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Halloween Spirit in Half Moon Bay
In honor of Halloween, I am devoting this week and this list to Half Moon Bay.
- 2530
- 2616
20 Places
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Lolia’s 5-star review: See pumpkins growing on the vine on this picturesque farm. It doesn't have mazes, jumpers and attractions but it does have old fashioned charm, wheelbarrows and hay bales. It made us think of Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin. Bob's pumpkins looked better (better color, shape, health) and fresher than the other pumpkin patches in town. The pumpkins tend to be larger than most places and their prices are about half of Arata's Farm up the street. In addition to the standard pumpkins, they had sugar pie, sweet meat and Cinderella pumpkins. Pumpkin prices start at $1. Ample parking, fewer crowds. Cash only. -
Lolia’s 4-star review: My favorite store in HMB. The outside makes it look like a garden store but it's actually an antique store. Some antique stores feel more like thrift stores and others are more like museums. This one is the right combination of old and new at affordable prices. The place is packed with merchandise - from the outside (where they have fountains, bird houses and garden statuary), to the first floor (vintage greeting cards, photos, buttons, postcards, clothing, hats, shoes, scarves, cookbooks, silverware, tea cups), to the upstairs (vintage books, magazines, fabrics). They have reproduction pieces such as old time metal signs that are new but don't look out of place in an antique shop. New items are sprinkled throughout, like elaborate paper masks and retro dish towels. They have a sense of humor - the pile of old photos is labeled "instant relative, just add a frame." They buy estates, so they get all sorts of items. It proves that one man's trash is another man's treasure. One day one of your greeting cards and love letters could also wind up at an antique store. -
Lolia’s 4-star review: This surprisingly nice, Whole Foods like grocery store is where I would shop if I were a local. You can get your Acme Bakery bread here with San Pellegrino and imported fresh Italian pastas (reasonably priced too). The bakery has all sorts of goodies like macarons, mini cakes, cookies, etc., and coffee to go with your pastries. I thought they had fro-yo too but it was organic soft serve ice cream (by Straus). The hot and salad food bar looked tempting ($7.99/lb). I tried the Indian style chickpea curry (tasty), Thai BBQ chicken (tender, flavorful but didn't taste Thai), and quinoa (plain, simple, good). You can also get paninis and made to order sandwiches. I have a feeling that they make good sandwiches. The store is clean, bright and spacious. It has all the usual departments - meat, produce, seafood, cheese, bath & body, fair trade type goods like Peruvian scarves and socks, wine, etc., and a lovely looking olive bar. I was also impressed with their variety of seitan snacks. If they started offering soft-serve fro-yo, I'd give them another star. -
Lolia’s 4-star review: Simply Delicious has an impressive selection of candy and toys, plus housemade fudge ($15.99/lb) and a dash of Halloween spirit. They can put together gift baskets for you or provide lots of things to fill a basket you create on your own. The fudge (20 flavors to choose from) came in creative flavors like watermelon (looked like watermelon too), lavender, and creamsicle. They have Jelly Bellies (sold by weight, not all the flavors), gum, lollipops, licorice (domestic & imported), bacon drink tabs, gummi candy, chocolates, sugar free candy, etc. The toys included lunch boxes, wind-up toys, kits, sock monkeys and Mad Libs. There's a small section devoted to cupcake themed items. -
Lolia’s 4-star review: My HMB visits always include a visit to Coastside Books. There's a comfortable, worn in, laid back feeling about this place and they have lovely greeting cards (including letterpress cards), journals, and stationery. The greeting card selection is quite large and I think the nicest in town. I can usually find a knitting book or two that I haven't seen before. They also carry some HMB sweatshirts, mugs and city-themed merchandise. It's not a large bookstore but it feels like the small town, independent bookstore that it is. It seems like the oldest bookstore in town. They sell new books only. -
Lolia’s 4-star review: Sandwiches at this local favorite deli are simple and straightforward. The wall is covered with awards for best bread and best sandwiches in Half Moon Bay. Sandwiches are $6 each or $4 for half and they come on your choice of homemade bread: whole wheat, French, or olive walnut. Types of sandwiches: * Turkey * Ham * Roast beef * Hot pastrami * Cheese & avocado * Tuna * PB & J * Hummus * Cucumber & cream cheese Sandwiches include mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onions. You can add on cheese and other extras. I had a tuna sandwich on French. I was surprised that they didn't wrap the sandwich - they put it on a paper tray and shoved it in a paper bag (WTF?). The sandwich was very messy to eat. The tuna salad had too much mayo and a mushy texture but I did like how they added tiny bits of carrots, celery and bell pepper bits to the salad. The veggies were fresh and they didn't shred the lettuce (yay). The bread was thickly sliced, spongy and soft, like a rustic white bread. Yum. Without the bread, I'd give the sandwich three stars. The bread deserves an extra star. They sell drinks, chips, cookies, beer, salads and a soup of the day. Though there's only one small table inside, there are plenty of places to sit outside on the deck and patio area. They had a decorated giant pumpkin to show their Halloween spirit. They now serve breakfast but I'm not sure what they have. Credit cards accepted. P.S. Locals call it San Benito, not Garden Deli. It says Garden on the sign because they have a garden on the premises. -
Lolia’s 4-star review: Carefully curated Abode's home décor store carries a lovely, tasteful selection of furniture (bed frames, dressers), candles, infusers, soaps, botanically inspired art (e.g., leaves etched in wood), jewelry, tableware, Chilewich placemats, etc. Everything they sell fits with the store's emphasis on natural home beauty. Colors tend to be muted and wood is clearly a favorite material. It's not a cluttered place but a pleasant, relaxing shopping experience. The jewelry, made by a local artist, is delicate and features bird shapes, leaves, and flowers. For Halloween they had an assortment of velvet pumpkins. My picks: * Pretty green velvet chairs * Clear ribbed glass tumblers with decorative edging * Log planters -
Lolia’s 4-star review: The best selection of Halloween themed home décor items in Half Moon Bay. The majority of the smaller items in this European/classic American home décor store are Halloween themed right now (during the Halloween season - after Halloween, they focus on other holidays, like Christmas, Easter, etc.) You'll find elaborate table settings laden with spooky figures, Halloween plates, fake pumpkins and wood signs. Halloween items include cake pedestals, pillows, and black ornament trees. The selection is truly impressive but you may experience some sticker shock. -
Lolia’s 4-star review: Four out of five pumpkins. They demonstrate their Halloween spirit with yarn pumpkins in the window. Quite impressive for a small town yarn shop, Fengari stocks high quality yarns from Noro, Manos del Uruguay, Debbie Bliss, Malabrigo - in other words, the best yarns. The place is cluttered and you get the impression that they have yarn coming out of their ears. There are boxes all over the place, particularly towards the back of the store. The selection is very good and they also have an excellent collection of knitting magazines and books (though not the largest). I even spotted a Japanese knitting book. Yarns are organized by brand. Needles? Needle cases? They have those of course. And knitting and crochet classes. The prices are on the higher side though and the sales aren't as extensive as I've seen at other knitting stores. -
Lolia’s 3-star review: I used to look forward to visiting Cunha's every October and checking out their Halloween wares upstairs. The upstairs had the charm of an old country general store...but then the original building was lost in a fire a few years ago. Cunha's still carries non-food merchandise upstairs (candles, bath & body items, kitchen items, clothing, wine) but the selection is really awful and junky now. They even have clothes on consignment! Even worse, they barely had any Halloween items the week before Halloween. The greeting cards are awful and they carry so much Half Moon Bay merchandise (t-shirts, sweatshirts) for tourists. The downstairs part (grocery) seems nicer now, but I can't get over what they did to the upstairs. Downstairs they have made to order sandwiches with Boar's Head meat and an eclectic mix of health food items (e.g., Rice Dream, Coconut Bliss, Cuties), Asian food, British food, Mexican, etc. They carried bakery items from a Portuguese bakery (I was intrigued but didn't buy any). The ice cream selection was quite nice: Marianne's, Soy Delicious, and even ice cream for dogs called Frosty Paws. Every October they have giant decorated pumpkins out front (cute). -
Lolia’s 3-star review: A teensy, cozy, local bakery that offers donuts, danishes, and cookies. It looks like it's been here for quite some time. During October they always have an array of pumpkin treats including pumpkin cake rolls, pumpkin brownies, mini pumpkin pies, and pumpkin loaf cake. They even have baklava. I didn't see any cupcakes though. I had a Portuguese cinnamon sugar cookie which was quite good: a hard, crunchy butter cookie dusted with ample amounts of cinnamon sugar. They also serve coffee drinks and sandwiches. The pumpkin loaf cake was very good: moist and dense - could have used more spice though. It's nut free. Reminded me a bit of gingerbread. It was $3 for a loaf which seems like a very good price. They had some other loaf cake flavors for the same price. Not a fancy place but simple and good. -
Lolia’s 3-star review: Every October, Repetto's opens a pumpkin patch down the road from their nursery. Standing on the dirt lot surrounded by pumpkins always brings me back to my childhood field trip. It was hard to find the perfect pumpkin back then and it's still hard today. There are plenty of choices - different shapes, sizes and colors - but many have speckles/blemishes. Towards the front entrance they have giant pumpkins, Cinderella pumpkins and other types of pumpkins and gourds for sale. The tiny ones are 50 cents each and the ones in the field are $5 and under. There isn't much else to see, aside from the pumpkins. They have an inflatable jumper and slide (a giant tiger and dinosaur) for kids and a corn maze ($2). The other pumpkin patches are more elaborately decorated and you can find cheaper pumpkins at the smaller farms and stands. -
Lolia’s 3-star review: I bought my pumpkins here this year and last year as well. The pumpkin patches directly across charge $4 - 5 (and less) per pumpkin. Beeson's charges $2.99 (max) with discounts for smaller pumpkins. This year they had quite a few green pumpkins. One variety looked like a cross between a pumpkin and a zucchini. They don't bother decorating the place for Halloween (this should be a crime in Half Moon Bay). The stand is pretty rundown looking. It's not a pumpkin patch or a farm - it's a roadside fruit and vegetable stand. I noticed a rotten pumpkin and a rotten peach - so they don't seem to check their stock too often. Appearances aside, they have cheap produce, including organic items. I spotted red kabocha, berries, potatoes, plums, corn, nectarines, butternut squash, sugar pie pumpkins, and local honey. I bought a pack of organic blueberries grown in Watsonville for $1. -
Lolia’s 3-star review: They have a wider selection than Half Moon Bay Bakery: croissants, scones, foccacia, cookies, mousse cakes. It's a larger space than HMB Bakery. The mousse cakes look quite appetizing, especially the pumpkin mousse cake with Halloween decorations. The vanilla cupcake ($2) was better than I expected. Tender cake, hard & thin white chocolate shell, Halloween sprinkles, and a plastic witch cupcake topper. Not fancy but different from the usual buttercream frosting. I liked the white chocolate coating and the plastic witch topper of course. They had quite the selection of Halloween cookies. The meringue ghosts were adorable. I had the fondant Jack O'Lantern cookie, a sandwich cookie with butter cookies with chocolate fondant filling. It didn't really taste like anything (but it was very cute). They also serve breakfast items such as omelettes, eggs, waffles, pancakes and breakfast pizzas. Their outdoor tables seem perpetually popular. -
Lolia’s 3-star review: I might have come too soon (it's a new location) because they don't seem to be fully set up yet. They had maybe 10 pastries in the case and were low on coffee beans too. Even though it wasn't crowded, it seemed like no one had cleaned off the tables in quite some time and there were crumbs all over the floor as well. Once they get their act together, it should be a good location because (1) it's larger than average with tons of seats, (2) on site bathrooms. They should add a sign so that you can see it from Hwy 1. It took me awhile to find it. It's in a run down old shopping center, the one with Rite Aid and Straw Hat Pizza. -
Lolia’s 3-star review: Paper Crane could hold its own in a larger city thanks to a wide selection of cards and a nice selection of small gifts. Most of the greeting cards aren't ones that I would buy and give, but maybe 20% are ones that I would consider. They have some letterpress cards and they have custom letterpress services. The shop smells lovely - a combination of the high quality candles (including some from Mill Valley Candleworks, they have a kiosk at the SF Ferry Building) and soaps (including French triple milled soaps) that they carry. They also carry typical card store items: notepads, picture frames, gift wrap, books, stuffed animals, baby blankets, etc. It's on par with Papyrus. They didn't have much for Halloween, other than Halloween greeting cards. -
Lolia’s 3-star review: The outdoor decorations are the same this year as they were last year: the pirates scene, the haunted forest and the graveyard scene. Each scene has some animation. The moving haunted tree is still my favorite. I will probably visit him every year. This year they barely have any giant pumpkins and instead they were giving away a car (cheesy), so I'm deducting a star. It's still free to view the scenes and enter in the dark haunted trailer. They still have pumpkins of various sizes and a snack bar. -
Lolia’s 3-star review: One of the largest farms in the area and the oldest working pumpkin farm in San Mateo County, Arata's Farm is known for its large 2 acre Minotaur's hay bale maze ($8 day, $12 night admission). There are activities for all ages, including a petting zoo, haunted barn, jumper, hay rides, pony rides, etc. Tickets are required and the prices keep rising. Wandering around the corn fields to view the statues (Trojan horse, ape) and pumpkins on this 6 acre farm is free. We also saw a free swordfighting show. Pumpkins are sold by size and they're overpriced (go to Bob's). They have the standard variety, along with Cinderella pumpkins, gourds, etc. Snacks and hot dogs are available. Credit cards accepted. Free parking. -
Lolia’s 2-star review: I usually make it out here once or twice a year and I have to say this time, the selection has gotten worse. The shelves are pretty barren and the product quality is such that it would mainly appeal to teens on a budget. They carry a small assortment of cosmetics (no interesting brands), knockoff looking accessories, silver jewelry, tiaras, soaps, candles, Primal Elements bath products, and baby things. Every year they have a couple of tables set up with pumpkin themed items, such as pumpkin bath salts and pumpkin ornaments. I don't see Primal Elements in stores as often as I used to, so if you're a fan of that brand, you might want to check this place out. -
Lolia’s 2-star review: The 50% off Halloween decorations sign caught my eye (of course). They had a decent assortment of small to large Halloween decorations (probably the largest selection in downtown HMB), including ones that scream and make scary noises. Half of the store was devoted to Halloween, the other half consisted of a mix of jewelry (not my style), purses (affordable but not my style), vintage and nearly new clothing (nothing caught my eye), aprons, pot holders, candles and picture frames. They have fairy ornaments which I don't like at all and "towel cakes" (I saw these at Coastal Comforts too - they roll up towels to make them look like cupcakes and roll cakes - kinda lame - cake shaped kitchen sponges are a different story). I had no idea that towel cakes were popular but they seem to be a new thing: http://www.towelcake.co.uk/ It's a somewhat odd store - used clothing, aprons, towel cakes and fairies? No thanks.
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