The hook
A floating neighborhood of wildly individual houseboats on the Sausalito waterfront, the mellow, arty remnant of a 1960s bohemia.
01Why it's worth it
Along the north Sausalito shore, hundreds of houseboats crowd the docks, and no two are alike: a five-story "Taj Mahal," a train-car conversion, driftwood-and-stained-glass fantasias, tidy modern floats, all bobbing gently on Richardson Bay. The community grew out of the postwar bohemia that squatted the old Marinship shipyard, and while it's long since gentrified and legalized, it kept its eccentric, handmade spirit. Wandering the public dock walkways past these floating homes, with the water slapping underneath and each one a different act of imagination, is a charming, low-key thing to do, a glimpse of a way of living that barely exists anymore. These are homes, though, so it rewards a quiet, respectful stroll, not a photo safari.
02How to experience it
The docks are off Bridgeway on the north end of Sausalito (around Gate 6 / Liberty Dock). Walk the public dock fingers slowly and take in the variety; keep your voice down and don't peer in windows, people live here. Pair it with the Bay Model right nearby.