The sands of Marin and San Mateo have officially reopened to the public. (We recommend hitting the beach in the fall. There's something luxurious about walking on the beach, bundled up in winter clothing.) What's more, 50 wild birds have been cleaned up and released at Pillar Point Yacht Harbor at Half Moon Bay. But what's worse, "the spill has cost the U.S. government $1.4 million, money spent on operations by the Coast Guard,......

We gobble the various food sections up each Wednesday. Here are our favorite nibbles from today's offerings. San Francisco Chronicle: The gorge-gorge weather makes it easy to imagine all sorts of picnics, in various Bay Area locales. Dolores Park, Eastshore State Park, oysters and beer at Angel Island, Mount Diablo and more get the nod. Even picnic gear has gone green with items like bamboo plates and corn starch cutlery. What to serve? How does......

We were originally going to put a cursory summary of Partners in Preservation's program in Day Around The Bay, but after poking around on the website, it's so cool that we've elevated it to a stand-alone post. American Express, in connection with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the World Monuments Fund, will give $1 million to historic sites around the Bay Area. The way they'll determine who to give the money to and......

Wow, this is kind of creepy. According to AP report, "An [sic] large amount of some unknown substance has been spotted spreading across the San Francisco Bay." According to the terrifyingly brief article, a mystery substance is spreading over the water between Angel Island and Aquatic Park, and is presently a mile and a half long and 100 yards wide. We've seen enough sci-fi and horror movies to know that this how the end......