NEIGHBORHOOD SERIES

Episode 22 | Chapter 3

Sausalito

June 19, 2025

In the final episode of our Sausalito Series on The Bay Insider, we sit down with longtime resident and fifth-generation Californian Chris Ornellas to talk about what makes Sausalito such a layered, memorable place to live.

From its roots as a Coast Miwok settlement to its Prohibition-era days as a rum-runner hideout, to the anchor out community, Sausalito has always been a little offbeat in the best way. We explore iconic neighborhoods like the sunny Banana Belt and windy Hurricane Gulch, the town’s artistic and maritime culture, and what it’s like to live just north of the Golden Gate Bridge in one of Marin County’s most scenic towns.

Chris shares local favorites like the chicken sandwich at The Joinery and pizza at Sandrino, plus insight into community events like the Sausalito Lighted Boat Parade and the Farmers Market at Dunphy Park. We also talk about the impact of Sea Trek and the Matthew Turner tall ship in keeping Sausalito’s boating culture alive.

History
- Car ferry era
- Coast Miwok native settlements
- Golden Gate Bridge opening (1937)
- Growth of artistic/alternative communities in the 1960s
- Prohibition era rum-running
- Rosie the Riveter
- Sausalito Floating Homes
- Sausalito's role in World War II shipbuilding
- Sausalito Stairways Book
- William Richardson & Richardson Bay

Businesses
- Blazing Saddles
- Matthew Turner / Call of the Sea
- Sea Trek

Recreation
- MLK Park and Gymnasium
- Sausalito Woman’s Club
- Stairways of Sausalito