SAN FRANCISCO
What can I say about a city that so many have sung its praises?!? It is the city that I was born in, grew up in, and will hopefully pass away in (in a long long while). It is such an incredible city in almost every aspect. If you haven't been here, then come here. If you have been here, then please come on back
Earthquakes tend to freak most people out. Me, I love them. People always ask me when I travel, "how can you live in a place where there are earthquakes?" Hey, give me an earthquake any day over a tornado or a hurricane. I've never been in a tornado or a flood, but I have been in a hurricane and I was scarred shitless.
My ode to Golden Gate Park
SF (aka The City) has so many reasons why it is such a great place: the Mission, Twin Peaks, Alcatraz, North Beach, The Golden Gate Bridge, Treasure Island, Chinatown, Pacific Heights, Nob Hill, Union Square, Candlestick Park, St. Francis Woods, Palace of the Legion of Honor, SoMa, Lands End, Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, Marina Green, Fort Funston, Lake Merced, etc.. However, the true jewel of the city, is Golden Gate Park. The Park is what separates SF from other places in the world. As a kid I played soccer at the Polo fields and Beach Chalet. As I have grown, I have ventured into as many of the nooks and cranies of the park as I am able to. Everyday, I drive through the park everyday and it reminds me how lucky I am to have such a bastion of nature amidst the concrete (allbeit some of the most interresting concrete in the world). Stow Lake is a great place to rent a peddle-powered or row boat. The De Young Museum and the California Academy of Sciences (Steinhart Aquarium, Morrison Planetarium, and others) are both beautiful and informative. The horse stables, the buffalo heard (a real herd of buffalo just roam a pen in one area of the park). Stybring Arboretum is a great place to walk. So is the Japanese Tea Garden. The Hall of Flowers is a great place to hold a function. Kids have a varitey of playgrounds to choose from, including a huge carousel and the mamouth Children's Playground. There are tennis courts, baseball fields, soccer fields, basketball courts, lawn bowling lawns, an archery range, handball courts, a fly casting pool for fishermen, a 9-hole golf course, and even a track and field/football stadium. There is an entire lake/pond dedicated to the use and play of model boats. We even have windmills down towards the beach along with a great bar and restaurant on top of an art gallery that overlooks the Pacific Oceanh. Not to mention the areas like Speedway Meadows and Lindley Meadows which are great places to have a picnic, BBQ, or just to go play frisbee or catch. To top it off, there is even a few waterfalls in a couple of different places. Throw in a ton of statues dotted throughout and hidden little areas here and there, and you can spend a lifetime exploring and enjoying such a unique part of the city. Where else can you find a park in the middle of a huge urban area that offers so much and is yet still a world away from the hustle and bustle of city life?!?
LINKS:
SF Muni--the best public transportation for people watching and "interesting" smells
