| Previously I wrote briefly about Fairfax, CA before | | | | One project on the drawing board, is a German |
| (see my blog post on 2/26/09), but there is so much | | | | sausage house slated to take over the old Real Food |
| local color, I thought I should elaborate. | | | | store on Bolinas Road, across from the Town Hall. |
| Fairfax residents pride themselves on the alternative | | | | Their manager, Murphy is a serious bike enthusiast and |
| lifestyle mood and hippie heritage (The bumper | | | | plans to have bike racks IN the cafe space. |
| stickers: Fairfax: Mayberry on Acid and Only in Fairfax, | | | | They intend to be serving fare such as vegan |
| are testaments to their self-image.) | | | | sausage and kale salad along side traditional German |
| There is a lively bar and music nightlife scene on | | | | sausages and beers, sauerkraut and salads. The |
| Broadway featuring some local talent and lots of | | | | owner, Fra, is a HUGE fan of traditional German |
| Marin-ites. On weekend mornings it is a nexus for bike | | | | sausage houses and has been wending his way |
| racers and mountain bikers (After all, Mount Tam IS | | | | through local government approvals and permits for |
| T-H-E mountain in the phrase: Mountain Bike | | | | the past seven months. |
| There is an attitude there that hearkens way back to | | | | These efforts along with the City's proposals of adding |
| the West Marin identity during the Prohibition Era. | | | | more biker-friendly facilities, is showing how the local |
| Bolinas boasts the longest, continuously operating bar in | | | | color is reacting to existing trends and reinventing itself. |
| the U.S. Because they were so isolated, the | | | | It is innovation and energy like that which can keep the |
| government agents could get to them to shut them | | | | local flair and color alive and vibrant in trying economic |
| down. | | | | times and continue to build a sense of community pride |
| It is an excellent community noted for the quality of the | | | | and identity. |
| schools and the laid-back environment. The retail area | | | | The current real estate market there shows 31 |
| of town has suffered over the past decade or so, but | | | | properties on the market as of May 10 (up from 23 in |
| there are still cafes, diners and coffee shops | | | | January and down from a high of 43 in October of |
| interspersed with yoga studios, and, because of its | | | | '08) and the Median home price is currently at $731,231, |
| relative isolation, maintains a diverse retail environment | | | | down about $80,000 from a high in October of '08. |
| catering to all of West Marin. | | | | |