Things to Do in Tamalpais-Homestead Valley

As a surfer and cyclist, Marcel Mijares was drawn to the Pacific Coast many years ago; since then, he’s found little reason to leave. A native of Venezuela, Mijares spoke only Spanish when he made the move, but his love of the Bay Area fueled his drive to acquire the English language and graduate with honors from the Lincoln School of Business. Now, as the owner of High Trails Cyclery, Mijares combines his passion with his determination, sharing both with riders in the heart of Russian Hill. He leads a team of cycling experts equipped to repair cycles and perform tune-ups, overhauls, and bike fittings. Team members also share their expertise during maintenance classes, in which they teach students to care for their own cycles and understand the dangers of trying to change a bicycle's transmission fluid.

While speedboats are as fast as their name suggests, no vessel on San Francisco Bay is faster than the RocketBoat. It flies across the Bay's waves to the high-energy guitar riffs of a rock-‘n'-roll soundtrack. The RocketBoat is just one of Blue & Gold Fleet's 17 vessels, all manned by expert captains and crews that ferry about 2.5 million passengers annually. On their sightseeing cruises, passengers drink in panoramic views of the San Francisco skyline, the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, and Pier 39, where sunning sea lions occasionally can be seen rubbing sunscreen on each other's backs. Meanwhile, Blue & Gold's ferries carry patrons to Sausalito, Tiburon, and other waterfront locales—including AT&T Park during baseball season—whereas their motorcoach tours chauffeur landlubbers to Northern California landmarks. All their services adhere to award-winning sustainability practices, which safeguard local ecosystems more effectively than arming every tree with pepper spray.

Within the Winery Collective's multi-winery tasting room, grape savants uncork the flavorful nuances of liquid harvests hailing from more than 2 dozen of California's boutique wineries from Santa Barbara to Napa Valley. Winemakers and enthusiasts guide palates through wine-flight menus, which are culled from the more than 100 vinos that line the tasting room's walls and, like the political views of a housecat, change daily. The Winery Collective also hosts private and semiprivate parties and corporate events, during which guests mingle and sip in a lofted earth-toned lounge outfitted with crisscrossing wooden shelves that display colorful wine bottles and shapely decanters.

Captain Dennis Garrison always felt more at home in the water than he did on land. He was born in the beach town of Playa del Rey, where he spent his days fishing, jet-skiing, and sailing along the coast of Southern California. His love of the open sea and knack for navigation eventually led to stints with the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard.

Unable to ignore the roaring of the surf and the call of gulls after retirement, Garrison founded his own sailing company—Imagine Sailing Tours. Drawing on 30 years of nautical experience, he shuttles passengers towards scenic coastlines and popular sites throughout the San Francisco Bay area. He helms a majestic Irwin Citation 34 yacht, pointing out passing dolphins and seals as he steers towards Angel Island, Half Moon Bay, or AT&T Park. Upon arriving at destinations, Garrison leads activities such as snorkeling trips in Monterrey Bay, wine tastings on Treasure Island, and pottery-spinning classes on top of the Golden Gate Bridge. The skilled seafarer also offers sailing lessons for passengers who’d like to try their hand at steering the ship themselves.

The instructors at Bikram Yoga Seacliff embody a commitment to wellness through the method's 26 postures, having received their certifications from the creator of Bikram yoga himself, Bikram Choudhury. Demonstrating their dedication, the CPR--ready teachers must undergo recertification and win a barefoot-hopscotch tournament on an active volcano every three years, ensuring that they can lead classes in the studio's 105-degree heat.

Their 90-minute sessions bend and stretch through Bikram's poses in a progressive order, a sequence that both warms and limbers up the body's connective tissues. As the steamy temperatures flush out toxins through sweat, newly oxygenated blood refreshes every part of the physique. The staff encourages guests to cultivate a deep understanding of technique rather than a drive to quickly perfect it, reassuring them that "there is no standard of comparison except yourself."