A lot of great businesses at fort Mason! Super nice on a sunny warm day, that's rare enough for SF,…read moregets everyone in a good mood. Been to comedy show at Bats Improv (great night out!), off the grid food trucks at night, restaurants, bars, few shops. Also home to city college of SF classes. Parking can be hard on popular days. Better to take the bus if you're prepared to walk Event spaces can be rented

Fort Mason is a great place to spend the day, whether attending an event, dining in one of the…read moreseveral restaurants, or perusing the shops. Located on the water next to the Marina Green there is so much you can do here. Parking can be a challenge on a nice sunny day, but be patient and you will snag a spot. There are a couple coffee spots right there and even a Safeway grocery store just a block away. We like to pick up sandwiches and bring them to the marina section so we can sit on a bench and watch the boats out on the water as well as people watch. It's all good here.

Amazing design museum, special collections library, type design school, and small gallery that…read morepacks a punch! The exhibits are very typography oriented (hence the name "Letterform Archive"), with events online and in person. They offer special rebates and NARM* for members depending of membership level. You can sign up for tours, research visits, , or connect with the speakers in the In-Person Salons and lectures that happen every now and then. If you are a vaguely visual person or are a super type nerd, this place will spark joy. If you are a deeper set introvert, you can also browse their so far digitized collection on their Online Archive, and/or watch their incredible lectures/salons online. There is something for everyone. Anyone! The gallery has changing exhibits that go from the works from specific designers (currently: Piet Zwart; Jack Stauffacher before) to the designers of famous design schools (the school of Bauhaus), or a very niche exhibit like Graffiti Zines of the 90ies, and more intense topics: Typographic Messages of Protest (my favorite exhibit so far). I think it's good to go on a Free Admission Thursday, if you are not sure if you'll be that into the current exhibit, or pay 10 bucks if you appreciate the effort of the setup and org as a donation. It's a non-profit, they can use it. (*= that's the North American Reciprocal Museums Program, not the North American Registry of Midwives.)

Wish the experience at the Bauhaus Typography exhibit was better today, but unfortunately, it…read morewasn't worth the $10 admission + Eventbrite fees. It's a very small room on the 4th floor, with a nice collection, but not much there. I was hoping for there to be a 2nd or larger room, nope. No public restroom, and unfortunately, the woman working the front desk could not offer a suggestion as to where to go in the entire building (none we could find), nor could she suggest an actual business that might be an alternate location to go. On the sidewalk? Where do other people go? Would have been nice to have some customer service in that area or have some info on the website or Eventbrite page.

This is a great educational place! Just recently renovated in 2012, nearly everything is made of…read morerecycled material! The carpet is made from the fiber of recycled soda bottles and the insulation is made of shredded jeans! Crazy huh? The organization that made the EcoCenter happen is called Environmental Volunteers. Their goal is to teach kids the importance of preserving the environment. They hold many children friendly activities, such as, bird viewing and nature hikes. The EcoCenter is offer High-tech education. They have newly installed touch-screen computers that teach visitors about the marshlands surroundings and other ecosystems found all over the world. Every few months the theme of these educational programs change. The volunteers are also very nice people. They seem genuinely eager to help you learn about what the EcoCenter is all about. If you have a gazillion questions, they have the patience to answer them all for you, as well as, give you a tour of the place. Oh, and it is charge-free to enter, although donations are welcomed.

This organization positively impacts our local children and our community. Environmental Volunteers…read moreis very effective in fulfilling their mission to promote understanding of, and responsibility for, the environment through hands-on science education. What inspired me to learn more about the EV was their vision, that all children will learn about and be inspired by the natural world so that they become responsible stewards of the Earth. The volunteers, some of whom have spent 30 years or more with the EV, make such a difference in the lives of our local kids; and, they help our teachers who are strapped for resources for science-based education. Our children and community need these volunteers who are engaged in innovative environmental science education that improves student learning.

Amazing independent library. They have such a great span of material in such a small space. Great…read moreimage resource where you can copy and use anything in the whole space without worry of laws and other issues. I think what made this library so special to me was browsing through a section on maps and urban planning and suddenly turning around to find a whole area of books on Detroit. *heart* What a surprise. It's nice to see someone on the west coast care about poor old Detroit. :) Definitely coming here again.

I spent maybe 2 hours exploring, and a large part of that was digging through a box with hundreds…read moreof old punk flyers and zines from the late 70s/early 80s. They also have most issues of Punk Planet, which started in 1994, in their music/punk section. I could spend hours just reading those. I also found a book that spent almost 200 pages exploring why people eat dirt. Get lost in this place and just have fun exploring!

Argh matey! This be the place to find good fake tattoos, your very own treasure map, or a mighty…read morefine poetry book written by your not so average grade schooler. It be a fine and unique place to visit on the 800 block of Valencia. It supports a great cause. Visit or ye may be forced to walk the plank! Ignore the kids in the back room, they be conducting secret pirate business. Recommended.

This review is for the tenderloin location 180 Golden Gate and Leavenworth I just from the bottom…read moreof my heart. I want to thank all the tutors and volunteers and support staff that work here. my son is in third grade and just had a field trip to record their own spooky podcast Everyone was so kind and courteous and so patient with all the children. It was really beautiful and such a fun experience and thank you for all the work you do in the community. It's very important and it's also very much appreciated. Thank you very much for all the amazing work that you guys do!!

Wow, I haven't been here in several years and it's just as fabulous as in the past. I was surprised…read moreI had not given a review prior to today. The entire area is beautiful and the gardens are special with bright large Dahlias and ripe tomatoes with a view that is incredible. I love the whimsical tea cup garden just outside. A must stop when in the area

Happened to be in the neighborhood and Googled/Yelped "things to do" and this little gem popped up…read more It's right next to McKinley Park - we briefly strolled the park and there wasn't much there. Glad the community garden made up for it. It's a small garden, but we still spent a good 20 minutes there, roaming around. There are two picnic tables close to the entrance, so feel free to bring a snack to enjoy (kind of wished the picnic tables were on the other side, where you'll have nice views of the city). Saw pumpkins, succulents, and other varieties of fruits, veggies, and unknown plants. Towards the back side of the garden are some really nice views of the city, especially on a clear blue sky day. I must have missed the roosters as a few reviewers mentioned them (or perhaps they went into hibernation for the winter). It wasn't overly crowded - just one or two other parties were there during our walk. Overall, it's a quaint little spot to take a walk or stop to have a bite. The higher elevation of the garden provides a lovely view of SF. Parking wasn't bad as we parked in front of McKinley Park - think it shouldn't take too long to find street parking as well. It's nice that this place is open to the public - don't go picking stuff out of the garden!

These stairs are a great alternative to the famous Tiled stairs in the Inner Sunset because I think…read morethey are just as pretty but without the masses of other people getting in the way of a photo. It has a cute free library at the bottom to pick up or donate used books. There are 100 stairs and you have pretty good views of the west part of the city and Mount Davidson. I like to do a loop after walking up the stairs and continue down Athens Street for half a block where there is a small open space area with more stairs. To loop this is around .5 miles so pretty short but I usually add a hike to nearby John McLaren Park with endless trails which is just 2 blocks away from Peru street. There's also stairs at Munich and Excelsior streets (56 Stairs) to make more of a stairwalk hike.

I want to give it 5 stars, but really 2 stars but I'll give it 4 stars…read more This is hidden in a little street, crossing portola/excelsior mission neighborhood. I come here every few days and jog up the steps as exercise. It's a good length and good incline. The steps are wide enough to do easy leg lunges and jumps. When you walk upper, you can see the nice view SF. On the side is a little garden space. Lemon trees, succulents and cute flowers. It's nice to sit and just enjoy the peace as it's a quiet area. On the bottom of the steps, is a little free exchange library. But people throw their junks there (photo attached). Every other day it's some new garbage. It's truly disgusting and disturbing. It's really disrespectful to ruin such a nice scenery. I feel bad for the person who cares for this location if there is anyone.

It was built in 1980 and named in memory of Harvey Milk in 1985. Yes, it feels extremely dated; not…read moreonly does it not feel modern, but because of how water has eroded and stained some of the stone, it feels old. Maybe tattered. But it also feels permanent, as in it's a survivor, and it won't deteriorate any further, or at least it won't look that much worse to the layperson's eye. But if San Francisco Rec & Parks and Scott Weiner agree on something, that surely means it's overpriced and overdone, a waste of taxpayer money, and bad for San Francisco. So I oppose the major changes being made to Harvey Milk Plaza. No, we don't need to destroy the plaza in order to save it. When I started working in Berkeley full time in 2011, I would often take the 24 to Castro Station, ride any streetcar to one of the stations it shared with BART, and take BART from there. Even though I was nervous about a new job like I'm nervous about everything, there was something downright welcoming about that jaunty walk down the angled stairs of what I would eventually learn is Harvey Milk Plaza. It's still an inviting descent, even with all the demolition and construction occurring around it.

On the corner of Market & Castro, steps to the Plaza lead to the MUNI Castro Station…read more Milk, a NY transplant, opened Castro Camera at 575 Castro, a gathering spot & headquarters for his supervisory campaign. He was elected as the first openly gay Supervisor, who in 1978, was tragically murdered, along with Mayor George Moscone, in City Hall, by Supervisor Dan White. The current plaza is slated for a remodel to make it more accommodating for events, protests, memorials, speakers. Minus 1 star for the huge staircase which is not friendly to people with mobility issues. There might be an elevator somewhere, but I've never seen it, and it's heartbreaking to watch an elderly person slowly making their way down to access the Castro Station. There is an up elevator.