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Sausalito Music History Party: Funk and Dance Edition
A 19 year-old Prince showed up in Sausalito to record his first studio album. Late at night he’d jam with Sly Stone and other legends.
Katiana wrote the history book about the recording studio and now she’ll DJ a party: Prince and Sly, plus Stevie Wonder, Rick James, Tower of Power, and more. Playing the tracks and telling the stories behind them.
July 25th at the beautiful spot on the water, Eria Sausalito. Grab your discounted early-bird ticket here.
A red light glowing in a second-story window on the Sausalito waterfront. Everyone knew who owned the building, but did it mean what they thought it meant?
The whole town talked about it. That was exactly the point.
The woman behind it was Sally Stanford. For two decades she ran the most famous brothel in San Francisco. That house on Nob Hill has its own legend: that the delegates to the 1945 United Nations conference did some unofficial negotiating there (columnist Herb Caen loved to say the U.N. was founded in Sally Stanford's parlor).
By 1950, Sally wanted out. She'd had her fill of arrests and, in her words, "people whose halos are on too tight." So she crossed the bay and bought a run-down waterfront restaurant called the Valhalla.
Her goal was to be an ex-madam, but Sally was a showwoman. She knew her reputation was valuable advertising, so she hung a red light in the upstairs window.
The rumors wrote themselves. Was the Valhalla really just a restaurant? What, exactly, went on upstairs? For decades half of Sausalito wondered.
By every account, there was never anything to it. But Sally was happy to let them wonder.
The Valhalla became an institution, drawing Marlon Brando, Lucille Ball, and Bing Crosby alongside the artists and bohemian crowd. Sally ran the whole room from a barber's chair parked beside the cash register.
It wasn’t easy though. The police reportedly painted the curb red in front of the Valhalla, calling it a no-parking zone. The state spent years trying to yank her liquor license, arguing she was a "person of bad character" — until a court finally declared her rehabilitated.
When her neon sign was denied by Sausalito, Sally decided to run for the city council. She lost five times, with a slogan built for it: "We sinners never give up."
In 1976, at age 72, the ex-madam of San Francisco was elected mayor of Sausalito.
The old Valhalla building is a private mansion today, featured below as our Zillow of the Week.
p.s. The story this week was inspired by a Burlesque Tribute to Sally Stanford the Madame Mayor of Sausalito on 7/16-17.
China Camp building standing proud by Sidney Roberts
If you’d like to be considered for Scenic Photo of the Week (nature, architecture, wildlife, etc.), please fill this out!
This is a hot ticket drop. Go to the box office at 10am for the first chance at the best seats. Then the tickets are released online at noon.
What will sell out first? A star-studded tribute for Michael Tilson Thomas, Joe Hisaishi of Studio Ghibli fame, Ludovico Einaudi, and Lang Lang. Plus, many of the family-friendly film-with-orchestra shows like Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, La La Land, and the Nightmare Before Christmas.
Because leaving Marin might take more planning. Look for our Marin events in the Wednesday email.
This free event is at Embarcadero Plaza, right by the Ferry Building, so take the ferry from Marin. There’s a number of performances, but I’m mostly intrigued by the Waiters Race you can enter (race while carrying a tray without spilling). 7/18, 11am-6pm.
Have you ever been up in a hot air balloon? There are $15 tethered rides, $13-22 entry on both Saturday 7/18 and Sunday 7/19.
Zillow of the Week brought to you by: Making Marin Home. From neighborhood trends to off-market opportunities, our team offers the local real estate expertise that gives you a real advantage. Email [email protected] today.
Please note that this property isn’t associated with the banner sponsor above or Marin Buzz in any way. It is just a unique home you might be interested in seeing, for entertainment purposes only!
$25M Valhalla 1893 in Sausalito
This historic compound hit the market last year as a $28 million waterfront home, then dropped to $25 million this year.
Apparently they invested $20 million into turning it into a residence. The first plan was a hotel, but the neighbors fought it. The main house is 6,925 square feet and the guest house is 1,825 square feet. So plenty of room!
The building started as a German-style beer garden back in 1893. Then, during Prohibition, it changed to a “Soft Drink Parlor” that was actually used for bootlegging and was raided by agents after receiving a tip about a trap door.
After all that, Sally Stanford opened it as Valhalla in 1950, including the red light on display upstairs for marketing purposes. And if you come up with $25 million, you can write the next chapter!
Meet “Brady” named after Tom Brady, football legend Super Bowl Champion Quarterback from the Bay Area.
If you’d like your pet to be considered for Pet of the Week, please fill this out!
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Thanks for reading. We will be back with the regular events and activities email Wednesday morning!
