my favorite bay area day trip: mill valley, ca [marin]

mill valley is one of my happiest places. after living in the city for over 6 years, we realized a lot of people didn't know that just 25 minutes north of san francisco, there is delicious food, epic hikes, the smell of wood and wilderness, cozy shops, the beach!, beautiful drives, and so much more to have the perfect day trip escape out of the city. some of my favorite marin experiences include:

EXPLORE

public library a gorgeous interior thats perfect for doing work, curling up to a good book, or just browsing the aisles | mill valley lumber yard a renovated old lumberyard that now urges creative minds to gather, connect and create | sweet water music hall see live folk or rock music, pop into their tasty café or catch a movie screening | proof lab surf and skateboard shop full of fun gear for your next adventure 

HIKE AND WILDERNESS

tennessee valley trail, coastal hike – about 4 hours [10 miles round trip] | rodeo beach shorter coastal option that is ~ 5 miles [ 2.5 hours round trip] | tourist club only open to the public on certain days [check their calendar here], but a perfect place to bring a group of friends and spend the afternoon drinking beers on the sunny patio – get here early and bring your own lunch | pelican inn & muir beach cozy up to a warm drink or a picnic on the lawn at this 16th century england inspired inn. the dog friendly beach is right down the street with sand firepits | mountain home inn a favorite place to grab lunch or drinks in the mountains – a polished inn with gorgeous views and trail access 

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EAT AND DRINK

sol food puerto rican heaven | mill valley beerworks, perfect for post hike beer and bites  | joe's taco shop a favorite stop for pre-hike fish tacos | boo koo good asian street food | super duper burger if you're in the mood for burgers these are the best | equator coffee with two locations in the area, it's our favorite place to grab coffee  | molina everything cooked over a wood fire stove [fancier night out] | cavallo point right before the golden gate bridge, we love to stop here for a glass of wine and a few snacks before heading back into the city
 

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back in sf!

it's official! we live in sf again. and while i'm so happy to be back – i miss austin so dang much. 

after hours and hours and hours of unpacking last weekend, we finally came up for air and went to our favorite place – mill valley. an afternoon spent doing my favorite things; hiking to the tide pools @ muir beach, grabbing lunch at sol food, and exploring the renovated lumberyard. 

 i could repeat this day every weekend and be a happy gal. happy friday!  

MV monday

the plant obsession continues, as we spent most of our labor day morning at plant warehouse. afterwards we had lunch at boo koo in mill valley – AMAZING vietnamese food, i can't wait to come back here. we chose to digest by hiking to the point bonita lighthouse and even though it was packed with tourists, it is definitely worth seeing. plus, our little treat from city beer store was the perfect way to cap the hike.
 

behind the scenes, we had some short ribs braising away back at home in the crock pot. we tried to make these once before and completely messed them up. the key is patience. putting this much time and effort into a meal might seem annoying – but the way the meat turns out if you do it correctly, is well worth it. recipe found here if you're up for it! cheers.