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Neighbor News

Tourists - Visitors - to HMB are looking for....?

...Besides Pumpkins and Mavericks?

It’s tourist season again. On Main Street, the place is buzzing with traffic & activity. A busload of tourists disembarks in front of Cunha's Country Market, which is enjoying brisk business on this sunny day.
The tourist guide is dressed in shorts and knee-high socks, carrying a backpack and a sheaf of papers, which turn out to be walking maps and information about our fair town.

I catch up to this group, to take a few pictures, and chat a bit, before the guide gets down to business. We’re having fun, but he has a schedule. I did my part representing a friendly face (& camera) of Half Moon Bay. Half Moon Bay is a tourist town. Especially on Fridays and the weekends,and the weather assures us that this weekend will be a good one. Fresh fruits & veggies are plentiful on the coast, from Farmer’s Markets to roadside stands.

From Zaballa Square to La Piazza, there is much to see. The San Benito House usually has a steady stream of customers enjoying their sandwiches, while listening to live music – Musician Rich Felix has a regular gig there on Fridays & Saturdays. Rich knows many popular tunes, has a great playing style – I’ve
dubbed him “The Troubadour of the San Benito House”. Moonside Bakery is always busy on these days, with plenty of tables for indoor & outdoor dining.

If visitors are lucky,they might see local artisan Ken Paul working on one of his sculptures. There
are numerous galleries along Main Street, along with gift shops like "Hey Jude" and "Tokenz". There are the book stores, and a preponderance of restaurants and eateries. There is even something for the kids - the new Fog Town Toys store, which offers a variety of toys and games.

So, the Half Moon Bay Coastside is a beautiful place, no doubt about it. This includes the ocean/beaches, vistas, small shops, art, and fine dining experiences. On the downside, we don’t have a museum, something which we are asked at our gallery often. "Can you please tell me where to find your museums?" And: " Where are the Antique shops?” “Sorry...no antique shops.” “NONE?” No....they used to be located here...” Many things used to be here, but high rents pushed out the small businesses.
This leads up to my question:
As a resident or visitor to the Half Moon Bay Coastside – what business or service would you like to see here that we don’t have? Conversely - what do we have more than enough of - besides pumpkins?

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