If you can't smile when you see this, ask yourself if you're still alive. It's a Tony Bennett tribute. Left his art in SF? "Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it." Rumi read more

This is quite a piece of artwork!!! I hear that it has something to do with the song I left my heart in San Francisco, but I can't be certain. It's a great sculpture and very imaginative. It's in a nice area on the Embarcadero also. A nice place to stop by! read more

Cupid's Span - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me

Nice public art! I'm a bit confounded on its significance. And you can touch it! read more

I love Cupid's Span, I really do. Go ahead and send the hate but the love from the big ass bow already struck me. Whenever friends come to visit I begin the tour of San Francisco here, and we always get great views and pictures. Call me a sucker or tell me I have shitty taste I don't care. I am a fan of Cupid's Span. peace, love, and good booze ~ chase read more

Cupid's Span - taken 7/10/09 - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me

I walk a dog here twice a week and definitely recommend it as one of the better grassy spots that's far away enough from the street, always clean and frequented by mainly calm and sweet dogs. A lot of people working in nearby buildings bring their dogs to work and so lunchtime is pretty busy in this area, so I would recommend walking your dog here earlier inn the morning or after lunch and before rush hour. Prefer this area over the enclosed Rincon Park on Beale Street as that park has zero shade or grass. Unless of course, you prefer an enclosed area. read more

Cupid's Span - One of the sculptures in this city I don't get tired of seeing. - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me

Cute little place for photo op located at the park within walking distance from the Exploratorium. A lot of runners run past this fixture without batting their eyelashes. It's easily missed if you're not looking for it. read more

I work in the financial district very close to Cupid' Span so I usually come out here to eat lunch with my coworkers every once a week or so! Love this place and all the views it overlooks just from sitting in front of this art piece. read more

Cupid's Span - I'm so proud of this photo that was taken with an iPhone 5s! - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me

Its really not all its cracked up to be. OK! Sure it overlooks the water = amazing view. Yes, its an art structure in the open = playground. ... and yes the structure itself is a bow & arrow = romantic?! I'm not so sure. If anything, unless you're making your way around from AT&T park to fisherman's wharf on foot (kid less), then its really not worth making a stop off here to fight parking. Parking in the area is horrible & if you're lucky enough to find a metered spot be prepared to pay $4.50/hr or find a parking lot/structures that charges $30+ for the day. Yes!! San Francisco is, as I'm sure you were warned, is just THAT expensive, Even as a tourist. read more

Cupid's Span - Attempting to find parking was a nightmare - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me

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This is a pretty cool touristy spot if you're around the pier! It's at the very end of the pier so I do suggest you driving down the street. There are also parking on the street on the side of the Cupid's Span and also across the street. Be sure to have coins and I think the meter did have the credit/debit card insert. It's kind of a small place and the only thing you really see is the Cupid's Span (the arrow) and the Bay Bridge. It's something really special, in my opinion. It's just a really cool art work/landmark out here in San Francisco. You also see a lot of joggers and other San Franciscans around as well. It's also pretty close to the Ferry Building, so you can grab a bite or coffee and take a stroll down the street! It's just a lovely place to come visit, probably with your loved ones! You can't go wrong with spending time here taking in the SF breeze by the Cupid's Span on your date ;) read more

Cupid's Span - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me

A nice view by the water front. This is a huge bow and arrow at the park. It's comparable to the Chicago Bean but not as popular. You can take a nice tourist picture here with the water or cityscape behind you. read more

Cupid's Span - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me

I never knew this existed until one day I saw it on a postcard and said, "This statue is in San Francisco?" So I decided to go find it and it's name and I did. It is a pretty cool statue and piece of artwork. Something that is usually missing in other big cities. I took my date here a few times and it is interesting to see how big it is and great viewpoints when you have the bridge behind it. I have gotten some great pictures of Cupid's Span and I am happy to say, I have been pricked by cupid's arrow. read more

More art! I love how much art is all around San Francisco. I have been to this city a few times when I was younger, but now that I am older I can appreciate the artistic nature of this beautiful city. This another strange artistic landmark in the city, and one of those cool little "romantic" type things. Yet, another one of those little things that you should see when you are in the area. read more

It is a big bow and arrow. Huge actually. Cons: Terrible paint job and colors. Pros: Better than a gigantic potato masher. read more

I had seen Cupid's Span somewhere online. So I wanted to go see it next time I was in San Francisco since it's a great photo op. We stopped by around 8pm on a weekday and parking was very easy to find. We walked around for about an hour and even walked towards the Ferry building The Cupid Bow didn't have anyone sitting in it or around it which made for perfect photo opportunities. The grass was nice and well made maintained. There were a lot of people walking around on a nice summer day. There are also a lot of homeless people walking around the park talking to themselves. I loved this outdoor piece and it was very beautiful to look at and photograph. You should look at it if you're ever in San Francisco and stop by in the middle of the week during the evening. read more

I've seen pictures of this place many times and drove through here quite a few but never had the chance to stop by till NOW! I was so excited when we arrived because it's THAT awesome! Well, for me at least. This is a nice piece of artwork I must say, simple but creative. It's just simply amazing! I'd take this and put it outside my backyard if it weren't so big. I think this is one thing they don't have in the souvenir section, which they should! A lot of people come here for their wedding pictures and I WOULD DO THE SAME when I get married! Besides the cool statue, it's just a nice place to sit, relax...enjoy the view, have a pinic, or take a walk? This is located along the Embarcadero, so Pier 39 is just 3 miles down. They also have restaurants around the block for you to dine in also. If you're lucky enough, you'll find parking along the street for $3/hr. read more

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I learned about this landmark from Kwan H.'s pics/review. I had decided to devout my day to visiting SF landmarks so I decided to check out this structure. Upon arriving, I didn't think it'd be so massive! First off, parking is hard around here. Secondly, it's hard to get a decent shot of the thing (with the Bay bridge in the back ground) with people milling around it...BUT, I do think it's neat, especially the size and the creativity of the bow and arrow in the ground. It's kind of random and I wish there was a placard or something saying more than who funded the art work (the founders of Gap), but I guess art is random and left for multiple interpretations. read more

Cupid's Span - Fishers = Founder of Gap - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me

Romantical... I love the unique 60-foot sculpture installed along the Embarcadero. Great photo op with the Bay Bridge in the background. Will need to come back at night to see the bridge lighted up. It's a nice place to take a leisurely walk next to the waterfront. read more

This installation at the park is so much fun. I know it doesn't necessarily look like much but this spot will forever bring back fond memories of my time spent here with my lil family. My baby girl had just started walking and she did so here as well as the day before at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Parking was tricky but we luckily found a spot across the street. We stayed a while and walked up the block to where they looked like they were having a farmer's market. That was fun. There were a lot of people here taking photos. Of course this was a popular spot on Valentine's Day! This is easily something that you could just drive by but you may as well get out and stretch your legs a bit. It was a nice day. I'm glad we were able to stop by for a bit. I'd definitely stop here again, maybe have some lunch out on the grass next time. This was the perfect photo op since we were in the area on Valentine's Day!! read more

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Cute hangout spot! I enjoyed the view there. Good view of the bridge, islands, and the bay. Came here a few times during my lunch, there were quite a few people but still able to find a place to sit. Enjoy the sun, breeze, and fresh air. Take some selfies while you're at it! PS for Pokemon Go'ers: It's a gym and there are plenty of pokestops around. Happy hunting! read more

A beautiful sculpture along The Embarcardero, so cute for relaxing at a mini park, taking a walk, jog or run, or maybe playing Pokemon Go and taking a selfie with a pokemon. This is an adorable landmark at The Embarcadero. read more

Very quiet and peaceful place. I often go there after my studies. Here you can relax and read a book. Also here is a very beautiful view of the Bay. read more

Cupid's Span - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me

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LVOE oops i meant LOVE..... hint hint... Louis Vuitton..... wink ^.* Every time i drive by here i tell myself i should come here for a photo shoot. one day i finally got the time to stop by and take a nice pic. It was a like a big deal to me because when i am in the city i am on the go and have a busy schedule ahead of me but instead i made time for this. which was well worth the time. I really enjoy my time here just taking selfies and such ha. Another thing on my to do list is to climb to the top of the bow and take an amazing shot. Unfortunately that day i was in dress shoes and it was going to happen. I am not even sure if we can do that, but i think i should start training on my hops. I am not sure if this action is illegal but sometimes when i drive by i see people running up to the top of the bow like ninja warriors. lol ....i just love the vibe of this statue, it is so iconic in SF to me, its like the perfect spot for many things. Pro - It has a nice view such as a nice back drop to this statue, 1. there is a bridge, water, or 2. you can stand the other side of the bow and arrow and get the SF city back drop. - Its a very cute and romantic statue, great for a meeting place and have your first date here. lol ....just bring some coffee here and chat it up. - This is the perfect place to just take a picture for valentines card. - this statue is around the nice area, where there are lots of yummy restaurants available for your to enjoy. Sit back at a nearby restaurant and enjoy the view. - great location to do your exercise such a nice jog or run along the pier. Con - the only con i can think of would be the parking. But who drives in SF once you find a parking spot. it is Easy to find and accessible by walking or muni around the city. read more

In so many ways this piece of public art screams roadside attraction. It's a jumbo-sized bow and arrow aimed at the ground, in the same vein as the world's largest thermometer and a gigantic ball of twine. I don't know. Trying to dig up any information on the statue I come up with the same quoted phrase every single Google hit: that the statue "was inspired by San Francisco's reputation as the home port of Eros." No further explanations. But who calls San Francisco that, though? And why IS it this so-called "home port of Eros"? After consulting the artist's website, they reference a myth about Eros/Cupid shooting the earth to make it fertile (another story of which my searches for it are turning up fruitless). It's like they offered these semi-poetic answers and we're just supposed to blindly go, "Oooooooh, I get it." Really this just seems like a joke. Someone made up a couple Eros-related references telling us it's this fine, expensive cloth that only the most sophisticated of us can see. Then they went so far as to make elegant robes of this otherwise invisible cloth, figuratively, by actually constructing "Cupid's Span" and sticking it on the waterfront between the Ferry House and Bay Bridge and keeping it there permanently. I'm not saying that public art should always be serious, and that it can't be fun and whimsical, but it's pretty tragic when you've got this expansive, kitschy eyesore out in the open while the Gandhi statue (http://www.yelp.com/biz/gandhi-statue-san-francisco) is being hidden away in a parking lot, donor-related controversy or not. read more

I find it funny that one of the first monuments tourists see after starting their walk along the embarcadero is the huge bow and arrow jutting out of a small hill. Despite my usual staying away from that area due to high traffic and horrid rush hour headaches, I did enjoy my walks along the stretch of road on my lunch breaks and during the evenings, a great place to bring my friends visiting from out of town. On our last visit, the crew from Friday night skate zoomed in and out of our path with twinkling lights and a boom box that made my friend's experience even more memorable. Bring a lunch, take a seat on the grass and enjoy sights of the bay on a clear sunny day : ) read more

I find it really interesting how there could be close to 100 reviews for a sculpture (not too famous I suppose) in San Francisco. Well nevertheless, here I am, adding my addition to this collection of reviews. I'm personally a big fan of art, and I love this little area of Cupid's Span. It's really colourful, right by the waters of the Embarcadero. Even though I visited this sculpture and thought it was beautiful as it had a bit of greenery and flowers right beneath it, I had no idea what it was until I'm writing this review. Apparently, Cupid's Span was built in 2002. The curve of the bow represents a boat and the lines of the bow and arrow is reflective of the Bay Bridge at the back. read more

MY 200th REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i don't know why i chose this place to make my 200th, but i'm on a roll with review san francisco landmarks... so here i gooooooo.... hmm i'm somewhat torn with this rather large piece of art... the area in which is inhabits, is pretty nice... but you get that view all the way down embarcadero, and now, that horrible epic roasthouse and waterbar now kind of kill the openness of that stretch of the embarcadero, i may have to go with 3 stars instead of 4. its something different to look at during my run down the embarcadero. kind of like those random hearts that are around the city like union square, macys, the villas/parkmerced, etc. but i definitely would not send a tourist there to take pictures. there are other places in the city i can think of to send people who travel far lengths to come to this city than to some random cupids arrow... read more

This is my favorite piece of public art along the Embarcadero by far. It may even be my favorite sculpture in SF, period. I adore Claes Oldenburg's interpretation of Cupid's mythical bow and arrow of looooooove with this oversized piece. I know it's Oldenburg's schtick to transform everyday items into oversized and colorful pieces, but this sculpture has such a playful sense of humor to it - I always smile when I pass it. Even though the bow is stuck in the hillside, it's in action to me....infusing love into downtown SF. read more

Shoot me now. I'll credit them this: Oldenburg and van Bruggen created a public sculpture that is better in some ways than the originally proposed "giant foot" sculpture. But this absurd bit of hokum is just too lame for me. It neither reflects on the space it resides in, nor the city which it claims as home. The grounds around it, however, are a marvelous spot to stop for a bit in the windy sunshine on a nice day, to have a coffee or lunch or people watch. But egads, folks: this is tackiness taking on new heights! Imagine in 30 years what this behemoth of a slightly shiny pop-art relic will seem in the eyes of passersby. A bow and arrow with the tip and arch just barely buried underground? Would that the whole damn thing were just a bit deeper. Like, say, completely underground. An open vista out toward the bay would be nice, or maybe a new bench. read more

I often review certain buildings or landmarks as good for a photo opp and move on. This is one of them. After you visit the Ferry Building, continue along the Embarcadero towards the Bay Bridge and you'll end up in Rincon Park where it is. Try to arrange the shot so it looks like the arrow is shooting you in the butt, it's funny. read more

Cupid's Span - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me

beautiful Bay view whether day or night. it can be a little sketch at night, but that's expected. nice walk along the embarcadero. the bridge lights are a site to behold. go at night, you won't be disappointed. read more

Cupid's Span - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me

This public art piece at the foot of Folsom Street is just up the block from Gordon Biersch Brewery restaurant, on the Embarcadero. The piece is just a blast to see. Most people I saw nearby loved it, a few sour pusses did not. That's good art. It causes opinions. read more

Super pretty and with the bay bridge back drop you cant go wrong! Worth the extra three minute walk from the ferry building. read more

Cupid's Span is a fun sculpture along the Embarcadero near the Bay Bridge. It's probably a nice place to be if you're in love; it seems like a great place to take engagement photos. For Benji, it's just another nice spot to sniff around and meet strangers. According to him, everyone there is very friendly and are willing to pet him. read more

Every time i look at the bow & arrow, i say to myself, "what the hell am I looking at?" So i look it up, and according to Wikipedia, its supposed to symbolize where Tony Bennett "left his heart" --There's gotta be a better way of doing so. read more

How do you review a landmark? How do you give a landmark a bad rating? Cupids span is as much a part of the SF skyline as is any skyscraper. It's one of those iconic images that all locals know and usually take for granted. It's a beautiful site and stirs images of love and romance in everyone that's is in its pressence. Even on these rainy sf days I can look at it and things don't seem so gloomy. read more

Cupid's Span - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me

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Super fun, interactive art structure in Embarcadero. If you're just looking at it, there's not too much to do and only so many ooh's and ahh's you can give before you get bored. BUT if you're a little bit adventurous and don't mind possibly getting int a little trouble, take a tip from the kids I saw there and try to run up the arch. :D I promise it's entertaining and fun. You might slip a little, you might not reach the top (I didn't haha, but it's my fault for thinking flats have any grip at all), and you might get a little butt burn sliding back down. I promise though, that it'll be a fun fifteen minutes. :) This is a fun spot to drop by if you're walking through Embarcadero and the ferry building area. There are also a good number of dogs wandering around with their owners, so if you have a dog yourself, get ready to make a few new friends. :) read more

I'm a fan. What's not to like? Adding a few dashes of color and curves against a rather jagged concrete backdrop really makes it wonderful sight to take in. I just wish the green grass was a little bit more inviting for the common folk as it's usually inhabited by.... feces of different varieties. I almost have to take a picture every time I walk by it... but none better than the night shot I found online and added to the gallery. read more

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Bad Art + Monstrous Size + Prime Location = Public Eyesore. I have no problem with urban art, pop art, nor with the artist (Oldenburg), but this is over-the-top cheese and lameness. read more

This is a pretty cool photo spot if you're into that. The bow and arrow are pretty big and super nice and well kept. The garden around it is neat. Great view of the waterfront and the bay bridge. read more

When this was first erected I was shocked to find out that it was "permanent" - it isn't interesting, it isn't meaningful and it's not beautiful. It's a mockery of the city and the gorgeous bridges and bay behind it. Come on SF Arts Commission - you can do better than this! read more