Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
214
Tips
Fun for a Crowd
If you have a group of 10 or more people at your disposal, you can schedule a
program or docent-led expedition, such as a bike tour of historical places, by
phoning the Presidio's
Community Outreach Coordinator
at
&
415/561-4317.
to 6pm (depar ting on the hour fr om the Transit Center), making 40 stops inside the
Presidio. You can eat pretty well here during the day on w eekdays: the
Acre Café
at the
Thoreau Center (
&
415/561-2273
), open weekdays 7am to 2:30pm, uses organic pr o-
duce and free-range meats in its soups, salads, sandwiches, quesadillas, and specials. You
can purchase organic, local, “ made-from-scratch” breakfast and lunch goodies at
Dish
inside the S an F rancisco F ilm Centr e near the M ain Post (
&
415/561-2336
); open
weekdays 8am to 4pm.
Crissy Field Center
(
&
415/561-7756
) has a cafe and operates
the
Warming Hut
(
&
415/561-3042
) on the w est end of C rissy Field, both of which
are open daily from 9am to 5pm.
On the southern side of the P residio, just 4 blocks fr om S acramento Street, is the
ever-popular
Julius Kahn Park.
The lovely playground sits next to the trees and features
state-of-the-art playground equipment y ou probably haven't seen anywher e else: r ound
swings, oddly shaped seesaws, and so on.There are picnic facilities, restrooms, tennis and
basketball courts, playing fields, and hiking paths into the Presidio. The most convenient
bus, the no. 43-Masonic, takes you close, but not to, this spot. The no. 1-California also
gets you within a few blocks of it.
8
THE CASTRO & NOE VALLEY
Dolores Park,
an easy commute on the J-Chur ch streetcar, commands the sor t of view
that on a sunny day convinces out-of-to wners that they ought to mo ve to the city . Its
grassy slopes lure sunbathers and picnicking couples, and the r olling lawn attracts chil-
dren's bir thday par ties and local doggies. With a mediocr e playground and many off-
leash dogs, this isn't the best play area for toddlers, but it is a good place for kids to stetch
their legs after visiting Mission Dolores (p. 180).
Duboce Park,
betw een Scott and S teiner str eets, has state-of-the-ar t equipment: a
climbing wall, slides, the whole bit. The N-Judah streetcar passes right by. At the south-
west corner is the
Harvey Milk Recreation Center
(
&
415/554-9523
), specializing in
the arts. Closed for renovations and scheduled to reopen in April 2009, the center offers
low-cost classes in dance, music, photography , and drama for adults and childr
en as
young as 6.
Douglass Playground,
at Douglass and 27th str eets in Noe Valley, has a large lawn,
picnic tables, a sandy play structure, decent bathrooms, and a great big slide tucked into
the hillside that borders the park. The hot new playground around here, the
Walter Haas
Playground
(at Diamond Heights Blvd. and A ddison St.), affords fabulous do wntown
views but is a bit out of the way for most tourists.
THE MISSION
Mission Playground,
on 19th S treet between Valencia and Linda str eets (look for the
mural), could be a handy par k if y ou find y ourself needing a play br eak while touring
this neighborhood. The equipment is tops, and an unlocked gate ensur es that off-leash
dogs are not a problem. Other facilities include a recreation center and tennis courts.
