Treasure Island Ferry

On a perfect Autumn Sunday afternoon, I jumped on a new ferry service to Treasure Island.

Most of the island seems to have been leveled recently for the construction of high-end condos.

Climate change and the rising of oceans is real, so building major housing developments right now at sea level in the middle of San Francisco Bay seems genuinely insane.

However, it's easy to see the appeal of living on the island, an oasis from urban ills with spectacular views of San Francisco Bay.

From the ferry terminal, you can walk twenty minutes along the breakwater...

...and have lunch or a drink at Mersea, which felt like a slightly more upscale version of The Ramp in San Francisco's Dogpatch.

The tiny, two-level Treasure Island Ferry feels more like a jitney than a ferryboat as it bumped along over the bay on the short 10-15 minute trip.

On the voyage east from San Francisco, there were only seven of us on the boat, including a couple of pairs of bicyclists, and on the return there were only four passengers. For $5 (cash or card), this is one of the best, most entertaining deals in the Bay Area.

The service is only about eight months old, and when I asked if they were ever going to be part of the larger, more official transportation system that accepts Clipper cards, the answer was "who knows?"

The three-member crew could not have been more charming, including the dreadlocked skipper above. For their surprisingly robust schedule, click here.