Getting across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito is no
problem, as there’s no toll fee, but returning is another story. Even with the absence of toll booths, traffic
is just much more congested, where a fee is automatically collected. After renting a car, we stayed a few nights
in Sausalito, in rooms jettisoned over the water with a panoramic view of the
San Francisco skyline, literally a few steps away from the ferry landing. While the weather remains typically cloudy
and overcast in San Francisco, on the Sausalito side there’s usually plenty of
warmer sunshine due to a condition described as a Banana
belt. Inundated by visitors from
across the Bay, the town thrives with out-of-town tourists who flood the
streets either on foot, coming from the ferry, which is only a thirty minute
ride, voted by travel writers as the second most exciting ferry ride in the
world behind Hong Kong, or by more cyclists on rented bikes crossing the bridge. The waterfront is packed by visitors of all
ages and this town does not disappoint, offering a variety of restaurants
making extensive use of the scenic views, including a large marina in the
harbor that has public access, as visitors can walk the piers leading to the
boats and chat with the owners. The
local shops are more upscale than Fisherman’s Wharf, including artist co-ops
from the Bay area, and are conveniently located directly across from the ferry
landing. Houses dot the surrounding
hills, many with magnificent views, with homeowners described as “Hill people,”
suggesting part of the town’s character is based around wealth and
artistry. One of the intriguing aspects
are the nearly 400-500 houseboats sitting in the marina, each with a distinct
identity, where one is a recreation of the Taj Mahal, while others look like
they are literally houses that have been transported to rafts on water. One of the owners took a look at me and
asked, “What is the wife of a hippie called?”
After a short pause, “Mississippi.”
Bad jokes, apparently, are always in favor. Otis Redding wrote his iconic song, Otis Redding - (Sittin' On)
The Dock Of The Bay (Official Video ... YouTube (2:47), in 1967 while
living on a houseboat in Sausalito, while tough guy actor Sterling Hayden was
also born here. Several scenes from
Orson Welles’ THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (1947) were shot on the Sausalito
waterfront.
The town, surprisingly, has only 7000 residents, where it
was the center of bootleggers and rum runners during the Prohibition era, the
home of Baby Face Nelson, while the shipyards employed thousands of people
during WWII, including black laborers, largely due to a California Supreme Case
decision from 1944, argued by future Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall,
that forbid blacks from being excluded by unions, a necessary criteria for
obtaining work at the time, a ruling that extended to all workers and unions
throughout the state. The town, however,
remains more than 90% white, 5 % Asians, and less than 1% black. We had no problems finding places to eat,
including The Spinnaker (http://www.thespinnaker.com/), a short
walk from where we were staying, built on stilts out over the water, where we
were treated to a gorgeous view. But the
culinary treat in Sausalito is Sushi Ran, (http://sushiran.com/), offering the best in
sushi, receiving fresh fish picked earlier in the Tsukiji markets flown in from
Tokyo, as well as local catches, skillfully and artfully presented, while also
offering a wide selection of premium sake.
The house sake was fine for us, but the sashimi and several of the maki
dishes were simply outstanding. This is
considered the best restaurant in Sausalito.
As we made our way out of town, we stopped at Fish, (http://www.331fish.com/), a fish shack in
the marina that is always packed, with obligatory standing in line at a
cash-only establishment, but offering food that was so good we stopped back
here on the way to the airport for food to take on the plane when heading home. Packing what we got for lunch, we headed out
to the Muir Beach overlook on Hwy 1 for a picnic lunch at one of the wooden
tables overlooking the gorgeous expanse of the ocean coastline. The twisting nature of these winding roads
was problematic, especially when we saw what can happen when something goes
wrong, as we saw victims in shock after a terrible accident between a
motorcycle rider and a car, where they were waiting on the side of the road for
an ambulance to arrive. That incident
made very clear what could happen, as the traffic, especially on weekends, was
fairly heavy, so we proceeded with caution.
Making our way up the coast, we quickly lose track of the congestion in
populated areas, where we’re finally out on our own.
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