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..

OMG. I don't know what possessed me to come down for the HMB Pumpkin Festival. Was it the…read morebeautiful autumn weather? Was it the call of pumpkin related food vendors? Was it the parade? Was it the arts & craft vendors? Was it the challenge of securing a parking spot? Or all of the fore mentioned. Hubby & I left our house around 9:30 am from the City. We're about a mile from Skyline Blvd by Fort Funston. It took us 1 1/2 hours to get to HMB. Then we parked about .7 miles from Main St near where the giant pumpkins were displayed. Pros: * great food offerings with very reasonable price point. Focus on pumpkin. Primarily to fund nonprofit and school programs. * wide variety of arts & crafts vendors * very festive local parade held Saturday with the largest pumpkin being showcased Cons: * massive crowds * challenging parking. Several private lots asking for $20 or $25 parking fee All in all a great outing to last me quite awhile. I'd rather come down pre or post Halloween.

We had such a great time at Lemos Farm! It's one of those places where kids are instantly happy and…read morebusy, and parents can actually relax a little (rare combo, honestly). There's plenty to do -- pony rides, train rides, animals, play areas -- and everything is well organized and feels safe. What I really appreciated is that it's not overwhelming or chaotic like some bigger places. The staff were friendly, patient with the kids, and everything ran smoothly. It felt like a genuine, wholesome experience rather than a tourist trap. Perfect spot for a family day, especially with younger kids. We'll definitely be coming back!

I think this was fairly pricey and probably more aimed toward kids in the 2-5 age range. I find it…read morefrustrating when places charge an arm and a leg for kid tickets and adults have to pay too just to supervise their kids. Came up from San Jose (which was close to 2:45 of driving round trip with traffic on a one way road in and out of this place) with 4 kids (1, 6, 8 and 11), and stayed 1.5 hours. I don't think I would go back. GOLD PASS includes: ($30) Admission + Pony Rides: requires 1 adult for 1 kid. You will walk your kid in a small rectangle 3 times (takes about ~2 mins). They have 4 horses going at a time. Line took a while, so decided not to wait in the line a second time. Train Rides: small train through a wooden "old timey town". Takes ~5 mins) Hay Rides: truck painted like a cow and making animal noises up the property & back Farm Slide: 1 blow up outdoor slide. Barn Jumpers: indoors, 1 jump house for age 2-5. 1 jump house for age 5-8. A few ride on horses you can ride in this room for 50 cents (think the little rides outside a grocery store) Petting Zoo: only goats. Dixie cup of goat Food $2 Haunted House: mirror room was the coolest part. Car Barn: think electric ride on car for kids. Take a few laps around a line on the ground. Tractor Town: cute little tractor themed playground with 2 slides. Hay on the ground under the structure, with a few of those rubber horse hopper toys to play on. Appropriate for 2-4 yrs old. SILVER PASS includes: ($25) Admission + Train Rides Hay Rides Farm Slide Barn Jumpers Petting Zoo Haunted House Car Barn Tractor Town ADULT PASS includes: ($12) Admission + Train Rides Hay Rides Petting Zoo Haunted House Parking

I wouldn't recommend going to Moreland Pumpkin Patch if you're planning on doing the family walk…read more It was quite expensive at $15 per person, even for my 2yo. We lined up at our 730pm check-in time and waited 35 minutes in the cold and were only halfway through the line. We left because it would have been another 25-35 more minutes to get through the line. However, the staff was great and the carnival games were fun. Nice to have all of the thoughtful decorations as well, our child loved playing with all of the pumpkins.

This patch is cute…read more The haunted trail costs $15 per person and there are scheduled appointment times to go in, however the line backs up and you have to wait at least 30 minutes past your appointment time before entering. We did not enter the trail until 720pm, and that is after getting in line at 640pm. Just be aware. Which is fine, my family had fun and the actors inside are funny and well rehearsed. However, since we waited so long, we got out of the trail around 750pm. My kid wanted to play the carnival games, which close at 8pm, so we bought some tickets to play, and were out to the carnival by 752pm, they had already taken everything down and had only a few simple games still up. My kid was bummed, but I figured since there were no refunds, I could go back and get a snack instead with my tickets. I was denied and told to come back next week to redeem the tickets. I know this is all for a good cause and it really isn't too big of a deal, but it is silly that I literally bought the tickets within a minute and then walked back after the carnival being closed and then denied to even use the tickets on anything else and then told to come back next week. They were told not to sell any tickets since they were closing up the carnival early, but I guess it wasn't communicated well. I guess we will be back to use up the tickets next weekend...?

The Sequoia Century is a 112 mile bike event south of San Francisco, and an excellent cure for jet…read morelag. At least, if you stay awake. If you ride a bike, you'll know there's something about it that connects you to the environment in a way that nothing else can. You feel the landscape as you ride through it, and I swear the ground was moving as I worked my way over the 9000ft of climbs. Compared with the UK, the organisation was on a completely different scale. The event is fully supported, with tables groaning under food at the rest stops. The Americans I met were very friendly and willing to chat. My old steel frame was widely commented upon, a rarity in a culture where technology moves so fast it would have been traded in for carbon or titanium years ago. Riding a bike amongst Sequoias that have been around for 1000 years is a humbling experience. I just hope that the obscene quantities of fossil fuels burnt to get me there, paid for by my (ex-)employer, didn't ruin the next 1000 years for them.

This is my favorite Bay Area century ride. Route changes from year to year, but recently has been…read morestarting in Los Altos Hills and riding out to the Pacific Ocean and back. You get some great climbs through the redwood forests and great views along the coastline. Rest stop support is great as well as a hot dinner at the finish line.

Most fun event, seriously, what's not to love about solo dogs hanging 18 (toes) on a surf board?…read moreThe competition is broken down into small, then large dogs. Many are sporting fashionable costumes & exuding great confidence. I think. There's also vendors selling food, T-shirts, giving away frisbees, hip packs, keychains, much etc. if you think your dog has what it takes, you must sign a waiver before hitting the waves. Not every dog takes to surf lessons, so what you see are exceptional athletes with good training. Each dog is guided to the crest of a wave, then holds on for the ride to shore. The couple thousand spectators cheer them on. For those not in the know, a Taco Bell sits on the beach itself, providing an awesome view of the activity from the deck. Sooo, arrive early, leave early, to avoid the crazy traffic & lack of parking for this popular event.

Adorable pups wearing life vests and sunglasses/ goggles, riding the waves in front of crowds…read morefilled with half humans, half dogs!?! At the beach on a beautiful warm day? Heck yeah, sign me up! There were lots of dogs and their humans all over Pacifica State Beach this past Saturday, for the annual World Dog Surfing Championship. So many dogs doing their thing (ie. peeing in the sand in front of beachgoers, flicking dirt onto people as they dug holes in the sand... but surprisingly not a lot of barking), playing with other dogs, and getting spoiled by dog-lovers with so much attention, as well as toys and treats from vendor tents in the back. There were plenty of items for sale including cute T-shirts from California Canine, and plush squeak toys and travel accessories from P.L.A.Y. (Pet LIfestyles and You). But there was no food for humans for sale at any of the tents, which was odd for this type of event.. not even snacks or drinks. But I guess it's good that the event was located right next to the Taco Bell Cantina. And at least they had porta potties available at the beach near the parking lot. In order to view the actual dog surfing, you had to be in the water, some of us even knee deep. So it's good I wore shorts on this day cuz that made it super fun to get up close and personal with these awesome dogs, some even surfing right toward me as I took photos and cheered them on with the rest of the crowd. The big question we had before attending was, do the dogs really surf by themselves? And how? Well here's how it worked. The dogs were grouped into heats (small, medium, and large dogs... tandem, etc.) Then two or three boards went at a time, near the shoreline of the water. There would be a at least one human at each end (in the water, and near the shoreline) for each dog or pair of dogs. One human was further in the water and would wait for the waves then give the surfboard a push toward the shore once the dog was balanced on it (some dogs even sitting on the board instead of standing), the other human would catch the dog/board on the other end... that is if the dog(s) didn't fall off into the water, or jump off and start running into the crowd. Those that stayed on the surfboard while gliding on the water apparently got more points, since this was a contest and they were being judged. The same dog would have multiple turns over and over, it's like no limit to how many tries... but I think it was mostly to put on a good show for us viewers :D The speaker system wasn't that great, so it was kind of hard to hear the announcers and tell what was going on if you were just lying on the sand, stretched out on your beach blanket or mat, instead of joining the crowds in the water. It would have been better if they had music playing or something like that to make it a little more lively. But it was fun regardless, getting to just relax, lounge, enjoy a picnic and conversation with one of my favorite people. And entertaining enough to watch other people's dogs all throughout the area, and talk to their owners. They also had a fashion show, with dogs wearing fun costumes, some even matching their humans (ie. a couple and their two dogs all dressed like watermelon). Some aspects of this event made it seem somewhat chaotic at times. Parking wasn't too difficult to find in the nearby neighborhood, but traffic was a bit slow and confusing getting there. Also, volunteers/staff at the event often yelled to tell people to make space for the surf dogs on the sand, like they were walking the red carpet or somethin, and judges yelled to tell people in the water to move, if the dog ended up floating in your direction while "surfing".  There probably could have been a little bit better organization, but I actually liked the subtle chaos and unpredictability, I mean as long as the dogs were having fun, and they had safety measures in place for everyone (police, fire truck, first aid, medic truck), attendees, especially dog-lovers, had a lot to appreciate about this unique and free event on the beach! We certainly had a good time :)

We hit the tail end of the festival this year so maybe my perception of it isn't as accurate as it…read morewould have been if I'd arrived sooner....but my poor toes are still recovering from being run over by strollers at the Pumpkin Festival, so I was a little wary of coming during peak-crowd hours.... As far as I understand, the festival is put on by the Chamber of Commerce each year to boost the presence of local businesses and programs. So the booths we saw set up in the middle of Main Street were less craft-y and more business-y than those at the Pumpkin Festival. There was a bunch of booze, food, music, and a cute demo by some high-kicking little kids trying to bust wooden blocks outside the Kuk Sool Won school....but it really didn't seem like too much was going on. Maybe it was just the time of day? Oh well. Next year we'll make an effort to show up sooner and scope things out. Good or bad, I do want to support these little local events as much as possible, because they're a big part of what makes HMB so special.

I'm not entirely sure what the purpose of Rock the Block was, outside of causing extra traffic into…read moreHalf Moon Bay. We hadn't known Rock the Block was going on, but my dad and I were aiming to go wine tasting along the strip while my mom picked up some biscotti from a different tasting room. This looks like an event that mostly appeals to the locals. There were some booths promoting local businesses and nonprofits, as well as (I believe) government agencies. I also saw a lot of signs regarding the upcoming elections. There wasn't any booth that particularly caught my eye. I imagine this place would be a bit of fun for small children, as there was a bouncy slide, a face painting booth (I think, as I did see a kid walking around with face paint), and some other kid-friendly attractions. The older crowd might enjoy the music and random arts and crafts stalls. Fortunately most of the businesses were open during the event, and it was just fun to walk around and people watch while wandering down the street. I'm not sure if it makes up for the traffic or the difficult parking situation, however. Overall, this is probably an event the tourist crowd and out-of-towners might want to just pass on.

This was my third time running this half marathon. The course is still amazing. It's flat, goes…read morealong the ocean, and the weather has always been gorgeous. The organization and execution of the race was also top notch. Instructions were clear and there was never any question about where we were supposed to be, or where we needed to go. There were more than enough water stations along the course. Why I'm docking a star this year: The welcome expo was so small. I had really talked it up to my friends because in years past, it was huge. They both were looking to buy some merchandise but the selection was almost non-existent. The fire fighters, these guys are a big draw to the event. This year, I only saw 2 or 3 and the line to take a picture with them was a mile long. No champagne? What happened? I was saving that as a surprise for my girlfriends' accomplishment of finishing their first half. They did it, we crossed the finish line and were handed apple cider. It was a let down for me, I had no surprise, only the tale of how we got champagne in the past. The medal is huge and sparkly. This year it features a removable Pandora charm. I will still gladly return for this race, I just felt like it took a step backwards this year.

This was my second Half this year/ever so I can only compare it to the Maui one…read more Pros: 1. They have starting areas by pace so you don't have to worry about being in the way of others who are much faster although we started 5 minutes late so it didn't have an effect on us 2. Tiaras, boas before the finish line and champagne, roses, and firemen at the finish line with your medals 3. Nice heavy medals 4. Beautiful views along the course which is flat! 5. Continuous shuttle buses to and from the race Cons: 1. I wish they told us when they pointed out the gear check area vs. start line that there were bathrooms by both locations. After we checked our gear, we waited for 15 min for the restrooms and rushed to the starting line when there were a bunch there as well 2. Needed more post race snacks as I only saw bagels and banana while the earlier finishers didn't even see the bagels and the later finishers had chocolate chip cookies and they needed a better organization maybe where there is a line for each snack vs. having everyone in one long line. 3. I would have preferred not having the metal barriers that you have to go through after you cross the finish line. Overall fun race to show your girl power!!

Dr Sue is Amazing. Very good surgeon. Very understanding. Care 4 his patients. My healing is going…read morewell.