Taste of Seaside

I first heard about The International Flavors of Marina food, wine, and beer tasting event via Special Edible's blog. I got really excited about it and wanted to go, but the two people I invited couldn't go because it is on Thursday (tomorrow) from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. The participating restaurant list looked amazing, there's live music and a silent auction. Boo Radley's Cupcakes is donating 2 dozen custom cupcakes!

Much to my delight, the Special Edible blog just posted something about Taste of Seaside, a similar event happening on Friday! Hopefully I'll be able to go to that with sommmmebodyyyy hint hint.

Highlights from the event page:
- What: Seaside’s culturally diverse community will be reflected in the wide range of foods served, and local wineries will pour outstanding wines from regional vineyards.
- Where: Seaside City Center
- Time: 6-8:30 pm
- How can I go: Pay $25/ticket and order from the Seaside Police Department; contact Tina Rosa (831) 760-0967 – trosa@ci.seaside.ca.us ; or Patty Perez (831) 760-0968 – pperez@ci.seaside.ca.us
- Why: To get a special Taste of Seaside, while benefiting the Seaside Police Activities League (PAL).
- Also: music, raffle, silent auction
- What's PAL: PAL provides athletic, recreational, and educational activities for at-risk youth in order to enrich lives and help prevent juvenile crime. Police officers, volunteers, and police personnel serve as coaches, mentors, instructors, and role models in PAL.
- Participating restaurants/wineries:

• ACME Coffee

• Angelina’s

• Baywood Cellars

• Breakfast Club

• Chef Rachel

• Coeur D’Olives

• Del Monte Cafe

• Fishwife

• Hahn Winery

• Harumi

• Kahn’s Kabob House

• Me-n-Ed’s Pizzeria

• Orient Express

• Phat Burger

• Pho King

• Saigon Noodle

• Scheid Vineyards

• The Chocolate Dipper

• Turtle Bay

• Ventana Vineyards

I'll let you know if I go!

Earth Hour 2010

Learn more about Earth Hour 2010 by following the link.

This Saturday 3/27, at 8:30 pm local time, is Earth Hour. I will be in downtown Fullerton (or getting ready to go out!) Where will you be when the lights go out? Even if I'm in the middle of curling my hair or applying makeup, I'll whip out my flashlight and turn off the electricity in Kerry's house. It's only an hour, let's all help do our part!

In 2009 hundreds of millions of people around the world showed their support for Earth Hour and this year let's answer this global call to action (ring a ling ling)! Program a reminder into your cell phone (DO IT! Right NOW!!) and set a reminder for 10 minutes before 8:30. Take a nap, light a candle, make some romance, or... you know, whatever you want.

Now really, put a reminder in your phone! I know you didn't do it when I suggested it one sentence ago...

Dogs Closer To Returning To Downtown SC

Dogs Closer To Returning To Downtown SC: "The Santa Cruz Downtown Business Association voted Tuesday to recommend a repeal a decades-old law that bans dogs in downtown."

For decades, dogs have not been allowed in downtown Santa Cruz. Yesterday the Santa Cruz Downtown Business Association voted 8 - 1 in favor of repealing the doggie ban. The business people are thinking that if they can bring the dogs, then they'll bring the dog owners as well.

But what about all the poo? No one wants to walk downtown Santa Cruz and step in some steamy mush! And SC is full of hippies. Hippies go barefoot. That equals... gross-ness. Welp - fear not dog owning Santa Cruzians, the Walkers and Woofers business plans on supplying 5,000 biodegradable doggie bags.

Next step: Santa Cruz City Council will visit the issue in a couple weeks. Keep the leashes on their hooks, folks. At least for now.....

Public Citizen events Saturday 3/13

Via Monterey County Weekly's Public Citizen events page:

On Saturday the following two events are taking place in Monterey County.

1. Carr Lake Cleanup in Salinas: The Return of the Natives seeks volunteers for indigenous plant reforestation. 10am - 1pm. Upper Carr Lake, East Laurel Drive between Constitution and North Sanborn, Salinas. More info call: 831-582-3683. Visit watershed.csumb.edu/ron

2. Women's Day Potluck in Carmel: United Nations Association hosts the annual International Women's Day celebration & potluck dinner with Dr. Jan Knippers Black addressing "Women's Rights are Human Rights." The talk/potluck lasts from 6-9pm. It's heald at Unitarian Universalist Church, 490 Aquajito Road, Carmel. FREE! Call 831-375-8301 and go to www.unamontereybay.org

Monterey's Waterfront Master Plan Community Meeting on Wednesday

Waterfront Master Plan's first community meeting Wednesday March 10th from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at Gilbert's Restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf


Monterey's City Council began developing a long-term, visionary master plan for the City’s waterfront on December 1, 2009. The goal is to make the waterfront a fun, gorgeous, easy-to-access multi-day destination. The Waterfront Master Plan (WMP) will cover land at the west end of San Carlos Beach to the east end of Monterey Bay Park (Del Monte Ave. is the southern boundary). The WMP hopes to focus future development efforts into a more coordinated machine with a common direction. Altogether, the WMP document will have policies, maps, and implementation strategies. Old development documents from the target area will still be of use, but must be combined into something more comprehensive. For example, the WMP "will address a variety of regulations and functional needs, such as the State Coastal Act, long-term recreation needs, and leasing requirements. "

WMP Issues:

• sea level rise
• relationship of waterfront to Custom House Plaza, Monterey Conference Center, downtown, and Cannery Row (especially in terms of parking & pedestrian, bicycle, mass transit, and automobile circulation)
• types of commercial and recreational land uses that should be accommodated
• location of the Monterey Branch Line Station that would best benefit Monterey citizens and visitors.

The success of the WMP is entirely dependent on the support of the community it impacts. Community members are the key factor in the project’s successful development and implementation. "The work plan includes multiple opportunities for community outreach that will strive to engage as many community members in the planning process as possible." Y-O-U can participate by attending the public workshops that are planned for the project, or if you cannot attend, follow the project on the City’s website, and participate in the on-line questionnaires.

- Heads-up thanks go to the Monterey County Herald for this article about the WMP

Marina's Plan and Aloha Tan

Marina's downtown plan taking shape: "A city effort to pump new life into downtown Marina will take another step forward Thursday. The Marina Planning Commission will meet to go over what should be addressed in a formal environmental report on the 'Downtown Vitalization Specific Plan." - Monterey Herald

When I drive into Marina, like I did last night, I never think to myself "what a cute little town!" It seems like a giant cut a sliver of Seaside and placed it a few miles north. There is nothing that really sets it apart from the surrounding towns. For example, Pacific Grove has its own character, as do Monterey and Carmel. Sand City is basically big-name store-land, three square miles of businesses - they don't even have a post office and their population is under 300 (based on the 2000 census). Seaside has some golden flecks as well - CSUMB, Fort Ord History, Message Mountain. But.... Marina? Um... let me think. There's a Walmart? That hardly counts as charm.

The Marina Planning Commission has developed a formal environmental report called the "Downtown Vitalization Specific Plan." Interesting.

What the plan entails:

• develop 225 acres that stretch across Reservation Road, Del Monte Boulevard, Reindollar Ave, Sunset Ave, Carmel Ave, and Crescent Ave.
• possibly change Reservation Road to 2 lanes (from the 4 current ones)
• transform Marina into a "lively mix of varied land uses"
• developing the culture of downtown Marina through the addition of a civic center at Del Monte/Reservation intersection
• establish development standards (infrastructure requirements, financing methods, etc)
• add 2,400 high-density housing units
• create 380,000 square feet of commercial space... for retail services along Del Monte Blvd

City Council makes the final decision in a couple of months, after lots of meeting with the project managers. I think that this is a great idea.... It seems faster for me to make the drive to Marina from Fort Ord than go all the way to Seaside via General Jim Moore road.

Last night I went to Marina .... not holding anything back on this blog so here goes ... to get a spray tan. I know, it's so silly! BUT - I'm going to Vegas and I have a job, so why not? I went to Aloha Tan (266-Q Reservation Rd, Marina) and I loved the experience. It was my first time doing an airbrush tan. I arrived 30 minutes until closing, no one was there. The airbursher took me into the back room and after about 20 minutes I was finished! Right next door was a CVS pharmacy, so I bought some travel shampoo, conditioner, and lotion that fit TSA's flying standards (under 3 ounces).

I can't wait for Vegas! Only a few more hours :)

Sustainable Seaside gains ground

Article - Sustainable Seaside gains ground | Seaside News

Sustainable Seaside is a community action group that meets the first Tuesday of every month at 6:30 pm at the Peace Resource Center (1364 Fremont St, Seaside). The article discusses how Sustainable Seaside promotes the adoption of green building codes. If the local government can embrace these codes, it will help reduce waste, conserve water, and counteract carbon emissions.

Two members of Sustainable Seaside have eagerly incorporated the group's principles. The husband/wife combo keep drought-resistant plants in their yard, use a water-saving drip-irrigation system, and have huge barrels that collect rain water, for use later. Where did they get the 55 gallon barrels? At a food manufacturer in Sand City! (33 barrels = 1815 gallons of water storage) Holy Smokes! Due to the recent downpour, they've got enough water to last through most of the summer.

Sustainable Seaside also focuses on:

• home & community gardens
• water access & efficiency (think barrels)
• safe bike routes through seaside (YESSSSSSS!!!!!)
• making Fort Ord a recreational area
• renewable energy efficiency
• polystyrene food container packaging ban (the stuff does not decompose and negatively effects the environment)

For more information call: (831) 899-7934