5 reasons to love the BAY AREA
Sarah-Kate Lynch takes in the sights and savours the tastes of this picturesque coastal region
San Francisco is but one jewel in the crown of Northern California’s Bay Area. Just a ferry ride away from the city’s downtown, it’s a whole new world.
1. MARIN COUNTY
I have family across San Francisco Bay on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County, which spreads from there to wine country up north. They’re right on the water near San Quentin prison (a surprisingly lovely spot) and not only have paddle-boarding, swimming and kayaking on their doorstep, but are within 10 minutes of countless communities with shops, restaurants, bars and many ways to get to the city if you want to. San Rafael is the county seat, but I loved Larkspur Landing with its Hamptons-like stores and eateries, handily across the road from the ferry terminal.
2. NATURAL BEAUTIES
There are so many beautiful walks in the Bay Area, but I only had time to do two of them. The first was down Tennessee Valley, an amazing offshoot of the Marin Headlands with hiking trails for all appetites. The prize for going the full 3km distance? A stunning slice of the Pacific. Go at low tide and you might see the engine of the SS Tennessee shipwreck, or climb up to the gun placements for amazing views. Phoenix Lake Loop is another peaceful walk in the park and is good for kids as it’s mostly flat. Watch out for hijinks in the parking lot – cars queue for a spot so drive past them and snavel one at your peril!
3. SAUSALITO
This little seaside settlement is almost too cute for words. If you’re staying in the city you can hire bikes from Fisherman’s Wharf, cycle over the Golden Gate Bridge, grab a bite in Sausalito, then get the ferry back to town, passing Alcatraz on the way. We’ve actually done this once before on a 12-hour layover and it was a great way to get out and hit all the sights in one go. This time we arrived by car, lunched at local hangout The Lighthouse Cafe (cheap and cheerful), then walked up the hill away from the throngs of tourists to perve at all the lovely houses and admire the view back to the city.
4. CHOW TIME
Our favourite restaurant was an old-style joint called Marin Joe’s, serving Italian-American cuisine since 1954 – I suspect some of the original staff may still be working there! The portions are plentiful, the food typical of this type of family eatery: shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad, pasta six ways, burgers and weekly specials. And to add to the Frank Sinatra vibe – a piano bar. Love love love it! We also had a great casual lunch at Marin
Brewing Company in Larkspur Landing. I usually only have one beer a year, but this one was so delicious I ordered a second.
5. THE BIG SMOKE
As we were in the Bay just after Christmas, we took the ferry over to the city to see the festive lights, but on the way we discovered Salesforce Park. This public rooftop space with free puzzles, books, art supplies, lush gardens and meadows occupies five and a half acres above the city’s Transit Center. Don’t miss it! We also managed a small amount of damage at the Bloomingdale’s sale and treated ourselves to dinner at seafood eatery Farallon, just off Union Square. This part of town is pricey so an alternative is to just have one cocktail at Morton’s Steakhouse where you can see the square from your barstool, then head to a diner – the Americans do cheap and cheerful extremely well.