Great location in Dogpatch. Walking distance to galleries and cool neighborhood stuff. Also,…read moreexcellent place for lunch and people watching!

Shopping: Dogpatch Style. This isn't your grannie's shopping mall. What you have is a converted…read morehorse stable circa 1841, now a yellow Victorian hiding a hipster co-op at 1001 - 1005 Minnesota @ 22nd Street. Behold Piccino Cafe, MAC, gift items, designer spices, and a lot of beautiful wood floors & high ceilings. The perfect afternoon would be placing your custom order around the corner at Rickshaw Bags and while you wait lose track of time in the Yellow Building. Don't tell Aunt Minnie, this is for Locals Only.

When crossing the eastern span of the San Francisco Bridge, few people realize the history of the…read moremilitary in the area. One specifically, the Nimitz House, hidden just under the freeway on the east side of Yerba Buena island, has an incredible story and history! This house was the final residence of General Chester Nimitz, the leader and architect of WWII Pacific Theater. Simply said, the man whose leadership and strategy was used to win the war and allowed the Allies to proclaim victory. This house is a three story mansion and shows its unique architectural splendor as you approach it. It contains large windows which enabled views of the east bay and if you search the internet, you will see the elegant interior - a fitting home for its resident and his family. Gen Nimitz past away in this home at the age of 81 from a stroke. Unfortunately, California is not maintaining the residence and it has been falling in disrepair. Paint, windows, and the structure are all showing signs of neglect. Don't let its condition stop you from visiting though. Although you can't enter, you can appreciate its history and marvel of the fantastic area and views it provided.

Have you ever fallen into a rabbit hole of discovery on the Internet, only to find yourself, at…read more3am, looking at pictures of seemingly abandoned buildings on islands off the coasts of California or Mexico, which you found by zooming into said islands on Google maps and looking through the posted photos, then wondering who the hell this random guy named Christian is who posted the photos not even five months ago? What is Christian's story, you wonder, as you continue to look through the other attractions of the island, which does not include residential or commercial buildings, only to discover a few hiking trails that lead seemingly to nowhere...but what's this? A campsite with no electricity, running water, or bathrooms? Just a field on an island designated as a campsite, reached by some trail made by a dude with a machete, or something? But despite the lack of these amenities...there are picnic tables! Who decided first that it should be a campsite? Who brought the tables? What are the backstories? I've found some neat places online using this exact technique, and I've been fortunate enough to visit such places. It's cool to stand in the location of such a place after seeing all the pictures online and building it up in your head, and honestly, what makes these places better is when there aren't a ton of people crowding around when you get there, trying to take a picture for their Instagram. Sometimes, like in the case of this house, I do the reverse and come upon a neat building, art piece, or other landmark as I'm out doing other things, then furiously search the Internet for more info on the history. For me, the places that are a bit mysterious are the coolest finds. We came across this spot accidentally; we had gone to see the mission in downtown and stopped to check out Treasure Island on the way back. We drove around a bit looking for a good place to see the skyline, and came upon this very unique bit of Yerba Buena, which is somewhat hidden on the side and requires you take some twists and turns down a side road. Although there is an informational board in front of this house that suggests many people visit this place, the houses are surprisingly well-kept, with all windows intact and walls free of graffiti tags, and things are generally not trashed by garbage human beings. Looking into and around each of the houses, I got the sense that this is an area that is largely unvisited, especially compared to the neighboring areas of San Francisco, and now even Treasure Island. I wanted to do my own digging to see how well-known this weird circle of Victorian-style houses, juxtaposed beneath the modern industrial backdrop of the various overpass-bridges, are to people my age online. The results were interesting. One Reddit post with someone claiming you can rent these out for events. Quite a few articles discussing some cool historical facts, like how the Navy wouldn't let the developers of the overpass build over the house if it would block the sunshine (this house was where Admiral Chester W. Nimitz lived the last years of his life). You can easily see the curve of the overpass, as if someone nudged it out of the way. Not a whole lot more on it, other than apparently Willie Brown (past SF mayor) trying to make it the mayor's ceremonial mansion (god, please don't). Overall, despite not being able to go inside any of these houses, they're kept in beautiful condition by someone I'm assuming to be a groundskeeper, and a stop here is worth it for the view alone. Just don't mind the whizzing and whirring of the cars commuting from above.

Such a cool little pet store on Haight street! They also provide dog/cat grooming as well.read more

Very cool location of Jimi Hendrix home in San Francisco! Great place to take pictures. Huge…read moreselection of souvenirs.

Plaza de California is a small but pleasant public space near Pier 39, just steps from the…read morewaterfront and next to the Pier 39 Marina. Despite being so close to one of the city's busiest tourist areas, it offers a surprisingly calm place to pause for a few minutes. I often walk by or around it, especially on a beautiful San Francisco day. The plaza has nice landscaping, shaded seating areas, and benches where you can relax while taking in partial views of the San Francisco Bay and the marina. There's also a small playground, which makes it a convenient stop for families exploring the waterfront. In the middle of the space stands Skygate, a beautiful sculpture by the late Roger Barr, a famous artist and sculptor. Because it sits right along the Embarcadero walking route between Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, it's an easy place to step aside from the crowds and catch your breath. On a clear day, it's a nice spot to sit with a coffee, enjoy the sea breeze, and watch boats coming and going from the marina. Occasionally, you'll also find small pieces of public art or seasonal decorations that add a little extra character to the space. Plaza de California is part of the broader Fisherman's Wharf neighborhood, and it's maintained by the Fisherman's Wharf Community Benefit District (FWCBD), which helps keep the area clean, safe, and welcoming. It may not be a major destination on its own, but it's a thoughtful little pocket park that adds charm to the waterfront and gives both locals and visitors a quiet place to relax while exploring the area.

Such a historic part of the Presidio! I thoroughly enjoy stopping at the old war batteries, and…read morethis is one of my favorite ones in the city. It's so close to Baker Beach and I usually pass by here on my hikes to and from Land's End and the Golden Gate Bridge. Battery Chamberlin was built back in 1904 and was made to supply a more powerful coastal defense mechanism during the early 19th century. Battery Chamberlin holds one of the only guns that is still on display in the west coast. Demonstrations are currently being held during the first weekend of the month between 11 am and 3 am (this may not apply during the current shelter in place orders due to the Coronavirus). It's crazy to be able to stand on the Fort behind the old Battery and imagine what it was like to be at war, firing missiles across the sea. Standing there will put your mind back in time. And, seeing the awe inspiring views of the San Francisco Bay is pretty much numbing. I love how much history is preserved here, and I'm reminded of it every time that I walk by. Definitely worth a visit if your heading to Baker Beach.

This area happens to be at Baker Beach and it's quite empty when I visited here. It's probably an…read moreabandoned building where people used to go to decades ago I believe. However, it's also good to take some pictures of them and maybe add them to your collection of abandonment pictures. For some reason, it called Battery Chamberlin and it's probably my first battery area. San Francisco has many of those. In the future, I'm going to more of them at certain parts of San Francisco.

A cute place to take photos near the pier at Fisherman's Wharf. Good for single people, couples,…read moreand families. Bring a sweater though, maybe gloves and a beanie too...it's chilly outside!

After seeing the Hearts Sculpture in Union Square, I was surprised to see another one at the Bay…read moreEnd of Pier 39. I know that there are several of these heart sculptures all over San Francisco but I'm not sure of the actual locations so I was glad to have stumbled upon another one. So Pier 39 is where you find "Open Heart", hand-painted by local artist Patrick Dintino, a San Francisco native whose mother's life was saved by open heart surgery. This particular heart sculpture was part of San Francisco General Hospital Foundation's 2004 "Hearts in San Francisco". My newest obsession now is finding more of these heart sculptures all over the city. So far, I've found only two but there's actually hundreds and hundreds of them. Here's a link listing all the hearts auctioned off by year since 2004: https://sfghf.org/events/gallery-of-hearts/

I live near Skygate and walk past it several times a week. The stainless-steel sculpture sits along…read morethe Embarcadero, only about a two-minute walk from Pier 39, so many people probably pass it without realizing its history. Created in 1985 by sculptor Roger Barr, Skygate was the first piece of public art installed in that part of the waterfront. If you look closely, you'll also find a nearby plaque noting that the sculpture was dedicated to the American philosopher Eric Hoffer, often called the "longshoreman philosopher," who spent many years working on the San Francisco docks. The sculpture has a sleek, curved design made of polished stainless steel. It reflects the sky, the bay, and people walking by. On sunny days, the light shines beautifully on it, making it a popular spot for photos. Visitors exploring the waterfront between Fisherman's Wharf and the Ferry Building often stop here. Since it sits in an open plaza along the Embarcadero promenade, it's easy to walk right up to it and see how the reflections change as you move around it. Roger Barr (1921-2000), the artist behind Skygate, had an interesting life that blended art, travel, and teaching. Born in Milwaukee, he served as a Navy pilot during World War II and later studied art in Los Angeles and Paris. During his time in Paris, he interacted with prominent artists and photographers, including Pablo Picasso and Man Ray. Barr later taught art in several places, including California and France, and directed the American Art Study Abroad program in Paris during the 1960s. Another interesting detail is how the sculpture was installed here. Skygate was commissioned by the Becton Dickinson Company, a global medical technology firm, and donated to the City of San Francisco. At the time, it became the first piece of waterfront public art in the city to be fully funded by a private company. Today, it quietly stands along one of San Francisco's busiest walking paths, a small but meaningful reminder of the city's artistic and waterfront history.

I can never figure out what will stick in San Francisco. I know what won't work almost immediately,…read moreas do most people I speak to, but the City goes ahead with ridiculously expensive public plans anyway, and many of those plans attract the same grime, dirt, graffiti, and destruction that everyone predicted they would, except now the taxpayers have to pay for maintaining things that are unprotected and falling apart. I really used to like the fountain. Yes, it was disgusting, and way too many people bathed and peed and laundered in it, but it felt like approachable, if run down, art. They turned it off, fenced it off, and now it just waits and collects more and more debris. Some places in the City are just destined to fail as public spaces, like Hallidie Plaza. (I like Hallidie Plaza and believe it could succeed, but it would require a great deal of public assistance to get businesses to open in and around it, money the city should probably spend on other things.) UN Plaza wasn't destined to fail, but once its failure began, the City didn't do enough to save it, and that's really a shame, because there are plenty of cultural institutions nearby that could (in theory) hold so many events here that the people who just want to set up their lives here wouldn't have a chance because of all the taking-their-stuff-down they'd have to do constantly. The farmers' market is wonderful. I really like the foosball tables, although there needs to be a go-to place to buy ping-pong balls nearby. The chessboards and the fitness stations? Meh. We'll see how those work out. Chessboards would work better near the cable-car turnaround on Powell Street, but not in Hallidie Plaza. I like the dog park, and on the few occasions since COVID that I've walked through UN Plaza, I've seen way more people walking their dogs here than I ever expected to see. There are very nice sight lines from Market Street through UN, Fulton, and Civic Center Plazas to city hall. Especially on a night when city hall is lit up in colors celebrating whatever team or cause, it's just gorgeous. And I love the Bolivar statue, as out of place as it can seem at times. But at night. I haven't been here at night since some sort of protest or rally or whatever years and years ago. It's really a perfect place for a protest, both visually and spatially, plus it's close to BART and a bunch of bus and train lines, and it's a pedestrian plaza, so you can cram thousands of protesters in here without anyone being endangered by cars. But at night again. Too shady. Too scary. Like a lot of Civic Center and the TL, it's probably more depressing than it is dangerous. There's also a way in which it serves no purpose at night as a pedestrian thoroughfare. Even if you're walking from the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium to BART, there's an entrance on Market Street before UN Plaza. There's just no reason to venture that far north when Market cuts down your walking-in-a-shady-area time because it's diagonal. I do like the shortcut from Market Street to Leavenworth, but again, unless you're a UC Law SF --what an atrocious name!--student, why would you be walking north on Leavenworth through Civic Center and/or the TL at night? It has so much potential, so I'm sticking with three stars.

Amazing place! They have chess tables, ping pong tables, foos ball tables, corn hole stands, and…read moreeven fitness areas!! Not to mention how pretty and clean the tables are, the chess table I played at looks brand new and shiny!! If you have friends and are lovers of the activities I mentioned above, then this would be a 5 star But in my purposes, this is just a 4 star experience