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sonyaany
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11 Apr 2016 10:26 |
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another world just a few miles away
Rev your engine: Start your day in Larkspur with an espresso in Italy. Since 1988, Emporio Rulli on Magnolia Avenue has been roasting beans on site and making traditional baked goods and cakes that the pastry chef owners perfected in Milan and Turin. As Marin's main wedding cake supplier, and a source for Martha Stewart's favorite panettone, it offers a dizzying experience choosing a pastry. Puff pastries glitter in mirrored display cases like ballerinas under stage lights. Retirees in bicycle shorts gather here for ritual coffee klatches, as do children who press their noses to the cases and point to their favorite macarons, in flavors such as limoncello, espresso and strawberry balsamic vinegar. For a decadent morning, try Genuine (OL5127) Pandora Darling Daisies Clip On Sale the sfogliatina (caramelized puff pastry filled with crema pasticcera). 464 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur, (415) 924 7478.Walk through history: It's a short stroll up Magnolia Avenue to Dolliver Park and the Madrone Canyon Redwood Grove, where redwoods as tall as skyscrapers sprout from the road, creating a slalom like driving experience. Residents made it illegal to cut the second growth redwoods after loggers chopped the first grove in the 1800s to make way for homes on 25 by 25 foot lots that are some of the Bay Area's tiniest. Make sure to stop at No. 58 Madrone, the Thomas Dolliver house the neighborhood's oldest, built in 1888.Photo: Jason Henry, Special To The ChronicleGear up: If you want to blend with the Larkspur locals, the first thing you must do is put on a pair of bicycle shorts. Lucky for you, Authentic Pandora Winter Wisp Charm (IS2705) Clearance Outlet the headquarters of the upstart bicycle apparel company Dude Girl is right in town. Find peacock feather print tights, T shirts that say Bandita tucked inside Mason jars and bicycle jerseys that say Giddy Up. The selection is geared toward gals, but there is some clothing for real dudes, too. The owner started her clothing line in homage to her grandmother, a Western pioneer who crossed the country on horseback in 1930s, and whose story was captured in the book "Dude Girl." If you are also inspired to hit the open road, inquire about one of Dude Girl's group bicycle rides. 489 Magnolia Ave., (415) 690 0633.Quench: Farmshop, in the Marin Country Mart shopping center at Larkspur Landing, has a bar longer than three RVs lined end to end, and a beefy drink menu of 32 pages. Sad esque lounge music, minimalist furniture and flickering candles lend the feel of a Palm Springs nightclub, no matter how bright it is outdoors. Try the Vixen, an elixir of St. George Terroir Mt. Tam gin, lime, pomegranate, muddled basil and rhubarb bitters. Pair it with a cheddar from Fiscalini Farms in Modesto, served with peanut brittle and Askinosie milk chocolate. Bartenders in denim aprons with leather straps initiate conversation and ask if you have everything you need. No ID? Get the Roy Rogers a Mexican Coke with Small Hand Foods grenadine. 2233 Larkspur Landing Circle, (415) 755 6700.Pick your pie: Pizzeria Pandora Charms Gold 14K Picco runs its wildly popular restaurant on two basic food principles: Everyone likes pizza, and everyone likes soft serve ice cream. The menu lists a dozen pizzas, some with house made fennel sausage or Hog Island clams. Or build your own pie, adding Calabrian chili oil or prosciutto de parma or a fried egg. Dessert is also elegantly simple: Choose vanilla, chocolate or swirl soft serve, and then add pizzazz TCHO hot fudge, seasonal market fruit or chocolate chip cake crumble. The line of baby strollers parked outside indicates that Pizzeria Picco is an excellent choice for kids; it's even better for parents because they can order seafood, pastas and wood grilled meats from the upscale Picco restaurant next door. But it doesn't Pandora Clearance Online work in the reverse: Picco diners can't order pizzas and soft serve. And be forewarned: Waits of up to 45 minutes are common at the Pizzeria, so early birds can beat the line. 316 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur, (415) 945 8900.Civic pride: In the late afternoon, explore some world class architecture in the county seat of San Rafael. The acclaimed Marin County Civic Center was the last work designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright designed the building in 1959, though he didn't live to see it built over the next decade. Recently nominated to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the center sits atop three small hills and houses the county courts and administration offices. Saturdays and accessed by the Peter Behr Drive entrance. Take the elevator to the fourth floor, where you can look down on the multistory central atrium filled with plants Wright designated and lined in floor tiles in his signature Taliesin red. 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael.Photo: Lacy Atkins, The ChronicleDon't let the four year drought fool you: The best day trips in the Bay Area are all about water. Besides that unforgettable Pacific sunset and the ethereal moonlight on the bay, we have one other water feature that doesn't involve rain: the fog. And although this cold mist gets a bad rap from many (see: July Fourth tourists begging for windbreakers), it's an undeniable and necessary part of our climate. If you're in need of water during this drought, there's no better way to celebrate the mighty Pacific, the delightful bay and the unappreciated fog than a daytrip to and Angel Island.Bookend your trip at Sam's: To cover both locations in one day, start early and drive north over the Golden Gate Bridge into , the sleepier stepchild to famous Sausalito. Introduce yourself to through brunch at Sam's, the fun heart and savvy soul of the town, with a spacious deck right on the water. Get there by 9:30 (at the latest) for the start of their packed weekend brunch. Eggs Benedict, of course, is on the menu, but the Hangtown Fry omelet with pecorino romano ($16) is especially delicious. And this place is just as packed and exciting in the evening, making Sam's deck a perfect rendezvous spot to end your trip. Saturday and Sunday. 27 Main St., ; (415) 435 4527.Ark shopping: What makes shopping almost unbearably quaint is Ark Row, a line of shops converted from turn of the century boathouses that used to bob in the lagoon separating from Belvedere Island. Koze's is before Ark Row, but its exceptional taste in women's clothing makes it too good to pass up. Owner Darla Fisher is usually working the floor, sharing her expertise on Koze's outstanding collection of cashmere scarves, velvet shirts and leather accessories. 16 Main St., ; (415) 435 1916.
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