Day trip: History, great eats and sunshine in the East Bay city of Richmond

Virtually everyone in San Francisco knows the Richmond District. But fewer have spent much time in Richmond, the East Bay locale at the northern end of BART’s Red Line, whose Chevron tanks are visible from parts of San Francisco in clear weather. 

The historic, working-class city has an active waterfront and a largely industrial character, and there are fascinating traces of its storied past all over, from converted rail tunnels to the former factory where Rosie the Riveter originated.

If Point Richmond—a hilly residential section at Richmond’s western tip—were in San Francisco, it would be routinely cited as among the quirkiest neighborhoods. It’s easy to spend an afternoon here, hopping among the enclave’s eateries, bars and coffee shops clustered near the foot of the Richmond Bridge, or exploring the historic train station, where travellers once made the final connection on cross-country treks to San Francisco. But the real reward may be at the end of the road: Sailing Goat, an allegedly fog-free restaurant overlooking Point San Pablo Harbor.

Best of all? Each of these destinations—and more—can be reached without ever getting behind the wheel. It’s just 35 minutes from the San Francisco Ferry Building to the Richmond Ferry Terminal. From there you can walk, ride a bike or hail a rideshare to nearby bars, restaurants, parks and other attractions.

America’s most famous composite symbol of wartime feminism may not have been a single person, but Rosie the Riveter has a historical point of origin—and it’s in Richmond. The Kaiser Shipyards cranked out Liberty Ships and other vessels during World War II, helping the Allied effort in the Pacific theater.

It’s fascinating stuff, and it’s all on display mere feet from the Richmond Ferry Terminal—reached in only 35 minutes from boats leaving San Francisco’s Ferry Building. The Visitor Center at what’s technically known as Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park is housed inside the 500,000-square-foot Ford Assembly Plant, which was constructed to produce Model A cars and switched to military production during the war. Soldiers are honored everywhere, but this national park property pays respect to the civilian war effort.

Rosie and her flexed arm aren’t the only icons here, either. Betty Reid Soskin, the oldest National Park Ranger in U.S. history, worked as a docent from the park’s early 2000s inception until her 2022 retirement at age 100.

🔗 Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park
📍 1414 Harbour Way S., Richmond
🗓️ Daily | 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

During the 19th century, long before bridges connected the Peninsula to the East Bay, Point Richmond was the end of the line for the Santa Fe Railway in the Bay Area. A transportation hub to this day, the neighborhood is home to a bunch of bars and restaurants, all within a couple blocks of each other. 

Don’t let the Eastern European-sounding name Baltic Kiss fool you; this cocktail bar is a New Orleans transplant through and through. Around the block is the Up & Under, which claims to be North America’s “first proper rugby pub” and whose outdoor seating is essentially a focal point for the neighborhood. Rounding it all out are Raymond’s Pizzeria, Maya Taqueria, Kao Sarn Thai Cuisine and Kaleidoscopic Coffee, covering all the bases in a compact zone.

Afterward, take a walk through the Point Richmond Tunnel and meander around the shoreline, or wander around the abandoned military structures near Point Molate, as mysterious as any hidden recess of the Presidio.

Hooking all the way beyond Point Richmond, past the massive Chevron refinery and down long, hilly Stenmark Drive, is a hard-to-find, Friday-through-Sunday restaurant on Point San Pablo—the definition of a hidden gem. 

Having opened roughly two months ago in the bayfront space that used to house the short-lived Black Star Pirate BBQ, Sailing Goat is magic itself, a destination restaurant that’s unique in the Bay Area. And that’s “bayfront” in the sense of San Pablo Bay, not San Francisco Bay, as Sailing Goat faces north.

“It’s always sunny there,” chef Arnon Oren told The Standard. “The fog never gets there.”

Oren, who trained at Chez Panisse and also runs a catering company called Anaviv, has put together an eclectic, rotating menu that capitalizes on the eternal appeal of one thing and one thing only: chilling by the water. 

“We tried to do a ‘seaside cuisine,’ inspired by many seaside communities,” he said. “So the Brazilian fish stew is going to be changed to a Corsican fish stew. Very good, yet different.”

Nothing, he notes, is manicured. Patrons walk along a disused rail line that’s been converted to a gravel path and enter into a casual, slightly ramshackle structure with a big deck and plenty of houseboats beyond. 

Oversized sculptures of a gramophone and a shark head are off to one side, near the marina. There’s a goat pen next to the parking lot, and Sailing Goat’s wine and beer lists are strong. The whole vibe like a Jimmy Buffett song come to life, for Parrotheads who moonlight as Burners. Of course, there’s live music. 

🔗 Sailing Goat
📍 1900 Stenmark Drive, Richmond
🗓️ Fridays-Sundays | 11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.