Wandering around the Presidio and Marina

SFWanderlust October 5, 2018

Hi there

Today we wanted to bring your attention to San Francisco’s most wealthy neighborhoods, the Presidio and Marina. There are multiple factors that make these areas so famous including their close proximity/walking distance to the Golden Gate Bridge, amazing bridge and city views walking around the shores, and incredible forest hikes. As a quick reminder, in the last post, we covered the downtown area so have a look if you missed that one.

Let’s start off with the Golden Gate Bridge. If you’re coming to SF, it’s safe to assume that this bridge needs no introduction. Since its opening in 1937, the GG Bridge has remained one of the the world’s most stunning and gorgeous constructions. Thousands of people visit the bridge to appreciate the bridge’s beauty – so should you. Our best advice would be to take public transit to the bridge, visit the welcome center to learn in-depth about its history from SF natives, get yourselves some souvenirs, and start walking the bridge.

Wait !

Before you start walking, wander around the city side first as there are lots of beautiful vantage points that others don’t typically go to. For example, walk 10 minutes to Fort Point and the the entire span of the bridge from the very bottom. From here, you can also see Alcatraz, the Marin Headlands (awesome viewpoints covered in upcoming posts), and the city of Sausalito across the bridge. Sausalito is a small but very expensive city that offers stunning San Francisco views. It is also home to some of the best Bay Area waterfront walks and restaurants. You can take a ferry from the piers there back and forth.

Fort Point

Back to the Golden Gate Bridge. After Fort Point, walk about 15 minutes back in the welcome center direction, past it, and head straight to the parking lot called View Parking. Look it up and mark it on your Google Maps. From this parking lot, you get a unique view of the bridge towers and traffic flow. You’ll see thousands of cars passing by, and if you’re lucky and arrive at the time the fog rolls in, you’re in for a real treat. There’s a great photo opportunity for you here. There are 2 trees (see photo below), which act as a gate to the bridge. Bring your camera with a long lens and have someone stand all the way back to take a photo for you. It will appear as if you’re standing on the bridge.

What’s next ?

Next up, walk the bridge. It’s a 1.7 mile walk, about 2.5km. Spoiler alert, it’s worth it – amazing city and ocean view. The bridge vibrates a bit as thousands of cars pass by but nothing to worry about. After you’ve crossed the bridge, stop by the Golden Gate Bridge View parking lot, and you’ll get another amazing view from the east side. Here you’ll see how immense this suspension bridge is. You’ll also see downtown SF and the Bay Bridge in the distance. The Bay Bridge, which we’ll cover in later episodes, is a longer bridge which connects hundreds of thousands of commuters from the East Bay to San Francisco on a daily basis.

Here’s David on his commencement day – the photo was cropped but it does help him appear right next to the bridge

Afterwards, take the Alexander exit and head over to the Marin Headlands and stop by Battery Spencer viewpoint. I promise you will not regret it. This is an area, at which you can view the entire city of SF through the bridge tower cables. If you can get here and watch the sunrise, I think that experience alone will make your day regardless of how difficult that day might be. Joking aside, it really is a spectacular view.

Important !!

Please always be careful of your surrounding. While it’s true that touristy and crowded places in general feel safer than when you’re at a spot by yourself, they aren’t free from criminal activities such as theft. Keep your phones and high value items discrete and have a buddy with you. Don’t leave anything that costs money, even food, visible in your car – put everything in the trunk.

Vista Point in Sausalito, Marin County

Now that’s been the bridge. If you look on the map, the entire Presidio area appears green – and it truly is green. It is a great place for bike rides – in fact, just about any shop here offers some sort of bike rental at reasonable rates – around $20/day. Always look for coupons online as we’ve been able to rent for as low as $10/day.

If you feel like burning all that clam chowder calories you’ve consumed, take on hikes around the area. You’ll find clean air throughout the day. My favorite hike is from Marina Boulevard all the way to Fort Point. It’s not necessarily a hiking trail, but rather, paved promenade. Anywhere you go, the stunning Golden Gate Bridge never leaves you sight.

Stay tuned as in the next post we’ll cover the heart of San Francisco, Twin Peaks.

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