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Smalltown Marin County lightyears from San Francisco

As if the sights and sounds of San Franciscothe place. Tiburon is a four-mile-long
weren't enough to keep visitors completelypeninsula that is positioned just across the
enthralled, Mother Nature invites you tobay from the city and, because of that,
drive just a few minutes north of the city,offers some of the most sought-after real
across the Golden Gate Bridge and into aestate in the area. The views of San
suburban area that seems like the other sideFrancisco Bay, the city and the Golden Gate
of  the  planet  from  downtown.Bridge  are  breathtaking.
That's why Marin County is an attractiveBe prepared for slow traffic that last four
place to live -- as much as half the acreagemiles going into Tiburon � the two-lane
is in open space, so residents enjoy anhighway gets busy in both directions,
endless selection of trails and visitas, allespecially in summer when there is apt to be
quite clost to home. It's expensive to livesome type of road construction activity. As
here, all right, but then how many placesyou drive along the peninsula, be sure to
offer you a multi-cultural city oflook to the south, where what must be the
sophistication on one side of the bridge, andWorld's Most Expensive Soccer Field is
quiet trails and solitude on the other? Iflocated on a long swath of view property (all
you crave recreation in the Great Outdoorsin the spirit, of course, of Marin County's
but drive a Mercedes, you just might be alove  affair  with  open  space).
Marin  County  resident.
The town of Tiburon looks almost like any
What's nice is that any of us can stop by andmodern suburban town until you get to the
experience -- for a weekend, anyway -- thisedge of downtown where a couple of blocks of
lifestyle for ourselves. We took a littlehistoric buildings and nearby marina give the
time to visit the southern part of thefeeling of a New England fishing village.
county, setting up our base of operations atIt's apparent this is the place locals go to
the San Anselmo Inn, a charmingsoak up the views, walk or run the shoreline
European-style lodging in Northerntrail or, for the less ambitious, just hunker
California's antiquing capital, San Anselmo.down at one of the dockside outdoor
It was easy to drive short distances fromrestaurants for drinks and maybe a seafood
there to explore many nearby attractions andlunch. Numerous fishing and tour boats are
communities;tied up at the pier, and a popular day trip
is to take the regular ferry service six
The San Anselmo Inn is on San Anselmo Avenue,miles over to Angel Island State Park for an
an especially enchanting downtown street thatafternoon  of  hiking  and  exploration.
gently winds its way through the town's
historic buildings. The streets in this areaTiburon's historic Main Street is known as
are narrow and buildings close together, so"Ark Row" because of the 1890s houseboat
the European feeling extends well beyond thelifestyle enjoyed by the town's earliest
inn itself. On a bright fall weekday, a wideresidents. Today, the arks are gone and the
variety of shops and stores � includingbay shopping district includes a number of
130 antique dealers -- welcomed locals andupscale boutiques as well as the occasional
visitors alike. It wasn't a busy atmosphere,tourist shop. The nearby walking path, with
but more a casual, relaxed feel that seemedits views of the city, is considered one of
ideal for the many young mothers and babiesthe  most  romantic  spots  in  Bay  area.
we noticed enjoying a stroll on this colorful
street.Another nearby city that's just minutes away
from San Anselmo is Larkspur, whose downtown
Everything in this small town is withinarea is officially listed on the National
walking distance of the inn. We would exploreRegister of Historic Places. If you want to
the town's shops, or hike nearby trails andsee what San Francisco's suburbs looked like
then return to our comfortable room at theat the turn of the century, check out the
inn. The innkeepers, Julie and Peter McNair,town's historical buildings, many of them
have taken care to give each room aQueen Anne Victorians. The historic downtown
historical feel befitting their building,area  is  west  of  Highway  101.
which was one of the first built in the area
as the new railroad line facilitated theIt's also in this area that you can hop a
development of San Anselmo and nearby towns.ferry to San Francisco. A foot bridge over
Our room was spacious for a bed-and-breakfastthe highway will take you to Golden Gate
inn and featured a four-poster bed,Ferry terminal where you can get on a ferry
marble-top vanity, antique desk, nightstandsdeparting for the San Francisco Ferry
and cabinets and, in the private bathroom, aBuilding. The ferry ride is a great place to
Jacuzzi style tub. Breakfast was a specialget photos of such attractions as Mt.
treat at the inn � a delightful SpanishTamalpais, the Golden Gate Bridge and
quiche, lots of fresh muffins and pastries,picturesque  Angel  Island.
waffles, fruit, juices, cereals and all
served in a pleasant and spacious diningNearby San Rafael is a bit larger city �
area.in fact the largest in Marin County. The
downtown shopping area offers the stores,
After breakfast, it was off to experienceethnic restaurants, large banks and other
some local recreation, and one nearby hikeservices that aren't found in the smaller
recommended to us was the Phoenix Lake Trail,towns of Marin. It's the only place in these
a 2.8-mile that takes visitors around theparts where you see high-rise buildings
lake through a mixture of oak, bay and� yet there still is a lot of rich,
redwood trees. This trail was easy to find,Victorian architecture that gives San Rafael
but you might have to wait for a parkinga  feel  all  of  its  own.
spot. Local joggers and walkers love the
combination of lush redwood forests, lakeOne particular point of interest is the
views and wide trails, so the 20-plus parkingauthentic re-creation of Mission San Rafael
stalls were full-up when we visited about 9Arcangel. This was founded in 1817 and today
a.m. on a Wednesday. No matter, though �you can visit a replica of the original
we  only  had  to  wait  about  10  minutes.mission and tour a museum. Also check out the
Marin County Historical Society Museum and
Another local point of interest is the Santhe  Falkirk  Cultural  Center.
Francisco Theological Seminary, which
relocated its school here from San FranciscoAT  A  GLANCE
in 1892. You can't miss the seminary with its
castle-like grand stone buildings standingWHERE: San Anselmo and other nearby Marin
above  Ross  Valley.County cities are located just a few miles
north  of  the  Golden  Gate  Bridge.  .
You'll also find history in the many old-time
buildings downtown, which are part of aWHAT: These southern Marin County communities
self-guided walking tour prepared by localare a little bit off the beaten path for
historians. At the inn, you can pick up atourists, but each of the cities and towns
copy of a very detailed magazine produced byoffers a distinct character and charm, and
the San Anselmo Historical Commission, whichare  fun  to  explore.
provides an excellent description, history
and photo of each of the town's majorWHEN: Year-round. Bring warm clothing because
historical points of interest. Be sure toit can get cold in the Bay area, which often
check out the Robson-Harrington House andis compared with SEattle for its sometimes
Park, the Carnegie Library and the Americandamp climate. Even in the warmest summer
Legion  Log  Cabin.months, the occasional cold weather can
settle in. But often you'll find bright
About a 15-minute drive south from Sansunshine.
Anselmo took us to one of the other scenic
bedroom communities of Marin County �WHY: This area north of San Francisco is rich
Tiburon.with history and offers an unusual
combination of upscale shopping and dining,
If you're looking for scenic vistas of thealong with numerous opportunities for outdoor
San Francisco skyline across the bay, this isrecreation.



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