Burrito, neato, mosquito –- My kids had fun trying to think of words that rhyme with Sausalito as we took the ferry from San Francisco to get a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge and explore the town.
The Golden Gate Bridge from the ferry to Sausalito
We had to drop my husband off at the airport on the way to San Francisco, so I told the kids we’d make the noon ferry and eat in Sausalito or if we missed the ferry, we’d eat in the city and wait for the next one. We found a place to park, speed-walked a couple of blocks, bought our tickets and made it to the ferry with just a couple of minutes to spare!
Although it was December, the ferry ride wasn’t too cold and it was a pretty clear day. We had fabulous views of the Bay Bridge, Golden Gate, Alcatraz and Angel Island. The ride was about 20 minutes and we were deposited into the tourist heart of Sausalito.
Alcatraz
The first order of business was to find lunch, and we ended up at Venice Gourmet, getting small pizzas for my mom and I and the kids. I’m glad my mom shared the garlic pizza with me so I didn’t feel self-conscious about talking to her the rest of the day.
After lunch, we needed a walk so we walked along the waterfront. A little boy pointed out to me “look at the crabs!” I looked closer and realized that the rocks with literally crawling with crabs of all sizes. We strolled along and watched the crabs retreat whenever we tried to get a closer look.
Crabs in Sausalito
Being good tourists, we explored some of the stores. Of course, the toy store was the kids’ favorite and we bought them a couple of bouncy balls to keep them occupied. We also did some damage in the candy store, finding the old-fashioned types plus the newer popular candies, as well as many, many flavors of saltwater taffy.
We decided to venture to another part of town marked on the map and ended up in the more residential shopping area that had a few restaurants and other stores so we walked back to the main area.
The town was full of other shoppers as well as tons of bicyclists. A popular trip is to bike over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and then take the ferry back to the city, or bike back for the more hardcore adventurers.
We stayed on foot for this trip but loved the vibe of the town as we explored. We’d definitely come back again to try other restaurants and just enjoy the lakeshore.
Tonja's Travels 