A quiet, cozy, off the beaten path, mini park with lovely flowers and trees in between busy areas…read more Recommend, especially if you can find parking.

Big things comes in small packages…read more There are several mini parks in almost every neighborhood in San Francisco, and Cottage Row is a historic district (#82000983) located in Japantown that stretches along the block of Bush and Sutter streets and flanked between Webster and Fillmore streets. I would often walk to my wife's work as part of my exercise after work. I'd start from New Montgomery & Market Street all the way to Pacific Heights, which is roughly about 3 1/2 miles or so depending on the route I take. I vary my route some days and have taken different streets that are more hilly depending how I feel that particular day. On one of my many routes, I discovered this gem of a place just a block from Japantown Center. From Sutter St., there are signs posted regarding the park in front of a brick steps and pathway that stretches one block ending on Bush St. Along the path are Victorian-era houses, which adds a unique charm to the park. The park itself is well manicured with beautiful flowers, plants and even lone Redwood tree standing tall and proudly in the center. It may be small, but this mini park actually feels very spacious due to the layout and brilliant design of the park. It definitely maximizes the space without feeling cluttered and it feels very relaxing just being here. The smell of flowers and different plants provides an illusion that you are in a forest garden. I can feel my stress levels diminish as I soak in the energy of the park. Doing some research, the brick pathway along the backside of the park used to be called Japan Street due to the families living there were primarily Japanese-Americans. Sadly, they were interned during WWII after the attack on Pearl Harbor. An unfortunate time in American history that must never be forgotten and repeated. Now the park is maintained by the city, and they do a wonderful job of doing so. I can imagine the people in the neighborhood utilize this space by sitting on the benches while reading a good book; playing with their kids or grandkids; walking and playing with their dogs or enjoying a casual stroll to get some sun. Either way, it's a charming little park that is worth a visit should you be in the area.

The Sentinel Building (or Columbus Tower) is definitely one of the coolest buildings in North…read moreBeach. The wedge-shaped flatiron design and copper-green color really make it stand out. If you stand across the street, you can get a great photo of it with the Transamerica Pyramid just behind it. The framing survived the 1906 earthquake and then it was completed a year later. Even though the Sentinel Building is mixed-used, it is mostly occupied by George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope film studio. Many of Coppola's movies (including the Godfather films and Apocalypse Now) were edited, written, or sound mixed here. At the front of the building is a European-style cafe called Cafe Zoetrope. There are also many posters of Coppola's movies and some historical facts about the building along the outside wall.

The Sentinel Building (also known as the Columbus Tower) is the 33rd historical landmark in San…read moreFrancisco. This "flatiron" style building survived the 1906 earthquake and fire during it's construction, but did suffer some damage that delayed the building completion date to 1907. The unique copper-clad windows on the building have aged over the years to a green shade. Some people may find this building to be an ugly green monstrosity, but I think the building is gorgeous and oozes character. Initially the top floor housed political figure, Abraham "Boss" Ruef, and later a restaurant, Caesar's, that was credited for inventing the Caesar Salad. Despite it's success, the restaurant closed down during Prohibition. The musical group, The Kingston Trio, owned the building in the 1960s and used the space as their corporate headquarters. By the 1970s the building was starting to fall apart and was in a desperate need of a renovation. Film director, Francis Ford Coppola, purchased the building in the early 1970s and revived the building. To this day he still owns the building. The Sentinel Building is nestled in between Little Italy and Chinatown so there are plenty of great restaurants nearby. Cafe Zoetrope currently resides on the ground floor of the Sentinel Building. Grab some wine and Italian cuisine at Cafe Zoetrope or go across the street to House of Nanking for some amazing Chinese food. If you enjoy historical buildings and landmarks the Sentinel Building is worth checking out!

Form meets function. I'm a big fan of making beautiful things of necessity. Many cities are jumping…read moreon the bandwagon these days with public art and for good reason. Sometimes I listen to city council meetings in Hayward. Nothing is better to put a person to sleep. All that bureaucracy and paper pushing and formality talking in circles. City planners complain that they are powerless and the state makes all the plans and forces them onto the city - but the planners can do only one thing extra to any plan to justify their salary - and that is to add public art to any given project. The city of Hayward is building these monster towers that cast shadows directly on the Haward fault - requiring no extra earthquake safety construction measures than if it were built anywhere else in California - but the one thing they love to do is add a public mural to a project. These steps are like a useful public mural. I think the Hayward city planners are feverishly taking notes on how its done San Francisco. Oh so pretty. Look at all the little tiles and grout. Lets not worry that there is one pedestrian collision with a vehicle on average every month on B St alone. We've got our art. I inspected the stairs and they are lovely. Just lovely. Clean and well taken care of and seemed to be not slippery when wet or rainy. For me that's number one. Make sure they are safe. No polished concrete - need something with a little grip to it - and it passed my inspections.

Lincoln Stairs is a picturesque short wide staircase displaying beautiful mosaic tiles. It's done…read moreby the same artist as the 16th Tiled Steps in the Sunset district. I like how it has 2 benches on the side and one long bench on the top. The stairs are at the end of California Street next door to a school so it can get very hectic during pickup/drop off hours, so I'd avoid around that time. At the top there is a trail that goes down along the golf course about a quarter mile to El Camino Del Mar where you can start the Lands End Trail or if you go the other way it takes you to Legion of Honor drive where you can walk up to the museum.

The Hamon Observation Tower sits on top of the DeYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park. It is accessible…read morevia elevator and it is free to access even without a museum ticket. The views from up top are just amazing. It offers you panoramic views of Golden Gate Park, the city skyline, and the San Francisco Bay. I even got a glimpse of the top of the Golden Gate Bridge. If you are visiting the DeYoung Museum or the Golden Gate Park, I highly recommend going up to the top for breathtaking views of the City.

This showed up as a thing to do as part of a game that I got that gives you unique things to do in…read moreSF. This was so much fun! The Hamon Observation Tower at the de Young Museum offers spectacular 360° views of San Francisco, the Pacific Ocean, and the surrounding park. Highly recommend combining it with a stroll through de Young or Golden Gate Park!

Ever been at that corner of 17th and Castro and disregarded the red crosswalk light only to be…read morefacing possibly imminent death from a car careening off of Upper Market Street? Don't lie to me...that was you, the driver, wasn't it? ...WASN'T IT? Well, you have one less opportunity to gloat over the casualties in your path and save your karma for another day like when you speed past a senior citizen in a walker to secure the handicapped seat on the F-line streetcar for yourself. That's because the Castro neighborhood has installed a pedestrian plaza in the last-half-block of 17th Street before it fans out to the congested Market/Castro intersection. Such a great idea and apparently the first of four planned for the city. There are movable barrel-shaped planters and concrete slabs for sitting and checking your iPhone text messages, I guess. There are even cafe tables if you want to socialize with fellow pedestrians who have narrowly escaped death from those careless drivers. The plaza has just a 60-day trial run, but if people love it like I do, then it will stay. Support it ...love it. Let's all get European and have the opportunity to enjoy ramblas (like Barcelona) and broader sidewalks. We deserve it.

I often see community members sitting in the Plaza, sipping coffee, eating lunch and socializing…read more Chairs and tables go out at 11am most days (barring rain) The Castro CBD (local non-profit) provides live music, exhibits and other entertainment for the community here May through October from 1-2pm. And it's FREE.

This staircase feels really rustic and hidden with a lot of lush greenery around. It's mainly wood…read morebut the first leg starting at Laidley St is cement, 239 steps in total which is pretty long and good for a workout. There are about 4 houses along the staircase which seems interesting to live because it feels like you are in the remote woods while being located in the middle of a major city. I wouldn't come just for the stairs unless I lived around here but I usually incorporate it with a hike around Billy Goat Hill, Glen Canyon Park, or the various stairs in the Noe Valley neighborhood (Valley, Castro, Duncan-Castro open space, 27th street) and make it a 2-3 mile loop. This is a nice hike for locals that has been everywhere else and looking for something different but for a tourist I'd suggest nearby Twin Peaks before here.

My favorite San Francisco stairs…read more.. This is truly a hidden gem located in the residential neighborhood of Glen Park. Not many people know about these steps and I'm not even sure if residents living in nearby streets know about these stairs, the path is not obvious and not easily seen especially while driving... we didn't find it immediately, we had to search for the street sign which was tipped by the first reviewer from her photo. Finding parking was challenging, we parked down the hill so our first exercise was ascending the steep hill... and then the steps. Gaahhh... So here we go, we started from the bottom of the steps on Laidley Street. The steps were concrete in the beginning and they were short in height. There is one switchback when you reach 1/3 of the way, make a right on the bend and the stairs turns into wooden steps. There are some 230 steps total when you reach the top on Beacon Street. You are not able to view the steps from bottom to top (and vise versa)... the trees, plants and foliage makes these stairs elusive. I loved seeing the cute houses along Harry Street. Living in these homes gives you the feeling as if you're in a mountain retreat or something. There are five (maybe six) homes that reside along the steps so you can say that this is a legit street and the only way to get to your home are these steps. It's a hiker's dream LoL Yikes! oh the thought of bringing the groceries in from your car! Anyway, one of the homes is 30 Harry... there is a forwarding address attached on the mailbox. Since there aren't that many houses on the stairs it's rare that one comes up for sale. There was no For Sale sign so I'm not sure what the status is but the home is empty. The homes on Harry Street are small with square footage of less than 1,500 but I love the charm and seeing the balconies that look like they're hanging from the hill. The two-bedroom, two-bathroom house near the foot of the stairs hit the market asking $1.395 million, and that was a Redfin data from 2014. Anyway, when we reached the top on Beacon Street there was not much to see... the fog just completely enveloped the view so we will have to come back when my soreness goes away and when the weather is better. LoL Review #2070

"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it..."…read more Ahh Lotta how we San Franciscan's love you! Lotta Crabtree was once America's most beloved entertainers of the 19th Century. Born in New York City to English immigrants, her family moved to Northern California during the Gold Rush of the 1850's. Lotta's Dad, a bookseller, was captivated with California's Gold Rush. Yet, the families success came when a young Lotta, started entertaining at morning mining camps around Northern California. Her fame rose quickly and by the time Lotta reached her late teens she was already dubbed "The Nation's Darling!" In 1875, Lotta and her manager (her Mom), gifted a majestic fountain to the city of San Francisco. And so the story of Lotta's Fountain goes... During the moments of the 1906 Great San Francisco Earthquake, Lotta's Fountain became a safe meeting point for families and friends to reconnect. Every San Franciscan knew where Lotta was! Lotta became the beacon of hope, life, and eternal light! Since then, survivors of the great earthquake has gathered every year at 5:12 a.m. on April 18 (the exact time of the earthquake) at Lotta's Fountain. After the 2015 anniversary, the last two survivors of the earthquake died. However, the tradition continues every year by many dressing in period costumes to honor those who died and survived one of San Francisco's darkest moments. Today, thousands of pedestrians pass by Lotta's Fountain oblivious to her historical significance. Yet, here she stands on Market St. on the intersection of Kearny & Geary since 1875 (moved only once). Lotta has survived many earthquakes, fires, human neglect, and American political upheaval, yet here she still stands! A survivor... like the rebellious city of San Francisco... a reminder of Lotta's strength, beauty, and freedom is what truly makes America great! These are the monuments we should cherish not those that glorify bigotry and hatred! Go Lotta!

We passed by this fountain four times on our trip To SF…read more Such a beautiful monument and with a perfect location. Our bus didn't stop close but we still enjoyed it.

I visit the Hunter's Point Shipyard every year or so to check up on the the development status. It…read moreis difficult to gain access, but given the chance, go exploring. It is an industrialist dream with massive cranes, abandoned mid-century factory buildings, huge ship berths and tons of cement. An occasional business does operate here, and there is a randomly large police station at the far end whose purpose remains unclear. I can only fathom the endless opportunity here: artist lofts, housing, recreation, biking, yet it all remains locked up and out of reach. I know one day this place will become a hot spot, but in the meantime, let's just put this review in a time capsule.

Despite its status as a radioactive superfund site, we made many relaxing weekend visits to the…read morederelict Naval shipyard with no adverse effects. Hunters Point weather was warm and sunny, pleasant relief from the rest of cold, nasty San Francisco. Exploring the legendary place was always fun. However, as far as I know, it's closed to the public now. Our leisurely visits were made over 20 years ago when a fabulous AT&SF Pacific steam locomotive was being restored there by a railroad historical society. A massive passenger loco hoisted high above the ground in a dedicated hangar-like structure. All of the friendly, super-skilled workers were retired veterans of the great fallen flags. There was also a small, but well-designed, railroad museum onsite. If I recall, it was located in a restored steam era railcar. Someone else ran a welcoming refreshment stand. We relaxed at their shaded picnic tables, enjoying hot dogs, snacks and sodas. Also, artists could rent cheap open studios in abandoned buildings there. Several of them were very talented professionals who were priced out of insanely expensive downtown areas. Whether legendary Hunters Point Naval Shipyard will ever be decontaminated enough for completely safe human habitation is anyone's guess. Somehow, I doubt it.