Locals Talk
Lynne Seymour Russell
Age: 46
Silicon Valley
- When I took the Hotel Matchmaker test these are the words I selected:
- Adventurous/Active, Family-oriented/All American, Comfortable/Homey, Natural/Unpretentious, Work hard/Play hard
- My favorite activities include:
- Hiking in the open space, playing at the beach, picnicking at the park with friends, taking the kids to local sports and cultural events, and Saturday morning excursions with my family to the local coffee shop.
- I was born and raised in:
- Long Beach, CA
- I currently live:
- Palo Alto, CA
- What do I do to make a buck?:
- Nothing! I'm home with the kids for now.
- 5 things I love about the San Francisco Bay Area:
- 1) Weather/climate, 2) People - they're smart, entrepreneurial, and diverse, 3) Easy-to-get-to open space areas for hiking, trail running and mountain biking, 4) Concentration of colleges and universities - this means lots of educated and interesting people to meet, as well as plenty of sports and cultural events to attend, and 5) zillions of things to do with the kids.
- My favorite local hidden treasure you shouldn't miss:
- You asked for hidden, so what could be better than my favorite local treasure than Hidden Villa (www.hiddenvilla.org) in Los Altos Hills? For over 50 years, Hidden Villa has been a natural oasis for people to connect with the earth and each other. There's 1,600 acres of farm and wilderness preserve in one of the most expensive suburbs in the country. They teach environmental awareness, have multicultural camps for kids, and provide a remarkably relaxing location for families to hike and play in nature.
- My perfect day spent in the San Francisco Bay Area:
- Anytime of year, the coast clears your mind and is a great family escape.
- In January: We'll pack up the minivan and head to the coast for a day at the beach. We'll start at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach for the best tidepooling and beachcombing in the Bay Area (there are some amazing sea creatures to see!). From there, we'll drive south to the pier at Princeton-by-the-Sea to pick up a take-out lunch of fish and chips, then wander down to Mavericks to watch the surfers catch some big waves. With full tummies, we'll continue driving south on Hwy. 1 oohing-and-ahhing at the amazing views along the coast as we head for our tour of Ano Nuevo and the elephant seals. After seeing the seals, we'll drive back up Hwy. 1 to Half Moon Bay where we'll stop to pick up some just-caught crab from a local fisherman to enjoy for dinner back home in Palo Alto.
- In June:We'll pack up the minivan with our picnic lunch and beach stuff and head to the coast for the day. The first stop will be at Coastways Ranch (640 Cabrillo Highway, Pescadero, (650) 879-0414) to pick berries - the ollalieberries are our favorite and make a terrific pie. Next we'll stop at Bean Hollow State Beach to eat lunch, play in the sand, and climb on the rocks. From there we'll head to Butano State Park for a hike amongst the towering redwood trees, and if we're lucky, we'll spot some bright yellow banana slugs. After our busy day, we'll stop for dinner at Duarte's Tavern (202 Stage Road, Pescadero, (650) 879-0464) for some artichoke soup, crusty sourdough bread, and a piece of homemade ollalieberry pie.
