Coastal Traveler - Fall 2008 - (Page 86)

coastalguide Sausalito By Peter Jamison Sausalito is the first town across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, and it’s no surprise that the views from its bay-front promenades and sharply sloping hills have made it one of Northern California’s tourist meccas. But there’s more to Sausalito than art galleries, luxury spas, and ice cream stands. The town was once a bohemian refuge for avatars of the 60s counterculture, who crowded onto its houseboats and never left. Today the remnants of this movement exist side-byside with the urban wealthy. Caledonia Street has managed to resist Disneyfication. Today it may boast fewer revolutionaries and rock stars than it did in its counterculture heyday, but it’s still colorful. The neighborhood’s culinary crown jewel is Sushi Ran, which Steve Jobs called for a reservation during his presentation of the iPhone. Owner Yoshi Tome opened up 20 years ago with the goal of serving a “more traditional” style of sushi. According to Tome, that means less mayonnaise, less avocado, and less intense spices - the fish and other ingredients should speak for themselves. Just down the street are other restaurants. There is Cafe Di Vino, an Italian joint with outdoor patio seating. Right next door are Sartaj India Café and Arawan Thai Cuisine. A few blocks north is Studio 333 designer Christopher Holbrook’s warehouse-style outlet for antiques, furniture, and art. Book hounds may want to spend some time at Flying Oliver Books, a cozy used bookstore, or take in a movie at the CineArts theater, which specializes in independent and art house films. Take a short walk to Bridgeway Avenue, where the ferry from San Francisco lets off. Here, flocks of visitors, many of them under-dressed for the Bay Area’s routinely overcast weather, wander the waterfront, gazing at the nearby city or stopping to peek in at art galleries (Bridgeway’s art scene on the whole verges on kitsch, but one notable exception is the Fingerhut Gallery, which features drawings by Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, as well as “trophy heads” he designed of some of the outlandish creatures peopling his books). Pick up a cone of local and renowned Lappert’s ice cream at any of a number of small parlors and take a few minutes to enjoy the view. If you get thirsty in Sausalito, stop in for a pint at beloved local watering hole No Name Bar, also on Bridgeway, which offers live music many evenings. Smitty’s on Caledonia Street, replete with local flavor, is a good place for cocktails. Casa Madrona, on Bridgeway, has a variety of “themed” rooms catering to customer tastes and offers lodging in a Victorian mansion hidden in the hills behind the hotel façade on Bridgeway. Casa Madrona also has a spa boasting a number of relaxation therapies, including deep-tissue massage, airbrush tanning, and seaweed body wraps. Tiburon If after a day in Sausalito you hunger for more of “the Bay Area’s Riviera,” drive to nearby Tiburon, a smaller town that also offers excellent views of the city and long walks along the bay. Sam’s Anchor Café on Main Street, is a comfortable place to stop for a drink, and features a jocular crowd. Where to Stay Casa Madrona 801 Bridgeway • 800.288.0502 Where to Eat Sushi Ran 107 Caledonia St • 415.332.3620 One of Steve Jobs favorites. Cafe Di Vino 37 Caledonia St • 415.331.9355 Sartaj India Cafe 43 Caledonia St • 415.332.7103 Arawan Thai Cuisine 47 Caledonia St • 415.332.0882 Where to Shop Five Star Station 33 Caledonia St • 415.331.5055 Flying Oliver Books 215 Caledonia St • 415.332.1532 86 coastaltraveler fall

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Coastal Traveler - Fall 2008

Coastal Traveler - Fall 2008 Contents Coastal Connoisseur Coastal Picks Coastal Flyer Coastal Driver Coastal Eco Coastal Sociologist Coastal Biker Coastal Snaps Coastal Valet San Diego La Jolla Laguna Beach Malibu Santa Barbara San Luis Obispo Big Sur Carmel Monterey Santa Cruz San Francisco Sausalito Mill Valley Stinson Beach Bolinas Sebastopol Olema Point Reyes Station Fairfax Inverness Marshall, Tomales Petaluma Sonoma Coast Redwood Coast

Coastal Traveler - Fall 2008

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