Being a military brat, I tend towards visiting old bases that have been decommissioned and are either abandoned or have been repurposed into something new. Fort Baker is one of those places. First a little history…

Fort Baker used to be called Lime Point Military Reservation and was an active base until the 1990’s. It was named after a Senator from Oregon (what?) who was killed during the Civil War and he and his wife are buried at the nearby San Francisco National Cemetery. This may all seem boring, but if you love San Francisco, knowing this stuff is a great way to impress your visiting cousins/friends/family…you get the idea.

Personally, I think it’s one of the best vantage points to many of the cities landmarks. Not to mention it’s a great fishing place that isn’t overcrowded and the best place to be awed by the Golden Gate Bridge. If you’re into epic-sized steel girders, this is the place for you. Seeing the underside of the bridge and watching sailboats float by underneath is pretty cool too. Lastly, watching the birds, primarily huge pelicans, fly by and dive for fish mostly undisturbed is one of the coolest displays of nature I’ve ever seen. Contrast that with a massive bridge and you have a great way to spend the afternoon communing with industry and nature.