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Ask Annie
Ask Annie is where we answer your questions about visiting or living in Sausalito. Any of us may reply, but our Editorial Director (referred to in terror merely as E.D.) demands alliteration so "Ask Annie" is the headline!
You can use the comments box below to post a question or send us email. We edit questions for length and may combine similar questions. We can't answer every question due to sheer numbers, but we'll do as many as we can. The archives of past Ask Annie questions are an FAQ about Sausalito, and are available sorted by topic in Events, Ferry, Hotels, Photography, Restaurants, Shopping, Things to Do, Walks and Weather.
Q: About 10 years ago I was in Sausalito for the first time and stumbled upon a restaurant offering amazing views of the City. We entered the lobby of a hotel, took an elevator and when we got out we were outside. We climbed stairs passing little “cabins” and then were seated on a huge deck with a view of Alcatraz, etc. It was amazing. Was there in Spring and had mimosa’s (my first) with our Sunday brunch. Would love to find it again. Any idea where that was? -- Karen
A: We can tell you exactly where you were, Karen, but there have been some changes since your visit. The name of the restaurant was Mikayla, and it's in the Casa Madrona Hotel, which has gone through ownership changes but continues to operate.
Mikayla has now closed and is instead a private dining room for groups and events, but the news in this reply is not all bad. The new restaurant that was built inside the Casa Madrona Hotel since you were here, Poggio Trattoria, is excellent and has been picked by local critic Michael Bauer as one of the top 100 places to dine in the Bay Area. (Note: Poggio is a charter sponsor of this website). Although their dining room is on the ground floor, they have a variety of small to large private dining options on different floors of the hotel, with the former Mikayla deck being one of the largest.
If you plan carefully, you can re-create your view-deck brunch experience at the Casa Madrona by staying at the hotel, which has a number of rooms with decks and similar views of San Francisco Bay, and has competitive rates for our area. I say "plan carefully" because the hotel has a wide variety of rooms (see our full article here) and some guests end up ecstatic while others are disappointed based on what room they expected vs. what room they received. The hotel's new ownership is working to improve the communication on these issues and it's worth taking the time to talk to them.
For different options on dining with a view in Sausalito, here's our page listing the top view restaurants, some of which (like the Michelin rated Murray Circle) have opened since your last visit. And if you're curious about more changes in the last ten years in Sausalito, we have a list of restaurants that have closed or changed their names.
Karen, thanks for writing to Ask Annie, and please feel free to follow up with any other questions.
Q: I will be going to dinner at one of the Yacht Clubs, and this will apparently be a little business, a little wining and dining. WHAT DO I WEAR in the evening? What do the women wear to these things? I was thinking more bus casual with a little black skirt, a top and a jacket over it? Too biz???? I just don't know. I am panicked! --Linda
A: Linda, I have to admit that I have not been to dinner at a local yacht club, so we turned to our (fabulous) subscribers for input on your question. We got comments back that included:
"Sausalito Yacht Club is considered casual. Meaning look good in sportswear. A Saturday or Friday evening dinner would be a little nicer attire. I hope this helps."
"The club is very informal. I would say whatever you would wear to an informal cocktail party at a friend's house. Men do not wear jackets and ties generally."
""The Sausalito Yacht Club is relatively casual, unless there is an event or party, then appropriate attire will be suggested. I would suggest she dress as she would to go to any other dinner in Sausalito and she should be quite comfortable."
Most of all I hear our advisors saying, "Have a great time -- you're not going to be judged intensely based on your appearance." And let us know how it went!
Q: Do you have any insights into food delivery in Sausalito? I moved here about a year ago, and while we love to eat out here sometimes food delivery is in order! We pretty much only know of pizza and chinese, (Domino's, Dario's, Stefano's in MV, Tommy's Wok, and Feng Nian are all we have discovered so far). Do you have any tips for me on food restaurants that deliver to Sausalito that I've missed? -- Kate
A: Kate, you've covered the local options we know about that deliver for themselves. For an extra charge, however, Room Service of Marin will pick up your meal from any local restaurant and bring it to your home. Sausalito restaurants with their menus already on the Room Service website include Buckeye Roadhouse and Saylor's, but they recently added the "pick up anywhere" option. Please let us know if you discover any other Sausalito places that deliver!
Q: First off, I love your website. My husband and I are coming to Sausalito in October for an anniversary trip. I can get to SF and back on the ferry, but that's the extent of my knowledge. We would like to get to Napa County but have no idea if there is a way by public transportation. We are dining at The French Laundry, so we wanted to make a day trip out to Yountville but have no idea how to get there and back from Sausalito. Any tips you can share? Thanks! -- Roxann
A: Roxann, thank you so much for your note, and Happy Anniversary! The French Laundry has a fabulous reputation for fine dining... and long lead times for reservations! The Wine Country is an hour or more north of Sausalito, so I'm afraid all of the options I can offer are either complex, expensive or involve renting a car. We've included a map of the route below. Here are some ideas:
Renting a Car: The least expensive way to go is to rent a car for pick-up at the airport through one of the competitive websites such as Expedia or Priceline. You can also rent a car from Hertz in downtown Sausalito, although such small local sites often have to charge higher prices than the airport locations. It's about 52 miles to Yountville from Sausalito, and I'd allow 1 hour and 15 minutes for a direct drive, longer during the afternoon commute. Better yet, allow a lot longer and give yourself the treat of stopping to visit at some of the wineries that line the roads along the way!
Public Transit: We did the research on this and you'd have to connect through five different buses in an intricate and arcane route. That was the best option we found, and one online choice involved a trip of over 100 miles that doubled back on itself. The bus system isn't going to work for this trip.
Limo or Towncar: It's not cheap, but this is a standard itinerary for the local livery companies and they compete aggressively with each other. We have some links for them here. The upside: no need to have a Designated Driver, which is otherwise important when touring the local tasting rooms.
Roxann, if you have any follow-up questions please write back -- we enjoy helping people make their Anniversary trips special.
Google Map Instructions: Use the "+" and "-" buttons to zoom in and out, the arrow keys to scroll the map, and the SAT button to see the satellite view.
Q: If we ride the ferry from SF, will it be too far to walk to the Point Bonita Lighthouse from where we disembark? -- Retha
A: Retha, if you're planning a beautiful long walk then this is a great idea. But the distance is about 7.5 miles, so if you were thinking about a shorter trek then a cab from the ferry or a bike ride to the Pt. Bonita Lighthouse from the Golden Gate Bridge may be a better way to go. The Google Map below shows one route and you can zoom in and out.
Google Map Instructions: Use the "+" and "-" buttons to zoom in and out, the arrow keys to scroll the map, and the SAT button to see the satellite view.
Q: It looks like the Blue and Gold Ferry to Sausalito costs more than the Golden Gate Ferry. Do you get anything extra? Which should I take to come to Sausalito?
A: The big difference between Blue & Gold and Golden Gate Ferry is where their piers are located in San Francisco, because they're 1.7 miles apart. We cover this in our Sausalito Ferry Guide.
The Blue and Gold ferries go to Pier 41 (adjacent to Pier 39, the big shopping and dining area) in the Fisherman's Wharf neighborhood of San Francisco. They also have some catamarans on the route, which are extra fun if only because they look so different.
The Golden Gate Ferry docks at the Ferry Building in San Francisco, a city landmark from before the 1906 Earthquake that was restored and revitalized about ten years ago. The Ferry Building is at the foot of Market Street, and is the focal point of the urban design of downtown San Francisco. Walk down Market Street and its role as the visual anchor for that part of the City jumps out at you.
The two sets of ferries come to the same pier in Sausalito, and the schedules of the two services are not that different. They do take different routes past Alcatraz to reach their home piers, so riding each is a little different.
What I'd suggest is that you pick the ferry you'll ride based on where you're staying in San Francisco. If you'll be at Fisherman's Wharf, take the Blue and Gold. If you'll be in Union Square, downtown, in SOMA, take the Golden Gate.
Ad if you love great views and taking photos, take a round trip featuring one of each. A Muni train or a short taxi ride will bring you back to your original pier.
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I've wondered if there is a guide/list of public art, especially sculpture that exists for Sausalito with the location and some background on each piece? I thought if anyone would know, OurSausalito would!
Posted by: Anna | 06/22/2009 at 08:11 PM
Oh, you know that the minute you said this it would have to go on our to-do list! This will take some research, because some are pretty well hidden...
Posted by: Editors | 06/26/2009 at 12:12 PM
My grandchildren will be visiting from Idaho next week. Want to take them to Discovery Museum in Sausalito. Thought taking ferry might be fun. We live in Pacifica so will be driving to get ferry in SF. Can we walk to Discovery Museum after leaving ferry in Sausalito. Any advice you can give would be appreciated. Grandchildren are ages 2 through 11. Thank you
Janice Gydesen
Posted by: Janice Gydesen | 07/07/2009 at 12:24 PM
Janice, your answer has been posted above. Thank you very much for writing to us, and for visiting OurSausalito.com!
Posted by: Editors | 07/07/2009 at 02:57 PM
We encourage visitors who don't have cars to take the Ferry from SF to Sausalito, but then to catch a cab from the ferry to the Museum - it's a short trip, and our front desk will happily call you a cab again when you're ready to go back to the Ferry. Hope this helps!
Posted by: Jennifer Caleshu, Bay Area Discovery Museum | 07/10/2009 at 04:44 PM
Jennifer, thanks for bringing this up. We added this point to the article.
In Janice's case, coming from Pacifica with small kids, she'd actually use more gas getting to the Ferry and back than by driving directly to the Museum via 19th Ave. in San Francisco. But these are "the exceptions that prove the rule."
For most visitors from points north and San Francisco, taking the ferry and a taxi is the greener and more efficient way to reach the Bay Area Discovery Museum. We appreciate you making this point.
Posted by: Editors | 07/10/2009 at 05:18 PM
I will be joining a Charter Boat Captain and the Members at one of the Yacht Clubs, this will apparently be a little business, a little wining and dining. WHAT DO I WEAR in the evening? What do the women wear to these things? I was thinking more bus casual with a little black skirt, a top and a jacket over it? Too biz???? I just don't know. It is the 4th of October and I am panicked!
Posted by: Linda | 09/30/2009 at 03:34 PM
Is there a guide, or map for handicapped parking in Sausalito? It's helpful to know ahead of time when escorting those with special needs.
Posted by: Anna | 10/01/2009 at 12:35 AM
do you have any photos of jack dupen driving his calliope during the fourth of july parade?
Posted by: mark lester | 02/28/2010 at 10:10 PM