Vacations Blog

This local’s perspective on Carmel comes from Nancy Brown. Nancy, a new contributor to the UpTake blog, enjoyed our “Revealed” series and wanted to ring in on a town she knows and loves. Nancy considers herself a “wannabe local” of Carmel and has indeed spent a lot of time there. She has shared some valuable inside information with us on this beautiful area. I can’t wait to head down and try out the many sensational restaurants mentioned or to just sit and “listen to the lull of the crashing surf”. You can also check out Nancy’s great writing on her blog, What a Trip, or read her contributions to the Contra Costa Times Lamorinda Sun. Enjoy!

1. Give five adjectives that you would use to describe the “feel” of Carmel and its residents?

Artistic, creative, educated, worldly and wealthy

2. What is your favorite neighborhood/area of Carmel?

Anyone who has visited the charming village of Carmel-by-the-Sea remembers the Hansel and Gretel thatched roof cottages with names such as Sea Change and the lack of street numbers on the houses. I’d like to share another part of Carmel that Uptake readers might not be familiar with. When Carmel beach is socked in with fog as thick as a cotton ball, visitors should take a tip from the locals and drive inland to Carmel Valley. The valley offers nearly year-round sunshine, less traffic and wonderful hiking, biking, dining and wine tasting opportunities.

3. Which cuisine do you think Carmel does best? What is the runner-up?(feel free to share your favorite restaurant)

True foodies have died and gone to heaven when they arrive in Carmel. My mother lives in Carmel, so I visit quite often and we have never run out of excellent restaurants. Here in California and specifically Monterey County its all about local ingredients from Earthbound Farms, to Sea Harvest Fish Market, be it land or sea, it must be fresh. For high-end dining, Marinus at Bernardus Lodge is excellent, while Grasing’s on Mission Street in downtown Carmel offers close by dining. For casual dining with a Hawaiian flair try Billy Quon’s new Volcano in Carmel Valley.

4. What is the best free thing to do?

Point Lobos State Reserve, with its headlands, coves and meadows, offers visitors views of migrating gray whales (from December to May), seals, otters and shorebirds. The $10 per vehicle entrance fee is waived if you walk in.

5. What is your favorite type of entertainment?

If you are looking for action and night life you’ll need to visit nearby Monterey. Carmel restricts amplified outdoor music. My favorite entertainment in Carmel is sitting on the deck with a Carmel Valley glass of wine and listening to the lull of the crashing surf.

6. List the best family friendly activity?

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is excellent for multiple generations. The newly renovated Splash Zone will appeal to the younger set, while the Outer Bay Exhibit offers benches to sit and be entertained as you watch sharks, tuna and turtles swim by. Carmel River State Beach offers a less crowded alternative to the scenic Ocean Avenue beach.

7. What spot would you send a couple, looking for a romantic weekend?

I’d recommend a day driving to Big Sur, returning in time for sunset cocktails at the Highlands Inn, dinner at Casa Nova or Anton and Michel and an ocean view room at the Tickle Pink Inn.

8. Describe the perfect day…one that captures what your area/city is all about? In three sentences or less.

Begin with breakfast at Katy’s Place on Mission, then drive to Julia Pfeiffer State Park and hike in the redwoods. On your way back to Carmel, stop at the Big Sur River Inn to dangle your toes in the water and listen to the band play before you head back to your hotel room overlooking the ocean.

9. Tell us about a place that you love to go whether it is in the guidebooks or not.

The Forge in the Forest is sure to be in every guidebook because it’s been around forever. I’ve been coming here for the salad and quiche since my college days in the 80’s. Carmel is a dog friendly town and the Forge is no exception. The restaurant includes a dog pound patio with outdoor heat lamps and fire pits.

10. What question did we not ask that we should have (and answer it, of course!)?

“What is the best time of year to visit Carmel?”

Like San Francisco, Carmel is often blanketed with a thick layer of fog in the summer time. It always amuses me to see visitors freezing in their shorts and sun dresses wearing their newly purchased “I Heart Carmel” sweatshirts. When you visit Carmel, wear layers of clothing. The best time to visit Carmel is in the spring and fall; preferably during a non-holiday weekend.

Want to be our next “local expert”? Send us an e-mail or comment on this post!

Thanks to Kobuta for the stunning Carmel beach photo.

This week, Governor Schwarzenegger asked Californians to not buy fireworks in the counties and cities that still allow them, citing the recent and current California fires. And Watsonville has banned fireworks sales this year, with a unanimous vote by city council members. Personally, I like to find myself a good, old-fashioned town parade to celebrate Independence Day, and in the Bay Area, we have several options:

Marin Mommies has put together a great piece on the celebrations in Marin County, including parades in Corte Madera-Larkspur, Novato and Sausalito. They also list some of the local fireworks displays around the Bay.

In the East Bay, 4th of July parades can be found in Alameda (theme: Clean and Green), Vallejo with the Vallejo Symphony Orchestra, and in Danville, residents will celebrate the 150^th anniversary of the city and 50^th anniversary of Hay Days with a parade starting at 9am on July 4^th.

Near the UpTake offices, you can check out the Redwood City Parade and Family Fun, also celebrating their 70^th anniversary. Cupertino holds a pancake breakfast before setting off on their parade. And in Santa Cruz county, you can celebrate with parades and events in Watsonville, Boulder Creek and Aptos (this last parade features Great Pyrenes dogs in their parade!)

Our family is going to celebrate locally this year, heading over to our community pool and joining in on the annual Great Decorated Bike Parade, a wonderful photo opportunity! What are your plans this Independence Day?

Join fellow Clevelanders on July 4^th, 2008, to celebrate Independence Day on Public Square. Be a part of the Cleveland Orchestra’s 19^th annual free Public Square concert, “A Star Spangled Spectacular.” This year’s main festivities take place on Wednesday, July 2, at 9:00 pm EST.

Don’t wait until 9:00 to show up, though. Prior to the concert you and your family can enjoy musical entertainment on Cleveland’s historic Public Square. The pre-concert festival features a broad range of Northeast Ohio music groups. It begins at 4:00 pm and runs until 8:15pm.

“A Star Spangled Spectacular” will be led by guest conductor Giancarlo Guerrero and will also feature soprano Indra Thomas. The program, which will be hosted by WCPN’s Dee Perry, will include a tribute to Leroy Anderson in celebration of the composer’s 100th birthday. This year’s concert will also celebrate the 200th birthday of Cuyahoga County.

It wouldn’t be the Fourth of July if the evening didn’t conclude with Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, followed by a fireworks display certain to bring out the patriot in everyone in attendance. Be sure that you and your family are on the scene to celebrate.

Tara Cosgrove is our most recent “local” contributor. Tara works for Sticky Fingers Travel Ltd an Irish company dedicated to providing information to parents who wish to travel with their children. Sticky Fingers is run by parents and all of their travel is researched by parents for parents. They provide independent and unbiased advice on family friendly holidays and accommodation, activities with children and things to do and see so that you can plan the perfect family holiday. It is a great site and Tara gives us great insight into her hometown of Dublin.

1. Give 5 adjectives that you would use to describe the “feel” of your town and its residents.
Vibrant, young, friendly, changing and fun

2. What is your favorite neighborhood in your town?
Dublin has so many great areas but my favourite has to be the heritage town of Dalkey which is about 10 miles from the centre of town. It is on the sea and has castles, artsy shops, great beaches, hill walks, an island with a Martello tower on it and seals in the harbour. It also has great restaurants and bars. Despite the fact that it is now home to lots of rock stars and formula one drivers it has retained a great village atmosphere (my granny still gets stopped on the street at least six times a day for a chat!).

3. Which cuisine do you think your town does best? What is the runner-up?
I am not sure if Guinness qualifies as a cuisine but it is definitely Dublin’s signature dish. It is still made right in the city centre and the smell of the hops can waft all the way down the river life on occasions. As a runner up we do great seafood here and several Irish restaurants have been awarded new Michelin star this year. A word of warning though for a Friday or a Saturday night book weeks in advance as the best restaurants get booked up really early.

4. What is the best free thing to do?
The beaches are great and as Dublin is on a bay there are plenty of them. Killiney beach is my favourite and you can get the Dart (our train system) right to the entrance. Walking the pier in Dun Laoghaire is also a great day out and you can reward yourself with a legendary Teddy’s ice-cream if you keep up the pace. Our Festivals are also great and we have just had the World Street Performance Championships here and there is always of course the St. Patricks Day Festival.

5. What is your favorite type of entertainment?
A night out with friends or family to relax and absorb the great banter and atmosphere of Dublin nightlife. There are often four or five conversations going at the one time so it is hard to keep up sometimes. The Irish still love to talk.

6. List the best family friendly activity.
A day at the beach or at the park with a picnic would be my top pick followed closely by Dublin Zoo which is always a great day . We all come home exhausted.

If you are interested in parks, my favourites would be St. Stephen’s Green which is right at the top of Grafton Street, the best shopping street in Dublin and Herbert Park in Ballsbridge which has ducks to feed (but you need to get there early as they get pretty choosy as the day goes on) playgrounds, tennis courts and great planting. Further out I love Powerscourt Waterfall which has a 121 ft. waterfall and is a favourite area for family picnics, with woodland walks, a playground and masses of space and Knocksink Woods in Enniskerry which is quieter and great for a crispy winter walk in your wellington boots.”

7. What spot would you send a couple, looking for a romantic weekend?
The Merrion Hotel in Dublin 2 is a splendid hotel in a Georgian terrace just opposite our government buildings. The rooms in the older part of the building are best if the budget can stretch to it. There are great common rooms with log fires for lounging about in and two in house restaurants so you do not have to set foot outside.

8. Describe a perfect day…one that captures what your area/city is all about. In 3 sentences or less.
Breakfast at home with the kids with a sneaky look at the Irish Times Saturday edition. A walk in the local park followed by some lunch or a BBQ with friends or family to catch up on all the craic (that means fun here in Ireland) during the week and then a few drinks to finish off the day at home or out for dinner

9. Tell us about a place that you love to go, whether it is in the guidebooks or not.
Dalkey Hill has the most amazing views of Dublin and takes my breath away every time.

10. What should we have asked, but didn’t?
Where not to go–like every big city Dublin has an edgy side so do get local knowledge about areas to avoid if you are not sure.

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

I’ve been asked by the editors to participate in a meme called Thursday Thirteen. Coming up with thirteen of anything seemed impossible at first, unless you asked me to list the number of ways I can order a cappuccino at Starbucks.

But then I remembered a dilemma I face almost daily living in Los Angeles, the land of the Perpetually Primped. How can I, a working mom, go out in public with the least amount of personal grooming? And most importantly, avoid running into anyone I know lest they judge my haggard appearance? After all, this is L.A., where most women wouldn’t dare leave the house without lipstick, two coats of mascara and a Botox injection – and that’s just to get the mail.

Thursday Thirteen – Thirteen Places You Can Go In Los Angeles Without Makeup

1. The ‘scary’ grocery story in your neighborhood. I prefer our local downtrodden market to the more upscale version located a few blocks closer. So what if all the cashiers are missing half their teeth? It’s worth it if I don’t have to run into any of those moms glowing after their seaweed peels and three-hour facials.
2. Art-house movie at any Laemmle Theater – Although it appears that my highbrow taste is the motivation for attending subtitled films about lonely cobblers finding love during WWII, the real reason is there’s not a chance that any of the other three people in the theater is someone I know.
3. Chuck E. Cheese – My kids outgrew this place years ago, but I still long for those days of being able to blend in with the other hundred frantic, pasty-faced parents scarfing down pizza while their toddlers run wild.
4. Jury Duty – If you’re trying to get out of serving, appearing as unkempt as possible will work in your favor here. No one’s going to want you deciding the fate of another human being when you look like someone who can’t even brush their own hair.
5. The Car Wash – This only applies to those venues that let you stay in your vehicle while your van hits the suds. Resist the temptation to get out and pick up another fake-pine air freshener or pair of cheap sunglasses.
6. Gas Stations – I try to look as unattractive as possible when pumping gas, in order to discourage panhandling. However, I was given five bucks by a homeless guy once and told to go get a good haircut.
7. Any 7-Eleven – For obvious reasons.
8. Bally’s Total Fitness, Between 11pm and 6am ONLY – Trying to get on a treadmill during normal business hours without a full face of makeup in L.A. will result in a severe ass-kicking by other gym patrons forced to stare at your ugly mug.
9. Any fast food drive-thru – No one will ever see you ordering your super-sized monster taco meal while looking like you just woke up from a fifty-year nap.
10. Target, Sepulveda Blvd. in Van Nuys – This Target is a mecca for overworked, overwhelmed parents and it shows. I feel right at home amongst the tattered-sweatpants crowd. Drive over the hill to Sunset and Vine, though, and every single person looks like they’re from the cast of The Hills.
11. The Dry Cleaners – What person in their right mind would get gussied up to pick up a bunch of sweaters?
12. Ross Dress For Less, Mervins, Marshalls or anywhere else you can get a coat for under ten dollars – See #7
13. Sorry, but there really are only twelve places in L.A. that you can go looking like a hag.

OVERVIEW:
UpTake’s Director of Online Research and Knowledge (DORK) is looking for a personal assistant to manage his identity on social networking sites. If you are a twittering, blogging, online socialite with mad skillz, this is an exciting opportunity to work closely with an industry leading DORK.

REQUIREMENTS:
* You are the Emily Post of social media. Well you’re actually not anything like Emily Post because she would be way too uptight for social networks, but if she were born in 1980 or so and applied her craft to social networks, that would be you.
* Not only will you be able to return (on DORK’s behalf) and respond to all the ridiculous new high-tech ways of saying “Hi” on Facebook (e.g. Vampire Bites, Pie in the Face, Movie Quiz, Wedgie, Super-Duper-Wall) you must also be able to initiate barrages of new “hey what’s up, dude”? attacks to all DORK’s friends.
* Specifically be good at playing that which-celebrity-belongs-to-which-buttocks game. The DORK longs to be known as a celebrity-buttocks-guessing champ. Experience in outsourcing to lower cost and more buttocks-knowledgable countries is a bonus.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
Make key decisions and define policies including:

* Should the DORK be a link-hoe and accept links from anyone who offers? Or should he at least know the people he is linked to? Is it wise to play hard to get?
* Should the DORK reject people who he doesn’t want to be friends with, or just ignore them? Is there a difference? (Like, if you reject a request, do they get a message “dude, you got so flushed”?)
* Initiate weekly spam attacks against friends who have in the past sent more than three stupid application invitations to the DORK.
* Establish a policy for DORK’s family – when he sends a link request to his children, how much should the bribe be to accept?
* A side responsibility would be to help the DORK keep track of which lies about himself he told on which dating sites and figure out how to keep that girl from Lavalife from posting online date reviews about the DORK.
* If the DORK twitters more than 5 times in one day, does that mean he’s a narcissist?

COMPENSATION:
* If the DORK can have the feeling that Facebook is once again a useful tool for staying in touch with friends instead of being spammed by them, then you will have done a great job and will be paid handsomely.
* For each new real-life friend that the DORK actually knows (and doesn’t just have a link to) you will get a bonus.
* Each time one of the DORK’s online friends compliments him on his Facebook, LinkedIn, or My-Fashizzle web site, you will receive one ringtone.

We welcome suggestions on how to improve our service for you. Please email us your feedback – the good, the ugly, the things we should add and what needs to be fixed! We appreciate your input.

This week’s local interview comes from an UpTake mom–as in, the mom of an UpTake employee! That’s right- we will scour far and wide to find a local expert for these posts, but, we aren’t above looking in our own backyard either. Katherine Daniels has never lived on San Juan Island, but her husband Jim has and he was called in as an advisor for the post. They have also spent many a vacation exploring this beautiful island and all it has to offer. Katherine does a great job of describing this scenic island and all that there is to do. I especially liked her description of the great Pig War and would love to be on a boat tour that got up close and personal to Orcas and seals! Enjoy!

1. Give five adjectives that you would use to describe the “feel” of San Juan Island and its residents?

Opulent, beautiful, laid-back, nature-loving, off-the-grid

2. What is your favorite neighborhood/area of San Juan Island?

Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor are the two largest areas with accommodations. Though Roche Harbor is more picturesque, in my opinion, I really like Friday Harbor as a base camp. It’s got much more to do and many more places to stay. It’s a real, little island town.

3. Which cuisine do you think San Juan Island does best? What is the runner-up?(feel free to share your favorite restaurant)

Fresh Northwest inspired cuisine. There were surprising, high-star restaurant meals to be found for discerning tastes. We had a dinner at The Bluff (the Inn’s restaurant) that could rival a four to five star restaurant in Seattle. Also, Duck Soup Inn was picturesque and served delicious food (the Thai, Thom Ka seasoned steamed mussels were outstanding). It’s about 15 minutes outside Friday Harbor and involves a charming short drive (past the camel – see below).

4. What is the best free thing to do?

Drive around and explore the island on your own. I guess “driving” isn’t free, but the island is really worth exploring and you’ll need a car to do it. We saw incredibly different landscapes for such a small island. I photographed a variety of wild foxes (they were all over the south side of the island), Eagles and eagle nests, seals and otters (mostly on the west side of the island). I also saw a camel in someone’s backyard pen on the short drive to a great restaurant – Duck Soup Inn. Krystal Acres is an alpaca farm with dozens of alpaca to photograph, there’s no fee to enter the farm and they have a great country store of products made from their wool (they feel like cashmere).

5. What is your favorite type of entertainment?

Whale and Nature tours, via boat. This was a great experience. You don’t get the true feel for the San Juan Islands until you’re weaving in and out of them on the water. It’s one of the leading Orca (Killer Whale) sites in the world and several pods of Orca hang out around the island. The boat captains on the whale tours share the current locations of the whales and you speed off to see the pods. There are also other whales to see, as well as Stellar sea lions, eagles, seals, colorful starfish and more. Personally, I’d try the kayak tours next time, in addition to one of these whale-watching tours.

6. List the best family friendly activity.

A whale-watching trip after visiting the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor. The boats are large, safe and have bathrooms. Just make sure to bring a light jacket – this is a marine climate and can vary.

7. What spot would you send a couple, looking for a romantic weekend?

Friday Harbor House – get a room with a view overlooking the harbor. There are some remote B&Bs that could be fun, too. If you’ve got a car, nothing is too far to drive to on the island.

8. Describe the perfect day…one that captures what your area/city is all about– In three sentences or less.

Havea great breakfast at your B&B or Inn and then head out to a kayak or whale watching tour for the day. Or, if you’ve done that already, pack a picnic from one of the many Friday Harbor restaurants, get a simple map and drive the island, eating at Lime Kiln Point State Park (near the lighthouse). End with drinks next to a fire pit overlooking the harbor (or just drink somewhere overlooking the water) before you eat your fabulous dinner at Friday Harbor House’s restaurant.

9. Tell us about a place that you love to go whether it is in the guidebooks or not.

There’s this whole sordid history of the island that occurred back in the mid-1800s. The great Pig War. The short story is that the ownership of the island was in dispute, so the Americans set up a camp on the south end of the island, the British set up English Camp on the northwest side. There were never any war-related deaths, but a pig was killed when it got into the wrong garden and started a ruckus between the two. A German King settled the issue and America got possession of the island.

But, here’s the good part – The American Camp is a National Park and it has (by natural fate) a huge, bald eagle’s nest within viewing distance of the parking lot. Both eagles were in the nest when I was there, with eggs. The parent eagles have successfully raised eaglets for over 15 years in this location. The park ranger will tell you all about them.

10. What question did we not ask that we should have (and answer it, of course!)?

“How do you get to and from Friday Harbor (unless you have a private boat)?”

Why, you take the Washington State Ferry. It’s really fun for those of us who don’t ride ferries too often. You can walk on or drive on with your car at Anacortes, WA. There’s a ferry schedule online. You can get on a direct ferry route to Friday Harbor, or take an island hopper and see a few other islands in the San Juans. It’s almost as good as being on a whale watching boat trip (not really, but ALMOST), so make sure you’re by a big window or out on the ferry deck to see the sights.

Want to share, brag, or tell about your town? If so, send an e-mail or comment on this post- then you can be our next local expert!

Thanks to SoggyDan for the beautiful Friday Harbor picture.