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San Francisco and Sausalito

The fall is a wonderful time to visit San Francisco. The fog and chill of August has passed and the winter rains have not yet descended. Why not make a visit to the City and then head over San Francisco Bay to Marin County.

You can take the Coast Starlight to San Francisco, either south from Seattle or north from Los Angeles. Alternatively, the San Joaquin goes from Bakersfield, north of Los Angeles, through California's central valley, into the bay area. But, the most dramatic way to enter the San Francisco bay area by rail is on the California Zephyr, which travels between Chicago and Emeryville, California, with major stops at Omaha, Denver, Salt Lake City, Reno, and many small Sierra Nevada and gold country towns. The two-day ride gives the traveler the opportunity to view many different types of scenery and natural resources, including plain and prairie, mountain and foothill, high desert and bay coastline.

Since trains do not go into San Francisco, you will disembark in Emeryville, across the bay from San Francisco. An Amtrak bus will then take you on the ten-minute ride to your destination, the city of restaurants, historic trolley cars and an always enjoyable ambiance.

There are many, many hotels in San Francisco, and many of them can be very high priced. Try TurboTrip for some excellent rates at wonderful hotels. For example, I recently stayed at the Harbor Court Hotel (165 Steuart Street), a half block away from the San Francisco Ferry Building and right on the Embarcadero. The rack rate at this hotel is usually between $200 and $300 per night; through TurboTrip, I got a $79 queen room, with all the amenities.

Some other San Francisco hotels that can be booked through TurboTrip include the charming King George Hotel (334 Mason Street, 800-288-6005) and the Pickwick Hotel (85 Fifth Street, 800-437-4824). Both of these hotels are in the Union Square vicinity and near restaurants, theaters, shopping and public transportation.

Start out your visit with a walk along the Embarcadero and a ride on the historic trolley cars. For years, San Francisco has been collecting old trolley cars from various cities throughout the world, under the auspices of the Market Street Railway. Previously brought out only during the summer and on special occasions, these historic vehicles now have their own line, the F-Castro line, which stretches from the Castro District, down Market Street, along the Embarcadero and ending up near Fisherman's Wharf. The cars are beautifully restored and on one day we rode on a car from Milan, one from Brooklyn, a 1934 open-air "boat" on tracks, from the seaside town of Blackpool, England and an old "red car" from the heyday of public transportation in Los Angeles, looking like those featured in the movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"

Dining: Going for the Old

There is such an array of new and trendy restaurants in downtown San Francisco, and you will have great variety to choose from. Down at the foot of Market Street, One Market is a gourmet's delight, with a varied continental menu and exquisite decor. Sinbad's has been on the San Francisco waterfront for decades and continues to serve excellent American food, including seafood, salads and chops. I particularly like the brunch at Sinbad's, especially the eggs benedict along with an extra spicy Bloody Mary. And, let's not forget the view. Even if you are not seated next to a window, the restaurant is basically wall-to-wall windows, framing the Oakland to San Francisco Bay Bridge and a procession of boats, from kayaks to yachts to cargo ships.

Try John's Grill for dinner. John's rarely changes, except for the addition of more autographed pictures on the walls. John's Grill has excellent food and is old San Francisco at its best. Dashiell Hammett was a regular and included John's Grill in his book "The Maltese Falcon." The menu includes steaks and seafood, there is a full bar and extensive wine list, and nightly jazz in the Maltese Falcon Room.

Heading North

North of San Francisco, over the Golden Gate Bridge, is Marin County. Marin is a very diverse county, where you can drive for twenty minutes and travel from small city to small town to dairy farm country to the Pacific coast.

Take the Golden Gate Ferry from San Francisco to Sausalito, the southernmost town in Marin. The ferry leaves from the Ferry Building, at the foot of Market street, and following a half-hour ride, you will arrive in downtown Sausalito. For schedules and fares, see www.goldengate.org

Sausalito is a fascinating town. Right across the bay from San Francisco, Sausalito is often sunny when the City is shrouded in fog. During the early part of the 1900's, Sausalito was the terminus for the North Pacific Coast Railway, the place where the "commuters" of those days disembarked from the train, and caught the ferry to the big city. During and after the Second World War, Sausalito was a rough and tumble town, where many of the warships had been built.

Since that time, however, the town has become a mixture of small town gentility and tourist mecca. Although the town does fill up during the summer months, the fall is a perfect time to visit. From the ferry terminal, you will be within walking distance of shops, restaurants and hotels.

There are so many restaurants that you will surely find the sort of meal you are seeking. Two favorites are Gatsby's (39 Caledonia Street, 415-332-4500) and Margaritaville (1200 Bridgeway, 415-331-3226).

You will find lots to do just walking around Old Town Sausalito. Check out the houseboats, from the one cabin boats to the Taj Mahal (literally!). On the North End of town is the Bay Model, a fascinating scale replica of San Francisco Bay, with water that ebbs and flows just like the actual bay. Often there is a local art show, craft show or performance scheduled.

Travel Guides

Two of my favorite books about San Francisco and Marin County are San Francisco and the Bay Area, by Barry Parr, from the Compass Guide series, and Making the Most of Marin, by Patricia Arrigoni.

The Parr book was released in 1999, however I still feel that it is the best San Francisco guide since it gives the traveler a true sense of San Francisco. And, it is the only guide that I know of that includes the San Francisco neighborhoods that are not usually seen by visitors. You can always update information online, and this book can give you the sense of history and background that helps create a wonderful visit. San Francisco and the Bay Area is available at www.amazon.com.

Arrigoni's book has been recently rereleased, and is an excellent guide to Marin County. The author is an expert in Marin County history and you will know how much she loves it there when you read this book. Both of these books are much more than travel guides, and are well worth buying. Making the Most of Marin is also available at www.amazon.com.

Nuts and Bolts

For reservations on Amtrak, see www.amtrak.com

For schedules and fares on the "San Joaquins" see www.amtrak.com and for information about the towns along the line, including pictures, see www.trainweb.com and click on Amtrak Routes.

The Market Street Railway: This site is very cool, with pictures of more than thirty of the antique trolleys and historic streetcars from throughout the world, which are now hard at work in San Francisco. Streetcar fare is the same as regular bus fare, $1.00 for adults, $.35 for children ages 5-17, and $.35 for age 65+ and disabled. Multi-day passes are also available.

For San Francisco Restaurant Information, including One Market, see www.savvydiner.com/sanfrancisco/

Sinbad's, Pier 2 at the foot of Mission Street, San Francisco, (415)781-2555.

John's Grill, 63 Ellis Street, near Union Square

For travel around San Francisco, take MUNI. The buses and light rail vehicles go just about everywhere. The cable cars and the historic streetcars are part of MUNI also. Go to www.sfmuni.com for schedules, maps and fares.

If you decide to head east to Oakland or Berkeley, take BART. You can even download BART schedules to your handheld device.

Want to go south, to Silicon Valley and San Jose. Take Cal Train, from downtown San Francisco. For Cal Train information, go to www.transitinfo.org, a great site, with detailed links to all Bay Area transit agencies.

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