Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
companion, the Murphy
Windmill, was erected in the
park's south-west corner in
1905. The garden was named
after the Dutch Queen
Wilhelmina, and tulip bulbs are
donated each year by the Dutch
Bulb Growers' Association.
r
Ocean Beach
Map
7 A1-5.
@
5, 18, 31, 38, 71.
v
L, N.
Most of San Francisco's western
boundary is defined by this
broad sweep of sand. Though
sublime when viewed from Cliff
House or Sutro Heights, the
beach is dangerous for
swimming because of its icy
waters and a strong undertow.
Surfers in wetsuits are a
common sight, but there is
often a stiff wind, or fog. On rare
hot days, it is also a popular spot
for sun-bathers and picnickers.
Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden and the Dutch Windmill
q
Polo Fields
John F. Kennedy Drive, Golden Gate
Park.
Map
7 C2.
@
5, 29.
William Cody, alias “Buffalo Bill,”
traded one of his bulls for one
from the Golden Gate Park herd.
Both parties thought that they
had rid themselves of an
aggressive beast, but Cody's
newly purchased bull jumped
a high fence once back at his
encampment and escaped.
According to one newspaper of
the day, the
San Francisco Call
,
it took a total of 80 men to
recapture it.
You are increasingly likely to see
joggers rather than polo ponies
using the Polo Fields stadium in
the more open western half of
Golden Gate Park. Horses, on
which to explore the park's
equestrian trails and the Bercut
Equitation Field, are available by
the hour at the adjacent riding
stables. For anglers, there is a
fly-casting pool nearby.
To the east of the stadium, in
the green expanse of Old
Speedway Meadows, many
celebrations were held during
the late 1960s, including some
notable rock concerts. The
Grateful Dead and Jefferson
Airplane, among others, played
here. Here in the spring of 1967,
thousands attended a huge
“Be-in,” one of many events that
led to the “Summer of Love”
(see pp34-5)
.
t
Seal Rocks
Map
7 A1. Not accessible to visitors.
View from Ocean Beach, Cliff House or
Sutro Heights Park.
@
18, 38.
Bring binoculars to watch the sea
lions and birds in their natural
setting. At night, from the beach
or Cliff House promenade, the
barking of the sea lions is both
reassuring and eerie, especially
when it is foggy. On a clear day
you can see the Farallon Islands
32 miles (51 km) off the coast.
These are also inhabited by sea
lions and contain a rookery that
has been protected by the state
since 1907.
e
Queen
Wilhelmina Tulip
Garden
Map
7 A2.
@
5, 18. Windmill
7
The Dutch windmill was built
near the northwest corner of
Golden Gate Park in 1903. Its
original purpose was to pump
water from an underground
source for irrigating the park,
but now it is no longer in use. Its
w
Buffalo Paddock
John F. Kennedy Drive, Golden Gate
Park.
Map
7 C2.
@
5, 29.
The shaggy buffalo that graze in
this paddock are the largest of
North American land animals.
With its short horns and
humped back, the buffalo is the
symbol of the American plains
and is more properly known as
the American bison. This
paddock was opened in 1892, at
a time when the buffalo was on
the verge of extinction. In 1902
Looking out toward Seal Rocks from Ocean Beach
Bridge at the Japanese Tea Garden in the Golden Gate Park
