Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of Flowers ( Click here ) and the sheltered, contemplative valley of the AIDS Memorial Grove . In the southeast
corner is a children's playground, while further west is a baseball diamond, pagan altars on the hill behind, and
the Shakespeare Garden , featuring 150 plants mentioned in Shakespeare's writings. To the west around Martin
Luther King Jr Dr are the Polo Fields, where the 1967 Human Be-In took place and free concerts are still held. At
the park's wild western edge, quixotic bison stampede in their paddock towards windmills and Ocean Beach sun-
sets.
History
In 1866, San Franciscans petitioned City Hall with an impossible demand: to transform 1017 acres of sand dunes
into the world's largest developed park. The task scared off even Frederick Law Olmstead, who built New York's
Central Park.
Instead, San Francisco's green scheme was handed to 24-year-old San Franciscan engineer William Hammond
Hall, who proved to be no pushover with casino developers, theme-park boosters and slippery politicians. During
the 20-year park construction effort, he quit twice to protest schemes for racetracks, hotels and an igloo village,
preserving precious parkland for botanical gardens, the Japanese Tea Garden and boating on scenic Stow Lake.
Though a local newspaper cautioned that its scenic benches led to 'excess hugging,' San Franciscans immedi-
ately flocked to the new park. On a single sunny day in 1886, almost a fifth of the city's entire population made
the trip to the park.
Information
Today, free park walking tours are organized by Friends of Recreation & Parks ( 415-263-0991) , and park
information is available from McLaren Lodge (510 Stanyan St) , under the splendid cypress that's the city's offi-
cial tree.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search