I’m trying to prepare a Google Maps mashup tour for a friend. One of my favorite things to do is ride a bike from Fisherman’s Wharf to Sausalito and then take the ferry back. It appears that both the Blue and Gold Fleet and Golden Gate Transit take off from Sausalito and drop you off at either Fisherman’s Wharf or the Ferry Building. Where the hell is the Sausalito Ferry terminal and which is better to take back to the city (which one is best for bikes, has an on board bar, and is cheapest)?
I seem to recall a couple of excellent bars between the Golden Gate Bridge and the Sausalito Ferry. Any suggestions?
Nearly across the street from the Sausalito Ferry is the No Name Bar. It’s fantastically wonderful, the kind of place where you’re a regular when you buy the second round. I spent an evening there once arguing the origins of pumpkin ravioli and having poetry recited to me by a man who was heartbroken because his love had gone to Iraq.
The Golden Gate Ferries are the ones the locals use for commuting, shopping & dining trips, etc. Fares are here; regular adult fare is $7.10 one-way. There’s a bar on board; prices are reasonable, but I’ve also openly consumed my own wine and beer on-deck with no problem. The Blue and Gold Fleet ferries are intended mainly for tourists. Last time I looked, they were more expensive than GGT, but I can’t verify that now since their fare page is timing out for me at the moment. The Golden Gate ferries also definitely take bikes (I’ve done it dozens of times), whereas I can’t immediately see if the B&G ones do or not. My advice: Golden Gate Transit, all the way.
I’ll second jacquilynne’s recommendation of the No Name Bar. There’s also Paterson’s a couple of doors down; it’s simple enough to check them both out and choose the one that best fits your vibe. For me, it’s the No Name.
Aww. Am I the only one who likes Smitty’s on Caledonia over No Name and Paterson’s?
The Sausalito Ferry terminal is pretty easy to find, right where Bridgeway (Sausalito’s main drag) meets Park and El Portal, there’s an intersection (the southernmost intersection on Bridgeway where streets go east instead of just west of Bridgeway), a little park, and a ton of tourist shops just to the south and a Bank of America to the north - head to the waterfront there (east to the bay) and you’ll see the ferry pier sticking right out into the bay.
I don’t know if you’ve ever used it, but http://www.511.org/ is a great site for planning stuff like this. They have links to all the transit schedules (and will figure out a coordinating schedule, assuming on-time travel). There’s also a bike route mapper which has decent maps but the directions part isn’t complete yet.
[bolding mine].
It’s impossible to miss this park because of the elephants (the Christmas decorations and bridal couple probably won’t be there, however…). The ferry terminal is about 100 yards behind the elephants – can’t miss it.
[I’d go for the **No Name** over both **Paterson’s** and [Smitty’s](http://www.yelp.com/biz/SbufYU7bXz3OcL_oG267Fg). I mentioned Paterson’s because it’s just a couple of doors down from the No Name, so trivial to check out. Personally, I’d only go to Smitty’s if the other two were horribly crowded, but YMMV. ]
Further off-topic, but Sausalito has my favourite hotel in the world, The Inn Above Tide. From your private balcony (every room has one!) you can eat breakfast and watch the commuters get on the ferries mentioned above, then when they’ve gone you can see the sea lions having their breakfast too. Just magic.
Hilariously, the lowest quality rooms are called Superior Rooms
Thanks for the replies. The ferry is where I thought it was. I’ve got decent Google skills, but I could not find a damn definitive map for the life of me. The No Name get’s a map pin on my mash up! The No Name Saloon is also my favorite bar in Park City!
I remember seeing that place and thinkng “That looks nice”. I just looked at their website and that looks really nice. Those prices though… when the pound hits $4 I’ll be right over.
I’m not from there, so I’ve only been to No Name. The same valet who recommended No Name also suggested Smitty’s, but we really only needed one bar for our very limited Sausalito bar going needs, and No Name seemed pretty great.
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