Last night for New Years Eve, courtesy of my friend Rachel, I got to do something pretty cool, which is revisit an old memory that I would’ve thought would be gone forever. A few years after I moved to San Francisco, I read somewhere - on one of those “10 things you should do in San Francisco” lists, I think - about a floating restaurant off the coast of Fisherman’s Wharf called Forbes Island. It sounded too good to be true: a floating houseboat that had been built by an eccentric old dude to get himself on Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous, complete with palm trees, a tiki bar, and a fainting room. But it turned out to be as awesome as advertised: after using it for a while he turned it into a fancy restaurant. You got there by taking a small boat launch out from the shore. It was totally uneccessary but Captain Forbes was, if nothing else, a master showman and he knew it made it seem special. I went there four or five times, but the best time was when I went with my family, and my Dad got to meet Captain Forbes on the boat, where he regaled my Dad with stories of meeting John Wayne. I’ve never seen my Dad so excited about another human being.
Anyway, recently he got older and there was a fire on the boat and, well, with one thing and another he closed the restaurant. That was about 2 or 3 years ago, and I assumed that, much like every other awesome thing in SF, I would never see it again. But fast forward to a few months back when I made friends with Rachel and I was talking to her about my experiences on Forbes Island…and she told me that her friend bought it! And she had actually been on it recently, helping fix it up! I was floored. Then she invited me to a New Years party there, and last night I went!
It’s really fun to have an unexpected surprise like that. And now, it looks like it may end up being part of my life again! They want to turn it into a combination event space/AirBnB style place. Unfortunately it’s way out there in Brentwood (because where else can you park a giant houseboat), and it’s still a bit of a mess, but they’re committed to fixing it up, and maybe someday I can go out and host a meditation retreat or something there.
Anyway, here’s to 2020: may it bring may more pleasant surprises.
