Motifs in San Francisco – Third Round: Golden Gate Park, Haight-Asbury, The Mission, Twin Peaks

Does a city with a constant sea breeze need a green lung? After seeing Golden Gate Park, there is no doubt about its aesthetic value! Like a long hose, 5 km (8 mi) long and 1 km (0.6 mi) wide, the park stretches from Ocean Beach in the west over almost half the length of the San Francisco Peninsula to the Haight-Ashbury District, covering an area of 405 ha (1000 ac). Until its cultivation began in 1866, it was all barren dune land, and it took a lot of cypress and pine trees to fortify that ground. But the work was worth it, because with it, San Francisco has one of the most beautiful urban parks on the continent. As if that alone wasn’t enough, you can also pass the time at three world-class museums and dozens of different sports facilities. Bicycles are a good mode of transportation for exploring the entire length of Golden Gate Park (parking is very scarce), and you can rent bikes along Stanyan Street on its eastern border. Coming in from here, it’s best to stick to John F. Kennedy Drive. After just a few hundred yards, you’ll reach the 100-year-old Conservatory of Flowers, a large yet elegant Victorian greenhouse that is certainly the most photographed object in the park. In its surroundings, you will find many fuchsias blooming in July and August. The next stop, a third of the way along, is a real stunner, as you’ll find the M.H. de Young Museum of American Art History, the Asian Art Museum with the largest display of Asian art in the Western world, and the charming Japanese Tea Garden gathered here. While the first-mentioned attractions provide programming for a cold, rainy day, without compromising their quality, the fine Tea Garden allows you to use your macro lens to enjoy a handsome selection of Japanese bonsai in a classic setting of small ponds, bridges, and Buddha statues. In April, the cherry trees are also in full bloom. There’s consistently good light here in the morning, and you should come as early as possible, as the garden attracts many visitors. A stone’s throw south of here, you’ll find little Stow Lake. It is home to an even smaller island and also a low waterfall, Huntington Fall. Passing the expansive Speedway Meadow and Spreckels Lake, you’ll reach the Buffalo Enclosure. Since 1894, the Buffalo Enclosure has maintained a herd of bison that was nearly extinct in Wild West times. A telephoto lens will help you get quite passable portraits of the grazing animals. At the end of John F. Kennedy Drive, you’ll find a large windmill and, in true style, a tulip garden that blooms in April. That brings you to Ocean Beach on the Pacific Ocean, the city’s largest beach. The Cliff House on the rocky outcrop to the north is an excellent rest stop where you can wait for the sunset.

You can easily reach Golden Gate Park from the visitor center on Market Street by taking the Line 5 bus, which runs the entire length of Fulton Street along its north side. Fog often shrouds the park landscape, especially in the morning and afternoon, providing an ideal backdrop for the motifs of the Japanese Tea Garden. If you want sunshine, come at midday when the veils are lifted. The various types of flowers bloom successively between May and August.

The area around the intersection of Haight and Ashbury Streets gave its name to an entire neighborhood and is synonymous with the hippie and flower power movements of the 1960s. Although the Summer of Love lasted only a year, its profound impact on U.S. society continues to this day. Today, the area between Golden Gate Park to the north and Buena Vista Park to the southeast has been transformed back into a fairly normal residential area – the primarily Victorian cottages stand tall. Only along the eight westernmost blocks of Haight Street do a few cafes and souvenir stores preserve the vibrant colors of the psychedelic murals and the old community spirit of yesteryear for the few remaining old hippies and the preponderance of tourists.

From Buena Vista Park, which is slightly elevated, you look across the long Market Street magistrale to the southeastern neighborhoods. The lively center of the Hispanic community, located between the old Spanish mission station (Mission Dolores, officially Mission San Francisco de Asis, 16th Street corner Dolores Street) from 1782 and Mission Street, is worth exploring. On 21st and 24th Streets, you can also admire some of the most beautiful murals on public and private facades. And on Liberty Street and South Van Ness Avenue, you’ll find the remarkable Painted Ladies, fine Victorian houses from the end of the 19th century with strikingly colorful facades. – It’s a good thing that the many colors work best in daylight, because the Mission isn’t really considered safe in the evening!

Now you are not far from the best viewpoint in the area, Twin Peaks. This is actually a hill with two nearly identical peaks, the northern of which looks straight down Market Street at the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero from 275 m (900 ft) above. – A really nice 300-400 mm teleshot! But since the 360° panorama is in any case too wide for a single wide-angle shot at the other end of the focal length spectrum, it makes sense to capture it in a series of individual images that you can later assemble into a panorama. You can reach the viewpoint via Market Street, Portola Drive and Twin Peaks Boulevard.

Next Fourth Round: Alcatraz and Angel Island, Skylines

Previous Motifs in San Francisco – Second Round: Presidio, Palace of Fine Arts, Pacific Heights, Alamo Square

Previous Intermediate: The Golden Gate Bridge

Previous Motifs in San Francisco – First Round: Union Square, Chinatown, Cable Car Barn, Lombard Street, Fisherman’s Wharf, Telegraph Hill

Previous Photo Tips USA – San Francisco (with maps)

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