San Francisco Things to Do Tips by atufft Top 5 Page for this destination

Tall Building Views: Mark Hopkins Hotel

Only the 29 floor tower of the Fairmont Hotel (added in 1962) is taller than the venerable 19 floors of the Mark Hopkins atop Nob Hill (1926), the swankyist hotel location in town. The Top of the Mark restaurant offers not only good food, especially at breakfast, but nearly a 360 degree panoramic view of the downtown area and city in general. Thus, only the tower of the Fairmont blocks any view for the Mark Hopkins.

Corona Heights Peaks

In the past, the rocky peaks of Corona Heights were subject to graffiti, and so nothing is completely natural here now. But, there is an effort to restore the native vegetation of manzanita and other shrubbery and flowers of this desert landscape, rather than to decorate it with irrigated forest such as is on the peak of Buena Vista Park.

Corona Heights, Dog Run with a View

Visitors who climb to the top of Buena Vista Park are likely to wonder what is that barren peak not so far way? This is Corona Heights, the last San Francisco peak remaining in its natural state. From Buena Vista Avenue, walk around to Upper Terrace and follow that south, then take a left at Roosevelt Way and follow that until the Corona Height Park Entrance. At the entrance is an open space, but a little further in there's a double gate into a fenced dog run. The run is nicely landscaped with bark chips, and along one section of the fence there's a great view of downtown. You can let your dog off leash and have a great time visiting with the pets of others. There's a water supply for dogs near the gate.

Alamo Square Painted Ladies Alamo Square Review

As mentioned in the tip about the dog park at Alamo Square Park, the eastern side, the one facing downtown is where the grassy knoll and view of the Painted Ladies Victorian homes is the best. This is a popular place close to sunset on a summer day. It's worth noting that elsewhere in the park are a tennis court and children's play equipment. These images were taken with my iPhone, so they represent how easy photography can be with this landscape subject.

Address: At the intersection of Steiner and Hayes streets.

Haight-Ashbury Haight District Review

This district is named after the intersection of these two streets, but most of the commercial activity of interest to tourists is along Haight Street. Good hikers can walk from the Market Street/Civic Center area up through the Lower Haight Street district to Buena Vista Park, which is the eastern boundary of the Upper Haight, or Haight Ashbury District, as tourists know it. Haight Street terminates into Golden Gate Park. The Upper Haight and Golden Gate Park were both developed in part by contractors, Haight and Ashbury, during the late 1800s, and at one time this neighborhood was a very fashionable part of town in which to live.

While the Upper-Lower Haight district distinction refers to more to altitude than social status, homes in the Lower Haight were the less ornate homes of Japanese and African-American immigrants who settled closer to the bay fill businesses of Market and Mission Streets, as well as the shipyards and factories of China Basin. In contrast, the mansions near Golden Gate Park were more often the property of Anglo immigrants. However, the fame of this district for a counter-culture of hippies, which began around the 1967 Summer of Love, was partly because of rising rent prices in the North Beach neighborhoods, where the 1950's era Beat Generation was created, and still remains today. So, although the Haight remained owned principally by white Anglo families, a half century later, these families were now landlords for the influx of mostly white flower power youth who found it convenient to live near Golden Gate Park.

Thus, there is a generational distinction between the Beatniks, of North Beach, and the Hippies, of Haight-Ashbury. While both drug experimenting hedonist-existentialist youth movements, Beatniks held to nihilist European sensibilities of the espresso sipping post WWII era, while Hippy culture was a straight forward escapist, anti-scientific, Hindu influenced, retro-culture focused on anti-Imperialism and return to home grown organic foods. At the time, many hippies were college students who had dropped out to avoid the Vietnam War draft, escaping into nameless communal living of the larger homes in the Haight. The neighborhood continued to decline, architecturally speaking, until the 1980's when just over the hill, the Castro gay-lesbian culture emerged, ultimately bringing in a new generation of workers willing to sink business and professional dollars into restoring the old Victorian homes.

Today, gone are Hippies who have not been successful selling used vinyl records, water pipes, or herbal remedies. The street has faced unfortunate corporate restaurant incursion of the grey sort found in any urban center, but there do remain many small counter-culture restaurants and businesses tourists would want to visit.

Address: Haight Street from Stanyan to Lyons

More Homes and Views from Buena Vista Park

Many homes have been modernized one way or another, but occasionally an original gem is retained on the slopes near Buena Vista Park. Also, note the importance of landscape details near the park.

Homes Near Buena Vista Park--Part 1

There are many nice homes near Buena Vista Park, and almost all of them have great views. A favorite of mine is at the corner of Loma Vista and Upper Terrace, just south off the Buena Vista Circle street. It has a retaining wall constructed from fire damaged bricks from the Great Earthquake of 1906, plus a lot of other landscaping details.

Buena Vista Park Views

There are some really great views from this park, and given its easy access to the Haight-Ashbury District, it's not hard to wonder why this park is so popular.

Buena Vista Park

Buena Vista park was commissioned at the same time as Golden Gate Park, so its forest of ornamental trees have virtually overgrown the opportunity for great views of the city, except at the very top. This park is also very popular with dog owners, many of who let dogs off leash even in areas of the park where they aren't supposed to.

Other Alamo Square Homes Less Photographed Alamo Square Review

Actually, this neighborhood is rich in 10,000+ sq ft homes, and so the four famous Victorians are really just a few of many. Further down Steiner, there's an empty lot that will be built upon. Because it will affect the view of downtown, no doubt great local political leverage will required of the contractor to get the architectural plans approved.

Address: At the intersection of Steiner and Hayes streets.