Twenty-two years ago, I had one of the best—then worst—ideas to ever occur to my younger mind: Sublet an ADU on the side of Mt. Tamalpais for the spring preceding a permanent move to Los Angeles.
I somehow thought that briefly steeping in such a bucolic setting would stoke up my spiritual constitution before venturing into Hollywood’s concrete jungle seeking fame and fortune. And I was right, which is what made the whole misadventure so wrong.
Whereas I was once on Mt. Tam, 2,600 feet above sea level, cushioned in coastal fog, dreams intact, in LA, I had sunk into a veritable psychic sewer in the depths of an underpass that connected the dreaded 405 and 10 freeways as I broiled in a second-hand Honda while it sputtered out the last of the AC’s freon charge. I was no longer Daedalus, but Tantalus, reaching toward the cool waters of Muir Beach that now receded far into the corners of memory and my longing to return overflowed.
If only I had stayed in Marin, on the mountain, I would’ve been far above the fray, safe from the squalid human zoo of wannabes and malcontents, I would’ve been, dare I say, happy. Or at least happier. It was then that I vowed to come back to Marin County. I took years—years that I could’ve spent shrouded in Tam’s mystic marine layer instead of steaming in the bowels of an urban nightmare.
Citizens of Marin, learn from my experience and heed my words: Don’t leave Marin County! You’ve already made it! By merely living here in Marin, you’ve won the game of life. To the victor go the spoils! What follows is but a brief catalog of all that is yours.
This annual Best of Marin issue incorporates contributions from you, our readers, as well as a talented cadre of writers: Isabella Cook, Evan Davis, Mark Fernquest, Brooke Herron, Nikki Silverstein and Jane Vick.
Also, a hat tip to news editor Will Carruthers, who guided this edition of the Pacific Sun to safe harbor while his boss once again was lured by the siren call of cinema (and was conveniently filming on location during its production cycle). Enjoy!
