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Sausalito:
Next time, spend the night.
By
Maria Streshinsky
On
sunny Saturdays or Sundays, the bayside town of Sausalito is busy
with tourists, strolling the waterfront, searching through the myriad
shops and galleries, packing the cafes. This is the Sausalito most
visitors know. To find another, one that is serendipitously serene,
you have only to stay the night. As the sun drops behind the Marin
Headlands, the ferries take away the last day-trippers, and weekenders
can dine peacefully by water's edge, do some leisurely Christmas
shopping, have a drink and soak in some live music at the famous
No Name Bar, and relish the town's empty mornings. During the day,
join the hustle and bustle, or escape the crowds by land or by sea.
By land:
A good place to start a Sausalito visit is the Visitors Center on
the fourth floor of the Village Fair, a complex of more than 40
shops, smack downtown. An exhibit offers a good history of the town.
Along Bridgeway, get T-shirts at Crazy Shirt, refrigerator trinkets
at the all-magnet store, or ice cream at Lappert's.
A waterfront
walking path weaves alongside restaurants, past the marina, and
through the small community park. Rent a bicycle at Wheel Escapes,
30 Liberty Ship Way, (415) 586-2377, and follow the bicycle path
into Mill Valley, or ride the roads into the Headlands.
The San Francisco
Bay Model, (415) 332-3871, is a 1.5-acre model of the Bay, built
by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study its tides, currents,
and shifting sandbars. Entrance is free.
The Bay Area
Discovery Museum, (415) 487-4398, has interactive exhibits for children.
Tots can explore the Underwater Sea Tunnel and life-size Discovery
Boat, or the Communications Center. You'll find the museum at 557
East Fort Baker, in converted military buildings.
Coast side,
near Rodeo Beach, is the Headlands Center for the Arts, (415) 331-2787,
and the Marine Mammal Center, (415) 289-7325, for sick or endangered
marine mammals.
Hiking trails
wind through the rugged 12,000-acre Marin Headlands, a portion of
the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Near Sausalito, there
are trailheads at the Golden Gate Bridge, Rodeo Beach, and Tennessee
Valley. For info: GGNRA
Visitors Center, (415) 331-1540.
By sea:
Ferries serve Sausalito all day. Check
their schedules for a convenient time or call Golden Gate Ferry,
(415) 923-2000, or Red and White Fleet, (415) 546-BOAT, for ferries
to and from San Francisco.
To get closer
to the water, rent a kayak from Sea Trek Ocean Kayaking Center at
Schoonmaker Pt. Marina, (415) 488-1000. Paddle Richardson Bay, or
slip in and out among ships, sailboats, and houseboats moored along
the piers. Take an evening starlight or full-moon trip, or a guided
tour around Angel Island.
Next door to
Sea Trek is Captain Case Powerboat and Waterbike Rental, (415) 331-0444.
Guided tours of the SF waterfront and the Golden Gate Bridge are
also offered.
Also near Schoonmaker
Point, you can rent a sculling shell to row across Richardson Bay
from the Open Water Rowing Center, (415) 332-1091. Wannabe scullers
can take lessons.
A multitude
of Sausalito companies charter boats, or offer sailboat rentals
and tours. The Sausalito Visitors Center has a list.
In the air:
Commodore Seaplanes, Inc, (415) 332-4843, is at the north tip of
Sausalito. Golden Gate tours are $74 per person, sunset champagne
flights are $104 per person.
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PLANNING
YOUR TRIP
Pick
up the AAA Mill Valley, Tiburon, Sausalitomap
for directions, and the AAA California/NevadaTourBook
for lodging.
Where
to stay:
Sausalito has four lodgings. The Inn Above Tide, (415)
332-9535, is next to the ferry boat landing. All rooms
have waterfront private decks-nice for watching the
afternoon fog roll in and envelop Alcatraz, or at night,
the City sparkling across the Bay. Rooms start at $185.
Casa
Madrona, (415) 332-0502, is something of a Victorian
house, with cottages scattered over the hillside. Each
room is different; one is a British country manor, another
an artist's loft. Rates begin at $105. The Casa Madrona's
restaurant, Mikayla, is known for its cuisine, long
wine list, and Sunday brunch.
Sausalito's
famous landmark, the Alta Mira, (415) 332-1350, has
been a hotel since the 1880s. With 30 cottages, rooms,
and suites, it is perched above town on Bulkley Avenue.
The restaurant, popular with the brunch crowd, offers
panoramic views. Rooms start at $80.
At
press time The Hotel Sausalito was scheduled to open
November 1.
Where
to eat:
For
water-side dining, there's Horizons, Houlihan's, Scoma's,
Margaritaville, the Spinnaker, and the Winship.
Choose
Feng-Nian for Chinese, or Sushi Ran for Japanese. The
Chart House is two blocks off the main street on Alexander,
and serves to-die-for mud-pie.
Gate
Five, north of downtown on Harbor Drive, is a favorite
with locals for California seafood. Brunch on the deck
of the Alta Mira works. Locals breakfast at the Lighthouse
Cafe, on Bridgeway.
For
the holidays:
Local
artists will exhibit their work at Winterfest, December
13-15. On December 14th, the Inns of Sausalito will
hold an open house from 3 to 6. Santa andhis elves will
arrive on the Golden Gate Ferry at 6:00, and at 6:30
the 8th Annual Lighted Yacht Parade begins.
For
more information call the Visitors Center at (415) 332-0505,
stop at the kiosk, next to the ferry boat landing or
visit the Sausalito
Chamber of Commerce Web site.
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