Unreal slice of Heaven nestled in the valley of marin headlands. We hiked from Tennessee Valley to…read moreMuir Beach and decided to hike through the valley on our way back instead of an out and back. What an incredible stumble upon in the midst of our hike. Pictures don't do this beautiful spot justice. It felt unreal when we walked up to the garden then through the zen center. We merely wandered through the grounds, we didn't take advantage of any services so I can't attest to what is available on the grounds besides the incredible gardens. Our round trip hike was almost 10 miles and worth every step taken. Beach, redwoods, valley rolling hills, gardens filled to capacity with beautiful blooms, veggies, and lovingly sculpted grounds. Truly an incredible experience and what a treat to allow it to be open to the public.

I just returned from a weekend yoga retreat at Green Gulch Farm Zen Center. It was my second…read moreretreat here and henceforth second time going here. I was on a digital sabbatical so no photos from my smartphone and no laptop. In retrospect from being there would say it was a lovely experience. It was great to unplug and get out of the city aka San Francisco for a weekend. The farm itself is about 30 acres. Green Gulch Farm Zen Center is affiliated with the San Francisco Zen Center in the City and Tassajara. All three is in the lineage of Suzuki Roshi from the Zen lineage from Japan. Suzuki Roshi wrote Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind and other works. I was primarily with my group here doing our own retreat yet did sit on one talk by a senior Zen teacher which I enjoyed. The talk was followed by an insightful question and answer Satsang aka philosophical discussion and tea. The hiking here is wonderful. They have been an organic farm since 1972 supplying the famous Greens Restaurant in San Francisco. The food here was quite alright. Many vegan options. One improvement would be to simply label the food items vegan or not instead they have symbols donating if the item has dairy or eggs yet majority of the food was vegan anyways. It was tasty and fresh as much of the ingredients are grown on site. The accommodation was comfortable. It was about a mile hike to the ocean to Muir Beach and explored the Tennessee Valley trail for a more challenging hike with amazing vista views of the ocean. I also saw two deer while here. If you get a chance to go to the Green Gulch Farm Zen Center. Go! Recommended!

Black Point Historic Gardens is a beautiful hidden gem near Fort Mason and Fisherman's Wharf…read more The garden has peaceful winding paths, colorful flowers, and one of the best surprise views of the Bay, Alcatraz, and the waterfront. It feels much quieter than the busy tourist areas nearby, which makes it a perfect short escape after walking around Pier 39 or Aquatic Park. I loved the mix of history, greenery, and ocean views. The hillside layout gives it a slightly secret-garden feeling, and every turn has a different angle of the water, boats, and skyline. Great spot for a quick walk, photos, a peaceful break, or a scenic detour. Very underrated San Francisco stop.

I've spent a lot of time this way. It was already a cool physical landscape but this remodel has…read moretotally changed the landscape. It is hard to convey how the space has been transformed with the removal of major trees. Earth has been moved. That is some expensive and regulated work. It looks great now. Total transformation. They took out a lot of trees. It's wide open compared to how it used to be. I love this part of town. Great for active people to have the best views possible.

The area can get a bit windy- bring a jacket! This community garden is huge(compared to other…read morecommunity gardens), has lots of places to sit and overall just peaceful yet stunning. No dogs/pets allowed.

This place is adorable and so fun to walk around. I love seeing how everyone chooses to plant their…read moreplot. But don't get any ideas, the waiting list for a plot of your own is 10-15 years!!!

Visiting Alcatraz Island was one of the highlights of our trip to San Francisco. Taking the ferry…read moreover with the kids was fun in itself, and arriving on the island on a beautiful sunny day made the whole experience even better. We loved exploring the island and learning about its history. The audio tour is a must--it's included with your ticket and really brings the experience to life in a way that's engaging and easy to follow. Our daughter was absolutely fascinated and stayed engaged the entire time. Our 5-year-old, on the other hand, lost interest about halfway through and mostly enjoyed running around the island while trying to complete the kids' activity form they provided, which still kept him entertained in his own way. Overall, it was a great family experience--educational, scenic, and memorable. Definitely worth doing when visiting San Francisco.

Visiting Alcatraz was one of the main reasons I travelled to San Francisco. I booked my tour…read moretickets a few months in advance and I am glad I did because I overheard they may have been sold out the weekend I was there. The process of boarding the ferry and making it to the island is super organized and there's plenty of staff to help answer any questions. Ranger Ray was assigned to give my behind the scenes tour. He was super knowledgeable about the history of Alcatraz and provided so many details throughout the tour. Prior to concluding the tour, he provided additional information about what to visit on our own time and how the self guided audio tour worked. He really made the experience great. I learned a lot on my tour and am glad to have finally made it here. I highly recommend a visit when in San Francisco!

Bay Area Strings played at our wedding and I couldn't have asked for more. During planning, Jen was…read morevery easy to work with, responded quickly to questions, and has an amazing repertoire of songs to choose from. Her team showed up early to the wedding to ensure they had plenty of time to setup, and started right on time. They played so beautifully that I'd would've thought it was a recording had my fiance (now wife!) not mentioned that it was the quartet playing. We performed all our dances with the quartet's music, and they played flawlessly. Jen also rearranged one of the songs to fit our choreography. I would recommend Bay Area Strings to anyone looking for a quartet for any events. Jen is an exceptional Cellist, and her team members are top talent as well.

We used Bay Area Strings for our wedding at the Berkeley City Club, and they were absolutely…read moreincredible. Jen was so easy to work with--responsive, organized, and happy to play all the songs we requested. Having them there truly made the day feel even more magical. They play beautifully and created such an elegant, romantic atmosphere for our ceremony and reception. We received so many compliments from our guests. I would 100% recommend Bay Area Strings for any special event!

Kris & Noah and the entire team at Electric Works go above and beyond. They deliver top-notch…read moreperformance across a broad range of services and products. I've been going to them for probably 20 years and can't recommend them more highly.

I've worked with Kris and Noah and Electric Works for decades. They're the only printer I work with…read morebecause they're pros- great at what they do, good communicators and will bend over backwards when I need a real rush job. I don't usually write reviews at all but every once in a while I realize I should celebrate the people I like who help me in a meaningful way with my work and therefore with my life.

This review is long overdue. Thank you Artistic Picture Framing for your care, precision, time, and…read moreattention to detail. Rodolfo truly is a joy to work with and is so knowledgable about his craft. Couldn't have pictured (love a good pun) working with anyone else for the first framed piece in our son's nursery. While at a community holiday fare, we bought a super cool piece of art from a local vendor of a map of El Cerrito which includes my husband's work site. It's playful, colorful, and full of joy. After utilizing the Yelp app to find a framing company close by, we found Artistic Picture Framing. After meeting the crew in-person, we knew we were in the right hands. We worked with Rodolfo on choosing the right colors for the piece and chatted about becoming parents, the nursery we were building, and the magic we were hoping to encompass and build around from this staple piece. He captured truly what we were looking for at an affordable rate. Looking forward to utilizing this service for future art, so happy with the outcome!

I had a framed artwork that broke when it fell and hit the ground. It was a fairly clean break,…read morealong the side joints, but some of the wood framing had chipped. I called four framing shops but none would touch a repair. It was a very large piece and I didn't want to spend $1-2K on a redo. Artistic Picture Framing agreed. It took 3 days, just over $100, and it looks good as new. Amazing!

Eleonora is wonderful! She did our wedding and it added that extra oomph to the event…read more Highly recommend! :)

My husband and I had the privilege of having Eleonora play for our wedding ceremony! Eleonora is…read moreextremely talented, friendly, professional, and helpful! Eleonora made the entire process very easy and stress free. She provided us with a large variety of songs for us to choose from and add to our wedding playlist. Eleonora played so beautifully and elegantly during our wedding, we received multiple compliments about her! I highly recommend booking Eleonora to play at your wedding! She is wonderful!!

Definitely a hidden gem in Tiburon! The entrance is at the end of a residential area. There are a…read morefew spots to park on the side of the streets. It's a bit of an uphill walk towards the tree but once you get up there, it's to your left. We were there on a Saturday afternoon and it was empty so we got to enjoy the views and swings to ourselves. Check the weather prior before going because it can be cloudy and the view won't be as great.

A hidden spot that has an amazing view and 3 swings. Street parking is very limited. To the left of…read morethe house at 100 Gilmartin, follow the dirt path and make a left up the hill.