San Francisco - Alison Bing [70]
Catch the bus – the most convenient way to cross the bridge is by car, but it’ll cost you $6 coming back into SF, unless you’re carpooling during rush hour. The 29 Muni runs from the Sunset to the Fort Point Lookout and the toll plaza (which is on the SF side); the 28 Muni runs from 19th Ave just to the toll plaza. Or take any Marin County–bound Golden Gate Transit bus (routes 70 and 80 run frequently; $3.30 one-way) – the fastest, most comfortable way to reach the bridge from Downtown – and get off at the toll plaza. To actually cross the bridge by bus without penetrating deep into Marin (as GG Transit buses do), take the 76 Muni (Sundays only) to the Marin Headlands.
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Today, Brooklyn still tries to debate who has the more beautiful bridge, but for San Franciscans that argument was won 70 years ago, and the only debatable point is where to get the best vantage point on their beloved bridge. Cinema buffs believe Hitchcock had it right: seen from below at Fort Point, the bridge induces a thrilling case of Vertigo. Fog aficionados prefer the lookout at Vista Point in Marin, on the north side of the bridge, to watch gusts rush through the bridge cables. Crissy Field (right) is a key spot to appreciate the whole span, with windsurfers and kite-fliers to add action to your snapshots. Unlike the Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge provides access to cyclists and pedestrians (see the bicycling tour, Click here).
The picture-perfect Golden Gate has a surprisingly dark side: the bridge is San Francisco’s number-one suicide site. A suicide-prevention net is being studied to curb the numbers, which now top 1000 (for the latest, see www.ggbsuicidebarrier.org). Few live, though an 18-year-old woman survived a jump in 1988 only to commit suicide from the same spot two months later. A German stunt man made the jump in 1980 with the intention of surviving. He didn’t, and it’s safe to say that Tarzan swings are not among the best ways to cross the bridge (see the boxed text, above).
CRISSY FIELD Map
415-561-7690; www.crissyfield.org; btwn Mason St & Golden Gate Promenade; 28, 30, 43, 76
War is definitely for the birds in this military-airstrip-turned-nature-preserve. Where military aircraft once zoomed in for a landing, bird-watchers now huddle in the silent rushes of a reclaimed tidal marsh. Joggers pound beachside trails that were once oil-stained asphalt, and the only security alerts are raised by puppies suspiciously sniffing surfers. On foggy days, stop by the certified-green Warming Hut or Crissy Field Center (603 Mason St; 9am-5pm) to browse regional nature books and thaw out over fair-trade coffee.
BAKER BEACH Map
sunrise-sunset; 28
Picnic amid the sheltering pines, fish among the rocks or frolic nude – you know, all the usual stuff you do on a military base. Spectacular views of Golden Gate Bridge and the Lincoln Golf Course remind you you’re still in the city, but don’t let that make you self-conscious – out here, among locals, no one’s going to notice a few tan lines. Mind the currents and the c-c-cold water.
PRESIDIO BASE Map
415-561-4323; www.nps.gov/prsf; center 9am-5pm, park dawn-dusk; 43, 76
Explore that splotch of green on the map between Baker Beach and Crissy Field, and you’ll find a parade grounds, Yoda, a centuries-old adobe wall and a pet cemetery. What started out as a Spanish fort built by conscripted Ohlone in 1776 is now a treasure hunt of oddities.
Begin your adventures by heading across the parade grounds at Moraga to get a trail map at the visitors center (Moraga Ave near Arguello Blvd) in the old Officers’ Club (verify location ahead of time; it’s slated to move), or take advantage of rock-star photo ops among the decrepit barracks. This is where Jerry Garcia began and