Finding Community

After a long absence, I am back to posting! I was so busy writing for my internship with Amnesty that I had no time left over to post . . . And then we moved back across the country to San Francisco! But now we are settled and are actually planning to be in one place for more than three months, meaning we have a more regular schedule. It's hard to believe we've already been here for over a month, and that if we were still traveling, we'd be halfway through our assignment! While we were traveling, our goal was to experience as much of the location as possible before moving on the the next assignment. While we still want to experience all that the Bay Area has to offer, we also want to experience the feeling of belonging to a community. We want to become involved in the area and be able to put down at least a few roots, start a garden, bike to work, join local groups, go to the community center, get to know our neighbors . . . So, here are the things we have done to get to know our community so far. Through these links you can get to know our community too!

[We often talk about walking through the door of opportunity. Ted took the above photo in Greenwich Village this fall]

The first things I wanted to know:
1) Where/how do we recycle? To find out, I went to www.earth911.org, which allowed me to look up recycling services by zip code, including what types of glass, plastics, and other wastes are recycled in our area. I also went to www.freecycle.org to join the local freecycle group whose mission is to "build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community." The only rule is that everything posted on the site must be entirely free. So far, I have picked up homemade cards and a set of wine glasses. More about my Freecycle experiences coming in a later blog! (I promise that there will be a later blog!)

2) Where can I take violin lessons? To find a violin teacher, I went to www.craigslist.org, which is an online classifieds site. We found our apartment in New York through this website as well. I found a quality violin teacher through the site, and just returned from my third lesson! Today I learned a basic Bluegrass tune, and my teacher promised that if I perfected the basic tune by next lesson, she would teach me how to make it sound more "bluegrassy" (for lack of a better term). While I'm sure my neighbors are about to pull their hair out with all the practicing, I am enjoying learning an instrument I've always wanted to play. I have grand visions of playing fiddle on the back porch while watching my garden grow :-)

3) Where is the closest community grocery store? One of you may know a quick way to find this information online, but I relied on the phonebook. I knew I didn't want to go to one of the larger supermarkets, so I made a list of other groceries close by, visited, and then found one that I liked. Of course, I am also lucky enough to live within three miles of a Trader Joe's, a Whole Foods, and a Fresh Market in case I need anything the local store doesn't carry. As I've said in previous posts, I enjoy getting to know my butcher, my grocer, and the people who shop when I do. Shopping for food should be a pleasure rather than a headache, and I almost always reward myself (and Ted) with a jar of Strauss milk whenever I visit the grocery. Ted loves to lick the cream from the top of the milk jar!

4) When/where is the local farmer's market? To find this, I typed in the name of my city + "farmer's market" in Google. Again, because I live in California, I have several markets from which to choose. Our farmer's market is every Sunday afternoon, and draws a good crowd. After reading an article about buying local in this month's copy of Yes! magazine (www.yesmagazine.org), I followed their advice and searched for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) on www.localharvest.org. (Belonging to a CSA or farmer's cooperative ensures you a weekly or monthly delivery of fresh produce from a local farm). I found Live Earth Farm (www.liveearthfarm.com) located in Watsonville, CA, which provides a basket of food per week for $23. Recipes and a weekly newsletter come with the basket (See the website for past issues). I spent a whole afternoon looking over past recipes and farm talk!

5) Where is the closest/best local coffee shop? You know how much we like coffee! We've tried a few so far, but our favorite is still the Palo Alto Cafe, whose lattes, bagels, and warm convivial atmosphere are hard to beat! We did, however, branch out when we were in Half Moon Bay to try what the local papers call "The Best Chai West of Bombay." Though I've never been to Bombay, it was the best chai I've tried in the United States! MMMM. . . . Followed by a walk on Montara Beach . . . What could be better?

6) Where is the library? Easy enough to find both in the phone book and online. We've already checked out about 20 books on topics ranging from the environmental movement, to sustainable home design, to organic gardening, to Edward Abbey, to Sartre. Books of the month to recommend: Black Sun ( and Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey, The Things We Keep by Elizabeth Berg, The Art of Natural Building by Joseph Kennedy, and The Bountiful Container by McGee and Stuckey.

7) Where is the community center? Also easy to find and a great place to sign up for continuing education classes, community groups, and use of a heated swimming pool!

8) What is the best bike path to take to get to work? For this route and ideas about local mountain biking trails, I went to www.pedaling.com. I haven't taken the bike to work yet as it has been raining non-stop. (I know that isn't an excuse for you hard-core peddlers out there, but I'm just not there yet :-) The rain is supposed to stop after Wednesday though!

9) How can I get more involved in the community? I went to www.idealist.org
to find out more about local groups. Fortunately, I came to the area just in time to attend the inaugural meeting of the San Jose Idealist group! 50 or so non-profit leaders and community members attended to find out how they could all collaborate to ensure effective and efficient community service. How thrilling it was to be in a room full of like minded individuals who truly want to be part of a community, especially a face to face interactive community! While I will post more about this meeting in another blog, you can check out photos and videos of the first meeting at: http://siliconvalley.wikia.com/wiki/Idealist.org_Silicon_Valley_-_Start-up_Meeting_Feedback
Check out photos of me talking with other Arts and Education folks!

So, these are the people and places in my neighborhood that I know so far. Who are the people in your neighborhood?