We went to a wedding this weekend, which was more like a 3-day long party in Stinson Beach. Stinson Beach is a lovely strip of sand and surf in Marin County, about 20 miles from San Francisco. The bride and groom had booked just about every hotel, bed-and-breadfast, and vacation rental in town for their hundred or so guests. I'm sure it must have seemed like "Invasion of the Wedding Party" from the tiny town's perspective.
The town is a small strip of shops and restaurants along Highway 1, with a sort of sunbleached, sleepy look to it. Early in the morning, people were casually strolling down the highway. As the day progressed, there were more and more cars jamming the road begging to be let in.
One of the main features of the town is a broad swath of public beach with white sand and surf. Signs warn of a dangerous riptide, and the Pacific is too cold for serious swimming. This didn't stop the boogie boarders, windsurfers and a few other brave souls who jumped in anyway. The beach was crowded with people enjoying a the sun, in spite of a torrent of fine sand blowing around in the strong breeze.
We stayed at the Stinson Beach Motel, just two blocks from the public beach. The motel, built in the 1930's, is the kind of seaside hotel you would expect in a quaint little town, but at big city prices. We had a nice room with a pull-out futon bed for Alex and a full-size kitchen that looked like it had been recently remodeled. One caveat: you are evidently supposed to arrive before 7, but no one told us that ahead of time. The Manager Dude (as he introduced himself to me) was pretty annoyed that we kept him waiting until 9 pm, and let Frank know about it. So, if you find yourself arriving at the Stinson Beach Motel some weekend, try to check in earlier so you harsh Manager Dude's buzz, and cause bad karma to come crashing down on you like a gnarly wave at Mavericks.
One odd thing that happened was that I was awakened in the middle of the night by mosquitos buzzing around the room. I felt an itchiness on my lower lip, and when I went to the bathroom to investigate, found that my lip was swollen up about three times the normal size. Who needs collagen injections when you can just be attacked by mosquitos and create the same effect? The swelling went down by morning, so I didn't have to walk around with a permanent pout, but it would have been one to make Angelina Jolie jealous.
Our wedding hosts provided most of our meals while we were there, so we didn't try many restaurants. One we did try was the Parkside Cafe, which featured hearty American and Mexican-inspired breakfast dishes and freshly baked muffins and breads. Aside from a full-service restaurant, there is a walk-up snack bar with treats and snacks for take-out. There are a number of other restaurants along Highway 1, but we didn't get a chance to try them out this time.
The wedding itself took place on about a mile down the beach from the public entrance. Guests followed the groom down the beach in a long processional from the hotel to the park entrance and then walked along the wet sand barefoot to the ceremony location. It was a casual, California-style affair, with a beautiful backdrop of surf, in a place with special significance to the bride and groom. After the ceremony, we hiked back to the Stinson Beach Community Center for a reception and dancing after stopping in our room to wash the sand off.
To Matthew and Amanda, thanks so much for a lovely weekend. The wedding was as beautiful as the setting. We hope you have a lifetime full of sunny days, beautiful surroundings, laughter, and love.