of less than 25,000 couldn’t be better. sausalitosistercities.org CHERYL POPP

CASCAIS, PORTUGAL

Not resting on its laurels, Sausalito established this sister city partnership in 2013. For the second year, student sailors from the Sausalito Yacht Club and Clube Naval de Cascais will be racing together in an international youth sailing exchange program that alternates between both cities.

SAKAIDE, JAPAN

The Sausalito Sakaide, Japan (SAK), sister city program sponsors a robust student exchange program that has been thriving for 28 years. The program has expanded to include a teacher exchange as well as an artist exchange — and this year an artist from Sakaide will participate in the Sausalito Art Festival.

VIÑA DEL MAR, CHILE

This program began in 1960, with Viña del Mar Park in the center of Sausalito named in recognition of the program that same year. The program is currently focused on mentoring entrepreneurial businesswomen and exchanging marketing, communication and leadership expertise.

40 Fish-Filled Years

Tips from a veteran snorkeling tour company.

FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN to the Big Island of Hawaii and taken a snorkeling tour, it is likely that adventure was with Fair Wind Cruises out of Kona Harbor. This family-run business is celebrating 40 years this month, and owner Mendy Dant, a seasoned waterwoman, is offering a few below-the-surface tips. MIMI TOWLE

CLEAN THE MASK

If new, the snorkel mask ca n fi rst be cleaned by rubbing toothpaste on the inside to eliminate any fi lm residue left from the manufacturer. Before each use, a light solution of water and baby shampoo can be used to reduce the chance of fogging. Once fi nished snorkeling, soak the mask in a disinfectant a nd air dry.

FIND THE RARE FISH

Minimize body movement while in the water. Be patient and float on the surface while keeping your eyes open for what may appear from within the reef’s nooks and crannies. Keep in mind that many of the sea’s creatures are masters of disguise, with only a twist of a tail or a flash of a gill to give them away.

AVOID SEASICKNESS

Avoid eating fatty foods before you head out on the boat; instead choose bananas, whole grains or yogurt. Over-the-counter drugs like Dramamine and Bonine can help some people. Another trick is to play the game of distraction — don’t focus on not feeling well. If you start to feel woozy, change it up by striking up a conversation with someone or looking at the horizon.

CHRISTIAN HORAN (HOTEL TREE); ERIK PURINS (SANTA CRUZ)

A Historic Stay

DESTINATION:

DISTANCE FROM MARIN: 392 miles south

THE FAIRMONT MIRAMAR has famously been welcoming guests to the coastal city of Santa Monica since 1921. Situated just above the blu ff, with views of the Paci fic, the 302-room compound is minutes from world-class shopping, restaurants and entertainment. Originally it was the private home of Santa Monica founder John P. Jones, a former U.S. Senator, who planted a Moreton Bay fig tree that 100 years later still greets guests today. Now 80 feet tall, the tree is the second largest of its kind in the state and an attraction in its own right — the management spends $30,000 a year to maintain it. fairmont.com M.T.

TANK OF GAS

HIGHLIGHTS The central location of this historically signi ficant oasis is within walking distance of the beach and the retail fun of Third Street Promenade. Or hop on a complimentary bike and cruise to Venice Beach or the famous Santa Monica Pier.

EATS While it’s tempting to dip into the Los Angeles wheel-and-deal vibe, poolside or in the Lobby Lounge, you won’t want to miss the on-site restaurant Fig, which the Los Angeles Times called “a raging success.” Here you’l l fi nd a bevy of dishes made with fresh local and organically grown ingredients, although a quick check on Instagram suggests the bread balloon — a disk of gluten glory made in the pizza oven and served with a variety of dipping sauces — just might steal the show.

DETAILS The property consists of The Ocean Tower, the historic Palisades Building, and 31 luxury poolside and bi-level bungalows, the only accommodations of this type in Santa Monica. Each bungalow has a sea blue–gray slate roof and a private entrance — maybe why celebrities seeking extra privacy stay here — as well as two luxurious bathrooms and private lanais with ocean views. Rates for rooms start at $459, for bungalows $789.

ISLAND ADVENTURE

When I say “island day trip,” you say “Catalina.” Been there, done that? A slightly longer cruise lands you on less-trammeled Santa Cruz Island, where four-pound foxes play peekaboo from the shadows of Santa Cruz Island manzanita and other endemic flora. The island’s Scorpion Anchorage is the most popular destination in Channel Islands National Park, but a limited number of daily ferries keeps crowds down. Since the dock was damaged in a storm last winter, landing here involves a (literally) splashy skiff transfer from the ferry. Once on island (California’s largest), spend the day hiking or kayaking and exploring history and quirky island nature. Round-trip passage from Ventura is $59, including park entrance fee. islandpackers.com

CARRIE KIRBY

Pack a Lunch No food is sold on the islands, and water is limited. Stash your sustenance in bear boxes near the pier.

Watch for Wildlife On our 80-minute trip to the island, the captain rotated the boat for better views of sea lions and dolphins. In summer, you might spy a blue or humpback whale. On island, watch for the main attraction: the island fox, a house-cat-size canid found only here.

Follow the Leader Reserve a kayak tour, or join a free one-hour volunteer-guided hike. Our docent showed us the remains of the sheep ranch whose four-legged inhabitants once grazed on this island, a Chumash garbage dump and chalky diatomaceous earth left over from when shifting plates pushed this island up from the bottom of the sea. You’ll emerge from the dusty trail onto cliffs revealing miles of glittering Pacific Ocean; follow that view down to the pebbly beach to cool your tootsies.

The Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows, Santa Monica

Park-a-Palooza

When it comes time to explore the wonders of America’s national parks, think Northern California first. BY PETER FISH

SURE, YOU THINK, you don’t care about bureaucratic birthdays. The fact the National Park Service is turning 100 this year doesn’t excite you. But it should. Really. The NPS has preserved 59 of the greatest places on earth for your enjoyment. And five of the absolute best are here in Northern California. Their pleasures range from big trees to volcanoes to California condors. All make ideal getaways for summer or fall.

Yosemite

It’s the flagship park of the entire park system. The views of Half Dome and El Capitan helped establish the very idea of the national park in the American mind.

It is also wildly popular, with 4 million visitors last year. Therefore, Yosemite is a park that requires you to have a strategy. Do stu ff early in the morning — a trail mobbed at noon will be blissfully quiet at 8 a.m. In Yosemite Valley, park once, then use the bus shuttle (or your own feet, or bicycle) to get around. And consider a post–Labor Day visit, when the park quiets down. But don’t let crowds deter you: Yosemite is an icon for a reason. nps.gov/yose

• HIDDEN GEM An hour and a half northeast of the valley, Tuolumne Meadows is both lovely and a jumping-off oint for hikes into the high country.

•

DON’T MISS The view-filled Four-Mile Trail from Glacier Point down to Yosemite Valley. Book a ride on the Hikers Bus ($41) from the valley to Glacier Point and hit the trail to return.

• WHERE TO STAY A lawsuit brought by the previous park concessionaire has given all in-park lodgings new names. In the valley, the Majestic Yosemite (aka The Ahwahnee) is regal and pricey. The Yosemite Valley Lodge (aka Yosemite Lodge) is motel-like but comfy. Out of the valley, Big Trees Lodge (aka the Wawona) is sweetly historic. All can be booked through travelyosemite.com Outside the park, Tenaya Lodge, near the south entrance, is luxurious. Near the west entrance, the Evergreen Lodge is a historic resort handsomely redone. Nearby, the Evergreen’s owners have just opened the appealing Rush Creek Lodge.

Above: Yosemite Valley. This image: El Capitan and the Merced River.

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Two Sierra parks managed as one, Sequoia and Kings Canyon tend to be ignored by Northern Californians focused on Yosemite. Big mistake. Here you’ll find the largest trees in existence and Kings Canyon, which — seriously — rivals Yosemite Valley for grandeur. nps.gov/seki

• DON’T MISS The Giant Sequoias at Giant Forest . And 50-mile-long, completely amazing Kings Canyon

Scenic Byway

• HIDDEN GEM At Sequoia’s south end, Mineral King is an alpine valley reached by following a beautiful, if winding, 25-mile road.

• WHERE TO STAY Wuksachi Lodge resembles a tasteful ski lodge. Silver City Mountain Resort has cabins with great access to Mineral King. Sequoia High Sierra Camp offers high-style glamping.

Redwood National and State Parks

Like the coast redwoods it celebrates, this park system (which includes state parks, too) is long and skinny, extending from Humboldt County almost to the Oregon border. It’s uncrowded, too — it got only 429,000 visitors last year — giving you lots of room to gape at the lofty trees. nps.gov/redw

• DON’T MISS Off ighway 101 near Orick, the Lady Bird Johnson Trail is a 1.5-mile walk through old-growth coast redwoods.

• HIDDEN GEM Not only is Gold Bluffs Beach a stunning stretch of coast, it’s a likely spot to see the once-endangered-now-thriving Roosevelt elk.

• WHERE TO STAY No lodging in the park, but the Lost Whale Inn in nearby Trinidad is charming.

Lassen Volcanic National Park

It’s California’s Yellowstone, with mudpots and fumaroles and lakes and (even better than Yellowstone) an active volcano. It’s an especially good park for kids, with di fferent things to do within a relatively compact area. nps.gov/lavo

• DON’T MISS Bumpass Hell (a scalded pioneer gave it the name) is the park’s largest hydrothermal area, sulfurous with mudpots and boiling pools viewable on a boardwalk trail.

• HIDDEN GEM In the park’s northeast corner, the Mars-like, 700-foot-high Cinder Cone

is tough to hike up but vastly satisfying to bounce back down.

• WHERE TO STAY Drakesbad Guest Ranch has been saddling up guests for over a century. The Manzanita Lake Camping Cabins are small but stylish.

Pinnacles National Park

Established in 2013, it’s the newest national park, with terri fic hiking among those eerily eroded pinnacles, plus possible glimpses of the California condors that hang out here. Choose between the park’s west side, accessed from Soledad, or the more-developed east side, accessed from State Route 25 south of Hollister. nps.gov/pinn

• DON’T MISS The 3.5-mile (round trip) Condor Gulch Trail gives views of the park’s most striking rock formations.

• HIDDEN GEM Monthly night hikes show off Pinnacles’ bats and other nocturnal creatures.

• WHERE TO STAY Hacienda de Leal, in San Juan Bautista, an hour north of Pinnacles’ east entrance, is a nicely appointed boutique hotel. m

Clockwise from left: A redwood drive-through; Lassen’s Bumpass Hell trail; Bear Gulch day use area at Pinnacles; the trees at Redwood National and State Parks.

Out & About

CALENDAR / ON THE SCENE / DINE

Robert Allen Fine Art

Ridge Line and Cypress #5 by Nicholas Coley

DANCE

Calendar

SEP 29–OCT 2 Dance Series 01 Smuin kicks off its 23rd season with a Bay Area tour featuring a world premiere by acclaimed choreographer Garrett Ammon, as well as Stanton Welch’s critically praised piece Indigo and Michael Smuin’s Stabat Mater. Palace of Fine Arts (SF). 415.912.1899, smuinballet.org

THEATER

THRU SEP 18 Beautiful: The Carole King Musical Beautiful tells the story of Carole King’s rise to stardom, with a show featuring an array of well-loved songs written by Gerry Goffi n and Carole King, and others by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Orpheum Theatre (SF). shnsf.com

THRU SEP 25 Othello Marin Shakespeare presents the classic tale of deceit, jealousy and love. Former California State Prison inmate Dameion Brown makes his stage debut in the title role. Dominican University Forest Meadows Amphitheatre (San Rafael). 415.499.4488, marin shakespeare.org

THRU OCT 1 The Speakeasy Experience the old-timey mystery of a 1920s speakeasy with this interactive theater experience. Choose a starting point — cabaret, bar or casino — don your fi nest clothes and enjoy an evening in the Prohibition era. Secret location (SF). thespeakeasysf.com

SEP 3–11 The Comedy of Errors Mill Valley’s own Curtain Theatre presents William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, which combines mistaken identity, romance and reunited families, with each show presented beneath the towering redwoods. Old Mill Park Amphitheater (Mill Valley). curtaintheatre.org

SEP 8–OCT 2 August: Osage County Marin Theatre Company opens its 50th season with Tracy Letts’ story of the pitfalls of family relationships combined with the struggles of addiction. Marin Theatre Company (Mill Valley). 415.388.5208, marintheatre.org

SEP 9–24 Beep and Bop Tut’Zanni Theatre Company, an international Commedia dell’Arte troupe, presents an imaginative show about a brother and sister who, in response to a world that does not care about them, opt to create one of their own. Part of the San Francisco Fringe Festival. PianoFight (SF). sff ringe.org

SEP 14–OCT 9 King Charles III The 50th season kicks off ith this 2015 Oliver Award–winning Best New Play. A.C.T. Geary Theater (SF). 415.749.2228, act-sf.org

SEP 15–OCT 15 Holding the Edge This one-woman show transports audiences to the late 1980s as Elaine fi nds herself in the chaotic sociopolitical center of the AIDS epidemic on the day of the Challenger explosion, confronting the

relative value of lives. The Marsh (Berkeley). 415.282.3055, themarsh.org

SEP 22 Wild Kratts

Live! Animated Kratt brothers Martin and Chris “come to life” in this unique production. Audiences will laugh and learn about animals as the Kratts team rescues its favorite invention from a comic villain. Orpheum Theatre (SF). shnsf.com

SEP 23–OCT 9 Pride and Prejudice: The Musical IAM Theatre Company’s new production features lyrics and music by Marin County’s two-time Emmy Award winner Rita Abrams, with a book by San Francisco author Josie Brown. Fort Mason Center (SF). iamtheatre.org

DANCE

SEP 7–10 The Wholehearted New York City’s Stein and Holum Projects bring its acclaimed performance piece — about the lives of famed women in sports and boxing history — to the Bay Area. Z Space Main Stage (SF). 866.811.4111, zspace.org

THEATER / COMEDY / MUSIC / GALLERIES / MUSEUMS / EVENTS / FILM EDITED BY CALIN VAN PARIS

SEP 25

Fall for Art: ODC at McEvoy Ranch

Enjoy live music by cellist Erin Wang, in addition to site-speci fic performances, with proceeds of the event and accompanying live auction benefiting ODC/Dance and ODC’s youth and teen scholarship fund. McEvoy Ranch (Petaluma). 415.549.8513, odc.org

COMEDY

TUESDAYS Tuesday Night Comedy Funnies

An evening of hilarity. Throckmorton Theatre (Mill Valley). 415.383.9600, throck mortontheatre.org

SEP 2 Elect to Laugh

With Will Durst

Partake in a muchneeded giggle at the expense of the 2016 election with comedian Will Durst. The one-man show is predominantly authored by “the best joke writers in the business” — namely Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Hillary Clinton, Jeb Bush, Bernie Sanders and Barack Obama. Throckmorton Theatre (Mill Valley). 415.383.9600, throck mortontheatre.org

MUSIC

SEP 3 Danny Click Sassy and Live! Blues-rock singer/songwriter and guitarist Danny Click offers up small acoustic sets and danceable tunes. Throckmorton Theatre (Mill Valley). 415.383.9600, throck mortontheatre.org

SEP 4 Jazz Sundays with Nathan Bickart Trio Enjoy original compositions and jazz standards performed by pianist, composer and educator

Nathan Bickart and crew. Throckmorton Theatre (Mill Valley). 415.383.9600, throck mortontheatre.org

SEP 9–30 Andrea Chénier Fans of Les Misérables will enjoy this opera, which centers on a romance between a poet and a young noblewoman who are separated by the French Revolution. Sung in Italian with English subtitles. War Memorial Opera House (SF). 415.864.3330, sfopera.com

SEP 10–29 Dream of the Red Chamber Based on one of China’s great classic novels, Dream of the Red Chamber tells the story of a love triangle between a young nobleman and two very di fferent women. Sung in English with English and Chinese subtitles. War Memorial Opera House (SF). 415.864.3330, sfopera.com

SEP 16 Caroluna Caroluna and her string quartet present a selection of songs inspired by the moon, while the full harvest moon shines down over the Tiburon hills. Old St. Hilary’s (Tiburon). 415.435.1853, land markssociety.com

SEP 17 Sound Summit Make the climb to Mount Tamalpais’ unique Cushing Memorial Amphitheatre for a day of music courtesy of Wilco, Bill Frisell’s Guitar in the Space Age, Los Lobos and The Stonefoxes. Cushing Memorial Amphitheatre (Mill Valley). soundsummit.net

SEP 20 The Monkees Indulge your nostalgic sensibilities with this performance from the Monkees’ surviving members, including hits, acoustic sets and solo spots from both Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork. The War field (SF). thewar fieldtheatre.com

SEP 23 Art Garfunkel: In Close-up Art Garfunkel — half of musical duo Simon and Garfunkel — offers up an evening of solo hits and 1970s favorites. Palace of Fine Arts Theatre (SF). 415.563.6504, palaceoffi nearts.org

SEP 23 Bay Area

Cabaret Opening Night Gala with Kelli O’Hara Broadway star Kelli O’Hara makes her West Coast performance debut to open Bay Area Cabaret’s forthcoming season. Venetian Room at the Fairmont (SF). 415.392.4400, bayareacabaret.org

SEP 23 The Specials UK group The Specials reforms for a retrospective evening of 1970s hits, melding danceable ska and punk attitude. The War field (SF). thewar fieldtheatre.com

GALLERIES

MARIN

Art Abloom Studio and Gallery Classes for artists. 751 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, San Anselmo. 415.256.1112, artabloom.com

Art Works Downtown Musical A showcase of works related to the art of music, through September 16. 1337 Fourth St, San Rafael. 415.451.8119, artworks downtown.org

Bolinas Gallery An eclectic collection of contemporary art. 52 Wharf Road, Bolinas. 415.868.0782, bolinas-gallery.com

Bubble Street Featuring genres of fantastic art, imaginary realism, neo-Victorian and steampunk. 565 Bridgeway, Sausalito. 415.339.0506, bubblestreetgallery.com

Claudia Chapline Gallery and Sculpture Garden Works by Claudia Chapline, Jim Garmhausen, Etta Deikman and others. 3445 Shoreline Hwy, Stinson Beach. 415.868.2308, cchapline.com

Desta Gallery Shifting Tides, through September. 417 San Anselmo Ave, San Anselmo. 415.524.8932, destagallery.com

di Rosa Equilibrium: A Paul Kos Survey Western landscapes from San Francisco–based Paul Kos, through October 2. 5200 Carneros Hwy, Napa. 707.226.5991, dirosaart.org

Falkirk Cultural Center 3D/3Seasons An exhibition of outdoor sculptures presented by Art Contemporary Marin, through September 20. 1408 Mission Ave, San Rafael. 415.485.3328, falkirk culturalcenter.org

Fine Art Etc. Featuring a collection of sculptures and paintings by artists from Northern California and around the world. 686 Bridgeway, Sausalito. 415.332.1107, finearttc.com

Madam Secretary

Madeleine Albright speaks in San Rafael.

IN 1997, MADELEINE K . albright became the first female Secretary of State — the highest-ranking woman in the history of U.S. government at the time. Albright reinforced America’s alliances, advocated democracy and human rights and promoted American trade and business, labor and environmental standards abroad. In 2012 President Barack Obama awarded her the nation’s highest civilian honor, the U.S. Medal of Freedom. She will be in San Rafael at the Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium on September 26 as part of the MPSF speaker series. speakerseries.net KASIA PAWLOWSKA

On the Scene

SNAPSHOTS FROM SPECIAL EVENTS IN MARIN AND SAN FRANCISCO EDITED BY DANIEL JEWETT

JOCELYN KNIGHT & JAMES CACCIATORE (COMMUNITY CLINICS); LARRY NIENKARK (MOS GALA)

• MARIN OPEN STUDIOS PREVIEW GALA A preview gala was held for the annual arts event on April 30 at Bon Air Center.

• TYGE WILLIAM CELLARS A new wedding center and reception center “barn” was unveiled at the Sonoma cellars on May 1 featuring music and small bites.

• MARIN COMMUNITY CLINICS More than 300 people attended the annual summer solstice fundraiser at the Marin Art and Garden Center on June 22. Over $100,000 was raised for low-income residents.

Susan Gilardi, John Boland and Dennis Gilardi

Sarah Drake, Stephanie Cole, Melissa Panico and Scott Corridan

Michael Star, Linda Tavaszi and Tracey Hessel

Cindy Roby and Steve Kinsey

Nelson Hee, Rachel Miller-Hee and Kevin Bennett

• VINES & VISION More than 300 attended the Bridge the Gap College Prep event held March 17 at Osher Marin JCC benefiting a program addressing the educational concerns of Marin City students.

ROSS VALLEY

LEAGUE An evening of exotic cars and fine wines was held June 23 at the Price Family Car Museum in Larkspur in

of Adopt A Family of Marin.

Tom Peters, Laura Cox and Mary Jane Burke

Bonnie Brown and Mary Jo Schaffer

•

WOMEN’S

support

Alex Najafi, Greg Martin, Kristin Lehmkuhl, Roxanne Najafi and Mina Nadji

Pamela Meyer, Cathy Pickering, Gwen Price and Katherine Querard

• WHITE HOT PARTY David Martin’s House Party kept the more than 150 guests moving as the attendees enjoyed small bites and a full selection of drinks at the June 5 Cavallo Point and Marin Magazine event.

DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY (HOTBED BENEFIT); MO DELONG (WHITE HOT PARTY)

Emanuel Caraballo and Chris Papageorge

Eric Jensen, Kaylin Fox, Maria Pitcairn and Robert Beadle

• HOTBED BENEFIT Sharon Stone hosted the annual Drever Family Foundation event in Tiburon June 4. More than $330,000 was raised for Sharon and Kelly Stone’s Planet Hope foundation.

Tony Ward and Maxwell Drever

Joy Venturini Bianchi and Sharon Stone

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Gallery Route One

Stories to Tell Works

by Cynthia Tom, September 23–October 30. 11101 Hwy One, Point Reyes. 415.663.1347, galleryrouteone.org

Marin Society of Artists In Your Dreams

National Exhibit A juried fine arts exhibition, September 29–October 29. 1515 3rd St, San Rafael. 415.454.9561, marinsocietyof artists.org

Masterworks Kids’ Art Studio Youth art classes. 305B Montecito Drive, Corte Madera. 415.945.7945, master workskidsart.com

Mine Gallery Original contemporary art. 1820 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Fairfax. 415.755.4472, gallerymine.com

O’Hanlon Center for the Arts Sign of the Times Artistic responses to these confusing and dynamic times in a

variety of mediums, September 1–22. 616 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley. 415.388.4331, ohanloncenter.org

Petri’s Fine Arts Featuring contemporary works in various mediums. 690 Bridgeway, Sausalito. 415.332.2626, petrisfineart.com

Robert Allen Fine Art Group Exhibition Abstract works on canvas, through September 30. 301 Caledonia St, Sausalito. 415.331.2800, robertallenfineart.co

Robert Beck Gallery Early California and contemporary plein air paintings. 222 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, San Anselmo. 415.456.7898, beckgallery.org

Robert Green Fine Arts Group Exhibit of Gallery Artists Work by Sam Francis, Paul Jenkins, John Grillo, Ed Moses, all mediums. 154 Throckmorton Ave, Mill

Valley. 415.381.8776, rgfineart.com

Roberta English Art by Cheung Lee, Mayumi Oda, Li Huayi, Ju Ming and Toko Shinoda. 1615 Bridgeway, Sausalito. 415.331.2975, robertaenglish.com

Rock Hill Gallery Art in the California Parks Watercolors by the Marin County Watercolor Society, through October 5. 145 Rock Hill Drive, Tiburon. 415.435.9108, ccctiburon.net

Room Art Gallery

Works by both Bay Area artists and major masters; the largest collection of Picasso, Chagall and others in Marin County. 86 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley. 415.380.7940, roomartgallery.com

Seager Gray Gallery California Art by Kim Ford Kitz, through September 15. 108

Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley. 415.384.8288, seagergray.com

Smith Andersen North Ongoing work. 20 Greenfield ve, San Anselmo. 415.455.9733, smithandersen north.com

Studio 333 Art and events. 333A Caledonia St, Sausalito. 415.331.8272, studio333.info

Studio 4 Art Work by local artists, classes and workshops with materials included. 1133 Grant Ave, Novato. 415.596.5546, studio 4art.net

The Blissful Gallery Oils, watercolors and prints by painter Emmeline Craig. 3415 Shoreline Hwy, Stinson Beach, 415.868.2787, emmelinecraig.com

Zener Schon Contemporary Art Contemporary works in various mediums by Eric Zener, Paige Smith, JD Wilson and others. 23 Sunnyside Ave, 415.738.8505, zenerschongallery.com

SAN FRANCISCO ArtHaus The Lake Art by John Wood. 411 Brannan St, 415.977.0223, arthaus-sf.com

Caldwell Snyder Gallery New works. 341 Sutter St, 415.392.2299, caldwellsnyder.com

California Historical Society Native Portraits: Contemporary Tintypes by Ed Drew A series of portraits of members of the Klamath, Modoc and Pit River Paiute tribes, through November 27. 678 Mission Street, SF, 415.357.1848, california historicalsociety.org

Fouladi Projects

Ongoing contemporary art — with a dash of whimsy — in a range of mediums. 1803 Market St, 415.621.2535, fouladiprojects.com

George Lawson Gallery

Radical Monochrome paintings from the Goodman Duffy collection, September 7–October 22. 315 Potrero Ave, 415.703.4400, georgelawson gallery.com

Gregory Lind Gallery Works by Eamon O’Kane, September 8–October 22. 49 Geary St, 415.296.9661, gregorylindgallery.com

Hackett-Mill

Original art. 201 Post St, 415.362.3377, hackettmill.com

John Berggruen Gallery New works. 10 Hawthorne St, 415.781.4629, berggruen.com

Meyerovich Gallery

Ongoing work in various mediums from modern and contemporary masters. 251 Post St, 415.421.7171, meyerovich.com

Pier 24 Photography Collected Art from the Pilara Foundation collection. Pier 24, 415.512.7424, pier24.org

Rena Bransten Projects Works by national and international contemporary artists. 1639 Market St, 415.982.3292, renabransten gallery.com

San Francisco Art Institute The Proposal Works by Jill Magid, September 9–December 10. 800 Chestnut Street, 415.771.7020, sfai.edu

Thomas Reynolds Gallery Pieces by contemporary painters, most addressing the intersection of realism and abstraction. 2291 Pine St, 415.441.4093, thomasreynolds.com

MUSEUMS

MARIN

Bay Area Discovery Museum Imagine, create and transform while exploring the unique museum’s ongoing exhibits (Sausalito). 415.339.3900, baykidsmuseum.org

Bolinas Museum

Human Impact on Bolinas Lagoon: A Timeline, through September 10 (Bolinas). 415.868.0330, bolinasmuseum.org

Marin Museum of the American Indian Braving Two Worlds Works by contemporary Native American artists, through December 18 (Novato). 415.897.4064, marinindian.com

Marin Museum of Contemporary Art Emerging Artists of Northern California Works from five Northern California artists, September 10–October 23 (Novato). 415.506.0137, marinmoca.org

BAY AREA Asian Art Museum

Emperor’s Treasures Chinese Art from the National Palace Museum, Taipei, through September 18 (SF). 415.581.3711, asianart.org

California Academy of Sciences The past, present and future of our solar system, narrated by George Takei.

The Cellist by Bao Hoang at Art Works Downtown, San Rafael

(SF). 415.379.8000, calacademy.org

Conservatory of Flowers The Wild Bunch: Succulents, Cacti and Fat Plants The conservatory celebrates the world’s water-hoarding plants in this roughand-tumble exhibit, through October 16 (SF). 415.831.2090, con servatoryofflowers.org

Contemporary Jewish Museum Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition

A comprehensive look at the full breadth of the work of the legendar y fi lmmaker, with production photography, set models, costumes, props and more, through October 30 (SF). 415.655.7800, thecjm.org

de Young Ed Ruscha and the Great American West Works that reveal the artist’s engagement with the American West and its starring role in our national mythology, through October 9 (SF). 415.750.3600, deyoung.famsf.org

Exploratorium Ongoing interactive exhibits exploring science, art and human perception (SF). 415.397.5673, exploratorium.edu

Legion of Honor California BookWorks

Modern and contemporary artists’ books and portfolios allow viewers to see the state from the vantage point of creators, through October 16 (SF). 415.750.3600, legionofhonor.famsf.org

Museum of Craft and Design Reflections Works by Marianne Lettieri, through January 22 (SF). 415.773.0303, sfmcd.org

Oakland Museum of California Altered State: Marijuana in California The fi rst-ever museum exhibition to focus on marijuana in California today, through September 25 (Oakland). 510.318.8400, museumca.org

Sonoma Valley Museum of Art Surf Craft: The Design and Culture of Board Riding Examine the evolution of surfboard design, featuring American makers and shapers of all kinds of wave-riding boards, through September 25 (Sonoma). svma.org

The Walt Disney Family Museum Mel Shaw: An Animator on Horseback The fi rst-ever retrospective of the life and work of Disney animator, creative and master horseman Mel Shaw, through September 12 (SF). 415.345.6800, waltdisney.org

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Murmur Wall Designed by Future Cities Lab, the Murmur Wall is a combination of sculpture, light and data collection along the wall at the main entrance to YBCA, through 2016 (SF). 415.978.2787, ybca.org

EVENTS

SEP 3–5 Sausalito Art Festival The prestigious waterfront art festival

— a favorite of locals and international art lovers alike — is back for its 64th year. Peruse work from more than 260 artists, and enjoy gourmet food, wine, beer and spirits and live performances by Super Diamond, Zepparella, the Zombies and others. Marinship Park (Sausalito). sausalito artfestival.org

SEP 7 San Francisco Symphony’s Opening Night Gala Celebrate the symphony’s forthcoming season with dinner, drinks, dancing and live opera. Michael Tilson Thomas and the orchestra are joined by Renée Fleming and Susan Graham in a selection of Italian and American songs.

Davies Symphony Hall (SF). 415.864.6000, sf symphony.org

SEP 9–11 Autumn Food and Wine Festival Lake Tahoe’s prestigious alfresco festival celebrating food, wine, spirits and beer returns for its 31st year. Celebrity chefs offer hands-on demonstrations, supplemented by winemaker lunches and dinners, seminars, mixology and more, culminating in the Sunday culinary competition and grand tasting. Northstar California Resort (Lake Tahoe). gotahoenorth.com

SEP 10 Bolinas Museum

Annual Benefit Art Auction and Party Cruise out to West Marin for a fun-fi lled evening of cocktails, local fare, lively music and a live auction featuring pieces donated by Bay Area artists. Peace Barn (Bolinas). 415.868.0607, bolinasmuseum.org

SEP 10 Daniels Memorial Bocce Ball Tournament Partake in a game of bocce ball to benefit the community as well as Zero Breast Cancer. Bocce Federation Courts (San Rafael). 415.454.2510, sananselmo chamber.org

SEP 10 Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival Fundraiser Gala Help support the 60th annual Mill Valley

Fall Arts Festival with wine and beer, local fare, silent and live auctions and a performance by the Fall Arts Gala Jam Band, as well as works by artist Tom Killion. Throckmorton Theatre (Mill Valley). 415.383.9600, throck mortontheatre.org

SEP 10 Ocean Riders of Marin Barnyard Fundraiser Live music, dancing, auctions, food, drink and a hay bale lounge mark this unique fundraising event. Enjoy a horse demonstration, all while helping to fund the building of an arena to support year-round outreach programs for underserved youth. Golden Gate Dairy (Muir Beach). 415.388.7670, oceanridersofmarin.org

SEP 16 Halleck Creek Ranch Annual Fundraising Dinner Head to Halleck Creek for an evening of fi ne wine, local fare, auctions, live music and more, in support of the ranch’s therapeutic horseback riding programs. Rancho Nicosia (Nicasio). 415.662.2488, halleckcreekranch.org

SEP 17 Preservation: Salt, Sugar, Culture and Tradition At this year’s S.F. Cheese Fest, California’s fi nest cheesemakers rub shoulders with local makers of cured meats, pickles, jams, sauces, craft beer and wine. Social Hall (SF). sfcheesefest.com

SEP 17 WildCare Gala Celebrate a spectacular evening of wildlife and wonder. The gala

features wines, a locally sourced meal and encounters with WildCare’s live Wildlife Ambassadors. A silent auction and live auction will complete the evening. Benziger Family Winery (Glen Ellen). 415.453.1000, wildcarebayarea.org

SEP 17–18 Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival

Experience this unique, local arts event under the towering Mill Valley redwoods. Artwork is supplemented by local food and drinks, live performances, arts and crafts and more. Old Mill Park (Mill Valley). 415.381.8090, mvfaf.org

SEP 23 Spirit of Marin Bank of Marin presents the 23rd annual awards luncheon honoring local businesses and

businesspeople for their volunteer spirit and achievements. St. Vincent’s School for Boys (San Rafael). spiritofmarin.com

SEP 24 20/20 Vision — Past, Present, Future Enjoy live music by headliner Danny Click and the Hell Yeahs!, guests Jerry Hannan and Shana Morrison, plus piano by Jeff astro, delicious food from local eateries, festive libations, art exhibitions and interactive artist demonstrations throughout the entire Art Works Downtown art center. Art Works Downtown (San Rafael). 415.451.8119, artworks downtown.org

SEP 24 CykelScramble A bicycle relay race merges with a festival and concert, resulting in a spirited day of food trucks, a beer garden, danceable live music and some impressive cycling. Marin County Fairgrounds (San Rafael). cykel scramble.com

SEP 24 Guide

Dogs for

the Blind Canine Heroes Gala This year’s event boasts a 1920s theme, featuring world-class wines, dinner, live and silent auctions and live music from jazz singer Deborah Winters — all in support of the training, breeding and care of Guide Dogs for the Blind’s canines. Civil War Parade Ground Lawn (SF). guidedogs.com

AG Denim Avant Toi Brochu Walker Calleen Cordero Christian Peau Daniel Basta Delle Cose Divka Faliero Sarti Gary Graham Giorgio Brato Guidi Hartford Herno James Perse Johnny Farah Lost and Found

Majestic Marc Le Bihan

Nanette Lepore Nicole Miller

Norma Kamali Officine Creative Roberto Del Carlo

jewelry Ashley Morgan Justine Alexandra Susan Cummings Thalia

SEP 25 Whistlestock Barbecue and Benefit Concert The Unauthorized Rolling Stones, Rick Stevens (former lead singer for Tower of Power) and Lydia Pense and Cold Blood are in Nicasio for this 1960s-themed celebration. Revel in a tiny dose of Woodstock, along with a ra ffle, costume contest, drinks and a feast with gourmet barbecue. Rancho Nicasio (Nicasio). 415.662.2219, ranchonicasio.com

FILM

Theater (Larkspur). 415.924.5111, larktheater.net

SEP 21–25 Eugene Onegin Stage Russia HD brings the Russian theater to a global stage, kicking off his season wit h a fi lmed production of Eugene Onegin, often referred to as an encyclopedia of 19th-century Russian life. Lark Theater (Larkspur). 415.924.5111, larktheater.net

Theater (Larkspur). 415.924.5111, larktheater.net

NATURE WALKS & TALKS

ONGOING First Tuesday ArtWalk Join the Mill Valley Arts Commission’s monthly stroll through town to view exhibits by local artists. Various locations (Mill Valley). cityofmillvalley.org

ONGOING Sunday Hikes on Mount Tam Cap off our weekend with a three- to fivemile group hike up Mount Tamalpais, led by a Friends of Mount Tam volunteer. Various locations (Mill Valley). 415.258.2410, friends ofmttam.org

SEP 10 Beyond the Wishing Star: NASA’s Search for Life Outside Our Solar System Invigorated by the discovery of more than 2,000 exoplanets by NASA’s Kepler space telescope, mission scientist Natalie Batalha talks about Kepler’s important discoveries and the prospects for future missions. Walt Disney Family Museum (SF). 415.345.6800, waltdisney.org

Hearst’s 1974 kidnapping and the frenzy that followed. Nourse Theater (SF). 415.392.4400, cityarts.net

SEP 11–14 Saint Peter’s and

the Papal Basilicas

of Rome The movie combines history, spirituality, architecture and art as audiences are taken inside the four basilicas. Lark

SEP 29 The Threepenny Opera Enjoy a performance by London’s National Theatre live from the comfort of your Larkspur theater seat. This new rendition of Bertolt Brecht’s “play with music” features thievery, corruption and more. Lark

ONGOING Free First Wednesdays Visit the Bay Area Discovery Museum the fi rst Wednesday each month for an outing full of exploration and fun. Bay Area Discovery Museum (Sausalito). 415.339.3900, baykidsmuseum.org

SEP 3 History of the Headlands Hike Explore the natural and cultural history of the Marin Headlands on a naturalist-led hike. Learn about the plants, animals, minerals and people that have inhabited this national park while enjoying a morning in the headlands. YMCA (Point Bonita). 415.331.9622, ymcasf.org

SEP 19 Jeffrey Toobin

The author and journalist discusses his book American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst, which centers on the bizarre and extraordinary circumstances of

SEP 21 Ann Patchett Award-winning author Ann Patchett joins lawyer Roy Eisenhardt to discuss Patchett’s new novel Commonwealth, a book about friendship, guilt and family. Nourse Theater (SF). 415.392.4400, cityarts.net

SEP 24 2016 Sausalito Floating Homes Tour Back for its 31st year, the Sausalito tour offers a medley of old and new architectural design, with 10 unique homes open for observation. Gate 6 Road (Sausalito). flatinghomes.org

Dine

• VILLAGE SAKE Japanese Lucky for Fairfax, beloved former Sushi Ran chef Scott Whitman and talented Marin-based restaurateur partners have opened an Izakaya — a Japanese style community pub –– on Bolinas Street. In this compact space you’ll find maki rolls and skewers, plus sake and craft beers. Closed Tuesdays. 19 Bolinas Road, 415.521.5790, villagesake.com b $$$ ∞ D

CORTE MADERA

BLUE BARN GOURMET

American The fi rst Marin outpost of the S.F.-based eatery has proven very popular. The menu includes customizable salads, toasted sandwiches, soups and more, prepared with locally harvested produce and proteins. Try the buffalo milk gelato from Double 8 Dairy of West Marin. Corte Madera Town Ctr, 415.927.1104, bluebarngourmet.com b $$ s ∞ LD º

BOCA PIZZERIA Italian

This Italian-inspired pizzeria utilizes Northern California’s bounty of seasonal ingredients and showcases local microbreweries and wine country’s boutique varietals. The menu includes large selections of appetizers to share, organic salads when available, pastas, local free-range poultry and meats, desserts and Neapolitan-style pizzas with house-made mozzarella. 1544 Redwood Hwy, 415.924.3021, bocapizzeria.com s $$ s ∞ C LD º

MARIN JOE’S Italian

This Marin mainstay has been around for over 50 years. Choose from a menu of soups,

salads, seafood, mesquite-grilled or sautéed meats and a plethora of pasta options. For a fun addition to your dining experience, order the Caesar salad — the server will prepare the dressing at your table. Not looking for a meal? Enjoy a drink and hear local musicians at the well-known piano bar. 1585 Casa Buena Dr, 415.924.2081, marin joesrestaurant.com s $$ s C LD

PIG IN A PICKLE

American Fresh local ingredients and the highest-quality brisket, pork, ribs and chicken comprise the menu of this Town Center eatery. Sauces are crafted to represent the best American barbecue regions, from Memphis to South Carolina.

House-made pickles, buns and sausages will keep you coming back.

341 Corte Madera Town Ctr, 415.891.3265, pig inapicklebbq.com b $$$ s ∞ BLD

THE COUNTER

California/American Customers can build their own salads and burgers with fresh ingredients. Burgers are made with allnatural Angus beef, turkey, chicken or bison. Gluten-free options and a vegan

AN INSIDER’S GUIDE TO RESTAURANTS AND GOOD FOOD IN THE BAY AREA EDITED BY MIMI TOWLE

Charred Octopus

veggie burger are available. The restaurant also has patio seating, an airy kick-back vibe, and a popular happy hour (give the adult milkshake a try!). 201 Corte Madera Town Ctr 415.924.7000, thecounterburger.com s $$ s ∞ LD º

FAIRFAX

123 BOLINAS California

Created by four friends wanting to showcase seasonal fare in a relaxing, intimate environment, this cozy, one-room eatery offers locally brewed beer, small-production wines and seasonal food along with the view of Bolinas Park through the floorto-ceiling windows. 123 Bolinas St, 415.488.5123, 123bolinas.com b $$ s ∞ D º

BAREFOOT CAFE

American Chef Tony Senehi prepares fresh Californian dishes made with local,

organic ingredients, from sustainable sources. A popular brunch location, neighbors and tourists come to this quaint restaurant in the heart of Fairfax for everything from their eggs benedict to panna cotta dessert. 1900 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.460.2160, barefootcafe.com b $$ s BLD

SORELLA CAFFE

Italian Run by sisters Sonia and Soyara, Sorella, which means “sister” in Italian, serves fresh Italian food with a northern in fluence. Customer favorites include the cioppino, butternut squash ravioli and Pollo alla Sorella. Another highlight is the giant wheel of Grana Padana cheese. And if that isn’t enough, stop by for live music every second and fourth Thursday of the month, as well as accordion music every

Friday and a piano, bass and drums combo every Saturday. 107 Bolinas Rd, 415.258.4520, sorellacaffe.co b $$$ s D

LARKSPUR

AMALFI RISTORANTE

Italian Antonio Volpicelli, of Don Antonio in Tiburon, has taken over the old Fabrizio space and fi lled it with more traditional Italian cuisine. The menu offers an assortment of classic dishes like orgonzola gnocchi, veal parmesan, carbonara and an extensive wine list. Guests are welcome to enjoy any one of these items on the spacious outdoor patio. 455 Magnolia Ave, 415.924.3332, amalfi ristorantelarkspur.com b $$ ∞ LD

BELCAMPO MEAT CO. American The goods at this meatery are delivered from the certi fied-organic

Belcampo Farms near Mount Shasta, dedicated to practicing a holistic approach to pasture management. Try the classic grilled items, like the roasted tri-tip sandwich or the sloppy joe. Marin Country Mart, 2405 Larkspur Landing Circle, 415.448.5810, belcampomeatco.com b $$ ∞ LD BR

EMPORIO RULLI

Italian Renowned for its Northern Italian specialties and treats, the Larkspur location (there are three others) is a favored spot for lunch as well as coffee and a sweet treat. 464 Magnolia Ave, 415.924.7478, rulli.com $$ s ∞ BL

FARM HOUSE LOCAL California This downtown Larkspur gem is sure to please with simple, healthy food in a warm, cozy atmosphere — both inside and outside on the covered

patio. The seasonal menu follows what is fresh and local with dishes such a s flu ff y omelets stu ffed with local meats, cheeses and vegetables. 25 Ward St, 415.891.8577, farm houselocal.com b $$ s ∞ BL

FARMSHOP California

Located in the Marin Country Mart since 2013, Farmshop Marin has quickly become a top spot here in the county. Indoor and outdoor seating available. Marin Country Mart, 2233 Larkspur Landing Circle, 415.755.6700, farmshopca.com s $$$ s ∞ C LD BR

LEFT BANK RESTAURANT French

Known for award-winning French cuisine and a lively brasserie ambience, this corner spot on Magnolia Avenue rates high with locals. Those with a small appetite (or budget) can opt for happy hour appetizers (4 to 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. to close, Monday to Friday), most priced under $6. 507 Magnolia Ave, 415.927.3331, leftbank.com s $$$ s ∞ C LD BR

MARIN BREWING CO.

American Grab a cold beer made on site and pair it wit h fi sh ’n’ chips — in this case fresh cod dipped in Mt. Tam pale ale batter, served with steak fries and homemade tartar sauce — or another item from the all-American menu.

Marin Country Mart, 1809 Larkspur Landing Circle, 415.461.4677, marinbrewing.com b $$ s ∞ LD º

PERRY’S American

The San Francisco mainstay has opened another new location,

this time across the bridge in Larkspur, bringing with it its wide selection of salads, steaks and comfort favorites like French onion soup. Replacing the Lark Creek Inn, the skylights bring in plenty of natural light and an expanded bar is ideal for sipping the restaurant’s famed bloody mary’s. Valet parking is offered and brunch is served on Saturdays and Sundays. 234 Magnolia Ave, 415.927.1877, perryssf.com s $$ LD º

PICCO California

Popular since its inception, Picco has a seasonally driven menu featuring items such as risotto (made every half hour) that keep patrons coming back. Pizzeria Picco next door is famous for its wood-fi red pizzas, wine selection and softserve Straus Family Creamery ice cream. 320 Magnolia Ave, 415.924.0300, restaurantpicco.com s $$$ s ∞ C D

RUSTIC BAKERY

California This homegrown bakery is known and loved the world over. In fact, Pope Francis famously requested Rustic Baker y fl atbread and crostini when he visited the United States in 2015. Bread that’s baked fresh each morning in addition to granola, cookies, mu ffi ns and croissants make this a local staple. 1139 Magnolia Ave, 415.925.1556; 2017 Larkspur Landing Circle, 415.461.9900; rusticbakery.com b $$ s ∞ BLD BR

Perry’s Club Sandwich at Perry’s, Larkspur

MILL VALLEY

BALBOA CAFE MILL

VALLEY California The San Francisco institution has become a place to see and be seen in Mill Valley, especially after 142 Throckmorton comedy nights. Menu includes Niman fl atiron steak, braised beef brisket risotto and classic burgers. 38 Miller Ave, 415.381.7321, balboacafe.com s $$$ ∞ LD BR º

BUCKEYE ROADHOUSE

American Oysters Bingo, baby back ribs and Chili-Lime “Brick” Chicken are a few of the satisfying, comfort-food menu items that have made this classic roadhouse a favorite since the ’30s. The warm, dark-wood bar with red leather booths is a popular spot for cocktails, conversations or a light meal. 15 Shoreline Hwy, 415.331.2600, buckeyeroadhouse.com s $$ C LD BR

CAFE DEL SOUL

California Healthy options become addicting ones at this Tam Valley eatery. Once you stop in for the deliciously fresh Hummus Yummus wrap, you’ll have to return to sample the Chipotle Sunrise Rice Bowl. A casual lunch spot and great for takeout, Cafe del Soul now offers a range of quinoa options. 247 Shoreline Hwy, 415.388.1852, cafedelsoul.net $ s ∞ LD

FRANTOIO

RISTORANTE Italian

This 6,000-squarefoot eatery is centered around the in-house olive press, which produces a special blend popular with locals. For

special occasions and private parties, reserve the olive-press room. The popular weekday happy hour starts at 4:30 p.m. 152 Shoreline Hwy, 415.289.5777, frantoio.com s $$$ ∞ C LD º

GRILLY’S Mexican Grilly’s is an easy and delicious stop. Pick up a couple burritos and the much-loved chicken taco salad and you have a lunch or dinner to please the whole family. 493 Miller Ave, 415.381.3278, grillys.com b $ s ∞ C BLD BR

HARMONY Chinese

Enjoy a lighter take on Chinese at this restaurant, nestled in the Strawberry Village. The barbecue pork bun is fi lled with housemade roasted meat in a savory sauce, and fresh mussels are accented with red chili and Thai basil. Pair your pick with wine, beer or tea. Be sure to check out the weekday lunch special for an excellent deal. Strawberry Village, 415.381.5300, harmony restaurantgroup.com b $$ s LD

INDIA PALACE Indian

Known as “that great restaurant in the Travelodge,” India Palace is a favorite with the takeout crowd; eating on site is also a treat.

707 Redwood Hwy, 415.388.3350, india palacemillvalley.com b $$ s LD

KITCHEN SUNNYSIDE

American This brunch stop brings some gourmet to your morning with options like Dungeness crab hash, mascarpone-stu ffed French toast, eggs Florentine and bottomless mimosas. Lunch

• EL PASEO American

This award-wining eatery in the heart of downtown Mill Valley has been voted most romantic restaurant in Northern California. Built from Mount Tam railroad ties and brick in 1947, El Paseo was restored by owner Sammy Hagar in 2009. The menu offers California and European fare and an extensive wine list. 17 Throckmorton Ave, 415.388.0741, elpaseomillvalley.com b $$$ ∞ C D

pork chop. 800 Redwood Hwy, 415.383.0600, pizzaantica.com b $$ s LD BR º

PLAYA Mexican Drawing inspiration from travels and the fresh , fl avorful cuisine served on the playa, Peter Schumacher and Bill and Vanessa Higgins, have developed a menu that blends locally sourced, organic and sustainable ingredients with a bar highlighting a selection of exceptional tequilas and mezcals. 41 Throckmorton Ave, 415.384.8871, playamv.com s $$ ∞ D

SHORELINE COFFEE

options, this is a popular stop. Raw desserts round things out. Try the namesake salad or give the cashew milk with cinnamon and vanilla a shot to see what Urban Remedy is all about. 15 E Blithedale Ave, 415.383.5300, urbanremedy.com $$ ∞ BLD

NOVATO

BOCA PIZZERIA Italian

options like paninis and burgers are also available. 31 Sunnyside Ave, 415.326.5159, kitchensunnyside.com b $$ s BL BR

LA GINESTRA Italian A favorite family spot for over 30 years; getting a table or booth here can take awhile. While this old-school Italian eatery is known for traditional pastas, veal dishes, pizzas and dry martinis, the familiar wait staff s also part of the attraction. 127 Throckmorton Ave, 415.388.0224, laginestramv.com s $$ s D

MILL VALLEY

BEERWORKS American

Known for handcrafted beers, imported and local microbrews and house-made kombucha

and root beer, this popular downtown Mill Valley neighborhood brewery is also a full-blown restaurant. Choose from a large selection of small plates, including king oyster mushrooms, roasted potatoes and grilled squid, and a small list of large portions like con fit rabbit. 173 Throckmorton Ave, 415.888.8218, mill valleybeerworks.com b $$$ D BR

PIATTI RISTORANTE AND BAR Italian The staff rides itself on capturing the warm and welcoming atmosphere of a traditional Italian trattoria. Get a table by the window or on the outdoor deck for a truly exceptional view right on the water. Peruse the impressive

selection of Italian wines to accompany your rustic seasonal meal. 625 Redwood Hwy, 415.380.2525, piatti.com s $$ s ∞ C LD BR

MOLINA California

Focusing on woodfi red, California coastal cuisine, the menu features items cooked in the famed Alan Scott oven and selected from Marin County’s farmers’ markets, including shell fi sh, oysters, rabbit, pig, quail and cattle. Both the menu and the music change nightly. 17 Madrona St, 415.383.4200, molinarestaurant.com b $$$ ∞ D BR

PIAZZA D’ANGELO

Italian It’s always a party at this longstanding hot spot. A

great place to meet up with friends for a fresh plate of pasta, or make some new friends at the bar. The menu is known for creative, seasonal dishes like the stu ffed veal loin with wild mushrooms and house-made mozzarella. 22 Miller Ave, 415.388.2000, piazzadangelo.com s $$ s ∞ C LD BR º

PIZZA ANTICA

Italian This Italianinspired restaurant in Strawberry Village offers much more than impeccably prepared thin-crust pizzas. The seasonal dishes are created with local ingredients and include chopped salads, housemade pastas, and meat, fi sh and fowl entrees, such as the Tuscan fried chicken and roasted

SHOP American Tucked away in a parking lot at Tam Junction, this coffee shop is a funky diner with a smalltown feel. Check out the mix of Mexican and traditional breakfast fare. 221 Shoreline Hwy, 415.388.9085 b $$ s ∞ BL BR

TAMALPIE Italian Owner Karen Goldberg designed this restaurant with a large group seating area, indoor and outdoor fi replaces, and a small casual bar. The food is Italian home cooking with the daily modern inspiration of locally sourced seasonal ingredients found in the salads, house-made pastas and crispy Neapolitan style pizza, with a selection of beer and wine to match. 477 Miller Ave, 415.388.7437, tamalpiepizza.com s $$ s ∞ C LD

URBAN REMEDY Juice

With a selection of juices, snacks and bowls including plenty of gluten-free, grain-free, and low-glycemic-index

Enjoy authentic pizza prepared with fresh mozzarella made in-house daily and tomatoes imported from Italy. Other menu items include grilled rosemary chicken sandwiches and braised beef short rib pappardelle. Enjoy weekly specials, such as 50 percent off all wines by the bottle on Wednesdays and half off raft beers on Thursdays. 454 Ignacio Blvd, 415.883.2302, bocapizzeria.com b $$ s ∞ C LD

LEFT COAST DEPOT

American Located in Old Town Novato, this eatery serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Menu items include sticky ribs, roasted beet and cauli flower salad and old-fashioned meatloaf. Ask your server about the nightly threecourse Depot Dinner Meal. 807 Grant Ave, 415.897.7707, leftcoastdepot.com b $$ s ∞ BLD

RUSTIC BAKERY

California Organic pastries, breads, salads and sandwiches are on the menu here, including daily seasonal specials. Try the Marin Melt — Cowgirl Creamery’s Mt. Tam and Point Reyes Toma cheeses grilled on honey whole wheat, served with dressed baby greens and crisp

Akaushi Wagyu Beef Steak

apple slices. 1407 Grant Ave, 415.878.4952, rusticbakery.com b $$ s ∞ BLD BR

THE SPEAKEASY

American There’s nothing like the comfort of a solid burger and beer when you’re kicking back and watching the game, and the Speakeasy provides you with just that. In addition to the 10 beers on tap, you can go beyond traditional pub grub with treats like a deconstructed salmon salad. 504 Alameda del Prado, 415.883.7793, thespeakeasynovato.com b º

SAN ANSELMO

COMFORTS CAFE

American Established in 1986, Comforts has a cozy sit-down patio and serves breakfast, lunch and weekend brunch. A large take-out section offers fresh bakery items, seasonal salads, soups, sandwiches and even entrees for dinner at home. Besides the famous and popular Chinese chicken salad, other winners are the stu ffed pecan-crusted French toast , fl avorful scrambles, Chicken Okasan ( nicknamed “Crack Chicken” by fans) and wonton soup.

335 San Anselmo Ave, 415.454.9840, comfortscafe.com b $$ s ∞ BL BR

L’APPART RESTO

French French specialties, local favorites and a $35 three- course prix fi xe menu are served up in an energetic yet sophisticated environment. Check out the live music on Thursdays.

636 San Anselmo Ave, 415.256.9884, lappartresto.com b $$ s ∞ LD BR

M.H. BREAD AND BUTTER California This one-stop shop offers everything from coffee and pastries to artisan bread and braised meats. High-quality ingredients and a comfortable atmosphere make MH worth checking out. 101 San Anselmo Ave, 415.755.4575, mhbreadandbutter.com $$ s ∞ BL BR

VALENTI & CO. Italian

This bright and cozy space is the ideal environment for authentic Italian dishes made with local ingredients. A seat at the chef’s table gives a prime view of the open kitchen.

337 San Anselmo Ave, 415.454.7800, valentico.com b $$$ D

SAN RAFAEL

IL DAVIDE Italian

The large selection of innovative and classic Tuscan dishes and house-made pasta has kept locals coming back for years. Ingredients are organic and locally sourced where possible, and there’s a vast selection of both Italian and California wines by the glass. Don’t leave without trying the limoncello. 901 A St, 415.454.8080, ildavide.net s $$$ s ∞ C LD

PANAMA HOTEL

RESTAURANT

American The dinner menu has a large selection — tortilla soup to wild mushroom raviolis — but it’s the Sunday brunch that will please the kids; try the Panama Wa ffle with bananas, warm chocolate sauce and whipped cream, plus a pitcher of “make-your-own” mimosas for the adults. The tropical garden is a

KATHLEEN DUGHI JEWELER

11 B ernard S treet M ill V alley 415.383.0462 www . kathleendughi . coM

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prime spot for peoplewatching. 4 Bayview St, 415.457.3993, panamahotel.com b $$$ ∞ C LD BR º

RANGE CAFE American With floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the grand Peacock Gap lawns, the Range Cafe is the perfect place for comforting American classics with an elegant twist. This inviting lunchtime cafe with its ice-cold lemonade and refreshing chardonnays makes a great dinner spot once the sun sets. 333 Biscayne Dr, 415.454.6450, rangecafe.net s $$ s ∞ C BLD º

VIN ANTICO American Vin Antico, “where passion meets the plate,” serves seasonal marketinspired cuisine like stone-oven-baked fl atbreads, handmade pastas and organic salads, all innovatively prepared. The kitchen is open to the dining room and there’s a full bar with artisan cocktails. 881 Fourth St, 415.721.0600, vinantico.com s $$ s C LD º

SAUSALITO

BARREL HOUSE

TAVERN California

Stop by Barrel House for great local food enhanced by fantastic bay and city views. The relaxed urban setting is a perfect match for the barrel-aged cocktails. 660 Bridgeway, 415.729.9593, barrelhousetavern.com s $$$ s ∞ LD º

POGGIO Italian Executive chef Benjamin Balesteri creates Northern Italian fare using fresh and local ingredients. Private dining rooms

above the restaurant can accommodate larger parties (10 to 150 guests). 777 Bridgeway, 415.332.7771, poggiotratoria.com s $$$ s ∞ C BLD

SCOMA’S OF SAUSALITO Italian The Scoma’s boat fi shes seasonally, going out from Pier 47 and is approved for salmon and Dungeness crab resulting in fresh catches year-round. The menu regularly features whole crabs, chowders, grilled fish and house specialties. 588 Bridgeway, 415.332.9551, scomas sausalito.com s $$ C LD

SUSHI RAN Japanese

Sample innovative small plates just big enough to share before enjoying some of the best sushi the Bay Area has to offer; the prices don’t deter the herd of enthusiasts who line up nightly to partake. Just stopping by? The wine, cocktail and sake lists keep even the pickiest bar fly satisfied. Reservations are required in the main room. 107 Caledonia St, 415.332.3620, sushiran.com s $$ ∞ LD

TIBURON

NEW MORNING CAFE

American Sit outside or in at this casual cafe. On a sunny morning, the place is fi lled with locals enjoying the sun and extensive breakfast menu; lunch is served as well. 1696 Tiburon Blvd, 415.435.4315 s ∞ BL

RUSTIC BAKERY

California The newest location of this beloved bakery offers the same menu as the other

locations as well as outdoor dining. Enjoy a wide selection of fresh salads, sandwiches and pastries on the boardwalk . 1550 Tiburon Blvd, 415.797.6123, rusticbakery.com b $$ s C BLD BR

SALT & PEPPER

American This sunfi lled one-room restaurant, featuring hardwood floors and blue-checkered tablecloths, is an area favorite. Popular items include scallops, ribeye steak, a beef burger and traditional crab cakes with jalapeño dipping sauce. 38 Main St, 415.435.3594 b s ∞ LD

SAM’S ANCHOR CAFE

American Sam’s deck is a popular spot for brunch on a lazy sunny Sunday, and its bar is the town’s historic watering hole, but Sam’s is also a great place for lunch or dinner. Sample a seasonal menu served all day, every day. 27 Main St, 415.435.4527, samscafe.com s $$$ s ∞ C LD BR º

SERVINO RISTORANTE

Italian Chef and owner Angelo Servino highlights organic ingredients in an array of rustic Italian dishes, including house-made pastas, wood oven pizzas, and seasonal specialties. Located on the bay in Tiburon, Servino also prides itself on itsextensive sustainable seafood program. Savor la dolce vita on the waterfront patio. 9 Main St, 415.435.2676, servino.com s $$$ s ∞ C LD BR º

TIBURON TAVERN

California The atmosphere here is enhanced by two

outdoor patios, two indoor fi replaces and fresh flowers. Happy hour is 4 to 6:30 p.m. every day. 1651 Tiburon Blvd, 415.435.5996, lodgeattiburon.com s $$ s ∞ C BLD BR º

WEST MARIN

NICK’S COVE American Nick’s Cove offers a coastal escape on Tomales Bay, serving famous barbecued local oysters, Dungeness crab mac ’n’ cheese and cocktails using home-grown ingredients. Large windows in the 130seat restaurant provide picturesque views of Tomales Bay and Hog Island. (Marshall). 23240 Hwy 1, 415.663.1033, nickscove.com s $$$ s ∞ C LD BR

OSTERIA STELLINA

California Whether it’s to cap off a ay of hiking or celebrate a romantic anniversary, Osteria Stellina suits any occasion. The menu is Italian-inspired and features local, organic ingredients. If you’re up for something unusual, try the goat shoulder, a hit with both tourists and locals (Point Reyes). 11285 Hwy 1, 415.663.9988, osteriastellina.com b $$ s LD

RANCHO NICASIO

American Known for live music and an extensive menu featuring everything from Dungeness crab cakes to garlic-rosemary lamb medallions, Rancho Nicasio is open seven days a week. Be sure to stop in for happy hour, 4 to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday. 1 Old Rancheria (Nicasio) Rd, 415.662.2219, ranchonicasio.com s $$$ s ∞ C LD BR º

The Land Collaborative

Blackstone Brunch

IN THE BAY AREA , black and orange equals Giants and since 1969, blue-andwhite checkered has meant Perry’s. Opened in Cow Hollow by New York transplant Perry Butler (pictured right), the restaurant was modeled after Martell’s on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, serving classic American-French fare. Popular from the start, Perry’s has expanded to the San Francisco Design Center, the Embarcadero, SFO and most recently to the old Lark Creek Inn address in the Victorian Murphy House. This isn’t Perry’s fi rst jaunt across the Golden Gate Bridge, however. In the 1980s, Butler operated a Perry’s outpost in Mill Valley in the spot where Piatti is now. While certain aspects of the business have been modi fied over time, Perry’s has retained a strong identity. Eggs Blackstone was a cornerstone of the Perry’s brunch menu since the beginning and is still there today, with several restaurants imitating it over the years. The dish, made with bacon, is named for the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago, which offered it as an alternative to the classic eggs Benedict made with ham. “After enjoying it there, we wanted to feature it on our menu, along with eggs Benedict,” says Butler. At Perry’s this dish comes with breakfast potatoes and a side of fruit. Here’s the recipe. perryssf.com KASIA PAWLOWSKA

Eggs Blackstone

SERVES 1

Ingredients

1 English muffin 1 tomato, sliced 3 slices of bacon, crumbled 6 eggs

1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed K cup butter, unsalted, melted Cayenne pepper, pinch Kosher salt, pinch

To Prepare

1 Cut muffin in half and toast to a warm brown color.

2 Grill tomato slices and place desired amount on the muffins. 3 Cook bacon; crumble when it hardens. Sprinkle tomato-topped muffins generously with crumbled bacon. 4 Poach two eggs. 5 Add a poached egg to each muffin. For hollandaise sauce

1 Vigorously whisk four egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl until the mixture thickens and doubles in volume. 2 Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water or use a double boiler — the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. 3 Continue to whisk rapidly, being careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will cook. 4 Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and again doubled in volume. 5 Remove from heat; whisk in cayenne and salt. 6 Cover and keep warmed until ready to use. Tip If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water before serving. To serve Top muffins generously with hollandaise.

Out & About / DINE

SAND DOLLAR

American Originally built from three barges in Tiburon in 1921, the Sand Dollar Restaurant wa s floated to Stinson that same year. Enjoy live music along with barbecued local oysters and New England clam chowder. The sunny deck is great in the afternoon (Stinson). 3458 Shoreline Hwy, 415.868.0434, stinson beachrestaurant.com s $$ s ∞ LD

STATION HOUSE

CAFE American Fresh local homegrown foods are showcased for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Stop in on weekends (5 p.m. on Sundays) for live music and wine, beer and cocktails (Point Reyes Station). 11180 Highway 1, 415.663.1515, stationhousecafe.com s $$ s ∞ C BLD BR º

SAN FRANCISCO /EAST BAY

AQ RESTAURANT & BAR California AQ takes seasonal to a new level, not only adapting the menu but also transforming the decor of the entire venue to match the weather outside. 1085 Mission St, 415.341.9000, aq-sf.com s $$$ ∞ D

BENU Asian/French Plan on a formal and sophisticated evening. The compositions on the tasting menu provide a full experience of this restaurant’s unique Asian fusion cuisine. 22 Hawthorne St, 415.685.4860, benusf.com b $$$ C D

BOULI BAR American/ Mediterranean Head to Boulettes Larder’s new bar and dining room for the savor y fl avors

of spicy lamb, feta and mint or the bittersweetness of salad topped with barberries, bulgur and pomegranate, all in a setting with handsome wood tables and an open kitchen. In the evening, the dining room can readily be reserved for small private parties of up to 24 on request. The views of the Bay Bridge punctuate an unmistakably San Francisco setting. 1 Ferry Building, 415.399.1155, bouletteslarder.com s $$$ s ∞ C BLD BR

BOXING ROOM Cajun

The Southern comfort of Louisiana, updated to fit the polished elegance of the city. Indulge in authentic Cajunstyle eats and fresh California seafood. 399 Grove St, 415.430.6590, boxingroom.com s $$$ s LD BR º

BUN MEE Vietnamese

A fun and casual lunch spot that put s a fl avorful twist on classic Vietnamese. Sit back in this playful space with a salad, bowl or sandwich and enjoy the stylish San Francisco vibes. 2015 Fillmore St, 415.800.7696, bunmee.com b $$ s ∞ LD º

CAPO’S CHICAGO

Italian If you’re craving classic Chicago-style Italian and a venue to match, the endless pizza choices and fl avorful pasta and meat selections here will more than satisfy your appetite and take you back in time to the mobster days of the 1920s. 641 Vallejo St, 415.986.8998, sfcapos.com s $$$ s ∞ D º

CLIFF HOUSE California

Great food, beautiful view and lots of history — what else could you want? An awardwinning wine list? They have that too. Not only does Cliff ouse boast a popular Sunday champagne brunch, it also focuses on local, organic, sustainable ingredients and seafood on its everyday menu. 1090 Point Lobos, 415.386.3330, cliffhouse.c s $$ s BLD

DABBA Indian Inspired by the Indian-Mexican restaurant Avatar’s in Mill Valley, this latest twist on the concept comes from tech entrepreneur Andy Mercy and former French Laundry and Spruce chef, Walter Abrams.

Applying Abrams’ precision, palate and creativity to global culinary traditions, Dabba offers worldly flavors “wrapped in a California state of mind.” 71 Stevenson St, 415.236.3984, dabba. com b $$ ∞ LD

EPIC STEAK American

An upscale meat lover’s mecca with a sophisticated atmosphere, Epic Steak’s bayside location delivers on all fronts. Professional service, choice cuts of prime rib and chocolate sou ffles are among the things that keep patrons coming back. An upstairs bar is also a happy hour favorite. 369 Embarcadero, 415.369.9955, epicsteak.com s $$$ ∞ LD º

ESPETUS CHURRASCARIA

Brazilian This steakhouse boasts a tasting menu of 14 meat courses grilled in the traditional Brazilian method. Patrons control the pace of the pri x fi xe experience with colored signal cards. 1686 Market St, 415.552.8792, espetus.com s $$$ s C LD

FRANCES California

San Francisco elegance meets comfort food. The local, seasonal menu complements any trip to the city. Bar is reserved for walk-ins, but reservations are recommended. 3870 17th St, 415.621.3870, frances-sf.com b $$$ D

HAKKASAN Chinese

The rich-fl avored slow-braised beef and the crispy duck salad are popular at this San Francisco destination. Private dining rooms are offered: the Jade Room complete with lazy Susan and the larger Dragon Room for cocktail parties or dinners. 1 Kearny St, 415.829.8148, hakkasan.com s $$$ C LD

KIN KHAO Thai Fullfl avored Thai: from spicy curries to pad kee mao (drunken noodles with pork) to off-thewall cocktails designed by Bon Vivants, this new San Francisco eatery is sure to impress. 55 Cyril Magnin St, 415.362.7456, kinkhao.com s $$$ s LD º

LA FOLIE French Chef Roland Passot serves critically acclaimed fare in this intimate, family-run restaurant located in Russian Hill but the menu highlights ingredients from farms in Marin and Sonoma and all along the Paci fic Coast and the greater Northwest. 2316 Polk St, 415.776.5577, lafolie.com s $$$ D

LOLÓ Mexican San Francisco-style Mexican cuisine fuses market-fresh ingredients with traditional dishes. The whole atmosphere is bright, colorful and festive, a reflection of Loló’s fl avor-blasted menu. 974 Valencia St, 415.643.5656, lolosf.com s $$$ s D BR

MICHAEL MINA Japanese/French Michael Mina has clearly mastered the fi ne line between award-winning art and Alaskan halibut. Each dish gives diners a delicate blend of fl avors that add up to a distinctive, luxurious dining experience. 252 California St, 415.397.9222, michaelmina.net s $$$ LD

NAMU GAJI Asian/ California A clean and natural design in a streamlined setting, where housemade shiitake mushroom dumplings and succulent grilled beef tongue are among the many options to discover. 499 Dolores St, 415.431.6268, namusf.com s $$ s LD BR º

NOPA California The easy California menu shows off oasted chicken and pork chops, with a bouquet of appetizers to set the mood. Although this S.F. destination is busy almost every night (a good sign), the wait at the legendary bar is half the fun. 560 Divisadero St, 415.864.8643, nopasf.com s D BR

PERRY’S American Perry’s, for over 45 years an institution on Union Street in San Francisco, is known for its classic American food, its warm personable service and its bustling bar. Signature

also serves a weekend brunch. Hotel Griffon, 155 Steuart St, 415.495.6500, perryssf.com s $$ s ∞ C D º

PIKANHAS BRAZILIAN STEAKHOUSE Steakhouse This all-you-can-eat steakhouse located in Point Richmond offers different cuts of beef, pork, lamb and chicken that are slowly cooked with special grills to preserve all the natural juices and fl avors. 25 W. Richmond Ave, Richmond 510.237.7585, pikanhassteak house.com b $$ s LD

try the popular grilled steak bahn mi on one of the bright red stools and stay warm with a pot of jasmine tea. 1710 Mission St, 415.878.6657, ricepaperscissors.com $$ s ∞ LD

RICH TABLE California A bright, relaxed environment for savoring fresh ingredients grown only feet from the kitchen, creative and quirky cocktails and California wine. 199 Gough St, 415.355.9085, richtablesf.com s $$$ D

SESSIONS AT THE PRESIDIO American Located just across the

from our county thanks in part to the restaurant’s partnership with Skywalker Ranch. The 100 craft beer offerings, including 24 draft options, will keep beer lovers more than satisfied. 1 Letterman Drive, 415.655.9413, sessionssf.com s $$ ∞ LD

SPAGHETTI BROS. American BIX and Fog City alums Erik Lowe and Aaron Toensing serve inventive American standards like St. Louis–style toasted raviolis and green chile-apple pie with a cheddar cheese crust. The chefs explore regional culinary tra-

Negroni-centered bar. 3213 Scott St, 415.939.2726, spaghettibrossf.com s $$$ C D

STATE BIRD PROVISIONS American With a wide variety of choices, from fresh local seafood to spicy

KEY TO SYMBOLS

s b $ $$ $$$ s ∞ C BLD BR

Full bar

Wine and beer

kimchi yuba to savory pancakes, not to mention a full range of poultry, this uncommon dim sum–style setup features a little bit of everything. 1529 Fillmore St, 415.795.1272, statebirdsf.com b $$ s D

Inexpensive ($10 or less per entree) Moderate (up to $20)

Expensive ($20 and over)

Kid-friendly Outdoor seating Private party room Seating: Breakfast, lunch, dinner Brunch Happy hour

For even more local restaurant listings, vistit us online at marinmagazine.com

MARIN ADVERTISERS SPEAK UP

ad lib

Karen Wiener and Brett Thurber, cofounders of The New

Wheel Electric Bikes

The New Wheel is the Bay Area’s electric bicycle shop. With locations in Marin County and San Francisco, we provide solutions for commutes, errands and outdoor fun. In our stores we offer a curated selection of high-quality electric and folding bicycles, courteous and professional service, and an unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction.

What is your competitive edge?

At The New Wheel, we are focused on electric bicycle solutions and committed to enhancing each customer’s long-term experience. Our competitive edge is our years of experience with how people use electric bicycles and in-depth knowledge of how the technology performs over time. We know our products inside and out, and we work hard to help people pick the best product to improve their lives.

Jennie Dito, owner of Mill Valley Potter’s Studio

Mill Valley Potter’s Studio is a ceramic arts education center. The studio offers adult classes, after-school youth classes, open studio time for adult members to practice outside of class, parent/child classes, private parties, and a variety of workshops taught by in-house instructors and guest instructors. We also have a second location in Tam Valley for advanced members that focuses on commercial work.

What is your competitive edge?

We are incredibly health conscious and keep our studio exceptionally clean; we offer awesome glazes; and we can tout the most experienced instructors in the county.

Which product or service (that you offer) is your favorite?

We offer a drop-in Friday Night on the Wheel class for people with no experience, on the second Friday of each month. This is a great activity to share with friends and family or on a date night. There aren’t many evening activity options in sleepy Mill Valley, so this is a fun and unique thing to do out on the town. We also offer some exciting hands-on workshops with alternative firing techniques such as raku and pit fires at Dillon Beach.

Briefly describe your business philosophy. Our business philosophy centers on a promise to heighten the experience and significance of choosing to cycle. We pay attention to the details so that your experience purchasing an electric bike is just the first step toward an optimistic future.

Which product or service (that you offer) is your favorite?

At The New Wheel, electric bikes are our raison d’être. Riding an electric bike is the most joyous mix of age-old and cutting-edge technology. A bicycle, seamlessly combined with a small electric motor, is like your very own secret super power. Go places you never dreamed of, see familiar sites from new perspectives, and find a renewed joy in getting to (any) where you need to go.

What makes your work worthwhile?

It is endlessly exciting to take part in the growing movement of electric bicycle riders, people who choose to ride where they need to go instead of driving. Every day we work with customers who are doing more with less and living better for it.

THE NEW WHEEL ELECTRIC BIKES, 14 E. SIR FRANCIS DRAKE BOULEVARD, LARKSPUR; 420 CORTLAND AVENUE, SAN FRANCISCO; 415.524.7362, NEWWHEEL.NET

What makes you excel at what you do? My staff. I have the best, most hardworking, inspired, committed and loyal employees. I couldn’t do this without them.

What makes your work worthwhile?

Making people happy and inspiring them to explore their creativity is the best part of running this center.

Five years from now, what changes will your business experience? Steady growth and hopefully the emergence of an online pottery store. We have a new private studio called the Wheelhouse for our advanced students and members who are interested in selling their work. It would be nice to sell our artisan items to local shops and restaurants.

MILL VALLEY POTTER’S STUDIO, 254 SHORELINE HIGHWAY, MILL VALLEY, 415.888.8906, INFO@MILLVALLEYPOTTERSSTUDIO.COM, MILLVALLEYPOTTERSSTUDIO.COM

DINE out

Deals on Meals

Enjoy local restaurants and save 30 percent on meals. Check out the participating restaurants in our “Deals on Meals” section and experience big savings. Spend only $35 for a dining certificate worth $50. Simply go to marinmagazine.com/dineout to purchase a dining certificate from a restaurant in this section and we will mail it to you. Try a new restaurant or purchase a certificate for an old favorite. A perfect gift for any occasion. Limited supply each month.

DEALS ON MEALS

Dine local — save big time!

Serving Marin County since 1954, Marin Joe’s offers award-winning food, a full bar, live music and a classic ambience. Known for our Italian cuisine, we also serve up fan favorites: steak, cheeseburger and table-side Caesar salad. We have a festive banquet room available for parties.

Marin Joe’s 1585 Casa Buena Drive 415.924.2081 Corte Madera, CA marinjoesrestaurant.com

array of dining options to satisfy the whole family. All items are freshly prepared and served in a relaxed and inviting environment.

RangeCafe Bar and Grill 333 Biscayne Drive 415.454.6450 San Rafael, CA rangecafe.net bar and grill

Sitting atop the Bay with unobstructed views, Scoma’s delights with incredibly fresh, creative food and warm, personal service. We offer steaming whole crabs, hearty chowders, clams, perfectly grilled fish and specialties. Seasonal offerings and perennial favorites keep the menu as lively as the daily catch.

Scoma’s Sausalito 588 Bridgeway 415.332.9551 Sausalito, CA scomassausalito.com

The cuisines of Nepal, India, Bhutan and Tibet make for a Himalayathemed culinary showcase at this casual eatery. We specialize in a unique regional cuisine, bringing out the best flavors in Himalayan-spiced lamb, fish, chicken, vegetables and more. We have proudly served Sausalito since 2010.

Taste of the Himalayas 2633 Bridgeway 415.331.1335 Sausalito, CA sausalitotasteofthehimalayas.com

Clothing, Jewelry, Handbags, Accessories & Gifts

Calleen Cordero

Margaret O’Leary

With a portion of profits benefiting the Global Fund for Women, In Her Shoes proves that looking good and doing good don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

Jane

TRESTLE TRAIL at Blackie’s Pasture will connect you to the area’s railroad history. It will be a place for reflection and recreation by providing a short hike to the 130-year-old trestle timbers while offering rare views of the Tiburon Peninsula and Richardson Bay. And your family or civic organization can be a part of the TRESTLE TRAIL

HERE’S HOW: Sixty “Donor Ties” will be embedded at 10-foot intervals along TRESTLE TRAIL

Each will feature a bronze plaque inscribed with a memorial, a favorite quote or message of the donor’s choosing; what is said will last forever. Each Donor Tie represents a $2,000 donation to constructing TRESTLE TRAIL

ALSO AVAILABLE are historic railroad spikes, identical to those in the Historic Rail Exhibit. A gold spike means a $900 donation; a silver spike, $600; a bronze spike, $300; and a rusty original spike represents a $150 donation. Contributors become members of the “Spike Society” and their names will appear on a plaque overlooking the Historic Rail Exhibit.

The TIBURON PENINSULA FOUNDATION is sponsoring TRESTLE TRAIL. It has already received funding from Tiburon, Belvedere, the Belvedere Community Foundation, the Tiburon Peninsula Foundation and residents and organizations of the Tiburon Peninsula. For further information, go to trestletrail.org or call 415.435.1853. Construction starts in early 2017.

Historic Trestle Timbers

Tiburon Blvd.

Historic brick and steel loft living on three levels in One Ecker Courtyard. The one bedroom, two bathroom home is accented by industrial details and features a den, lower level, media room, hobby room and wine cellar. The living / dining room is framed by a large floor to ceiling window, custom lighting and soaring 15ft+ ceilings. The sleek professional kitchen is adorned with marble subway tile back splash, a large sink and seamless Bosch stainless steel appliances. Additional features include lofted ceilings, custom closets, and wood and stone flooring.

16 JESSIE STREET #109. MALIN P. KANSAL: (650) 219-4725. OFFERED AT $1,199,500

Marin Home

FROM TOURS AND MAKEOVERS TO DECORATIVE DETAILS AND REALTOR INSIGHTS

TEAM EFFORT

When it comes time to go back to your roots, it pays to get the whole family involved.

BY LAURA HILGERS PHOTOS BY TIM PORTER

The warm gray and stone entryway is a welcome update to the ranch-style home.

FOR CAITLIN AND Bob Mitchell, buying and setting up a home in San Anselmo was a family a ffair.

Less than a year ago, the Mitchells were living in Manhattan Beach, enjoying beach life in SoCal. Bob worked as a benefits consultant, Caitlin as a teacher. But Caitlin, who grew up in Fairfax, longed to return to Marin and be closer to family, especially her mom, realtor Sue Pence.

The Mitchells had barely begun discussing a move when Caitlin visited Marin last Christmas and tagged along with Pence on a tour of open houses. Her reaction? “It’s so expensive, we’ll never be able to live here.”

But within days, Pence’s realtor friend Darlene Hanley mentioned a well-priced, off-market home in San Anselmo and suggested Caitlin take a look. The location was what Caitlin wanted — within walking distance of San Anselmo and Fairfax — and the place

needed no work. Bob, who was initially reluctant to leave Los Angeles, got on board. And picking a real estate agent was easy: Mom.

“I always thought, ‘If something good turns up, I’ll let them know,’ ” says Pence. “But this was spur of the moment, and I feel like it was meant to be their house.”

For a young couple thinking of expanding their ranks, the house is perfect. With three bedrooms (Bob uses one as an office), it’s nestled beneath three heritage oaks, it has a deck with a view, and there’s space for both entertaining and a small family.

As for the house needing no work? Caitlin, an inveterate decorator and remodeler, added, um, a few minor touches, refinishing all the floors, repainting all the walls, reconfiguring the master bath and completely gutting the kitchen.

In order to economize, she acted as her own contractor and hired subcontractors, who included her uncle (who demo’ed the kitchen),

her dad and grandfather (who painted), and the Ohio-raised Bob, who is very handy.

The kitchen, in particular, is a showstopper, with custom Shaker-style cabinets from CliqStudios, quartz countertops and Restoration Hardware filament lighting. In the middle, there’s an island from IKEA, which exemplifies the Mitchells’ approach to decorating: Caitlin, who’s a whiz at budget shopping, likes to pair high-end items with budget buys. In their living room, she accented Sunrise Home furniture with pillows and with accessories from the discount store HomeGoods. And in the master bedroom, she mixed Pottery Barn bedding with a headboard from Overstock.com and placed a French-style chair from a small store in Manhattan Beach alongside.

But the Mitchells’ biggest secret weapon in creating a stylish home was family. Con fi rming, for them, that you can go home again, and it can be awfully sweet. m

THE DETAILS

WHERE THEY PURCHASED The hills near downtown San Anselmo

WHAT THEY BOUGHT An updated 1954 ranch-style home

LISTING AGENT Eric Gelman, Bradley Real Estate

SELLING AGENT Sue Pence, Coldwell Banker

STATS Price per square foot for homes in the neighborhood: $650–$750

Opposite page: The great room, with foyer, living room and dining area. This page, clockwise from top-left: The deck, which overlooks the San Anselmo hills; the completely renovated kitchen; a lamp; the master bedroom; a bathroom floral arrangement; the Mitchells, with dogs.

Feel the Heat

Spend more time outdoors with these heaters, lanterns and fire elements.

BY PJ BREMIER

WHEN COOLER SEASONS approach and the days grow shorter, the warmth of the indoors may naturally beckon. Why hurry in, though? Just because it’s getting colder, there’s no need to abandon the great outdoors. Cast away the fall calendar and extend your evenings. Gather with friends around a crackling fi replace, roast marshmallows over an open fi re pit, share a meal at a fi re table or cozy up under unobtrusive overhead heaters.

1 Lotus Firetable (48-inch round), uses natural gas or propane, $3,870, 415.331.1603, terrapatio.com 2 Plodes Studio Geometric Steel Fire Pit, available in two sizes and two types of steel, with optional cedar top, $1,195 to $2,145, 415.638.4700, dwr.com

3 Nest Lantern, uses natural gas or propane, available in a choice of two finishes, $2,200 to $3,100, 707.933.8286, villa-terrazza.com

4 Redford Outdoor Fireplace by Landmann, $186.99, 415.927.1499, brookstone.com 5 Infrared Floor Telescoping Patio Heater, $580, 415.924.8919, restorationhardware.com

COLDWELL BANKER (NRT) GLOBAL PARTNERS:

The Corcoran Group, with 25 offices in New York, The Hamptons and South Florida.

Hamptons International, with over 85 offices in and South of London.

Exquisite Tiburon View Estate

Sophistication, elegance & luxury, this exquisite 7BR/8.5BA, gated Tiburon Estate with stunning Bay views has it all plus, access to a rare and private sandy beach. The 6BR main house features stunning architectural design with soaring ceilings and walls of windows, a gourmet kitchen with professional appliances, a media room and a spacious family room that opens to the gorgeous pool area with an infinity edge pool, spa and an outdoor kitchen.

Offered At $7,250,000

Kathleen Stranton

(415) 497-3410

Amazing Sausalito & Bay Views

Hills & bay views; private drive, and cul-de-sac location; minutes to the City & the charming seaport town of Sausalito, this home has been rebuilt from the foundation up; Approx. $1.6M invested in new foundation; use of green sensitive building materials, appliances & systems; hi-end, water filtration system; skylights; expansive wrap-around decking; spacious guest suite addition w/deck; additional bonus room with 1/2 bath.

Offered At $2,997,000

Glenn Roberts (415) 516-5782

Tiburon Luxury with Amazing Views

Breathtaking views of the San Francisco skyline, Corinthian Yacht Harbor, downtown Tiburon and San Francisco Yacht Harbor. Recently transformed, this rare and unique home was originally zoned R-2, a legal non-conforming duplex. This single family home, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms with additional attic space, is on Mar West just steps from downtown Tiburon.

Offered At $2,400,000

(415) 515-7010

Sophisticated Mill Valley Escape

Nestled on a quiet street on an almost 10,000 sq. ft. fully-fenced lot, this 4BR/2.5BA home enjoys Mt. Tam views & privacy. There are two large level areas, including a flagstone patio, for play, entertaining, or gardening. High ceilings & floor to ceiling windows accentuate the nature all around, allowing each room to fill with natural light and views. Many special design features and exquisite taste exhibited throughout.

Offered At $1,750,000

Stella Perone (415) 259-8326

Lyndasue Johnson

Coveted Sleepy Hollow

Rarely available single level home on a large flat lot. This magical, updated property boasts a chef’s kitchen with Sub Zero fridge and Thermador gas range, master suite, vaulted ceilings and newly refinished hardwood floors. Spacious living spaces include 4BR/3BA with a master suite, living, dining & family rooms. Enjoy an idyllic indoor/outdoor lifestyle with large front & back yards, patios & decks. One block to Sleepy Hollow pool/clubhouse. Award winning San Anselmo schools. Eric Gelman (415) 686-1855

Offered At $1,745,000

Serenity in Kentfield

Traditional home with 3BR/3BA+ plus loft/den in Kentfield’s Murray Park. Approximately 3,000 sq.ft.of living space in this expansive home ready for a new owner to inspire with their finishing touches. Indoor/outdoor living with large front deck and great view of Mt. Tam and the surrounding hills. Terraced back yard with hot tub. “Tiny House” outbuilding great for craft, hobby, or guest space.

Offered At $1,699,000

Paul Cingolani (415) 726-9630

Stunning City and Serene Hillside Views

Spacious multilevel townhouse in a convenient location, provides easy access to Tiburon shops, restaurants, ferry, theater & schools. Enter through a cozy patio. A spacious living room with a fireplace opens to a quiet deck with panoramic views. The entry level features a large dining room and updated kitchen with granite counters, center island and breakfast bar. The master suite features a wall of closets and opens to a private deck with sauna.

Offered At $1,699,000

C.Jay Key (415) 699-5747

Natural Setting in Mill Valley

Just a few steps off Panoramic Hwy. View Mt. Tam and the Bay from your deck or family room. Go a few steps in front of your property to see sweeping views of coastal hills and the ocean. Only about half a mile to the Mountain Inn, Mt. Tam State Park and trails. Mill Valley schools! Commute about 10 miles to the Golden Gate Bridge. Bonus room attached to garage for studio, office, yoga, workshop, more! 3BR/2BA.

Offered At $1,149,000

Gene Laico (415) 595-7091

"Buyers and sellers naturally mi grate from San Francisco to Marin County. Is it the exceptional weather, endless recreation, great schools, short commute to the city, or the vast array of small towns offering endless lifestyle choices? Whatever your choice may be, a Realtor with hyper local knowledge is key. Having lived, bought, sold, and built in both locations, I am able to offer my clients in depth knowledge and experience to assist with their real estate needs. Please contact me and see how I can assist you."

Matt

Resort-Like Retreat in Mill Valley

views & beautiful updates on one of old Mill Valley’s most sought-after blocks, perfectly sited for sun & views. Soaring ceilings in the great

Luxury remodel of a distinguished heritage

wall of glass sliding doors open to gorgeous infinity lap pool & resort-like gardens. Indoor-Outdoor living at its best! In addition to the 3 spacious bedrooms, there is a separate office, a den, and an office nook off the master. So many lovely features: Library with coffered ceilings, built-in bookcases, fireplace, reading nook, new kitchen with gorgeous custom cabinetry & Brazilian granite countertops. Luxurious master suite with fireplace, balcony, heated bathroom floors. This is a great walking neighborhood: near the steps path to downtown (7 min walk) as well as open space hiking trails. www.MillValleySunnyHeights.com | Offered at $3,095,000

77 OLEMA BOLINAS ROAD #B

Offered at $9,500,000

Neal Ward 415.269.9933 or Glen Williams 415.465.4423

260 DEL CASA DRIVE

Offered at $3,600,000

Lotte Moore 415.412.7471 or Sarah Kowalczyk 415.464.7484

25500 STATE ROUTE 1 HIGHWAY

Offered at $3,000,000

Neal Ward 415.269.9933 or Glen Williams 415.465.4423

52 CRESCENTE AVENUE

Offered at $1,995,000

Marla Moresi-Valdes 415.971.2535

Offered at $1,775,000

Lynn Reid 415.559.2814

214 RICHARDSON STREET

Offered at $1,695,000

Darwin Tejada 415.351.4632

31 MAGDALENA COURT

Offered at $1,800,000

Ann Murphy 415.317.6731

10 MAIN DOCK

Offered at $749,000

Steve Sekhon 415.480.4562

On the tranquil waters of the Seadrift Lagoon rests a double-wide lagoon house affectionately called “Casa Suenos”. This home is the perfect Seadrift retreat. The home features 120 feet of waterfront decks perfect for preparing for paddle boarding. There is a guest house completely separated from the main house with kitchenette too. Wonderfully beachy and casual, this is the summer house that you get to enjoy year round.

OFFERED AT $3,995,000

On a quiet cul-de-sac, just 35 minutes from San Francisco, is one of the most charming and dramatic beach houses. This quintessential beach cottage/compound is a seductive blend of sand, wood, charm and privacy. The elevated master bedroom will provide all the tranquility needed to melt away stress. The home is tastefully decorated to provide relaxed living that only the beach provides. Life is better at the beach!

OFFERED AT $2,995,000

Classic Arts and Crafts style beach house and just a few houses back from the sand. The house was built in 1997 on a 4,800 square foot lot. There is mahogany and wainscoting throughout with an airy and open upstairs master suite. There are white water ocean views from the upstairs. This beach house is spacious with 3 bed and 2 bath (2 bed and 2 bath on tax records).There is a gentle transition from inside to outside hot tub retreat and garden. The yard is completely fenced and the property has a great vacation rental history.

OFFERED AT $2,400,000

I needed a place to explore.

Inspired by the original 1907 home, this fabulous property features many period details. The pancake-flat lot is partly shaded by a private Redwood grove, and over a .25 acre to relax and enjoy year round.

“Villa Marin is my home”

Young-Ju began her competitive dancing career two years ago, competing in the 51 and up international standard group. She loves the activities at Villa Marin and the security of knowing that when she’s traveling, her home is secure. Live life to the fullest and enjoy an active lifestyle in our hilltop community. Call us today for a private tour or attend our next Open House on September 18th from 2-4pm to see all that Villa Marin has to offer.

65 Los Ranchitos, San Rafael. This meticulously remodeled single-level modern ranch is situated on more than an acre of mostly-level land in the sought-after Los Ranchitos neighborhood of San Rafael. The exquisite attention to detail and pride of ownership of this special property is obvious upon approaching the custom gates that welcome you up the long, private drive which delivers you to this secluded, modern oasis. With four bedrooms and two bathrooms, this home features gleaming hardwood oors and beautiful custom woodwork

throughout including crown molding, wainscoting and custom cabinet work. The open-concept oor plan lends itself to today’s modern lifestyle. The home’s living area is extended beyond its exterior walls with multiple outdoor living rooms thoughtfully planned around an expansive level lawn area making the dream of California indoor/outdoor living a reality. Everything has been done for you with the nest attention to detail. Just move right in and enjoy all that this special property has to o er. 65LosRanchitos.com

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Stellar Coastal Estate. Hidden away on 13.25 sun-warmed acres is a beautiful country residence overlooking panoramic ocean views of West Marin’s coastline to San Francisco, whose nighttime lights twinkle in the distance. A custom home, guest quarters, and stable are complemented by extensive grounds that include meadows, woodland, orchards, and a vegetable garden. Ancient redwoods soar skyward along a trail to a natural pond replete with native habitat and abundant wildlife. This extremely private setting is surrounded by some of the most magni cent parkland anywhere, and is less than an hour’s drive north from the Golden Gate Bridge. 5745StateRoute1.com $5,450,000

280Belvedere.com

You may find it hard to leave the deck, that is, to pull away from the enveloping Bay views from this terraced, island hideaway in Belvedere. But you’re in luck - the vistas command attention from room to room, level to level and terrace to terrace. This solid, timber constructed home has been considerately renovated into a contemporary residence that feels part beach house, part nautical retreat and utterly captivating. Living/great room with vaulted, exposed beam ceilings, a soaring brick fireplace, floor-to-ceiling glass walls and French doors opening to a wrap-around deck overlooking Richardson Bay, San Francisco Bay, the city skyline, Golden Gate Bridge and north to Mount Tamalpais. The residence comprises three levels; a lower level with two en suite bedrooms, ample storage and a wine cellar; a main level with living and dining areas, kitchen and view side deck lounge; and an upper level with en suite bedroom and a master suite with sweeping views, private balcony, lavish master bath and walk-in closet, both flooded with natural light. Three fireplaces, an al fresco dining terrace, separate studio/office with half bath, and a four-car, covered tandem parking complete this hidden haven above the shore.

Fine Food

BY JIM WOOD

POSTMARKED 1910, THIS postcard shows Bolinas’ main street looking much as it does today, except now the road is paved and crowded with cars. The Joseph G. Petar General Mercantile at left is now Bolinas Market, and little has changed in the past 107 years. Joseph’s brother Louis Petar, who built the handsome homes on the right, constructed this building in 1909. While Joseph Petar ran the store, Louis captained The Owl, a motorized boat that commuted between Bolinas and San Francisco transporting the area’s food and dairy products to city markets and restaurants. Food production has been central to coastal Marin since agriculture was introduced to the region in the mid-1800s. Today, area food producers are internationally recognized for innovation, high-quality products and commitment to stewardship of the land. Bolinas Museum is presenting Bounty: Fine Food Production in Coastal Marin — 1834 to the 21st Century from September 24 to December 31, featuring exhibits, talks and art celebrating local agriculture. Farmers and ranchers from Tomales to Point Reyes Station to Muir Beach are participating. Visit bolinasmuseum.org for more information. m

Louis captained

Coastal Marin has a long history of feeding Bay Area residents.

The Owl, a motorized boat that commuted between Bolinas and San Francisco transporting the area’s food and dairy products to city markets and restaurants.

OSKA

153 Throckmorton

Mill Valley, CA 94941 415 381 1144

OSKA

310 Center Street Healdsburg, CA 95448 707 431 7717

Shop online millvalley.oska.com

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