Great place are made by many things, from events, people whom pass through, the feel and shape of a place, form and character, context, history, relationships... The places around us help make us who we are, shape our values and feelings, and stage the settings for our lives. Within each region, city, neighborhood, street, and lot, there are sacred places and places people love. Great places make great inspiration for the future.
This valentine's day I asked our writers to reflect on the places they love in the Bay Area, and respond to the prompt: Describe at least one place in the Bay Area region that you love… Why do you love this place?
Here are the responses… what places do you love? (please comment)
- Matthew Waxman, Editor
. . .
Holly Pearson: Alamo Square Park, San Francisco. One of my favorite places in the Bay Area is Alamo Square in San Francisco. I love it because no one has ever heard of it or knows where it is -- even the locals!
No, seriously. I first fell in love with Alamo Square before I ever lived in San Francisco, when I was housesitting for my cousin who lives across the street from the park. She has a dog, and about 3 times a day I would take the dog over to the off-leash play area at Alamo Square to play fetch with her. There's no better way to get to know a neighborhood than to hang out there with a dog. Morning, afternoon, and evening I would have to stop whatever I was doing and go spend half an hour running around in one of the most spectacular parks in the city (probably in the nation, for that matter). While I repeatedly threw the ball and Ellie fetched it and brought it back to me, I'd stand there and be awestruck by the incredible views of the city in every direction. I'd chat with the neighbors (especially the ones who had dogs too). I'd notice how the cityscape changed in the light of early morning, midday, and sunset.
When I got tired of playing fetch (inevitably it was me who would tire of the game before Ellie did), I'd put her leash back on and we'd do a couple laps around the park. I'd stop a minute to take in that world-famous postcard view of the seven "Painted Ladies" with the skyline as a backdrop. I'd stop at the old drinking fountain for a sip of water and let Ellie drink from the lower fountain, designed (and positioned) especially for dogs. I was delighted once to discover the little hidden garden, with fresh herbs growing out of old shoes. On a warm summer day we'd run across the lawn on the park's western slope, weaving between the people sprawled out on their blankets soaking up the sun. At night the trees towered over our heads and whispered in the wind as the fog drifted overhead, and I felt protected and safe.
Later, when I first moved to San Francisco, by pure coincidence (or maybe not?) I moved into a flat right around the corner from Alamo Square. One of my favorite things to do on a Sunday morning was to get a soy mocha at the nearby coffeeshop and sit and drink it on the bench at Alamo Square, looking out over the city. I may not have had a backyard, but who needs one when you've got the most beautiful park in the world in your backyard?
Britt Bravo: Temescal Farmer's Market, Oakland. One of my favorite spots in Oakland is the Temescal Farmer's Market every Sunday from 9-1 PM at the DMV (5300 Claremont Ave.) Almost all of the produce is organic, and you can get an organic, shade grown cafe au lait french-pressed on the spot from the Oakland-based Blue Bottle Coffee Co. Yum! It is a small market, but all of the produce is high quality and the music is good, too.
We usually pick up some tofu jerky from the Hodo Soy Beanery, if they're there, to put in pasta with some peppers and onions, and sometimes we get vegan treats from Fiki's Pudding, which is also based in Oakland.
If you go in the winter, there aren't as many booths, but you can still get winter vegetables and fruit. In a city of over 41,000 people, this intimate market has a small town feel where you often run into someone you know. See ya there!
Victoria Everman: Coastal Trail behind Lincoln Park, San Francisco. When I think of loving the Bay Area, the first place that comes to mind is not, technically, a single place; it is a whole trail. The Coastal Trail that runs from behind Lincoln Park, around the coastline, and down the entirety of Ocean Beach is an impeccable journey. Growing up in Indiana, my grandmother would often insist that we spent our weekends exploring the trails at the local national park. I can't thank her enough for that insistent contact with nature; it gives me a love for the planet that I couldn't have fostered elsewhere. Three days a week, I spend my "lunch time" walking from one end of the trail (at Lincoln Park) to the beginning of Ocean Beach and back. Nowhere else in the city can you get such awe-inspiring views of the bay and Golden Gate Bridge. The variety of plants and walking gradients that you find along the trail instinctively remind me of the colorful and varied people that inhabit our fair city. From time to time, I am guilty of stopping in the middle of my walk, taking a seat on a nearby rock, and just watching the waves crash against the rocky shore while listening to distant foghorns. I can't think of a more "San Francisco" way to enjoy what Mother Nature has to offer than along this rustic path.
Strata Chalup: Point Lobos State Reserve. Described by one artist as "the greatest meeting of land and water in the world," Point Lobos State Reserve is one of the best places for scenic photography in the San Francisco Bay Area. It's also very special to me because it's where my husband took me for our second date, and there's nothing like hiking hand in hand in a beautiful, wild setting with someone you're starting to fall in love with, and you think they're falling in love with you, too.
There's something for everyone at Point Lobos. The miles of trails go through rolling hills adorned with magnificent cypress and oak trees, twisted into fantastic shapes from the coastal winds and storms. As a photographer, I particularly appreciate the changing views offered by the hillside trails. I can take a picture of the same spot from a different angle or elevation and get, literally, a whole new perspective on the view. Opportunities to frame views with dramatic edging are numerous -- gnarled branches, feathery grasses, and leafy brush offer portholes to the spectacular scenic views.
Bird-watchers, this place should be on your list! Native vegetation supports many songbirds, and the rich coastal waters attract marine bird species such as brown pelicans, anhinga, and sandpipers. Deer and other wildlife are a frequent sight on quiet early-morning hikes. Fat speckled harbor seals may be seen regularly from the cliffside trails, hauled out on beaches or rocks in the sun. In spring and early Summer, the park's wildflowers peep out from rocky ledges and in shady forest cover. On one visit, I chanced upon a group of volunteer park docents being trained in wildflower identification. It was too early for more than a few, such as the wild iris and the little red brush flower pictured here, but the ID sheet the rangers used included more than 20 types of wildflowers and some rare plants.
The appeal of Point Lobos doesn't end at the rugged coastline. A public boat launch in the park is the gateway for boating and kayaking access to the most remarkable area of all, namely the Point Lobos Marine Reserve. Kayaking, scuba diving, and snorkeling in these rich, close to pristine, waters is a stunning treat. Access to the Reserve is tightly controlled and by reservation only, with a strict upper limit on the number of visitors above and below the water. Fish and invertebrate life is plentiful, and underwater photography in both macro and wide-angle is unusually rewarding. The preserve often has greater underwater visibility than surrounding waters, due to the nearby presence of the Monterey Submarine Canyon and the clear, cold waters that well up from below. Since the fish are not accustomed to being hunted, they are less shy and more cooperative photo subjects than those at nearby Monastery Beach or other local dive sites.
The absolutely best part of a trip to Point Lobos, for myself, is the satisfaction of knowing that this splendid and spectacular piece of the Northern California coastal ecosystem will continue to be protected from development. Once the home of whalers, fishermen, and even coal miners, then abandoned, the foresight of a few people in the past has preserved beauty for many generations.
Matthew Waxman: Rancho Laguna Park, Moraga. This evening I took a walk to a nearby park in Moraga, Rancho Laguna. I grew up mostly in Moraga (east bay), and there are many places, each with different feelings and each with a different relationship to me. Rancho Laguna park is a special place. As a teenager, I would work summers there as a camp counselor at an outdoor daycamp. My brother and I have wandered from the park into the rolling hills of cow-pasture and watershed behind the park. In the winter months, as it is now, the grass is a thick, rich green. Today I realized, despite having grown up and feeling there to be new places I wish to live, that walking down to the park and spending time there never ceases to enliven the spirit!
Upon entering Rancho Laguna, there is a small playground, one of two at the park. This first playground recently gained a new addition while I had been away: a play train station and train. The train station includes the original stopping times for the train line that would pass through Moraga on its way from San Francisco to Sacramento in the early part of the 20th century.
The grand lawn of the park, stretching in oblong oval form, is surrounded by a small paved pathway. Three massive trees are closest to the parking lot; two still paired together. In early evenings, especially during Summer, the shadows of these trees grasp the lawn in great contrast, pulling the golden light across the field from dark to light. In the evening, nearby residents bring their dogs to the park to roam free, play, and socialize. During the day one may find mothers and their children playing, and in the early evening there will be couples strolling the perimeter pathway to take their walk.
Another special feature of Rancho Laguna is its context. Like a world unto itself -- a microcosm of life -- the park of Rancho Laguna functions in all its beauty alone; but beyond its formal borders extend grand vistas and questions of unanswered possibility. In the foreground, the park is surrounded by many trees and tall bushes, as well as a hidden creek. Farther away, the park is surrounded by many rolling hills of cow-pasture, as well as a watershed and reservoir awaiting exploration. Some of the hills have been named by family. Some of the hills are higher than others. Some of the hills are close and others very far away. Take a trail running on the edge between cow-pasture and watershed and one will head through a forest, up a little mountain, and towards a hidden valley. Looking in the opposite direction one will find a humorous irony to complement the expanses of open space: developments of McMansions layered onto the opposite hill.
All images courtesy their owners (see texts associated with them), copyright 2007, worldchanging use rights.
