We have been to San Francisco a number of times and have visited most of the regular tourist spots…Alcatraz, Ghirardelli Square, Fisherman’s Wharf, China Town. We rode the cable cars, walked across the Golden Gate Bridge, and climbed up to Coit Tower. So this trip we decided to try and visit a few of our favorites, but also to discover some of the “Hidden Gems” in this City by the Bay.

The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps
What do you do with an ugly 163 step stairway in your neighborhood? Well if were a resident in the Golden Gate Heights neighborhood back in 2003, you come together with a plan to beautify the steps. You hire two talented artists who enlist the help of everyone in the neighborhood in creating a flowing mosaic with a Sea to Sky theme. And when completed, you add beautiful gardens up and down each side, and you have a work of art in your backyard. These steps are just gorgeous.

The Golden Fire Hydrant
In 1906, a massive earthquake hit San Francisco. The following day a fire started down by the wharves. Since the earthquake broke the water mains, there was no water in the hydrants and the fire burned up the hill for three days, destroying almost the entire city. Except there was one fire hydrant, up by Delores Park that somehow had water. And because of that, homes in the area were saved. These homes are still standing and are some of the oldest homes in the entire city. Each year, the city of San Francisco maintenance department comes up to Delores Park and gives this hydrant a fresh coat of GOLD paint. There is also a plaque in the cement next to the hydrant commemorating the event. Pretty cool bit of history.

Street Art
Street art abounds in San Francisco, but perhaps no place better than Clarion Alley and Balmy Alley. Both are in the Mission District, about a mile and a half apart. Almost every inch of the alleyways are painted…over garage doors, around window, on fences…murals that are whimsical or send a political or social message. And they are forever changing…as soon as one begins to fade, it is replaced with a new one.

Clarion Alley

Balmy Alley

Lands End

In the far northwest corner of San Francisco lies Lands End….and a trail that winds along this rough stretch of coastline with jaw-dropping views of the Golden Gate and out to the deep blue of the Pacific. Wind-carved cypress trees cling to the cliffs, hawks hang stationary in the wind currents hunting for mice, wild lilies somehow find a way to bloom. Here too, you will find two “hidden gems”….the ruins of Sutro Baths and the Lands End Labyrinth.

Sutro Baths
Built in 1896 by self-made millionaire and one-time mayor of San Francisco, Adolf Sutro, Sutro Baths was an extravagant public bath-house There were six salt-water pools and one fresh water pool….slides, swinging rings and a spring-board for diving. The pools would fill each day with the high tide waters of the Pacific. Quite a popular spot for San Francisco-ites. Today there are only ruins, but you can get a feel for what it once looked like. The tunnel where the water flowed into the pools is still there. The only swimmers now are ducks and geese.

Lands End Labyrinth
Built in secret by San Francisco artist Eduardo Aguilera back in 2004 on Eagle Point just past Mile Rock Beach. Made by placing stones into a classic seven-circuit Chartres labyrinth, Eduardo wanted to keep his creation a secret, but it was quickly discovered by hikers. Enter at one end and make your way slowly to the center…actually takes a bit of time. Views to the Golden Gate Bridge are spectacular.

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory
The Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory is located in Ross Alley in the middle of China Town. Ross Alley was once frequented by men in search of one of the many brothels that called the alley home. Now men, women and children come in search of this amazing little factory. You smell the sweet scent of the fortune cookie well before you enter the doors. Inside are a couple of mechanized, circular griddles….a mixture of flour, sesame oil, vanilla (that is all they would tell me of their recipe…quite the secret) would be squirted onto an open griddle pan. The pan would then close and around it would go baking in about 3 minutes, and then the pan would re-open in time for an attendant to pick it off, add a fortune and then while still pliable, bend it to the traditional shape…whoa-lah!!!!! A fortune cookie. And they give you a free sample. Besides the traditional fortune cookie, you can also purchase ones made with chocolate, green tea or almond. Delicious and fun!!!!

Golden Gate Park

Golden Gate Park is a world-class urban park. Larger in size than either Central Park in New York City or Stanley Park in Vancouver B.C., Golden Gate Park stretches almost half-way across San Francisco….and within its boundaries are quite a few hidden gems.

Wind Mills
You just don’t expect to find Dutch style windmills in San Francisco, but on the far-western edge of the park lie two such windmills. On the southern corner is Murphy Windmill. Built around 1902, it was the largest windmill of its kind in the world. What is unique about this windmill, is the sails turn clockwise instead of the traditional counter-clockwise you will find in the mills in the Netherlands.

To the North, about a mile away, is Dutch Windmill. Built just before Murphy Windmill at the cost of approximately $25,000.00, this one is surrounded by beautiful gardens with thousands of tulips. Just lovely spot to visit and fun to discover.

Japanese Tea Garden
Located next to the de Young Museum is the Japanese Tea Garden. These gardens are the oldest public Japanese gardens in the United States…and so beautiful they are. Sad story behind these gardens. They were built on a one acre lot back in 1894 for the California Midwinter International Exposition. Mr. Makoto Hagiwara was the landscape architect and after the exposition was allowed to stay on as caretaker of the garden. He threw his whole life into the care and expansion (to the current 5 acres) of the garden, including his personal wealth, time and passion. He created this spot of serenity, perfection and peace. He and his family lived on the property until 1942 when they were “relocated” to an internment camp. After the war they were not allowed back to their home in the garden. Not a proud moment in American history. But today you can walk through this beautiful garden and enjoy the peace and solitude (when it isn’t full of visitors) The bridge is a real work of art. Mon., Wed., and Friday admission is free if you arrive prior to 10:00.

City Light Books
There are so many wonderful bookstores around the world. And here in San Francisco, one of those special stores is City Light Booksellers and Publishers. Not only is it the oldest bookstore in San Francisco, it was once “home” to many a beat poet. Climb upstairs to the poetry floor and you can hear the words of Allen Ginsburg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti (the owner of the store), Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, and many more. The rooms of this bookstore drip with history. If you go to the City Light Booksellers website, you will see this description of the store: “Founded in 1953 by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Peter D. Martin, City Lights is one of the truly great independent bookstores in the United States, a place where booklovers from across the country and around the world come to browse, read, and just soak in the ambiance of alternative culture’s only “Literary Landmark.”. Definitely a place to visit.

Coit Tower City Guide Tour
We’ve been to Coit Tower before, love the views, love the murals….but today we were lucky enough to be there in time for a free tour put on by City Guides. We’re usually not one for tours, but this one was so specialized we couldn’t pass it up. Learned all about the history of Coit Tower and the background on all the murals. We even got to go up the stairway to the second floor and see the murals in the stairwell and around the floor. Quite spectacular.

There are 27 murals altogether, created by 26 artists, almost all of them were done fresco…painted on freshly laid plaster. Loved to see that several of the artists were women (4 of them) and a number of them either worked with or were greatly influenced by Diego Rivera. Interesting fact…the artists were paid $1.00 an hour and worked 38 hours per week. (in today’s money, that would be about $19.00 an hour….above minimum wage!!!!) The murals were all painted at the same time during a 3 month period and the colors all look similar because there was one assistant whose job was to grind and mix all the pigments….thus the similarity throughout. The free tours are on Wednesday and Saturday at 11:00 am.

Walt Disney Family Museum
Diane Disney, Walt’s daughter, was getting concerned that her father was being forgotten. Surveys showed the younger generations knew of the Disney Corporation, but not the man behind it. So she went about creating the Walt Disney Family Museum dedicated to the life and legacy of Walt Disney. Located in the Presidio, it is a must visit for any Disney fan. As you walk through the museum, you in essence walk through Walt’s life starting with his early years, move to Hollywood, all the way to his death in 1966. One of the most impressive sights is in the very first room….a sort of trophy room. There behind glass cases stand all the Golden Globe Awards, All the Emmies, and all the Oscars….quite impressive. We really enjoyed this museum and learned so much about the genius of Walt Disney.

Churches
Beautiful churches in San Francisco, some with amazing history. We love to stop in and visit

San Francisco has to be one of our favorite cities in all the world. It was a blast looking beyond the major tourist attractions and finding all those “hidden gems”.