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.

This is a beautiful little part of town that is right there let you look at the ocean and the…read morebridge in the hills and all the pretty sites at San Francisco really has the offer. It's a really fantastic place and very good for photo ops

Beautiful beach great for dogs! Perfect setting! Wish we…read morecould visit everyday! Nice views, chill vibe. Great spot!

I would absolutely recommend participating in one of their events. They host community days where…read moreyou can feel good about spending your time outdoors and doing something so beneficial for the animals. They do amazing work here, please consider helping or donating anyway you can!

I love volunteering at Rancho Compasion! Over the years, it's been as much of a sanctuary for me as…read morethe resident animals! Connecting with the human and non-human animals has provided a therapeutic sense of community and hope. I've been inspired to meet so many like-minded people who are making more conscious, compassionate choices. I've seen firsthand how the resources are wisely used and how well the residents are cared for; volunteers receive excellent training on doing the tasks that go into that care (cleaning, changing the bedding, preparing food). I especially enjoy helping with special events and tours that inspire and educate guests. It's exciting that the sanctuary has evolved to include agricultural education to nurture the next generation of citizens! I'm proud to be an active supporter of Rancho Compasion and all that it stands for, especially in an age that begs us to stand for something. Please consider supporting Rancho Compasion and other farmed animal sanctuaries working to improve animal welfare and human awareness. Let Love Roam.

Updating my review from 4 stars to 5, because this place is really, truly, wonderful…read more We always meet such kind people here. The kind of people that say "hello" in passing, or even stop and talk for a while. And, oh, the flowers! So many beautiful flowers. The roses are in full bloom again, which is delightful! I love that our sweet pup loves to come here to sniff and walk around. She's an older girl now, and as old age issues are coming upon her-each day with her is a gift. So, to see her joy when pitter pattering the grounds just touches my heart and forces me to be completely present in the moment.

We have friends in from out of town and decided to go for a walk around here with them since we had…read morea little bit of time and it was a nice day. Except for my husband, we were all used to walking around the Huntington Gardens and Descandso Gardens in So Cal, which are now much larger and more diverse. Plus, winter is not the best time to visit a garden. That said, we all had a lovely walk. The parking is easy and accessible. The paths are wide and well marked. Dogs are allowed on leash. The gardens are well maintained and the other buildings are well maintained. I realize that there is parking, including handicap parking, by the Barn Theater where Ross Valley Theater has plays. My husband is recovering from extensive open heart surgery with significant complications and he was able to walk all around with us and is encouraged to know that we will be able to go to local live theater. It's a great place to go for ideas, take kids, walk dogs, and unwind. It's free! So you don't have to worry about saving money. Great value.

The Shoreline Trail is a nice, meandering trail in China Camp State Park in San Rafael. The problem…read moreis that it's nowhere near the shoreline but in the hills on the other side of the road. Actually it's not a problem as much as it is a question: Where the hell is the shoreline? By the time I conceded I would never know the answer, I came upon Turtle Back Hill. It's more like a big mound that looks like, you guessed it, a tortoise shell. It's only 3/4-mile around the hill, but you go through open grasslands and salt marshes along the way like you're on a scenic school field trip. I would say it's like nature in the raw except a lot of the path is taken up by a convenient wooden boardwalk. So much for nature. Now where's that shoreline? RELATED - Exploring north of San Francisco? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2tIHlkV

The Turtle Back Hill Nature Trail in China Camp State Park offers the opportunity to explore the…read moreunique environment of the salt marshes that once were common around the shores of the entire San Francisco Bay estuary. The trail is an easy three-quarters of a mile stroll around a forested peninsula that juts out into the salt marshes. Although it is not paved, the trail is still accessible to the disabled and has added features for the blind or vision impaired. In addition to interpretive panels with Braille imprints, there are also tactile displays that show the shapes and textures of plants and animals.

I went here a couple of times in the past month for the first time and had a blast volunteering!…read moreThe people are really nice and they do an awesome job for the beautiful Presidio... Ely is bright and sunshine-y like the sun! And she loves what she does and it shows! She loves teaching, especially kids, about plants... This is a great place for people who don't have a garden of their own; you can get closer to nature and feel great knowing you're helping to take care of and grow native plants... 5-stars plus!

Unbelievable operation. It's amazing that volunteers and interns do all of this. I once knew an…read moreintern there. It was a different time, long since passed. Lots of tummy clenched emotion during those times. But like the cycle of native plants, when something is out of place... it won't flourish or grow as it should. It can't adapt or find it's rhythm with the surrounding topography. Understanding native plants might actually help with your broader understanding of life. It did for me. =)

Home Repair in the Bayview area of San Francisco. No construction experience necessary, repair is…read morean all day shift, and you can't choose what kind of work you are doing. We had a fun and exhausting day and had a great crew leader and coordinator that worked with the vibe of our group to make it the most optimal. Our group's task was primering the outside of a home and helping clean the inside. Painting the outside was definitely the craziest part, leaning huge 2 story ladders with the bottom being on an angled sidewalk and made true by jamming scrapwood underneath one leg and the top part leaning on a house that was falling apart. Our crew leader did it with such comfort and confidence it made us feel more confidant about the safety. It was cool to see how a primer layer improved the look of the home and made it feel refreshed. I also enjoyed helping clean the inside, not sharing pictures of those for privacy but it was one of the most interesting houses with amazing history I've ever been inside of. Thanks for the fun experience, it made the end of day beers that much better!

I've been on 3 different projects, 2 in Menlo Park (read East Palo Alto) and 1 in Daly City, the…read morecondo development. It's been a lot of fun. I like that they do the safety talk at the start of each day. Also they have safety equipment such as helmets, ear plugs, knee pads. The knee pads are "well used" but are good enough to do the trick. Really nice folks at every site. I'm one to ask a lot of questions, and everyone has been really patient in answering. It's a good volunteer environment. The work itself can be hard work! But it's satisfying, and I was able to take the breaks I needed. It's also fascinating to learn about home construction. I've put down a subfloor, removed old laminate and hardwood flooring, and put down pergo. Plus done some random demolition. I've also seen inside of lots of walls, and have a better sense of how homes were constructed in the 50's. yikes. BTW I learned something important about Habitat. They don't give away houses--they sell them to families at a % of family income over time (30 years?). Then if the family wants to sell, they sell BACK to Habitat, and then they can use their built-up equity to buy something else. The neat thing is that the Habitat system is focused on affordability and smooths out bubbles by basing on salary. (US gov't, are you listening?) Also families that buy from Habitat have to do 500 hours of volunteer work. It's good stuff.

I've only ever written a few reviews in my lifetime, and after unexpectedly arriving in San Rafael…read moretoday and finding ARTT, I just had to do it! They had a really impressive, quality, and fun assortment of art supply this and that in their funky and cool shop, and In no time I had a basket full of amazing treasures, and a head filled with new ideas and inspiration!! I also had the pleasure of chatting it up with the very welcoming, charismatic and fun owners! I sincerely look forward to my next visit there! They make art supplies accessible, affordable, fun, and non intimidating. It's important we support their mission, because they're doing great work! I'll definitely be back to donate and to shop!

A fun little creative reuse shop selling various art supplies, old magazines, sewing supplies, old…read morecostumes jewelry, old photos etc. Probably not worse the drive from San Francisco like we did but if you're in that area and like creative reuse, definitely worth a look.