“In Sausalito,  
heaven isn’t  
a metaphor.  
It’s a feeling.”

Kathy and I began her birthday celebration yesterday with breakfast at Java Beach Café on Judah Street in San Francisco. The weather was typical June gloom in The City, but breakfast at Java Beach was a great way to begin the day. We weren’t going to let the weather put a damper on this special occasion.

After breakfast, we boarded the “N” Judah streetcar for a ride downtown to Embarcadero Station. A short walk across the Embarcadero took us directly to the Ferry Building where we boarded a Golden Gate Transit ferry boat for the thirty-minute ride to the charming little town of Sausalito. As the boat approached the Sausalito dock, the sun was beginning to break through the morning fog.

Sausalito is described as a picturesque, Mediterranean-style seaside town which is famous for it’s stunning views of the San Francisco skyline. Bridgeway Promenade is the town’s central artery. It is lined with high-end boutiques, art galleries, cafés, and a few excellent waterfront dining establishments. A family favorite through the years has been The Spinnaker. The previous owner of the restaurant was a high school classmate of my Dad at Saint Ignatius High School in The City. His son took over the business when his father retired. He, too, was a graduate of S.I. and a classmate of my brother, Tom. 

Kathy and I walked west on the promenade to the Sausalito Café and Bakery for lunch. The owner of that establishment has a daughter who just completed her second year at Santa Clara University. Kathy and I both enjoyed a turkey with cranberries sandwich. The owner treated Kathy to a complimentary birthday chocolate chip cookie, which was large enough for us to share. It’s a good thing we don’t live near this bakery. I don’t know of a place that serves more flavorful cookies.

After lunch, the fog was gone. Although it was sunny, the breeze was still on the cool side (64º). We headed east back into the center of town, stopping along the way to check out some of the shops. Eventually, we made our way to Gabrielson Park, a delightful venue to sit on a bench with a view of Belvedere, Tiburon, and, of course, the San Francisco skyline.

We caught the 3:30 ferry boat back to The City, then walked from the Ferry Building to Fisherman’s Wharf, passing by the popular Pier 39 along the way. We made our way to the Argonaut Hotel, located at the corner of Jefferson & Hyde Streets. By then, our step-count for the day was right around 10,000, so we enjoyed sitting and relaxing in comfortable chairs in front of the fireplace in the hotel lobby.

Around 5:30, we left the hotel and walked directly across the street to my favorite Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant, Capurro’s, a fixture on the wharf since 1946. The restaurant owner, Paul Capurro, is a graduate of Sacred Heart High School in The City. At the conclusion of our meal, which consisted of salad and fresh crab risotto, Paul joined us at our table for an enjoyable 45-minute conversation. 

We decided to catch an Uber ride back to our hotel near the beach. It was getting late, the wind had picked up, and the fog had returned. We were ready to call it a day.

Grateful? Oh, yeah.