I woke up as we were about to go under the Golden Gate Bridge.
It was still foggy, but we could see!
This is the only building remaining from the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, The Palace of Fine Arts. We were scheduled for an architectural tour of San Francisco on a previous coastal cruise, but it was cancelled. I’m determined to see it up close one day.
Pier 39 from our balcony
We took our time with breakfast and then the waiting began. They started calling numbers for immigration just after 10:30. The cruise line had to have known about this intrusion into our vacation time since they didn’t schedule morning excursions. Usually those start not long after docking. We could have prepared better for the day had we known we wouldn’t make the ferry.
Once our group number, 19, was called, we reported to the third floor, where we wound up and down the length of the ship, walking all the while. When we reached “immigration,” there was a line for Americans and Canadians and another for everyone else. We walked right through, the officer barely glimpsed at our documents. We were stuck carrying the passports around all day. But then the line to get off the ship was long. I thought that would be our downfall, just as we were close to being able to catch the ferry. We kept going and once outside the building, hurried down the sidewalk past Pier 39 where we found the ticket office for the Blue and Gold Ferry. I frantically asked if we were too late. The lady said no, and suggested one of us go ahead to the ferry while the other one paid. It was a relief when we saw the line of passengers still standing on the dock. We made it with only 5 minutes to spare. What a lot of stress. As it turned out, there were no taxis. We would have had a challenge on our hands had we not caught the ferry.
The trip across the bay was lovely. It seemed kind of old-fashioned to be traveling by boat to a destination where we would be greeted by friends. And sure enough, Bob and Ruth were waiting at the entrance to the pier. Lunch was the first order of business. We settled on the historic Scoma’s, right on the water. What fabulous food. I had prawn Louie. I so love Louie dressing. I need to find a recipe for that. When I asked about the building’s history, the manager got out a whole notebook and I took pictures. People do seem eager to share their history.
My prawn Louie tasted as fabulous as it looks
Scoma’s building in days gone by.
Next stop was the history center. I previously contacted the historical society and they told me that was the place to go for a map of historic sites. The man in charge was eager to talk about history, but my attempts to steer the conversation toward new information failed miserably. We did get a map and guidance to two additional touring destinations.
The first was a houseboat, all dolled up to look like something from the Arabian Nights.
Houseboats started turning up in Sausalito after the San Francisco earthquake when there was a housing shortage and became truly popular in the 60s and 70s.
Best Victorian architecture we saw, two existing of three original homes turned into shops.
These elephants were originally flag holders at the 1915 Fair and Exposition and were relocated to Viña del Mar Park near the ferry pier. As the fair was not meant to be permanent, the sculptures were originally created of paper mâché and later recast in concrete.
Most downtown shops are in historic buildings.
Two of the oldest buildings are on Princess Street.
I photographed historic buildings. We stopped for ice cream sundaes before getting in our friends’ car to find our second destination, the famous Sausalito Women’s Club designed by Julia Morgan. She’s a fascinating female architect, far ahead of her time and the designer of Hearst Castle.
Because there was no parking and the streets were incredibly narrow, I hopped out to take a couple of exterior photos only to run into an ex-president of the club, Barbara Sutak. My obvious enthusiasm prompted her offer to take me inside. I took a ton of quick pictures and soaked up all the history she provided. What a fortunate experience.
Staircase in the entry. All the wood is redwood.
A tiny bathroom under the stairs.
The club is used for weddings. This is a view from the bride’s preparation room.
Grooms prepare with less of a view.
Those little decorative clover shapes are a logo of Julia Morgan. They were all over the place.
View from the back steps.
The meeting room. There was a play scheduled for that evening. Note the shapes on the hanging lights. They were in the rafters too.
Soon we were on the ferry back to San Francisco. The ride was relaxing.
We passed close to Alcatraz on our return trip.
Night view from the ship. That’s the Golden Gate in the background.
Coit Tower, which some say was dedicated to the firemen of San Francisco, others say it was not. The top of the tower does resemble a firehose. Coincidence?
Sent some texts to loved ones in lieu of postcards. We stayed up late for the adult comedy show. Billy Garan was in top form. I guess the last half of the day made up for the first half. Official score: Good days 1½, Bad days, 2½.