Spacious and open floor-plan with 3 fireplaces, skylights, cathedral ceilings, ground floor bedroom, back bedroom with “secret” door to large attic. Master suite with fireplace and jetted tub. Possible second upstairs master with bath access and view deck.  Eat-in kitchen with island cook top, breakfast bar, garden window and family room/backyard access. Separate dining room with 2 story ceiling. Garage with extra storage. This home is for the discriminating buyer. 7.7 gpm well. All inspections have been done and work completed. Newly painted inside and out.

Asking Price:  799,000
MLS:  80957027

We took the Great Hwy (this is Hwy.1) and drove north to the parking lot just past the Cliff House Restaurant. Here is where the old Sutro Baths and it’s ruins are located.

These baths were one of the many highlights of San Francisco. The Land’s End Trail and several other trail offshoots make for a wonderful hike with excellent views. The trail ended at the famous Sea Cliff district of mansions where we took surface streets back to our car. Along the way we passed the famous 17th hole at Lincoln Park Golf Course with spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Legion of Honor Museum at this end of Golden Gate Park.

Below is what Wikipedia has to say about the Sutro Baths:

Opened to the public as the world’s largest indoor swimming pool establishment. The Baths were built on the sleepy western side of San Francisco by wealthy entrepreneur and former mayor of San Francisco (1894-1896), Adolph Sutro. The vast glass, iron, wood, and reinforced concrete structure was mostly hidden, and filled a small beach inlet below the Cliff House which was also owned by Adolph Sutro at the time. Both the Cliff House and the former Baths site are now a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and operated by the United States National Park Service.

A visitor to the Baths not only had a choice of 7 different swimming pools—one fresh water and six salt water baths ranging in temperatures—but could visit a museum displaying Sutro’s large and varied personal collection of artifacts from his travels, a concert hall, seating for 8,000, and, at one time, an ice skating rink. During high tides, water would flow directly into the pools from the nearby ocean, recycling the 2 million US gallons (7,600 m³) of water in about an hour. During low tides, a powerful turbine water pump, built inside a cave at sea level, could be switched on from a control room and could fill the tanks at a rate of 6,000 US gallons a minute (380 L/s), recycling all the water in five hours.

The baths were once serviced by a rail line, the Ferries and Cliff House Railroad, which ran along the cliffs of Lands End overlooking the Golden Gate. The route ran from the baths to a terminal at California Street and Central Avenue (now Presidio Avenue). The line was filmed in 1902 by Thomas Edison, Inc., available from the Library of Congress online.[2]

The baths struggled for years, mostly due to the very high operating and maintenance costs, and eventually closed. A fire destroyed the building in 1966 shortly after, while in the process of being demolished. All that remains of the site are concrete walls, blocked off stairs and passageways, and a tunnel with a deep crevice in the middle. The Sutro Bath ruins are open to the public, but a warning sign advises strict caution, as visitors have been swept off by large waves and drowned at the site.

Currently, visitors coming to the Sutro Baths from the above parking lot are presented with a sign that describes the history of Sutro Baths starting from its construction and glamorous opening to the public in 1896. Another sign describes the later years of the site’s history up until its demolition and complete destruction by fire in 1966. As one walks up out of the ruins toward the historic Cliff House, home to two full service restaurants: “Sutro’s at the Cliff House” and “The Bistro”, as well as the “Terrace Room”, a private Dining/reception room, one can find other pictures, paintings, and relics from the golden age of Sutro Baths’ functional operation.

Seal Rock is just offshore from the bath ruins.

BTW, the view is great from the restaurant. A good place to stop for lunch/dinner or a drink. After taking this hike, you can see that one of the treasures of the Bay Area is Golden Gate Park. You could walk many paths for short or long hikes all close to our coastal communities with the bonus of being able to pick a great place to get a bite to eat in the City.

Hiking Sutro Baths and Golden Gate Bridge Views from Kathy & Michael Rain on Vimeo.

San Bruno Mountain, situated in northern San Mateo County, California, is the northernmost part of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Most of the mountain lies within the 2,326 acre (9.41 km²) San Bruno Mountain State Park, which is a landmark of local and regional significance as well as a county park, standing as a unique open-space island in the midst of the San Francisco Peninsula’s urbanization. It is adjacent to the southern boundary of San Francisco, surrounded by the cities of South San Francisco, Daly City, Colma, and Brisbane.

San Bruno Mountain is topped by a four mile long ridge. Trails to the summit afford expansive views of the San Francisco Bay Area. Radio Peak (elevation 1,314 feet or 400.5 meters) is the highest point, hosting several radio broadcast towers and NBC’s KNTV Television, serving a huge area that would otherwise have poor service in the topographically complex Bay Area region.

The mountain provides habitat for several species of rare and endangered plants and butterflies. The endangered San Bruno elfin butterfly inhabits this mountain along with certain other limited locations.

Usually it is really windy and brisk on this mountain. You can see the burned brush from last year’s fires that start up quickly on this dry hill. Not a place to hike in the Summer. As this was a warm Spring day, we got the best of the wildflowers and spotted a few butterflies. The poison oak was in full force but had yet to spread over the trails. We hiked the Summit Loop and then went out to the Peak. At this point we were as far East as we could go and were looking “back” at the City to the North and the Airport to the South. At one point we could see both the Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The views were magnificent. We ended up hiking close to 9 miles roundtrip. The paths and grades were moderate. Remember that we always hike with our Black Diamond Trekking Poles and without them, you might find the hike a bit more strenuous. A memorable hike that we will want to do again next Spring.

San Bruno Mountain Summit Loop Hike from Kathy & Michael Rain on Vimeo.

When you’re finished in the garden department, be sure to check out the LED lighting. Just by changing your bulbs, you can conserve energy and save money. Some of the bulbs bring a natural daylight into your rooms which simulates having a new skylight for just pennies.

Oceanshore Hardware, Half Moon Bay, CA from Kathy & Michael Rain on Vimeo.

Solar Universe from Kathy & Michael Rain on Vimeo.

Final Footprint from Kathy & Michael Rain on Vimeo.