So… I show up in San Fran late in the afternoon. I pick up my car. And, yes, this is a car, not a ‘ride’. It’s the 2006 version of the Toyota Shitbox.
I drive up to Justin & Heather’s place, which is about 45 minutes north of the city.
Little did I know that Justin & Heather live in a veritable paradise. I can best describe it as… a cottage in the middle of a city. Unreal.
This is their backyard. No kidding.
They live right on the water. And not a river, but an actual inlet from the ocean. Real honest to goodness salt water. The water you see here? It goes up and down with the tides.
It gets better. This is their place from the front.
“Big deal,” you might say. “So they live out in the boonies. Anyone can have a nice cool cottagey place on the water in the boonies.”
Yes. This is true. But not everyone can have a nice cool cottagey place on the water in the middle of a city.
Look closely at the first picture. Notice the other side of the river. Yup. That’s actual civilization. And it’s all around them.
If you look closely at this picture — which is the view from the front of their house — you can see, off in the distance, more civilization.
They live in this little oasis, surrounded by city and civilization.
For you Torontonians, it’s be like having a Muskoka cottage in Etobicoke. For you Los Angeleans? It’s be like having your beach house in Malibu in West Hollywood.
How does all this happen?
Don’t ask me. I’m just visiting.
Something about crazy city bylaws. And long-standing rules on the books.
Apparently 100 years ago there were about 20 boardwalks on the grassy salt marsh that lies under the boardwalk above. And a couple of hundred houses. (Well, mostly dilapidated fishing shacks, apparently.)
Today, only 1 boardwalk remains. And Justin & Heather live on it.
Larkspur Boardwalk #1.
And get this. Since current city bylaws state that it’s far too dangerous to build houses on a salt marsh, no one else can build there.
But the houses that currently exist there? They’re fine to stay.
The one drawback? The houses are actually built on stilts and they have to be jacked up every 10 years. Big deal. Small price to pay for paradise every night!
Anyway… Back to the story… I hung out with Justin and Heather for a day, met up with my long lost roommate – Peterson Conway the 8th and his new fiance (see Chapter #11 for more about them). And then, on Friday, we drove up to wine country for the wedding.