Half Moon Bay

Half Moon Bay

Navigating the stressful seas of modern life can turn me into a grouchy pirate. My solution is a treasure hunt—one supplied by Mother Nature. Strolling beaches strewn with seashells, foraging forest floors for mushrooms, or scanning foothills for wildflowers lulls me into Zen-like tranquility. On my way to Half Moon Bay, I drive the scenic route down Highway 1 to immerse myself in another natural treasure a few miles past Pacifica, the tide pools of the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach.

Low tide today is at 9:30 a.m. The bare reefs sport scurrying crabs and clamber-ing kids mesmerized by hidden life in pockets beneath the water’s surface. Sea anemones wave graceful tentacles, hermit crabs wearing showy turban shells appear to be hurrying to a tea party, and a large burgundy sea star lounges lazily in a quiet crevice. Sea sacs, a species of algae, stick up amid outcroppings of mussels like fingers of green rubber gloves. They produce a satisfying squirt when stepped on just right.

Continuing a few miles south on Highway 1, I pull off at Pillar Point Harbor, home base for fishermen who sell live crabs and fresh fish right off their boats. Shoppers call the harbormaster’s hotline for daily updates on what’s for sale, or scan the whiteboard outside the harbormaster’s office for sellers’ slip numbers and lists of their wares.

Bill and Penny Webb of Antioch are cleaning their boat, “The Cricket.” They have already sold the last of their live crabs for the day. Weekends, the couple sleeps on the boat to get a jump on morning sales. “People know we’re here and sometimes come knocking as early as 6 or 7 a.m.,” says Penny. But, she says, “the best way is to call ahead and we’ll hold your fish for you.” Deeply suntanned Bill still catches crabs the old-fashioned way, using bait jars filled with sardines or squid. But now he can check on his string of 500 pots (the professional crabber’s term for cages) with his computer.

Half Moon Bay is probably best known for the annual fall Pumpkin Festival. Strolling down picturesque Main Street in July, though, I am not hunting for promising jack-o’-lantern material, but for more opportunities to lose myself. At the cleverly named Half to Have It, I stumble upon the urban equivalent of beachcombing: sifting through a trove of vintage collectibles. Outside are old-style iron gazebos, brass doorknockers, and bathtubs full of gaudy glass-rock gravel. Inside, the store is organized into rooms. The kitchen contains a green enamel ’50s range, bone-china tea sets, and assorted dishes. To my amazement, I unearth a serving platter decorated with fruit (for only $5) that matches a dessert set I inherited from my grandmother. The bedroom houses chenille bedspreads, hand-embroidered linens, and hatboxes. This eclectic emporium carries an ever-changing selection of antique furniture, jewelry, toys, and home decor.

Across the street, I spot the Moonside Bakery. Its owner, Thomas Grauke, a master pastry chef from Germany, bakes a variety of European-style cakes, breads, and pastries. It’s a tough choice, but I finally select a handful of cookies: an almond horn, a raspberry hat, and a half moon decorated with a delectable combination of apricot jam, almond piping, and chocolate. Breakfast and lunch are served in the adjoining cafe.

Next door is one of my favorite places to get lost in: a cooking store. Toque Blanche (French for “white chef’s hat”) offers a wealth of cookware, cookbooks, gadgets, and spices. It’s also the sole distributor in California for La Chamba, traditional hand-molded, black clay cookware from Colombia. It’s easy to lose track of time examining a conical pestle, a star-shaped flan pan, a smiling corn zipper, and the like.

For a snippet of local history, I visit the Spanishtown Historical Society, located in the old 1911 jail, a few blocks off Main Street. A small exhibit features the founding families—the Guerreros, Vasquezes, and Miramontes—who received coastside land grants from the Mexican government in 1846. The town, the oldest settlement in San Mateo County, was first called San Benito, then Spanishtown, and finally became Half Moon Bay in 1874. The museum’s display explains that in the years before the American conquest, the town provided a “refuge for Spanish-speaking people in an increasingly Anglo California.”

Back on Main Street, I wander into The Posh Moon, a lovely little boutique with a decidedly French flavor. Co-owners Carol Patin-Gipe and her daughter, Monica, are self-proclaimed romantics who love “a softer vintage” look (today, for example, Carol is sporting a graceful hat, ruffled shawl, and pearls). The pair’s French heritage clearly inspires the refined selection of scarves, jewelry, clothes, and gifts.

For lunch, I am enticed by the aromas emanating from the kitchen of Chez Shea, a cozy spot decorated in earth tones with a patio out back. The menu travels the globe from Mexico to Lebanon with exclusively organic ingredients. In my East-West fish taco, the halibut is marinated with Moroccan chermoula and served in flatbread with vegetables and an improbable but flavorful mélange of tzatziki, harissa, and salsa ranchera.

Another Main Street store, Tokenz, is a tranquil oasis filled with ethnic art: masks from Nepal and Ghana, Indonesian sarongs, statues of Buddha. Owner Sheila Edwards-May invites me into the back room, where she also sells beads and craft supplies, and tells me about her life’s journey. In 1981, while living in San Francisco, Edwards-May bought a thousand YKK zipper-pulls and made them into earrings. They sold so well in shops on Haight Street that she expanded her line of quirky jewelry, crafting earrings out of many different plastic charms like nuns, hot dogs, and neon-colored LPs. Eventually, specialty museums nationwide ordered themed earrings ranging from spaceships to bugs. The front of her store reflects the spiritual path Edwards-May now follows, while the past is never left behind.

Driving home, I find myself relaxed, recharged, and ready to face whatever stresses wash up on my shore, until I realize with a pang that I could have lost myself in so many more ways: kayaking, whale-watching, horseback riding, bird-watching, or taking surfing lessons. I almost look forward to getting stressed out again so I will have an excuse to return.

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Anna Mindess is a freelance writer specializing in food and culture and a frequent contributor to The Monthly. She is also a sign language interpreter. See her work at www.annamindess.com.


Chez Shea, 408 Main St., (650) 560-9234, www.chez-shea.com.

The Cricket, Captain Bill Webb, (925) 757-8615.

Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, 200 Nevada St., Moss Beach, (650) 728-3584; www.fitzgeraldreserve.org.

Half to Have It, 601 Main St., Half Moon Bay, (650) 712-5995; www.halftohaveit.com.

Half Moon Bay Chamber of Commerce, 235 Main St., Half Moon Bay, (650) 726-8380; www.halfmoonbaychamber.org/
visiting_hmb/index.html. 
(See also www.visithalfmoonbay.org.)

Moonside Bakery, 604 Main St., Half Moon Bay, (650) 726-9070, www.moonsidebakery.com.

Pillar Point Harbor, 1 Johnson Pier, Half Moon Bay, (650) 726-8724 (fish sales hotline).

The Posh Moon, 519 Main St., Half Moon Bay, (650) 726-3821.

Spanishtown Historical Society, 505 Johnston St., Half Moon Bay, (650) 726-7084; www.spanishtownhs.org.

Tokenz, 524 Main St., Half Moon Bay, (650) 712-8457.

Toque Blanche, 604 Main St., Half Moon Bay, (650) 726-2898; www.mytoque.com.

Faces of the East Bay