Check out this wonderful new public space in North Beach! The Columbus Street Parklet #1 has…read morebenches, café seating and landscaping at this, the City's third Parklet project. Bamboo used for the surface decking is an environmentally friendly renewable resource and all landscaping used are low-water species. Café Greco has agreed to provide daily maintenance, although all seating is free and open to the public.

What I heart most is its seeming impracticality... Till you…read moreget on it. #thatswhatshesaid Dig stripes, dig angles, dig other languages. Chill w your food / phone / book, make friends.

This is an absolutely gorgeous parklet. While there are two rivaling parklets just footsteps away,…read morethis one by far has the most amazing aesthetic. It almost looks like a wooden ship, cruising down Judah Street. The parklet is all made of beautifully finished wood, with built-in planters, a platform for bike parking and plenty of seating. There are a handful of wooden benches to sit on and a couple of longer table-like features. This is a great place to people-watch, or enjoy your coffee and a snack. Make sure to check out the local shops that help maintain this space!

I like what Water Light Public Plaza represents, even if it's poorly designed…read more Unfortunately, the three walls that make up the Plaza have no sound dampening. So if you have multiple people speaking or children being children, the sound carries to the point it's unpleasant. It couldn't be made into a park because the noise would be deafening. The Plaza has little to no greenery and only receives sunlight during certain points of the day and year, generally being a concrete shaded rather cold space with tables that go largely unused. It would liven up the area dramatically if they put in a small coffee shop that had games you could check out (like Salesforce Park), but my guess is they have to keep it a community space for tax purposes. In my opinion the seating at Growers Square and the Wells Fargo Fountain are far more successful. They're both more comfortable and have a mix of shaded and sunny areas. So all in all, while the idea of the Plaza (with it's beautiful tiled backdrop and fountain) is great, the actual usability of it day to day is fairly low.

This is a really cute public space in Walnut Creek, with a few plants along the border and several…read moretables available to enjoy snacks or drinks. Half of the seating area was covered by shade when we visited, which was a relief on a hot Sunday afternoon. The glass and ceramic mosaic mural along the wall, titled Water Light, is a beautiful reflective art piece by Jason Middlebrook, whose works connect art, history, and nature. The arcs of water flowing from the jets blend in with the artwork on the wall beautifully. The biggest surprise was the wooden grand piano at the corner of the plaza adorned with images of tiny trees and polka dots whose colors match the mural in the background (part of the Painted Piano Project). We got to play and listen to lovely melodies while relaxing in this simple yet delightful space.

I really love what you've done with Lakeside Landing. It's such a creative use of space, and I can…read morereally see the potential for it to become a go-to spot for families with young kids. Being able to grab food, sit outside, and let kids explore makes it such a great concept. I know this is a volunteer-led effort, and it really shows how much care has gone into creating something special for the community. The stage, fairy garden, life-size chess board, and boat add so much character. To make the space even more family-friendly, I would love to see more open play options for toddlers and younger kids. Right now, when I bring my preschooler, she sometimes isn't quite sure what to engage with, so having a few more clearly defined, toddler-friendly play elements would make it even more inviting. Things like simple climbing structures, stepping logs, sensory play elements, large rocks to climb on, a mud kitchen, or even a small area with rotating toys would go a long way. I think adding a few more toddler/preschool friendly open play areas could also bring in more families on weekends and support the surrounding businesses even more. If parents knew this was a reliable spot where their kids could play and hang out for a couple of hours while they eat, it could really become a go-to destination--especially since there aren't any outdoor, kid-friendly dining spaces nearby. I know this is a volunteer-led initiative, so I completely understand there may be budget considerations, but even a few simple, low-cost additions (like adding a mud kitchen) could make a big impact to bring more families to your space. Would love to know how people can get involved or share ideas if there are ways for the community to contribute. Overall, such a great addition to the community--we really appreciate all the effort behind it and look forward to seeing it continue to grow.

My father would have thought it was cute and charming...I wonder why..probably because that's how…read morelife was back then..Lakeside Landing...painted a sea theme..under the sea..for kids and community at school...area for sitting and community where...in a small town..if u have gone by with your family member...super cute...who are these people? near Ocean Ave? cute

cute park just outside of the san mateo county traffic court. on a nice, warm day, it's actually a…read moregreat place to just sit and read or eat your lunch if you're waiting for your case to be called or the court is on lunch recess. whoever does the landscaping here does a pretty good job b/c the lawn is always neatly manicured and bushes evenly clipped. sometimes there is a food cart on the corner so you can even grab some food, then sit on one of the benches here and enjoy it. park is open even when the traffic court is closed.

It doesn't belong to Four Barrel, so if any of the pasty patrons or bearded baristas are giving you…read moreguff about sitting here, point to the tiny little sign that informs said Mission MacGuffins about the true nature of parklets in San Francisco: namely, that they're free and open to the public. The plastic or plastique figurines dancing above your head are magical, especially as it's getting dark, especially if there happen to be lights affixed to the lattice structure when you happen to be visiting. There is beautiful bike parking (but very few beautiful bikes), and the blocky reclaimed wood feels sturdy beneath your feet. The seating areas look a bit like open-air cubicles, but I haven't spent enough time here to know whether sharing a stall with someone without asking first is rude. I can imagine doing some serious reading here. Or spreading out a bunch of science textbooks and/or technical journals and studying and/or designing something. I'm sure dozens of desk-dreading daredevils have done this before. They might even do it on the regular. San Francisco still has its charms, but as with our inalienable rights, defending these charms sometimes requires sharp elbows as well as tiny little signs.

I'm a huge fan of the diminutive parklets the city of San Francisco has been peppering around town…read moreas of late, and this urban oasis right outside of Four Barrel on Valencia just might be my favorite hang of them all. While you'd be hard pressed to find me giving anything less than 5 stars to any of the pop-up mini parks scattered throughout the 415, this particular structure has an architectural soul that syncs up to the neighborhood perfectly. Plenty of seating, lots of surface area to lock up your bicycle, and some serious synergy with the interior design of Four Barrel just steps away. Well done, parklet wizards!

Pretty little wood and concrete structure with planters filled with local grasses and succulents. A…read morevery nice addition to this stretch of cobblestone sidewalk near Lake Merritt.

People confuse this staircase with the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps, and they are certainly similar as…read morethey both feature lovely colorful artwork created by the same artists. But they are not the same thing. The Hidden Garden Steps are located a little further away from Grandview Park (the bottom of the stairway along Kirkham Street) and presents a slightly different theme, the focus of its design more on flowers and plants rather than sealife. It's a unique and beautiful work of art, in good condition (as of January 2026), and located in a nice neighborhood in SF. It's also free to visit with free street parking nearby too. I couldn't find a reason to give it anything less than 5 stars.

After visiting the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps, I was just on my way out of Golden Gate Heights, when I…read morenoticed a sign that said, "Hidden Garden Steps." The sun was almost down, but I decided to check it out. With 148 steps designed by the same artists as the 16th Avenue steps, this really almost felt like a continuation of the same staircase. The Hidden Garden steps have more of a garden theme, with lots of flowers, bugs, mushrooms, birds, etc. The plants around the steps are similar to those found around the 16th Avenue steps. Succulents are interspersed with California native plants chosen to attract butterflies, including the locally endangered green hairstreak butterfly. My favorite design on the staircase is the snail near the bottom. The shell swirls up several stairs, with patches of mushrooms sprouting from the head. The snail is surrounded by mosaics of California native plants such as hibiscus flowers and buckeye sprouts. The Hidden Garden steps are about 10 years newer than the 16th Avenue steps. In my opinion, the artists improved their skills over time, and, while one flight smaller, these steps are actually more impressive than their sister stairs. The design feels more imaginative and detailed. While the 16th Avenue steps were a bit slippery, the Hidden Garden steps were even more slippery. Because the sun was setting, I really had to watch my step. This must be why the steps are "closed" after dark. Overall, this is such a beautiful community art project, and I'm so glad I happened to stumble across it. My only regret is not having visited earlier so that I could compare the sunset views with the views from a block away.