The James Johnston House, located on a rolling Half Moon Bay hillside overlooking the Pacific, is…read morean architectural gem hidden in plain sight. It is also one of the rarest historic houses on the California coast, a "Yankee-style" white saltbox building constructed by Johnston for his wife, Petra Maria de Jara, between 1853-55. After languishing in a state of poor repair for years, local conservationists formed a foundation in 1971 to preserve this amazing structure, which is open the third Saturday a month from 11 AM - 3 PM for guided tours. There is also an annual holiday boutique two weekends in November where the rooms are all decorated and local vendors sell arts and crafts. If you are lucky enough to be in the area when the house is open, you will be treated to a fascinating glimpse into Bay area history during the decades that followed the California gold rush. Most people will drive by on Highway 1 without ever noticing this famous "white house of Half Moon Bay." We only stumbled across it while shopping one Saturday on Main Street and followed a few signs directing us to the parking lot on Higgins-Purissima Road (close to the HMB fire station). The rooms inside this gleaming white, green-shuttered homestead are furnished with some original items donated by the family as well as contemporary pieces from the late 19th century. Stop and admire the rose garden, the mother-in-law's personal chapel, the Victorian parlor, the kitchen and pantry, and the upstairs bedrooms. There is also a short video to watch and photos from the renovation process. The surrounding fields are still being farmed, making this place seem like living history. The tour guides, many of whom dress in period costume, are incredibly nice to visitors and staff a small gift shop that helps to raise money to support the on-going restorations. The foundation's web site provides all the relevant details for planning your visit and gives additional insight into the history of the Johnston family and the renovation process. Another historical property from the 1850s is just down the road: the Burleigh H. Murray Ranch State Park (http://www.yelp.com/biz/burleigh-h-murray-ranch-half-moon-bay), which has a unique 2-story dairy barn that makes for a pleasant short hike when the weather is right.

Doesn't look like this place is open very often maybe a few times a year according to their…read morewebsite. Cannot say what it looks like inside or if it's even kept up the outside definitely needs some paint and that was only what I could see from afar. Great piece of history though too bad they didn't make it into a museum it's got a great location for that. They have a road but it's gated off with a place to walk around but signs say no trespassing so we opted to just take a pic from the gate. They do have a restroom on the parking lot and it was even open which was unexpected.

It is not easy to find an indoor residential fire sprinkler repair technician for a house call on…read morethe Peninsula! So frustrating. I had a leaky sprinkler head (a slow drip) in the hallway not long ago and I hoped to find someone within a day or two so I could avoid turning off the main water to the house. For the record, I did not use this service, Control Fire. They were very busy but the owner did call me back and he left a very nice message. He said that it would be several days before they could come for a repair job. I'm posting this information in hopes it will help others in my area. I spent a ton of time making calls. I ended up calling the company who installed the sprinkler system in my house: Advanced Automatic Sprinkler, San Ramon, CA - My house is 20 years old so it is not under warranty any more. They quoted me $85 per hour with a 4 hour minimum. They have a repair technician based right here on the Peninsula! He came over just a few hours after I called thank goodness. Prior to calling them I called ALL the local fire sprinkler repair numbers that I found on Yelp thinking I could find someone closer to Redwood City: Western States Fire Protection - They did not return my call. JR Wagner - They also did not call back. It looks like they only work in the east bay so they didn't return my call from Redwood City. Control Fire - Returned my call and the owner left a very nice message. Unfortunately they had no time to do a repair job for several days. I think they focus more on design and new installations rather than repairs. My Local Plumber - They are not licensed to do this work and are not allowed to work on indoor residential fire sprinklers. You need to have a special license. The plumber recommended calling the local fire department because they should have referrals. Fire Protection Services of Burlingame - They also don't do this type of work but the nice gentleman told me to look in the old fashioned yellow pages. I did and I came up with a couple of other leads. AAA Fire Protection Services - Peninsula based - He specializes in this work but he is expensive. He quoted me $750.00 plus materials for emergency service. I asked him what if he came sometime the next business day but he said it's still $750. (I only have one leaky sprinkler head, a slow drip and I put a bucket under it so I explained it's not super urgent and it could wait a day, but he said the price is the same. I decided to keep checking around.) Lund Pearson McLaughlin - They do not do this type of residential work because they don't deal with plastic pipes which most home fire sprinkler systems are made of. There are also a couple others in the yellow pages that I did not get to. Other things I learned: - If the leak is really bad, you should turn off the main water of your house to prevent damage to your floors. The main water shut off is usually around the front of your house. It is not possible to shut off only the water to the sprinkler system. That is illegal for some unfortunate reason. You will need to shut off the entire house water until a technician comes out. - If you want the pressure out of the sprinkler system so the leak stops immediately after you turn off the main water, turn the handle at the sprinkler pressure gauge, usually in your garage, to open and drain. (However, once you turn off the main water there is less pressure anyway, so you may not need to do this.) If you want to, the handle should be turned to match parallel with the pipe. When the technician showed me, all the old water from the sprinklers drained our of a separate pipe near our main water shut off. I never knew what that pipe was for. Some of the water was rusty so the water was sitting in the sprinkler pipes for years. - The alarm to the fire sprinkler system will not sound if you turn off the water or release the pressure from the sprinkler system. I was worried about the alarm going off and waking my neighbors at night. No, don't worry about that. The alarm only makes sound if water is flowing into the house through the fire sprinklers and if it does not stop. That means there might be a fire in one of the rooms in the house, or a major leak. - Not all of the sprinklers in the house will turn on if there is a fire. Only individual sprinklers turn on where it senses fire. The fire sprinkler heads in my house were manufactured by a company called Central. Those sprinkler heads were recalled and the company is no longer in business. They were the white model with 3 small disks that stuck out in the center. I was told that the brass threads in them go bad. He installed a new sprinkler with a flat cover made by Tyco. It looks nicer and does not stick out as much. Hope that helps!

Good price replacing a rusty sprinkler pipe. Tech came on time and was professional, will use them…read moreagain.

Edgar and Tracy are an awesome team to work with for fire sprinklers. They are very responsive and…read moreeasy to work with.

From the owner: All Systems Approved, Inc. is a small, family-owned fire protection business serving businesses and…read morehomeowners all over the San Francisco Bay Area. We help owners to know what they need according to national and local fire codes, and we provide affordable, in-house design services from our multi-generational family. Installation moves quickly once the designs are approved. Our President and family patriarch Edgar A. Hernandez has 45 years experience in the fire sprinkler industry, from design to installation to management. His expertise is sought out by many fire protection companies. We specialize in: In-Rack Systems for Warehouses; Tenant Improvements for Business Spaces; Home Fire Sprinkler Systems; New Installations & Underground Systems. We also have solid associate business references for fire protection in the Los Angeles area and in North-East Texas.

Parking sucked! But otherwise, this event was pretty good for a free festival. A parade on…read moreSaturday, the giant pumpkin winners on display throughout the weekend, two days of live entertainment including street performer circus acts, 4 different stages with a diverse lineup of bands performing live music (we particularly enjoyed the sounds of the Campfire Quartet, Casa Del Sol, and Pete Floyd), and a fun pie eating contest we got to see on Sunday, a cute kids version followed by the adults competition, with Gourdy the pumpkin mascot hyping up the crowd. So many merchandise vendors and art exhibits, seemingly endless rows along Main Street. We picked up some awesome shirts and hoodies from Yeah Yeah! Pony Prince Clothing. There was also a variety of food available for purchase, including lobster corn chowder, baked potatoes, sandwiches, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin cheesecake, and pumpkin spice churros. However, many booths started running out of food super early, at least 3 hours before closing time. All in all, we had a positive experience.

Now with a kiddo, we're always on the hunt for adventures of all kinds. Love a good theme, and have…read morebeen hearing about the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival for quite some time now. Since we wake up pretty early around here, we decided we would seize the day and head over to the Pumpkin Fest. Arriving around 9a, we found parking at a school close-by guided by a fun group with pumpkin hats on. $20 to park, but figured it was worth our cars being in a safe, secure, and near location. To our surprise walking over to the festival with others, the event had already kicked off with an early start which is always fun to be apart of. The pumpkin vibes were high! I love that this festival takes place downtown where the shops/restaurants get to take part in all the fun ~ you could see a few spots selling 'pumpkin' gear to add to the fan fare, but most people were dressed to pumpkin impress. I went with a Half Moon Bay Brewing Pumpkin Harvest Ale, and we also nibbled on a pumpkin muffin and pumpkin raviolis with brown sage butter sauce/parm later on our walk. My husband also grabbed a hot beef sando from the local cop/fire departments. I truly loved that every food/wine & beer booth was hosted by a specific local group so you could see where your money was going ~ from school sports to churches and non-profits. So many vendors! It was a cool group of vendors of all kinds ~ I purchased a pair of homemade pearl ghost earrings, and noticed the most busy vendor booth outside of food/bev was a 'spin the wheel for a chance to stay' at the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay. Quite the line! We stopped by Sacrilege Brewery & Kitchen for a taste of their local pumpkin/seasonal brews and met with some friends. We discussed what pumpkin treats everyone had tried ~ from pumpkin mac n cheese, smoothies and milkshakes, churros, seasonal kombucha samples, and traditional pumpkin pie and rolls, it seemed like all indulged in a little orange treat :) Fun entertainment of local and live bands playing throughout the alcoves of the streets, and lotsa people! We decided to make an exit as people were beginning to line up for the parade, but all in all, would def come back for an early day in Half Moon Bay again! They mentioned a pro tip to leave by 2p to avoid getting stuck in one-lane traffic back to the Bay! Until next pumpkin season..

What a great spot! Parking was easy, the staff was nice. We sat outside with our dog. Lots of…read moreumbrellas for the sun and an incredible view! The staff brought a water bowl for the pup without us asking, which was very kind of them. We had a large group, and we were all pleased with our meals. My only negative is that I asked for no avocado. Then my tacos arrived with a tiny sliver of avocado. It was very odd and made us laugh. My friend also got the tacos with avocado and they do not skimp of avocado when it's asked for.

We walked in to Moss Beach distillery around 2:30 p.m. on Labor Day and we were surprised that we…read moregot a table immediately. They were very busy but extremely friendly! My fiance was not a fan of the table that they sat me at while he parked the car so when he came in he asked if we could switch. They were more than happy to accommodate and we got a new table facing the ocean view window, but not next to it, because those are reservation only, completely understandable. Our server came by and was very friendly and took our order immediately. We decided to start with the poached shrimp cocktail and for our mains we ordered the pesto stuffed salmon with wild rice and the citrus beet salad with chicken added. After we finished our appetizer the hostess came by to kindly request we switch tables as they had a large party coming in. She took us over to a beautiful table right next to the window with an amazing view of the ocean! We were super thrilled! Our food came shortly after and I have to say the salmon was impeccably delicious. The assortment of fresh vegetables was wonderful, artichoke hearts, string beans, carrots and more cooked beautifully. My fiance really enjoyed his grilled chicken over the top of his beet and citrus salad. We actually switched plates for a bit because we wanted to enjoy each other's meals. We ended the meal with a cup of coffee that was strong bold and just my type. We also had the mango coconut a top buttery biscuit dessert and it was the perfect sweetness to end our meal. We had an unbelievable experience on a super busy holiday and everyone was so kind. The whole team worked together flawlessly. Thank you for the unforgettable experience!

My son loved his surf camp this week. He is 11 and has a high need for excitement. He was safe and…read morehad fun. He stayed up on the board quite a few times. He is already talking about when he can go back. Fabien and his team are patient, kind, understanding and fun! Highly recommend!

The reviews are accurate, my 12 and 15 yr old have really enjoyed their experience at Sea, Surf…read more They were particularly appreciative of the quality of the wetsuits. And the owner was very gracious with a scheduling request.

I have thirty years experience in the SF Bay Area owning and managing residential and commercial…read morereal estate. Additionally I have spent fifteen years in the real estate loan business as a mortgage broker, direct lender, and loan office manager for several Citibank loan offices including Oakland, SF, Marin, Walnut Creek, and Santa Rosa. I have worked with hundreds of Realtors and seen the good and the bad while closing thousands of transactions in Piedmont, SF, Marin, Contra Costa, and South Bay markets. When it came time to list my family's home in Piedmont I interviewed several agents from three different companies and got recommendations from a neighbor who had recently sold down the street. Debbi and Adam stood out from the rest with their enthusiasm, experience, and get it done attitude. Debbi's passion for design and remodel and her experienced team of workers and stagers coupled with Adams's technical prowess are an unbeatable combination that helped us close a large transaction during a difficult time (COVID 19 bond market fiasco). Their can do spirit, expert opinions, and sense of humor kept the boat steady in a turbulent sea and we closed on time and on budget. I highly recommend them for any transaction whether listing or buying. Experience and passion and expertise! It doesn't get better than Debbi and Adam and their team.

We met Debbi and Adam about 5 years ago and since then they have provided their assistance with a…read morenumber of things. Most recent is property management and leasing. They are one of the most knowledgeable, competent and helpful Real Estate professionals I have ever worked with. They take time to review and evaluate your property, listen to your needs and wants, then combine and compare them to the current market conditions to create the best possible plan of action. I have conducted a number of Real Estate transactions over the last 30+ years but have never dealt with such an amazing, hardworking,knowledgeable and professional team. Definitely an A+/5 Star caliber team.