We want to remind everyone who commutes into San Francisco that a one-day bus strike has been called by Golden Gate Transit unions for this Friday, October 17, 2014. There have been spot outages from sickouts affecting a few routes in recent weeks, but this is a full system strike for the day. Expect the ferry parking lots and commute hour sailings to be more full than usual, since many bus riders will instead go there. Nothing has been announced as being planned, but there's a possibility of ferry service being impacted by more people than usual calling in sick... Continue reading

In the six years we've operated OurSausalito.com a number of restaurants have closed and new ones have opened. Some of the closures have been places we visited regularly. But only in 2014 have we seen two restaurants that consistently rank in the Top 10 on our dining lists close. First it was Rossetti's on Caledonia (which was sold to a new owner and has not yet re-opened) and now Wellington's Wine Bar just a couple of blocks away on Bridgeway, which has lost its lease and will close after a final celebration on Sunday, October 5. Wellington's was one of... Continue reading

Please tell your friends: The Ferry Captains have announced there will be a one day strike on the Golden Gate Ferry from both Sausalito and Larkspur on Friday, September 26, 2014. Service will resume on Saturday. Blue and Gold fleet sailings between Sausalito and Pier 41 at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco will NOT be affected and will operate normally. We recommend you allow extra time for traffic if you need to cross the Golden Gate Bridge (as we do) on Friday morning. Continue reading

For our complete Sausalito calendar (which this week horrifies us by stretching past the end of summer and into October), please click here. Thanks! See also our Muir Woods Calendar of Events. Fri., August 15: Dennis Johnson and the Mississippi Ramblers, Jazz and Blues by the Bay, 6:30 - 8:00 PM, Gabrielson Park Fri., August 15: Enzo, one-man band with a variety of cool instruments, 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM Bay Area Discovery Museum Fri., August 15: Michael Aragon Quartet, 9:00 PM, No Name Bar Fri., August 15: Lumanation, Carribean sounds, 9:00 PM – 12:00 AM, Sausalito Seahorse Fri., August... Continue reading

We mentioned the other day that volunteer signups for the 2014 Sausalito Art Festival are open for August 30-September 1. It turns out that this year there's another volunteer opportunity within the inner harbor of the Festival. The Educational Tall Ship project is located in a huge tent adjacent to the traditional Festival grounds, with its entrance inside the ticket-holders area. During the Festival visitors can tour the construction project for the Matthew Turner, (pictured above) a traditional hand-made wooden sailing ship, and see the vessel's frames, stem and transom completed and in place. Master mariners and artists at the... Continue reading

On Sunday, August 10, the National Park Service is celebrating the 80th anniversary of the day that the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary welcomed (perhaps there's a better word for that...) the first prisoners transferred from other penitentiaries in August of 1934. Continue reading

Click here for our complete guide to the Sausalito Art Festival The Sausalito Art Festival has completed its announcement of star musicians appearing at the 2014 event, adding long-time innovators and Bay Area landmark band Tower of Power as the closing act on Monday, Sept. 1. They join an eclectic lineup where just within the Jazz category we'll see Lavay Smith and Pete Escovedo, who both deserve to be classified as National Treasures for the diversity of their music. Scroll down to see Escovedo's great performance with his daughter Sheila E. at Stern Grove. Although she isn't in the Santana... Continue reading

For our complete Sausalito calendar (which this week horrifies us by stretching past the end of summer and into October), please click here. Thanks! See also our Muir Woods Calendar of Events. Thu., July 31: Around the Table at Driver’s Presents: An Evening of Creative Vitality with Barbara & Ernie Hubbard; 7:00 PM, Free admission, Driver's Market Thu., July 31: Geanie Stout, Piano, 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM, Sausalito Seahorse Thu., July 31: Deborah Winters, Jazz Vocalist, 8:00 PM – 11:00 PM, Osteria Divino Thu., July 31: Maria Perrin cooks a homemade meal at 4:00 PM, Presidio Yacht Club. $8... Continue reading

\ For a guide to this annual event with music links and a map of the location, click here. Each year since 1980 the Galilee Harbor cooperative liveaboard affordable-housing community has hosted this event. with free boat rides, demos of traditional boat-building methods, a marine flea market and floating home tours (not to be confused with the separate Annual Sausalito Floatring Homes Tour). This year's events will highlight the past and present creatives of Galilee, which include painters, writers, shipwrights, musicians, and sailors. The event is sponsored by the, Richardson’s Bay Maritime Association and Lagunitas Brewing Company. The Arques School... Continue reading

Click here to see the Staff Report. Click here to see the schedule of all the public hearings. Click here to see the Board presentation. The Golden Gate Bridge District will hold public meetings in late July and early August to get feedback on a proposal to realign Golden Gate Transit Routes 70, 80 and 101. The core of the plan is that Route 80's trips and stops would be re-assigned to routes 70, and 101. Route 80 would then be eliminated, but in theory its riders would really just be changing the number on the front of the bus... Continue reading

If you travel to San Francisco on weekend mornings via the Golden Gate Bridge, be ready for slower than usual traffic this coming Sunday morning July 27 from 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM.or 10:00 AM due to the ruinning of the San Francisco Marathon. Bridge parking lots will be closed from midnight Sunday morning until 10:00 AM, and you cannot drop off ruinners anywhere at the Bridge since there will be no place to stop safely. The Golden Gate Bridge and Doyle Drive lanes will be configured for the race from 1:00 AM to 6:00 AM, which also may impact... Continue reading

Here's the first look at the 2014 Sausalito Art Festival music lineup Continue reading

Sausalito ferries operated by the Golden Gate Bridge District will see fares go up by about 5% on Tuesday, July 1, 2014, and Golden Gate Transit bus fares to San Francisco will increase by 5% as well. For ferry riders without Clipper Cards that's a 50 cent increase, and about half that if you are a Clipper Card user, since Clipper Cards save you about half of the regular ticket price.. Local Marin bus fares will not be changed on this cycle, which is part of a multi-year gradual fare increase approved by the Bridge District board.. The new Golden... Continue reading

Click here for our complete guide to the Sausalito Art Festival The Sausalito Art Festival has opened its volunteer signups for 2014. You can also check out a special volunteer opportunity with the Educational Tall Ship project. Although Sausalito has only 7,000 residents, every year 1,500 volunteers work at the three-day event. Volunteers get free admission to the Festival on the day they work, a special T-shirt, and free entry to the annual Volunteer Appreciation Party. Positions cover a wide variety of tasks, from the Mayor's Blue Ribbon Garbage Committee to serving and supporting the artists at the show. You'll... Continue reading

The Casa Madrona Hotel has been through a lot of ups and downs over the last few years. The old owners guided a successful expansion into a neighboring building and the resulting remodel, luring a top restaurateur to anchor the ground floor. Like so many other entrepreneurs they went bankrupt when the econiomy nosedived and the hotel was sold off in February, 2010. The new owners had disputes with key partners, and it took years for the aging Victorian wing to get through several waves of remodels that the hotel needed to remain competitive. A Major Remodel It's understandable that... Continue reading

Golden Gate Transit has been struggling with having to cancel trips with no warning on some of its routes recently due to staffing shortages, including Route 4 from Mill Valley's Strawberry neighborhood through Sausalito to San Francisco in the mornings and the reverse direction in the evening. As of Monday, July 28 the following trips on Route 4 will be cut permanently: Southbound: 7:40 AM stop at Spencer Ave. Bus Stop Northbound: 5:46 PM stop at Spencer Ave. Bus Stop The current Route 4 schedule is here, and you can access our complete coverage of Sausalito bus routes and stops... Continue reading

Through Aug. 8: 2013-14 Tournesol Awardee Exhibition: Teresa Baker, Headlands Center for the Arts, 944 Simmonds Road, Fort Barry, Sausalito; 331-2787 Wed., July 16: Jonathan Poretz, Jazz Standards, 7:30 PM -10:30 PM, Osteria Divino Wed., July 16: Marcello Puig & Seth Asarnow, Argentine Tango, 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM, Sausalito Seahorse Thu., July 17: Maria Perrin cooks a homemade meal at 4:00 PM, Presidio Yacht Club. $8 per family member Thu., July 17: Young Writer’s Club: Comic Book Workshop with Brian Kolm, ages 8-10, 4:00 PM, Sausalito Public Library Thu., July 17: Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present; Gallery 111... Continue reading

The US Army Corps of Engineers and the City of Sausalito have temporarily closed the stretch of Marinship Way between Testa Street and Liberty Ship Way in Sausalito (see map below) for the next several weeks for road repairs and restriping. Continue reading

What's new, old, French and includes the excluded? Apart from a few hostels I've walked by in Paris, the answer is "Bio" in Sausalito. Many new restaurants try to create a feeling of exclusivity, fulfilling diners' desire for experiences that only the rare and discriminating guest can seek out and appreciate. Bio, which did a soft opening early this month, is trying to do the opposite. With a menu that includes a wide range of organic gluten free, sugar free and vegan options (not just one or two predictable choices) they are trying to be an inclusive dining experience. For... Continue reading

July, 2014 Wed., July 2: Volunteer Park Stewards at Muir Beach, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Wed., July 2: Volunteer in the Redwood Nursery at Muir Woods, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Sat., July 5: Volunteer Park Stewards at Muir Beach, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Wed., July 9: Volunteer Park Stewards at Muir Beach, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Wed., July 9: Volunteer in the Redwood Nursery at Muir Woods, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Sat., July 12: Muir Woods After Hours nighttime walk, 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM, Muir Woods Sat., July 12: Volunteer Park Stewards at Muir... Continue reading

Date: Saturday, July 12, 2014 Time: 8:00 - 10:00 PM Place: Muir Woods (See map below) Cost: Free after 8:00 PM, regular park admission charges prior to 8:00 Tickets: Reservations required, call Muir Woods at (415) 388-2596. Have you ever wondered what it's like in Muir Woods after sundown, when the park usually closes? The Parks Conservancy periodically sponsors Muir Woods After Hours, where you can bring a flashlight and experience the majestic redwoods in a guided walk on paved trails after dark. The program is open to everyone but not recommended for kids under 8 years of age. The... Continue reading

Wed., July 9: Jazz with Noel Jewkes, 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM, Osteria Divino Wed., July 9: Tango with Marcelo Puig & Seth Asarnow, with guest DJ, 8:00 PM – 11:00 PM, Sausalito Seahorse Thu., July 10: Why There Are Words, Readers from Chicago’s literary journal, RHINO and Marin Poet Roy Marsh, 7:00 PM, Studio 333 Thu., July 10: Maria Perrin cooks a homemade meal at 4:00 PM, Presidio Yacht Club. $8 per family member. Thu., July 10: Gini Wilson Trio, Jazz with the Duchess, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM Thu., July 10: Hippopotamus Trio, featuring Malcolm Campbell on piano,... Continue reading

The perimeter trail at Alcatraz, now fallen into disrepair, was once a vital part of the island. Now, at least during portions of the year, it may soon be a highlight of any visit. During Alcatraz' time as a military post and military prison, the rocks below the trail were hewed and cracked to make the shoreline steeper, more slippery and hard to climb by attackers or would-be rescuers. During the three decades when Alcatraz served as a Federal prison, the Perimeter Trail was patrolled by guards, alert to any prisoners in the pre-triathlon era who might try to escape... Continue reading

Wed., July 2: Free admission day at 9:00 AM at the Bay Area Discovery Museum Wed., July 2: Jonathan Poretz, Jazz Standards, 7:30 PM -10:30 PM, Osteria Divino Wed., July 2: Tango with Marcelo Puig & Seth Asarnow, with guest DJ, 8:00 PM – 11:00 PM, Sausalito Seahorse Thu., July 3: Maria Perrin cooks a homemade meal at 4:00 PM, Presidio Yacht Club, $8 per family member. Thu., July 3: Pasion Habanera, Traditional Cuban, 8:00 - 11:00 PM, Osteria Divino Thu., July 3: Jazz with Judy Hall, 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM, Sausalito Seahorse Fri., July 4: Sausalito 4th of... Continue reading

9 Great Reasons to Make Ship's Store Your First Stop in Sausalito 100 Bay St., Sausalito CA 94965 415-331-6008 This is a Sponsored Story written jointly by Ship's Store and OurSausalito.com Thursday, July 17, 2014: Novelist Charles Bush will discuss his new book, What Went Wrong with Oscar Toll? 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM, Ship's Store in Sausalito. Wine, cheese and samplings from the new Olive Oil and Balsamic Tasting Bar will be available. (Sponsored listing) 1. Whether you come by bike, car, sailboat or ferry, Ship's Store is just steps away from where you'll begin your visit to Sausalito.... Continue reading