Why go
Sausalito is defined by the street pattern and public spaces of Sausalito. Another layer comes from architecture and daily movement across Sausalito. Plan Sausalito by remembering to set a compact boundary around Sausalito before walking. After Sausalito, choose a district beside Sausalito; this keeps Sausalito geographically coherent and avoids forcing Sausalito into an unrelated crossing.
What to look for
- Look closely at the street pattern and public spaces of Sausalito.
- Notice architecture and daily movement across Sausalito.
The full story
The name of Sausalito comes from Spanish sauzalito, meaning "small willow grove", from sauce "willow" + collective derivative -al meaning "place of abundance" + diminutive suffix -ito; with orthographic corruption from z to s due to seseo; early variants of the name were Saucelito, San Salita, San Saulito, San Salito, Sancolito, Sancilito, Sousolito, Sousalita, Sousilito, Sausilito, and Sauz Saulita. It is sometimes claimed that Sausalito was named for the district in Valparaíso, Chile where the bandit Joaquín Murrieta was born. Murrieta was the leader of bandits who settled at the northern end of the future Golden Gate bridge after being banned from San Francisco in the bandit wars. However, this theory cannot be true because Murrieta was from Mexico, not Chile, and because he did not arrive in California until the Gold Rush around 1849. The Rancho Saucelito had already been granted to William Richardson in 1838.
Useful to know
- For Sausalito, set a compact boundary around Sausalito before walking.
- Pair Sausalito with a district beside Sausalito when the route and opening conditions align.
Your next visit
Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.
Outdoor visit · 30–45 min
World planning estimate; admission, opening, visit duration and access need checking.