This is a privately owned open space right in the heart of the Financial district. It's currently…read moreDecember, so they've put up these giant red ornaments everywhere. This is a great place to go to eat the lunch that you got from that hole in the wall restaurant that had no seating area! 101 California even has festive red cushions for you to sit on in the tiered seating areas (it's hard to explain this just look at the pictures) making it a pretty comfortable spot! Why take lunch back to your desk when you have places like this in SF?

Hey! Summer is here!…read more Thanks to Yelp, I was able to sit and enjoy the sun at some of San Francisco's finest privately-owned public open spaces (POPOS) such as the 343 Sansome Rooftop Deck and Citigroup Center Atrium. Time to give back! Here's my contribution to an Excellent privately-owned public open space, rated by the people who created the guide http://www.spur.org/­files/u7/POPOSGuide.pdf In 1982, three stepped pyramids were built around the garage exhaust vents to create this urban garden at the front of the spacious plaza at 101 California. The granite steps have seating pads and are spotted with large planters decorated with colorful flowers that change seasonally. It's a nice breakfast or lunchtime spot to spend alone without feeling like a loner-loser in the city and enjoy the open air warmed by the San Francisco sunshine. It's not too conducive to group hangouts since the planters alternate with the seating pads and these pads fit about one butt each. Pabu and Ramen Bar are the two restaurants right next to this urban garden but not sure if they do takeout. But, there's a Yoppi Frozen yogurt, dry cleaner, US Bank, The Plant Cafe Organic, and a florist here. What I did was grab a Philz coffee from their truck at Sansome/Pine, walked over here, enjoyed late morning coffee, get some vitamin D from the sun and went on my merry way. There were others as well, but definitely far less crowded in the morning than at lunch time. If you're looking for a to-do list in the city to check off this summer, I strongly suggest the POPOS guide, because it doesn't cost you a dime to enjoy these wonderful public open spaces.

This place is so dangerous. I went there for a pride weekend event and 2 security guards jumped me…read morein the bathroom. One bear hugged me from behind and the other guy fought me for the leather bag. Then the called some other security and said I was drunk and to get me out of there and they got away with my bag When I returned the next night I called the police and the manager came out and nothing was done. The police just said that's what I get for getting drunk in the ghetto.

Take a stroll along this small plaza and sit one of its famous orange seats while you sip on a cup…read moreof coffee, choose to dine in one of its restaurants, or just kick your feet up from your shopping adventures across the street. This plaza is home to a strip of establishments ready to conquer your food and beverage needs, but it's also a place where you can sit and relax, and do nothing else if you wanted. Tucked away behind the old US Mint, it's a thriving breezeway serving people as an alternative way to get from point A to point B without a second thought in your mind. I always find myself cutting across Mint Plaza in my daily walks as if it were second nature. When the weather is great, it's a wonderful place to take in specific views of the buildings on its property, and those surrounding it. As it becomes later and the lights seems to disappear, I would advise a partner to walk around with you, just in case. Overall, I like this place, but you definitely have to come here yourself to find your own little happy place; possibly while sitting in an official orange chair.

This staircase feels really rustic and hidden with a lot of lush greenery around. It's mainly wood…read morebut the first leg starting at Laidley St is cement, 239 steps in total which is pretty long and good for a workout. There are about 4 houses along the staircase which seems interesting to live because it feels like you are in the remote woods while being located in the middle of a major city. I wouldn't come just for the stairs unless I lived around here but I usually incorporate it with a hike around Billy Goat Hill, Glen Canyon Park, or the various stairs in the Noe Valley neighborhood (Valley, Castro, Duncan-Castro open space, 27th street) and make it a 2-3 mile loop. This is a nice hike for locals that has been everywhere else and looking for something different but for a tourist I'd suggest nearby Twin Peaks before here.

My favorite San Francisco stairs…read more.. This is truly a hidden gem located in the residential neighborhood of Glen Park. Not many people know about these steps and I'm not even sure if residents living in nearby streets know about these stairs, the path is not obvious and not easily seen especially while driving... we didn't find it immediately, we had to search for the street sign which was tipped by the first reviewer from her photo. Finding parking was challenging, we parked down the hill so our first exercise was ascending the steep hill... and then the steps. Gaahhh... So here we go, we started from the bottom of the steps on Laidley Street. The steps were concrete in the beginning and they were short in height. There is one switchback when you reach 1/3 of the way, make a right on the bend and the stairs turns into wooden steps. There are some 230 steps total when you reach the top on Beacon Street. You are not able to view the steps from bottom to top (and vise versa)... the trees, plants and foliage makes these stairs elusive. I loved seeing the cute houses along Harry Street. Living in these homes gives you the feeling as if you're in a mountain retreat or something. There are five (maybe six) homes that reside along the steps so you can say that this is a legit street and the only way to get to your home are these steps. It's a hiker's dream LoL Yikes! oh the thought of bringing the groceries in from your car! Anyway, one of the homes is 30 Harry... there is a forwarding address attached on the mailbox. Since there aren't that many houses on the stairs it's rare that one comes up for sale. There was no For Sale sign so I'm not sure what the status is but the home is empty. The homes on Harry Street are small with square footage of less than 1,500 but I love the charm and seeing the balconies that look like they're hanging from the hill. The two-bedroom, two-bathroom house near the foot of the stairs hit the market asking $1.395 million, and that was a Redfin data from 2014. Anyway, when we reached the top on Beacon Street there was not much to see... the fog just completely enveloped the view so we will have to come back when my soreness goes away and when the weather is better. LoL Review #2070

I went through this thing (twice!) every weekday from late 2010 to early 2020. It always took…read morelonger to get through it than I expected, even when I knew exactly what to expect. Later in that time frame, I often slept the entirety of the way through the tunnel. Leaving from one of the Downtown San Francisco stations, I usually fell asleep right away, but I always woke up at or just past West Oakland Station. Traveling from Berkeley home to San Francisco, no matter how far away from the Transbay Tube I fell asleep, I always woke up just as the train was pulling into Embarcadero Station. No, the body doesn't keep the score, but my body grew so accustomed to the sounds and feelings of the tube that it knew exactly when to wake. It's amazing how they constructed it. If you're afraid of knowing too much about scary things, don't read how they constructed it. It sits on the floor of the bay. That's so creepy and scary and cool!

The true engineering marvel of the San Francisco Bay Area is BART's Transbay Tube. You can't see…read moreit, but it's there. Oakland to SF in about 10-mins! It's an "immersed tube tunnel" that's similar to Alameda's Posey Tube. How did they build it? They took sections of tunnel, sank them, and put them together. How's the ride? It's dark and a little noisy. Don't think about worst case scenarios, in 10-mins you'll be in SF. When I was a little kid, we went on a field trip to see BART right before they opened it. Someone asked....what happens if the train gets stuck underwater? Well it actually happened. A rescue train goes down the other track with emergency crews onboard. They transfer the passengers to that train, and get them to the next station. There's talk about opening a 2nd transbay tube, from Alameda to SFO. The fastest way to SF on public transit.

The Sentinel Building (or Columbus Tower) is definitely one of the coolest buildings in North…read moreBeach. The wedge-shaped flatiron design and copper-green color really make it stand out. If you stand across the street, you can get a great photo of it with the Transamerica Pyramid just behind it. The framing survived the 1906 earthquake and then it was completed a year later. Even though the Sentinel Building is mixed-used, it is mostly occupied by George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope film studio. Many of Coppola's movies (including the Godfather films and Apocalypse Now) were edited, written, or sound mixed here. At the front of the building is a European-style cafe called Cafe Zoetrope. There are also many posters of Coppola's movies and some historical facts about the building along the outside wall.

The Sentinel Building (also known as the Columbus Tower) is the 33rd historical landmark in San…read moreFrancisco. This "flatiron" style building survived the 1906 earthquake and fire during it's construction, but did suffer some damage that delayed the building completion date to 1907. The unique copper-clad windows on the building have aged over the years to a green shade. Some people may find this building to be an ugly green monstrosity, but I think the building is gorgeous and oozes character. Initially the top floor housed political figure, Abraham "Boss" Ruef, and later a restaurant, Caesar's, that was credited for inventing the Caesar Salad. Despite it's success, the restaurant closed down during Prohibition. The musical group, The Kingston Trio, owned the building in the 1960s and used the space as their corporate headquarters. By the 1970s the building was starting to fall apart and was in a desperate need of a renovation. Film director, Francis Ford Coppola, purchased the building in the early 1970s and revived the building. To this day he still owns the building. The Sentinel Building is nestled in between Little Italy and Chinatown so there are plenty of great restaurants nearby. Cafe Zoetrope currently resides on the ground floor of the Sentinel Building. Grab some wine and Italian cuisine at Cafe Zoetrope or go across the street to House of Nanking for some amazing Chinese food. If you enjoy historical buildings and landmarks the Sentinel Building is worth checking out!

Very beautiful downtown photo that I can't wait to put my wall. Caught this beautiful photo during…read moremy time at the Ferry Building. Really recommend coming down here and checking out the new shops and restaurants San Francisco has to offer. Crime has been super down as well and tourism has bounced back.

Google SF BI Event! Looker Roadmap Cloud BI @Google SF 1 Market St City Lights 12 Fl Thur 10/26/23…read more© What's new in Biz Intelligence for today's generative AI world? Okie I won't bother you with the techie stuff, let's look at incredible views from the 12th floor Google offices! The day is phenomenal, sunny and warm, bright waters reflecting the shiny blue skies, rooftops and all familiar San Francisco sights on display! Stunning views is a perk for being in the office, right?! Looking at Ferry Building Marketplace from far above! There's Bay Bridge under bright skies! Can't beat the views! Especially in October when the skies are clear! This Fall, the weather is spectacular in my City by the Bay! If you put your prejudices aside & don't focus on the negatives, which every city has plenty of, there's no other like San Francisco! Take public transportation! Don't leave valuables in your car! Don't drive your Bent or Maserati LOLz but a good ole Chevy truck, you'll be fine! Happy Hour time! Eating Turkey meatballs & Mango Chutney! Snacking on potato samosas! A variety of appetizers like Creamy Tomato Stuffed Mushrooms! Delicious sweet yams bites with cranberry Compote! Yams bites, appetizer to munch on, sweet treats in a savory form! Creamy tomato mushrooms are a winner! Let me present you with Artisan Cheese Charcuterie Boards! Dig in to that blue cheese, with dried apricot bites, Yummerz! And vino, you've got to wash down the antioxidants! Of course yours truly chooses the reds! Cheers! *There's a whole generation With a new explanation People in motion! Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair If you come to San Francisco [ Review #791 w 11 pix on Nov 2, 2023 ] Looking at Ferry Building Marketplace! Turkey meatballs & Mango Chutney! Potato samosas! Yams bites w Cranberry Compote! Creamy Tomato Stuffed Mushrooms! Artisan Cheese Charcuterie Boards! The Views, Bay Bridge! Google offices SF 12th floor 1 Market St! @Google SF BI Event! Looker Roadmap Cloud BI~1 Market St City Lights 12 Fl Thur 10/26/23

I've never heard of Sather Gate until Saturday. We had some free time in Berkeley, so we took some…read moretime to tour the Berkeley. The Sather Gate is a very nice arch on the Berkeley campus. Soon as you get on Campus you will see the student store, keep walking towards the center of campus, then you will see the student center and the Amazon center where you can pick up and return packages. To the left you will see Strawberry Creek and the little waterfall and the trickling creek. Now look up and you will see Sather Gate. We got some nice pictures under it. It's a real tourist attractions. It seemed that 50% of the people walking under it on a Saturday in June were talking selfies. School is out of session so there isn't many people on campus. There may be summer school going on. We also see several parents with their kids on campus taking tours.

When I was foot commuting to Sprout Hall for work in the Graduate Division while attending the…read moreUniversity of California, Berkeley the Sather Gate was on one of my two main routes when going to Sproul from my office in McCone Hall. I liked the green of the gate, it helped capture my attention and was more of a sea green, so not as far away from the school colors, blue and yellow, as a rainforest green. Depending on the time of day and the season, traffic thru the gate could be quite high. It could be quite the picture-taking hotspot. Sproul Plaza could have booths and performers/demonstrators/protestors. So, depending on the happenings in the plaza I might physically pivot and take a different path for approach to the building. I gauged whether I would be turning by the end of bridge before the gate (approaching from the north), so in that sense Sather Gate became a reminder to myself to check my surroundings and physical safety.

Located across from the Legion of Honor, this monument honors the arrival of the first Japanese…read morenaval ship in SF in 1860, an event leading to the first Japanese embassy in the U.S. It symbolizes friendship between the U.S. and Japan, and is definitely a thing of beauty, even in its simplicity. The plaques, especially on the ground and on the back side of the sculpture, are hard to read due to dirt and wear and tear. But otherwise, it has a really nice setup surrounded by various stones and tall trees in the background. It doesn't take long to pay a visit and check it out, and there's free parking right along the street as well as at the Legion of Honor (if the lot is not full).

Just a wonderful Historic Point. This is dedicated to the first Japanese Ship to sail into the San…read moreFrancisco Bay. Kanrin Maru. I advise you to look up the ship. I think about it every time I walk by. This whole complex is beautiful for a walk. Very low key! :) The monument is located in between the Lincoln Park Golf Course and the California Legion of Honor Museum. Both blocks from my front door. ;) Check out my photos, they predate the six month window before I wrote this review in December of 2022. Also around this area are the Holocaust Memorial, Pax Jerusalem, Jeanne D'Arc, and lots lots more.