driving in San Rafael, CA and getting to San Fransisco

Hi,

I am visiting a friend in San Rafael next week and have been asked to rent a car. That%26#39;s fine. I am from the east an d am concerned about driving in the area (how easy is it, concerns). I am not certain howe much time my friend has so I will be driving into the SF area on my own as well as exploring Marin County.

I%26#39;d appreciate any suggestions of places to visit as well as driving tips.

I love museums, wine, hiking etc.

driving in San Rafael, CA and getting to San Fransisco

Where I grew up...

Driving is not nearly the challenge it is in the Boston area, except possibly if you try the hills in San Francisco. With an automatic, they%26#39;re mostly fine.

For places to go, you%26#39;ll receive lots of suggestions about San Francisco and the wine country from the regulars here.

In Marin, I would most recommend that you try to go up to the Marin Headlands, the last turn before the Golden Gate Bridge, going south on US101. (Right off the freeway - er - expressway.) Spectacular views of The City, the bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and the Pacific. Then drive down the ocean side of the Headlands to the nearest beach, called Fort Cronkhite. Up one road is the Marin Mammal Center, where you%26#39;ll meet various pinipeds who have been rescued in the last few months, with their ';names'; and provenance written on the front of their enclosures. At the end of another is the Point Bonita lighthouse. Ft. Cronkhite beach is the easiest and quickest ocean beach to get to in Marin. These are within minutes of one another. All the while, you will be on former military land with the vestiges of several eras (former batteries, NIKE sites etc.) but mostly open space. It%26#39;s all free.

If you like great views, there%26#39;s Mt. Tamalpais. While Mt. Tam is just 2600ft., you%26#39;ll not find anything like it short of Mt. Washington in New England. Western Mass has the elevation of Mt. Tam, but not its stand-alone quality. It takes about 45 minutes to get to the top. It%26#39;s free.

The Marin Civic Center is now an historical landmark, one of the last buildings Frank Lloyd Wright designed, and which lost its innocence when the Black Panthers tried to spring one of their own from a courtroom. The beautiful library has a lot of historical documents and pictures from Marin%26#39;s earliest pioneers. It%26#39;s just off US101 in San Rafael. Go. I haven%26#39;t seen anything like it in the world. It%26#39;s free.

You can take ferries from Larkspur Landing to San Francisco, and from Tiburon to Angel Island. Both are passenger-only. The Larksur ferry is fun just for the roundtrip ride. Tiburon%26#39;s a fun place to eat, overlooking the bay. Angel Island has many historical buildings from the military occupation, and from when it was the ';Ellis Island of the west'; ... and many spectacular views of the bay and The City.

Also in southern Marin is Muir Woods, your closest opportunity to see redwoods. Go. But it is another place where you may find the last mile or so of the drive challenging, as the road is winding. Try to get there in the morning, as parking gets difficult.

If you like museums, you might be encouraged to go to some of the small historical museums and buildings in Marin, but in my opinion, they aren%26#39;t a patch on New England%26#39;s. Kind of like going to JFK%26#39;s birthplace, without the JFK part. Even Mission San Rafael isn%26#39;t very representative of the other 20. But if my former neighbors (for whom touchable history goes back about 150 years) insist, then just smile and go. You can knock their socks off when they come visit you.

driving in San Rafael, CA and getting to San Fransisco

thanks.

I appreciate the suggestions.

facial