Made In Marin

It’s no secret that Marinites love their athletic endeavors. With endless miles of trails right here in our backyard, it’s not hard to set a new challenge every week! One of the most highly anticipated events of the year is the legendary Dipsea Race in Mill Valley. First run in 1905, this is the oldest trail race in America.  This year’s race day takes place on Sunday, June 10th.

The scenic 7.4 mile course from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach is not only breathtakingly beautiful, but incredibly challenging as well. Therefore, bragging rights to complete this race are extremely high!  It begins in downtown Mill Valley and sends you up three flights of stairs (688 to be exact!) as tall as a fifty-story building. A little more than half way through, the course then takes a steep plunge down into Muir Woods. The course may be pretty, but it’s also treacherous at points. Parts of the course are so difficult that they have names such as “Dynamite”, “Cardiac”, and “Insult Hill.” There is nothing like that final push at the end of this race to see Stinson Beach, your end destination.

Because of the popularity of this race, along with its technical nature, the event is limited to 1,500 racers. Locals know, you must enter the very same day the application is posted to the Dipsea Race website. This year’s application will be made available on March 15.

You can find more information as well as details on How to Enter here. For those who want an extra challenge, you can also mark your calendar for the Double Dipsea (out and back) on June 16, 2018.

If you are looking for a great place in Stinson to celebrate your race completion, here are Arrive Marin’s suggestions:

• Sand Dollar Restaurant  Sit on the deck and enjoy oysters, cioppiono & a full bar. Come on, you deserve that bloody mary!
• Parkside Cafe: Sit by the fireplace or on the deck for a great burger, clam chowder and a celebratory ParkSide ruby mimosa.
• Siren Canteen: A super special (order-at-the-window) spot right on the sand. Feast on tacos, burgers and fish & chips along with an ice cold beer to finish it off.

Good luck, racers!

One of the greatest things about living in the Bay Area is being surrounded by so many passionate people.  Arrive Marin friend Cindy Weil is one of those incredible women and we just have to tell you what she’s up to!

Cindy is spearheading an awe-inspiring project known as The Immigrant Yarn Project. This moving undertaking is a massive public and democratic (by the people) art installation that honors and celebrates our immigrants, both past and future. The finished work will be composed of countless small yarn squares stitched together into one colossal and sculptural work of art.  Yarn pieces are submitted by immigrant knitters and their descendants (really, that’s ALL of us!) across the Bay Area and beyond. Each yarn square represents and celebrates a personal or family story.

This stunning piece of art is slated to be displayed at Fort Point in San Francisco from September through the end of November, 2018. An up-lifting demonstration of yarn-based graffiti activism, the exhibition will be accompanied by music, art and educational performances.

In the meantime, we wanted to let you know how you can get involved!  If you want to submit a yarn piece, you can find all of the details and requirements here.  Bay Area residents:  you can meet up with this amazing group as they get together to knit and to share wine and stories on Tuesday evenings. To learn more about the Tuesday evening knitting group, send an email to: enactivistsf@gmail.com.

We can’t wait to see the finished result from The Immigrant Yarn Project and are so proud to call Cindy a friend. Stay tuned for updates on specifics closer to the exhibit date.

Ok, technically these to-die-for crocodile handbags are made in Nicaragua. But, Reyna Icaza has built her impressive and enviable business right here in Mill Valley. We feel like it’s our civic duty to make you aware of these incredibly gorgeous handbags. We’re too good to you, we know!

Reyna is a native Nicaraguan whose family moved to Los Angeles after her hometown was destroyed by an earthquake. To use Reyna’s own words: “My vision is to fuse the elegant traditions of my childhood with my own design concepts.”  Her bags use only crocodiles that are native to Nicaragua and of a sustainable environment.

With a long career in luxury goods, Reyna wanted to design a product that is aspirational yet attainable. What we love is the the uniqueness and the feminimity of these beautifully hand-crafted pieces. We can’t lie, there isn’t a bag from her collection that we aren’t vying to have in our closets! All bags are made to order and you can see the complete line here.

Happy shopping!