I took this photo on Friday (May 14) in Sausalito, CA. It was the same small town in Northern California where I grew up, but I’d never seen it like this. Throughout the Marin Headlands, near the Golden Gate, there are dozens of military forts, bunkers, and outposts and Fort Baker, just northeast of The Bridge is just that (great perspective pic of the area from Cavallo Point’s website). It’s an old Army fort complete with dozens of buildings, including hospitals, houses, churches, schools and office buildings, circa 1940’s military style. In high school, I used to drive down to the Fort, which is just south of the main downtown section of Sausalito.
However, since I moved to Los Angeles six years ago, some millionaires moved in and refurbished the entire fort! And all without calling me. I know. Not even an email! But I digress…
So, my buddy Jorge and I walked down and around the area on Friday and checked out all the cool, shiny, new stuff they’ve put in. The biggest thing, and the people who remodeled most of the neighborhood, is the Cavallo Point people, who have installed a giant resport, spa, hotel and cooking school into Fort Baker. And from the quick look and self-tour I took, it seemed pretty high-end, expensive…well, really nice. Rooms ranged from $275+ a night for a room for four. Not that bad…okay, that bad.
The other cool spot down there was the new restaurant Murray’s Circle, which had $12 brews. Yeah. Like that.
Anyway, Fort Baker looks amazing now, and much less horror-movie-esque than it did just 4-5 years ago when I frequented the spot. I walked into the middle of the giant grassy knoll in the middle and snapped this shot (below). A few shots and an HDR (via Photomatix) later, and I was able to get this little ditty…