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NOTES ON THE VALLEY

A trip back east

I don’t particularly love to travel. Airports were never my favorite place in the world and it seems like over the past few years they have only gotten more difficult...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Sep. 13, 2023
There are no comments yet. 1415 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

The simple joy of eating fruit

When we first started dating my partner once asked me to grab fruit on the way home from work. After I wrapped up my last meeting I stopped by a local grocery store,...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Aug. 30, 2023
There are no comments yet. 1603 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

Donate blood if you can to save lives

On a weekend many years ago I was hosting my brother and partner (then girlfriend) at my apartment. After grabbing some drinks outside we came back to spend the...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Aug. 24, 2023
Last comment by Jennifer, on Aug 25, 2023 at 9:52 am | 1 comment | 1374 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

A journey down to Point Lobos

When I think of taking off time from work it usually falls into two buckets. The first is an obligation that I have to attend. Things such as a...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Aug. 16, 2023
There are no comments yet. 1403 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

Once in a blue supermoon

Earlier this year my partner and I were driving home after visiting some friends who lived in San Francisco. As we exited the Bay Bridge, we noticed a gigantic moon...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Aug. 9, 2023
There are no comments yet. 1505 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

Don't press your luck

This past week California lottery officials confirmed that the winning ticket for the $1 billion Powerball prize was sold in Los Angeles. In addition, three lucky...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Jul. 26, 2023
Last comment by Mike Danson, on Jul 26, 2023 at 11:58 am | 2 comments | 1872 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

Otterly delightful: Bringing otters back to the bay

This past month a delegation from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) visited cities...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Jul. 12, 2023
There are no comments yet. 2018 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

Effortless and eco-conscious: exploring e-bikes

While living in Davis and then San Francisco I became an avid biker. I would bike to work and to places around town when doing errands. A practice I try to maintain...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Jul. 5, 2023
Last comment by Jason Peck, on Jul 7, 2023 at 9:14 am | 3 comments | 2450 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

A space center in our backyard

This past weekend my partner and I drove down to a friend's wedding in Mountain View. To avoid the Dumbarton bridge toll we took the five minute detour around the...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Jun. 28, 2023
There are no comments yet. 1909 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

Cities should not subsidize sports teams

I’ve never been a particularly big fan of baseball. I didn’t grow up playing catch with my dad or hitting dingers in Little League. Basketball and football were...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Jun. 21, 2023
Last comment by Beatrice Lambert, on Jun 25, 2023 at 10:49 am | 20 comments | 2487 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

Buzzworthy brilliance: the saga of the Scripps National Spelling Bee

As the Pleasanton Weekly recently reported,...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Jun. 14, 2023
There are no comments yet. 1729 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

Taking an electric car on a northern California road trip

My partner and I are in the market for a new car. The lure of an electric car is high with their much lower maintenance costs and not having to worry about gas prices....

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Jun. 8, 2023
There are no comments yet. 2368 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

Expanding access to Yosemite's wonders

One of the most awe inspiring treks I’ve been on in California is located in Yosemite National Park. The Mist trail is a seven-mile round trip which takes hikers...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on May. 24, 2023
Last comment by Erin Miller, on Jun 3, 2023 at 8:11 am | 8 comments | 2504 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

A tale of sister cities

In April, Pleasanton welcomed more than two dozen officials and community representatives from Tulancingo, Mexico. As Jeremy Walsh documented in a

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on May. 17, 2023
Last comment by Carole Lee Manning, on May 18, 2023 at 10:14 am | 1 comment | 2126 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

Strawberry trails forever

The lower trailhead of the Strawberry Canyon fire trail is easy to find. The road touches the south eastern edge of the Berkeley campus and then takes you through...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on May. 3, 2023
There are no comments yet. 2047 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

The rich history of Reinhardt Redwood Park

The beautiful weather over the past week finally managed to pull me out of a cold funk. This winter was so long there were moments that I thought I would never be...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Apr. 26, 2023
There are no comments yet. 2198 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

From beans to bargaining: Baristas organize for unionization

It took me a few months to finally try out the espresso machine at work. Right next to the drip coffee brewed once at seven in the morning is a beautiful Simonelli...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Apr. 19, 2023
Last comment by Bay Area Native, on Apr 25, 2023 at 4:42 pm | 5 comments | 2441 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

That other basketball team in northern California

This past weekend I joined a group of friends and drove up to Sacramento to watch a Kings - Warriors game. All but two of our group were Warriors fans. I was the...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Apr. 12, 2023
There are no comments yet. 2222 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

Check out the superblooms this spring

One of the key reasons I love living in the Bay Area is its lack of monsoons. Heavy rains and winds over the past few months have me second guessing this love. If...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Apr. 5, 2023
There are no comments yet. 2565 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

College textbooks 101

While I loved reading growing up, books were the bane of my existence in college. I went to a college which operated on the quarter system. Three times every year...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Mar. 29, 2023
Last comment by Kasey Kee, on Mar 30, 2023 at 11:04 am | 2 comments | 1977 Views

Local Blogs

I don’t particularly love to travel. Airports were never my favorite place in the world and it seems like over the past few years they have only gotten more difficult...

When we first started dating my partner once asked me to grab fruit on the way home from work. After I wrapped up my last meeting I stopped by a local grocery store,...

On a weekend many years ago I was hosting my brother and partner (then girlfriend) at my apartment. After grabbing some drinks outside we came back to spend the...

When I think of taking off time from work it usually falls into two buckets. The first is an obligation that I have to attend. Things such as a...

Earlier this year my partner and I were driving home after visiting some friends who lived in San Francisco. As we exited the Bay Bridge, we noticed a gigantic moon...

This past week California lottery officials confirmed that the winning ticket for the $1 billion Powerball prize was sold in Los Angeles. In addition, three lucky...

This past month a delegation from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) visited cities...

While living in Davis and then San Francisco I became an avid biker. I would bike to work and to places around town when doing errands. A practice I try to maintain...

This past weekend my partner and I drove down to a friend's wedding in Mountain View. To avoid the Dumbarton bridge toll we took the five minute detour around the...

I’ve never been a particularly big fan of baseball. I didn’t grow up playing catch with my dad or hitting dingers in Little League. Basketball and football were...

As the Pleasanton Weekly recently reported,...

My partner and I are in the market for a new car. The lure of an electric car is high with their much lower maintenance costs and not having to worry about gas prices....

One of the most awe inspiring treks I’ve been on in California is located in Yosemite National Park. The Mist trail is a seven-mile round trip which takes hikers...

In April, Pleasanton welcomed more than two dozen officials and community representatives from Tulancingo, Mexico. As Jeremy Walsh documented in a

The lower trailhead of the Strawberry Canyon fire trail is easy to find. The road touches the south eastern edge of the Berkeley campus and then takes you through...

The beautiful weather over the past week finally managed to pull me out of a cold funk. This winter was so long there were moments that I thought I would never be...

It took me a few months to finally try out the espresso machine at work. Right next to the drip coffee brewed once at seven in the morning is a beautiful Simonelli...

This past weekend I joined a group of friends and drove up to Sacramento to watch a Kings - Warriors game. All but two of our group were Warriors fans. I was the...

One of the key reasons I love living in the Bay Area is its lack of monsoons. Heavy rains and winds over the past few months have me second guessing this love. If...

While I loved reading growing up, books were the bane of my existence in college. I went to a college which operated on the quarter system. Three times every year...

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