the Redwood Trees are an exhibit within the confines of Marin Country Mart. MCM's owners…read morecommissioned S. & S. to create same. the exhibit is part playground, part education, part exhibit, part preservation. the 3 large sections of a redwood tree lying flat, standing up are testimony to the immense size of redwood trees in their native habitats. some children enjoy playing around them. per Linkedin website re: J.S. Rosenfeld & Co. ..."is a privately-held real estate company driven by the art of preservation, modernization, and community building in order to create open-air, unanchored villages characteristic of the original California country mart phenomenon of the past". creator: Smith & Smith sponsor: J. S. Rosenfeld & Co.

Pretty little wood and concrete structure with planters filled with local grasses and succulents. A…read morevery nice addition to this stretch of cobblestone sidewalk near Lake Merritt.

This is an absolutely gorgeous parklet. While there are two rivaling parklets just footsteps away,…read morethis one by far has the most amazing aesthetic. It almost looks like a wooden ship, cruising down Judah Street. The parklet is all made of beautifully finished wood, with built-in planters, a platform for bike parking and plenty of seating. There are a handful of wooden benches to sit on and a couple of longer table-like features. This is a great place to people-watch, or enjoy your coffee and a snack. Make sure to check out the local shops that help maintain this space!

It doesn't belong to Four Barrel, so if any of the pasty patrons or bearded baristas are giving you…read moreguff about sitting here, point to the tiny little sign that informs said Mission MacGuffins about the true nature of parklets in San Francisco: namely, that they're free and open to the public. The plastic or plastique figurines dancing above your head are magical, especially as it's getting dark, especially if there happen to be lights affixed to the lattice structure when you happen to be visiting. There is beautiful bike parking (but very few beautiful bikes), and the blocky reclaimed wood feels sturdy beneath your feet. The seating areas look a bit like open-air cubicles, but I haven't spent enough time here to know whether sharing a stall with someone without asking first is rude. I can imagine doing some serious reading here. Or spreading out a bunch of science textbooks and/or technical journals and studying and/or designing something. I'm sure dozens of desk-dreading daredevils have done this before. They might even do it on the regular. San Francisco still has its charms, but as with our inalienable rights, defending these charms sometimes requires sharp elbows as well as tiny little signs.

I'm a huge fan of the diminutive parklets the city of San Francisco has been peppering around town…read moreas of late, and this urban oasis right outside of Four Barrel on Valencia just might be my favorite hang of them all. While you'd be hard pressed to find me giving anything less than 5 stars to any of the pop-up mini parks scattered throughout the 415, this particular structure has an architectural soul that syncs up to the neighborhood perfectly. Plenty of seating, lots of surface area to lock up your bicycle, and some serious synergy with the interior design of Four Barrel just steps away. Well done, parklet wizards!

The first of many new urban "parklets" in San Francisco has landed outside of Mojo (one of my…read morefavorite coffee shops in the city!). Taking up some disposable city parking property, these miniature parklets are public spaces for any ol' person to park their bikes, bring a bagged lunch, tie up the pup, or any other activity you'd imagine doing with a park all to yourself. Much like the privately owned public open spaces that you'll find scattered throughout the city, you'll begin to see more and more of these little areas popping up around town! Being the first, Mojo is quite literally making history in San Francisco http://www.flickr.com/photos/sfbike/4422275197/

No. Parklets are just plain stupid…read more And, of course, Golden Gate Park (or the Panhandle) and Alamo Square Park are soooooo far away.

Cool street in the SOMA Pilipinas neighborhood! They added these cool lanterns and it looks so nice…read moreat night! Recently they had DJs playing music on Thursday nights. We dropped by, got free kombucha, and chilled/listened! Some people were dancing. There were some food and drink options for sale as well. The street itself has murals and there was a projector playing something. When you enter, this is someone sitting there to greet you and to see if you have any questions. Overall, I'm excited to see what other events and pop-ups they have in the future!

An interesting piece of public art at center of town in Tiburon!…read more This sculpture kind of represents this town, because I saw that insignia all over this town. I believe it represents sails, and when the wind hits it, and there is always a breeze here since it's next to the water, it makes a clapping type sound. I sat down here because at first I was trying to figure out where that sound was coming from and that's when I noticed these steel sails coming out of this fountain. Cool find here!!

PUBLIC ART. We really do not have enough of it in the greater Bay Area. Yes, we have some, but…read morereally not that much compared to other major cities in the US. How come we don't have the art? Where are the dollars going? I was pleased to see the new fountain sculpture - COMING ABOUT - installed in the downtown Plaza of Tiburon in October of 2006. But it gives me mixed feelings. It really is quite beautiful, but OMG did it cost us way too much. Titled "COMING ABOUT," it is a set of steel sails coming out of a fountain. Steel sails that move "with the wind." (Actually they are mechanical, but don't tell anyone. It took an extra 3 months to get the underground wiring and transformer installed and upgraded to make "Coming About" perform properly.) Some folks say it represents a REGATTA; some say it is a SHARK'S FIN; some say it represents a BIRD'S WING. Me? Oh, I am sure. It represents the SAILS from the many local Bay area sailboats. Stand back, take a look. See if you don't agree with me. Especially when they start to change position. You can almost feel the wind as it whips through the sails! Designers and installers were the husband and wife team of Jeff Reed and Jennifer Madden. They spent the better part of a year of their lives on this Public Art. http://video.aol.com/video-detail/tiburon-fountain-plaza-installation-4/680382034 It is beautiful. No question about it. It does brighten up the Plaza area. Come down and have your holiday photos taken here. There's a Christmas tree in the background. Installed at a final cost around 1/2 a million dollars. Yikes! Think of all the hunger kids in the world we could have fed! Houses we could have built to replace the ones lost in Katrina! Or southern California? Health care options for children who don't have any! Medicine for folks in Africa with AIDS . . . . or San Francisco! 1/2 a million dollars! I do love Pubic Art, but I sure wish it didn't cost so much. There are so many better ways to spend our money. Ways that will truly make our world more livable. I would sleep better at night knowing that we helped more children go to bed with full tummies and warm blankies and the medicines they need, rather than Public Art that costs so damn much. And yet all we could do was squabble over what kind of benches to put in the Plaza.

This is a place that isn't the most conspicuous landmark by any means. This is a stretch of…read morewalkway along the bay in the midst of the Fisherman's Wharf area. That this area has the air of historic preservation is a function of what makes SF what it is. This spot sits between a few Pier footings. Taking in the San Francisco Bay is an experience in and of itself. Great views here for Alcatraz and The Bridge.