Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
213
generally keep their furr y companions leashed. I f the w eather turns sour, you can seek
cover next door at the San Francisco Public Library's Marina Branch, which has a terrific
children's section and plenty of w eekday kids' programs.
PACIFIC HEIGHTS
In the heart of the city's most expensive neighborhood you'll find two lovely, well-tended
parks with city vie ws and expansive lawns. With so much grass, both par ks are popular
with dogs and their human companions. F ortunately, the play ar eas are fenced in, so
everyone gets along.
Alta Plaza Park
(btw. Steiner, Scott, Clay, and J ackson sts.) is wor th checking
out for the city vie w alone, although the grass and tr ees ar e also delightful. F acilities
include tennis and basketball cour ts. The entire playground reopened in the summer of
2006 after an extensiv e r emodel, and no w featur es ev ery sor t of climbing str ucture,
swing, and slide a kid could want. When the breeze is blowing, this hilltop playgr ound
gets very windy.
Lafayette Park,
between Gough, Sacramento, Laguna, and Washington streets, has
walking paths, a fenced-in playgr ound (with some what dated wooden str uctures), nice
views, picnic tables, and tennis cour ts. It is also dog-friendly, with an unfenced dog r un
available.
THE PRESIDIO
The oldest continuously operated militar y garrison in the nation—until its decommis-
sioning in 1989—the P residio of S an Francisco was transferr ed to the N ational Park
Service in 1994. B ecause it must become financially self-sustaining b y 2013, the 800
buildings on the site, which include historic esidences, military barracks, and the 23-acre
Letterman General Hospital (no longer operating as such), ar e undergoing careful rede-
velopment. At the same time, the P residio Trust, which is planning and o verseeing the
transformation, is mindful of the r ole these 1,491 acr es may play in the futur e of the
community at large. The Presidio is filled with recreational resources. Start with a stop at
the
Visitor Center
(
&
415/561-4323
), open daily 9am to 5pm, which is curr ently
located at 50 Moraga Ave. (at Arguello Blvd.). You can obtain a map of the Presidio and
browse the topics and G olden G ate N ational Parks Association (GGNP A) souv enirs.
Rangers are often on hand to answer questions, and they regularly lead 1-hour walks. You
can find a schedule of ev ents on the Presidio Trust website, www.presidio.gov.
The grounds include 14 miles of bike paths, 11 miles of walking trails, a boar dsailing
and kite-surfing area at
Crissy Field,
beaches, picnicking facilities, a national cemeter y,
a pet cemetery, and a free shuttle service, PresidiGo, to help get y ou from here to there.
PresidiGo
operates weekdays from 6:30am to 7:30pm (depar ting every half-hour from
the “Transit Center” at 215 Lincoln Blvd. near the post office) and weekends from 11am
8
Fun Facts
A Little Park History
The Presidio was established by Spanish soldiers in 1776, the same y ear the
United States of America became an official independent entit y on the other side
of the continent. Mexico took over the area in 1822, and in 1846 the U.S. army
assumed control of the post.
