Want a Weekend in Sausalito?

Sausalito will always be one of my favourite places on the planet. For my friends who want to venture into the Bay Area, and specifically goto Sausalito, here are some ideas. There are a bunch of links to websites, Google maps pages, Yelp pages, and my own blog. Feel free to check them out at your leisure…

Before that, here’s a general list of things I’d recommend to do in the Bay Area. There’s more here than you’d be able to do on any given weekend, so you’ll need to pick and choose depending upon proximity. One activity would simply be the different neighborhoods in San Francisco (Lands End and Point Lobos, Crissy Field, North Beach, The Mission, Haight & Asbury, Cow Hollow, and the Marina). Another would be to explore Marin County (checking out the Golden Gate Bridge from Cavallo Point, Vista Point and Hawk Hill), Tiburon (and either hiking Mount Tam or going to Angel Island), and Sausalito (and maybe hiking the Marin Headlands). Speaking of Sausalito…

Take the ferry from the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero in San Francisco to Sausalito. Make sure to check out the times the ferry leaves, as it’s spread out. See this schedule. On the weekdays, I recommend the 10a, which will put you into Sausalito by 10:30a; or on weekends, get on the 10:40a getting you there by 11:10a. (The other times are 7:40a and 11:35a on weekdays, and the second one leaving SF on weekends is 12 noon.) The other thing to be aware of is when it leaves — 4:45p, 6:10p, and last one 7:20p on weekdays; and 5:35p and 6:45p on weekends. Or you could take an Uber, but the ferry is way more fun. Or if you do Uber, then just take it to Crissy Field, then from Fort Point, you could walk about 90 minutes up the pathway to the Golden Gate Bridge and walk to Sausalito to The Trident. This is just an amazing walk. On the other hand, you can rent a bike at Blazing Saddles at Pier 41 in Fisherman’s Wharf and bike to Sausalito

After arriving in Sausalito, you’ll be smack dab in the middle of the small, quaint downtown area (if you took the ferry, otherwise you won’t be far from it if you walked from Crissy Field). The flow for the rest of the paragraph assumes that you took the ferry. You may be famished. If you want breakfast, there’s nothing better than the Bridgeway Cafe; sit outside if you can!! It’s right on the sidewalk with the water right across the street. If you want a burger, check out Napa Valley Burger. If you want some wine, with a view off a balcony looking out into the water and the San Francisco skyline, goto Barrel House Tavern. (This is where Eric and I had dinner that first time talking about Upwork a couple months before I joined. The rest is history.) If you’re part of a bigger group, check out the deck area on the water at The Trident. No matter what, take a walk all along Bridgeway Avenue. (You would have already done this if you had walked from the GGB.) You could walk to one end (towards your right side as you look at the water) all the way till it turns into Richardson St, walking along the water the entire way, and then turn back to the town square with the water fountain (near the ferry entrance). Must goto places are Lappert’s Ice Cream (for amazing… waitforit… ice cream) and the Holiday Shoppe (with year-round Christmas stuff — I love this place). Pass the water fountain, go inside Bridgeway so that you are walking along the boats in the harbor. Come back out where it dead-ends. You’ll see Taste of Roma, and get back out onto Bridgeway. Turn right and head to Bar Bocce for wine, Italian style pizza and bocce, right on the water. Or you could go right into Salito’s (which is next to Bar Bocce), for amazing fish & potatolito’s (their version of “chips”) or cioppino (a seafood stew with crab legs, shrimp, corn and potatolitos), the best I’ve ever had.

If you’re not concerned with a view of the water, you could (instead of Bar Bocce or Salito’s) walk one block interior (away from the boats on the harbor) to Caledonia Street, where all the locals hang. Sushi Ran is one of the best sushi places in the country (though it’s not cheap). Osteria Divino is one of my favourite authentic Italian restaurants, like other places in Sausalito, small and quaint with great ambience and delicious food. They also fit live music here every night. Call in advance for either Sushi Ran or Osteria Divino. Both get busy and booked early (deservedly so).

Enjoy a night cap at Smitty’s, Sausalito’s very own dive bar!! If you do make it this far into town and this far into the night, your best bet is to get an Uber/Lyft back into the city. You’ll have a nice view of it as you drive along the Golden Gate Bridge at night.

I left my heart in San Francisco (but most especially in Marin).

I’m sure I’m missing a bunch of stuff, but these are just a few thoughts. Sausalito will always be one of my favourite parts of the world. Have I mentioned that yet?