Ferry service in 1959. The Angel Island you can ride today
was designed and built by Milt in the 1975. Milt’s daughter Maggie is now
driving the family business, having incorporated educational group cruises, and
the forthcoming Marine Environment Program- an awesome effort that will inspire
young people to preserve and rehabilitate the Bay. The ferry takes 30,000 school
children out to the island each year, allowing them to run the boat, bottom
trawl for fish (that they catalog and id before returning), and assorted other
chances at adventures of a lifetime. Maggie and her family are a piece of real
Tiburon. I appreciate their deep rooted commitment to the Bay environment.
Whether its Angel Island or ecology, the McDonogh’s are fun and inspiring
people to have explain it.
The Angel Island ferry provides public access
to Angel Island State Park, complete with great bay views. The Island itself is
beautiful, with wildflowers, rolling hills and gorgeous views everywhere. The
whole island is open to the public except Point Blunt and Point Stuart which are
active Coast Guard stations. To orient yourself, get a copy of the Angel Island
State Park Map. You can call (415)435-1915 for recorded general park information
and a ferry schedule. At the landing in Ayala Cove there is a visitor center,
and a concessionaire who operates the Cove Cafe and tram tours in the summer.
Bike rentals are available here for $10 per hour including a helmet. Or you can
bring your bike on the ferry.
The 5-mile loop around the island on the
Perimeter Road passes many historic sites (a half-hour bike ride or a three-hour
hike). After the Civil War began, West Garrison was established to protect the
Bay Area from Confederate attack. Overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz
and southern Marin shores, it contains the largest collection of wooden civil
war- era buildings in the US. Several trails promote an hour’s hike from the
Perimeter Road to the top of the island’s 781-foot summit, Mount Caroline
Livermore, for a panoramic view of the bay. Perle’s Beach is the best bet for
a beach walk on a broad, though windswept, sandy beach. Quarry Beach is on the
calmer side of the island, next to remains of the military base Fort McDowell,
which served during the Spanish American War and Panama Canal construction, and
later became the world’s largest and most elaborate US military troop
embarkation point. During W.W.II up to 80,000 people passed through this now
quiet cove annually. The Immigration station at North Garrison, overlooking
China Cove, was the main portal of entry for immigrants from Asia from 1910 to
1940, and later became a prison for Japanese, German and Italians who happened
to be onboard ships in West Coast harbors when W.W.II broke out. You can visit
the Immigration Station, the Quarantine Station, Camp Reynolds, and Fort
McDowell with docents from the Angel Island Association (415) 435-3522. For a
major highlight, schedule a guided sea kayak trip out of Ayala Cove through Sea
Trek (415) 488-1000 in Sausalito. The three-hour trips depart Sundays at 10:30
and 1pm. Depending on the winds and tides, trips generally seek the island’s
leeward side, allowing for a paddle to West Garrison or China Cove. You ride the
ferry over and back and Sea Trek deals with the logistics of getting the kayaks
across.
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As you stand at the corner of
Main Street, its fun to think that in the 1940s there was a hardware
store, market, bakery, garage and post office, plus Sam’s Anchor Cafe.
Photo courtesy of Belvedre-Tiburon Landmark Society |
2. Main Street and Ark Row Stroll
The stroll along Main Street and Ark Row is
a history trip with great shopping. Spend plenty of time here. It is one of
those only-in-Tiburon opportunities, so some historic tidbits are in order. Main
Street is the waterfront, and most everything on the east side of the street is
a restaurant on a deck over the water. The west side holds shops. As you stand
at the corner of Main Street, its fun to think that in the 1940s there was a
hardware store, market, bakery, garage and post office, plus Sam’s Anchor
Cafe. Now things are less about utility, and proprietors aim to pamper and
entice: Guaymas is a Mecca in gourmet Mexican food, and they have a nice happy
hour. The Water’s Edge is a beautiful, new boutique hotel on the water. The
Sweden House Bakery and Cafe is a favorite of locals, as is Rooney’s Garden
Cafe across the street. Servino’s is the classic Italian Trattoria. But its
Sam’s, with its world famous deck and fresh seafood, that has the long and
colorful past: Sam Vella started out in 1920 with a tent on the beach where he
served breakfast and sandwiches to the rail workers. He made his fortune
bootlegging, and the restaurant was his hub. A trap door to the bay still exists
beneath the floor that provided access for boats bringing whiskey. Sam and his
wife spent their lives at the restaurant- dining each night at a corner table.
They retired in 1960, though the restaurant remains a locally run Tiburon
institution. Both Clancy and Mary, who showed me the historic photographs in the
dining room, knew all of the great, old stories, each having been at Sam’s for
years.
Many of the shops provide unique
opportunities. Billie Charton’s Westerley Coffee, Tea and Spice house at 46
Main is a step back in time to the essence of Tiburon. The Main Street Gallery,
at 20 Main, features old world carpets that will enchant you. There are also
several clothing and gift shops. Around the corner is Ark Row, a row of shops
restfully beaded with benches. Keep in mind that Lower Ark Row, by the Tiburon
Thrift Shop and Ed’s Garage (with its wonderful antique car displays) was the
waterfront in the 1890s. From here you would be traveling by boat. Some of these
shops are old arks brought to rest on Corinthian Island. Everything here is
worth a look. The Windsor Vineyards, a historic rooming house, offers wine
tasting and you can select bottles from their catalogue with personalized
labels. Raffiniti offers contemporary work by California Artisans.
Faux-Get-Me-Not offers home accessories in faux finishes. Owner Karen Leveen
does children’s parties complete with wooden boxes to be decorated, and
instruction. The Watermark at Tiburon Books is an excellent bookstore. The
Tiburon Deli at 106 Main makes great picnics. The older buildings are toward the
west end, where several cottages and an ark date from the 1890s. Main street
ends nearby at Beach Street. Turn left and follow the water to the China Cabin,
open Wed and Sun from 1-4pm. It is a feast for the eyes of gold leaf and
architectural moldings. This old saloon was salvaged when the S.S. China
was burned for scrap metal in 1886. It was used as a residence for 90 years
before being refurbished for the Landmarks Society as a museum. (Image the
intricacy of this job)!
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