Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the mountains of Central
America. Surprisingly, all these
gardens thrive in the California
fogs. The Arboretum has a shop,
selling seeds and books, and it
also houses the Helen Crocker
Russell Library of Horticulture,
which is open to the public. A
flower show is held in the
summer (see p51) .
0 Stow Lake
Stow Lake Drive, Golden Gate Park.
Map 8 E2. @ 28, 29, 44. Open 10am-
4pm daily. - Boat rental 415-386-
2531.
In 1895 this artificial lake was
created encircling Strawberry Hill,
so that the summit of the hill
now forms an island in the lake,
linked to the mainland by two
stone-clad bridges. Stow Lake's
circular stream is ideal for rowing
laps from the boathouse, though
leisurely drifting seems more
appropriate. There is a Chinese
moon-watching pavilion on the
island's shore, which was the gift
of San Francisco's sister city in
Taiwan, Taipei. The red and green
pavilion was shipped to San
Francisco in 6,000 pieces and
then assembled on the island.
The millionaire Collis P.
Huntington (see p104) donated
the money to create the reservoir
and the waterfall that cascades
into Stow Lake. This is known as
Huntington Falls and is one of the
park's most attractive features.
Glass-house at the Conservatory of Flowers
8 Conservatory of
Flowers
John F. Kennedy Drive, Golden Gate
Park. Map 9 A1. Tel 666-7001. @ 5,
33, 44. v N. Open 10am-4pm Tue-
Sun. & (free 1st Tue of the month.)
7 conservatoryofflowers.org
are Mexican, African, South
American, and Australian
gardens, and one devoted to
native California plants.
Well worth a visit is the
enchanting Moon-Viewing
Garden. It exhibits East Asian
plants in a setting that, unlike
that of the Japanese Tea Garden
(see p148-9) , is naturalistic rather
than formal. Both
medicinal and culinary
plants grow in the
Garden of Fragrance,
which is designed for
blind plant-lovers. Here
the emphasis is on the
senses of taste, touch,
and smell, and the
plants are identified in
braille. Another area is
planted with indigenous
California redwood
trees, with a small
stream winding
through. This re-creates
the flora and
atmosphere of a
northern California
coastal forest. There is
also a New World Cloud
Forest, with flora from
This ornate glass-house was the
oldest building in Golden Gate
Park. A jungle of orchids, ferns,
and palms thrived here but a
hurricane hit the city in
December 1995, and it was
largely destroyed. A campaign
for its repair was launched, and
it reopened in 2003.
9 Strybing
Arboretum
9th Ave at Lincoln Way, Golden Gate
Park. Map 8 F2. Tel 661-1316. @ 44,
71. v N. Open 9am-6pm daily
(10am-5pm Nov-Mar). 7 8
1:30pm daily. =
sfbotanicalgarden.org
On display are 7,500 species of
plants, trees, and shrubs from
many different countries. There
Moon-watching pavilion on Stow Lake
 
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