United Nations Plaza and other San Francisco, CA Things to Do Tips

Given that New York has hosted the United Nations for so many years, many don't realize that this organization of nations devoted to world peace actually was chartered in San Francisco in 1945. According to wikipedia, in spring of 1945, the United Nations had its first conference there at the War Memorial Opera House. The UN Charter was later drafted and signed in the Herbst Theatre next door. Six years later in 1951, the Treaty of San Francisco was drafted and signed here and in the Herbst Theater. Today, the UN plaza, a treelined plaza between Market and Hyde Streets, is a memorial to this SF heritage. The UN plaza itself is one of two large plazas which are part of the San Francisco Civic Center area, the other being the Civic Center Plaza directly in front of the City Hall building. The UN Plaza was redeveloped beginning in 1975 when Market Street was reconstructed to run BART and MUNI underground, and the antique F-line trolley on the surface street. In 1995, during the 50 anniversary of the UN, Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali redicated the plaza memorial. The UN Plaza is frequently used for a marketplace of international crafts. Near Market street, begin at the fountain and continue along the Walk of Great Ideas, which includes in brass and granite paving stones the UN Charter preamble, a list of member nations, preamble for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, many famous quotes, and other interesting tributes to peace in the modern world. The link for more details about this plaza.

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Website: http://www.una-sf.org/

In 1984, the Venezuelan government gave to the City of San Francisco as a symbol of peace and liberty, the large bronze equestrian statue of Simon Bolivar, the Liberator of South America. Every Venezuelan hamlet, and nearly every South American city, has a tribute to Bolivar in a central plaza, but this statue is perhaps the most impressive in North America. It's located at the end of the UN Plaza, on Hyde street. One of the plates includes a list of the dates and battles won by Bolivar during his liberation of South America from Spanish rule.

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By comparison with other parks in the city, particularly among those many capping city peaks and having splendid views, Washington Square Park seems lacking, but after a walk through the narrow and crowded streets of Chinatown and North Beach, this expanse of tree studded lawn can provide relief to the feet. Located between Powell, Stockton, Union and Filbert Streets, Washington Square Park, along with Union Square, were first set aside for public use in 1850, and so only Portsmouth Square in Chinatown can claim to be a more historic place to congregate within the city. During it's first decade Washington Square was largely an unkempt cemetary adjacent to the adobe of Juana Briones, an enterprising divorcee of a presidio calvaryman from whom the city's original name, Yerba Buena, may have had its origins (see plaque #1024 at Stockton & Filbert Streets). Later, Washington Square was leveled and the streets defined around it. It lost part of it's "square shape" when what is now Columbus Avenue cut through one corner creating a popular promenade to the square. The fragment corner, still parkland today, is therefore, technically part of Washington Square. Following the earthquake and great fire of 1906, the park became a refugee camp. The park's distinctive bronze of of Benjamin Franklin, the gift of a dentist who had placed gold crowns on the teeth of gold miners, was first put on its time capsule base in 1879. In 1979, the base was opened, refilled with bottles of wine and local literature, and closed again for another century. Note also, the larger more impressed bronze statue dedicated to the city's volunteer firefighters and funded by famed fire fighter mascot, Lillie Hitchcock. Throughout the park are distributed memorial benches, which in a way honor those whose graves were originally plundered to create this expanse of lawn. The park has children's play equipment in one corner. The park's many contradictions were noted by famed gossip columnist, Herb Caen, "It is a square that isn't a square, the heart of North Beach, which isn't a beach. Washington Square isn't on Washington Street and has a statue of Benjamin Franklin instead of George Washington. The statue was erected by H.D. Cogswell, a teetotaler, but the square is surrounded on three sides by bars and restaurants and on the fourth by a church."

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Phone: http://www.verlang.com/sfbay0004
Directions: Take Columbus Avenue to the junctions of Union and Powell Streets.
Website: http://www.noehill.com/sf/landmarks/cal1024.asp#1024
Other Contact: http://www.wsisf.com/about-us.ht

In 1850, Joseph Sadoc Alemany was consecrated Bishop of Monterey, Upper California when called to Rome. After touring the gold mining camps, Alemany moved the seat of his diocese to San Francisco, and in 1853, the Pope created the Archdiocese of San Francisco and appointed Alemany as its first archbishop. Thus, the original diocese that spanned from Baja California north, and had it's seat in Monterey, now ended just south of San Jose, while the new diocese spanned from the Santa Clara valley north to Oregon and Washington, and had it's seat at San Francisco's first cathdral, Old St. Mary's, in what is now Chinatown. Alemany proved to be productive, establishing churches for each national group in the city: Notre Dame des Victoires (French, 1856), St. Boniface (German, 1860), Our Lady of Guadelupe (Spanish, 1875), and Sts. Peter and Paul (Italian, 1884). Sts. Peter and Paul Church was Alemany's last major construction project; however, this much less beautiful structure was destroyed by the earthquake and fire of 1906. The current building was completed in 1924. Unlike most other churches in the city, Sts. Peter and Paul is nicely located across from a plaza or square, allowing the visitor to appreciate the full beauty of the 191 foot tall twin spires. The 100 foot wide, 160 foot long building has a distinctive facade of stone, and over the entrance is a verse from Dante's Paradiso that when translated means, The glory of Him who moves all thing penetrates and glows throughout the universe. For more details, visit the church website, the link for which is provided below. This church has been featured in films, including Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry and The Dead Pool. Located within the Italian immigrant North Beach, the church has had its share of history, and more than its share of opulent weddings. Baseball legend, Joe DiMaggio, raised in North Beach, married Dorthy Arnold at the church in 1939. After divorcing her, he wanted to marry Marilyn Monroe in the church, but church authorities refused his request because of the divorce. So, In 1954, DiMaggio and Monroe had a highly publicized civil marriage on the rotunda of San Francisco's City Hall, and then returned to the church for more photos. At the time we visited, a bride and groom walked up the steps and down the central aisle to speak their vows before a priest. Needless to say, I was awe inspired by the beauty of the occasion, even though I am not Catholic.

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Address: 666 Filbert Street
Directions: Across from Washington Square Park
Website: http://www.stspeterpaul.san-francisco.ca.us/church/
Other Contact: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St.

Union Square is actually one of my least favorite plazas in town, in part because it is almost fully paved concrete ambiance, but also because of the centerpiece Dewey Memorial, which celebrates the victory of the USA over the Spanish fleet at Manila Bay. The 1896 war, which eventuated in the annexation of Cuba and the Philippines as American territory was a blantant opportunist imperialist act that resulted in many decades of turmoil in these two nations, which argueably have yet to recover their proper nationalism and liberty. Indeed the Iraq War has been compared to the Spanish-American War. However, the 95-foot high statue, designed in 1901 by sculptor Robert Aitken, and architect, Newton Tharp, also capped a period of pride in San Francisco just prior to the great earthquake and fire of 1906. Alma Spreckels, later the lovely wife of sugar baron Adolph Spreckels, was the nude model for the figure, which Aitken used to symbolize "the Republic, dignified and graceful, on a pedestal of granite. In her outstretched hand he placed a palm, denoting work well done, a tribute to the memory of the beloved president. In her other hand he gave her a trident, the three-pronged fork which was the scepter of King Neptune, king of the sea (see link below)." Thus, the memorial is both a tribute to victory in war and recently martyred President McKinley. Alma had sprung from humble beginnings and later married into the Spreckels wealth, so the statue, which survived the 1906 earthquake and fire, as well as several reconstructions of Union Square, came to symbolize more than the men whose names are on the memorial base. This memorial came to symbolize for San Francisco a determination to rise from ashes and return to a great city of wealth and splendor.

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Address: Union Square
Website: http://www.verlang.com/sfbay0004ref_public_art_002.html#Post_to_Stockton

Portsmouth Square is the "Heart of Chinatown", a plaza where old Chinese men play Chinese chess, Chinese women sit, sew, and gossip, and children play on the equipment. This is one of the busiest parks in town, and it's not for the lovely landscaping, as their is virtually none. Mostly a concrete patio, with a few Chinese style rooflines for shade, under the few pine trees, individuals meditate, a real spiritual challenge in this noisy place. Below the park is a commercial parking lot, and across Kearney, an arching concrete pedestrian bridge leading to the Chinese Cultural Center building. This is the most historic site in the city, originally the plaza of the Yerba Buena pueblo, where a Mexican customs house was located. It is named after the ship of Captain John B. Montgomery, who on July 9, 1846, hauled down the Mexican flag and raised the Stars and Stripes (see CA historical landmark #81). Historical Landmark #587 marks the site of the first public school building in CA, erected in 1847. Portsmouth Plaza itself is explained on CA historical landmark #119, which includes these events and more:

+ Sam Brannan announced the discovery of GOLD! on May 11, 1848
+ Mass meeting urges election of delegates to Monterey Constitutional Convention on June 12, 1849.
+ Refuge for citizens following fires of 1849, 1850, 1851, and 1906.
+ Assembly on July 16, 1849 organizes against a lawless group called 'The Hounds--First Vigilante.
+ First Admission Day celebration held October 29, 1850, when the steamship Oregon brought the news that California had become the 31st state
+ An oration delivered by Colonel E. D. Baker in 1859, over the body of U. S. Senator David C. Broderick--killed in duel with Chief Justice David S. Terry.
+ Robert Louis Stevenson spent many hours here during his visit to the city in 1879-1880.

Nearby one can order food "to-go", providing a chance to sit and eat at the plaza. Many Chinatown tours start here. Weblink is for parking information.

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Address: Garage at 733 Kearney
Directions: Plaza on Kearney, between Clay and Washington Streets
Website: http://www.portsmouthsquaregarage.com/

The seemingly delapidated brick cathedral on the corner of Grant and California in Chinatown is actually a historic relic. Paulist Old St. Mary's claims to be the first cathedral in California. The earlier catholic churches, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Patrick and the old Mission Dolores Church were part of the distant Mexican diocese. The brick shell and granite base of Old St. Mary's dates back to the first contruction of 1854, and this has recently been undergoing seismic retrofit. While the original building survived the tremors of the 1906 earthquake, the great fire gutted the building, even melting its stained glass windows and bronze bell. Today, the old brick church appears without distinction within the fine church architecture within the city, but it does sport a clock tower. The French Paulist missionary activity prides itself on serving the needs of Chinatown. Adjacent to the church is Old St. Mary's Square which has a good view of the financial district towers and may be a relatively quiet place within the otherwise chaotic Chinatown to eat a to-go lunch.

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Address: Corner of Grant and California
Website: http://www.oldsaintmarys.org/index.htm

Just off Union Square, at 345 Stockton Street in the plaza of the Grand Hyatt Hotel is a very curious bronze fountain that exhibits a seemingly chaotic mixture of San Francisco elements. This is one of several Ruth Asawa fountains in town, actually. The molds for this bronze sculpture were created from 41 separate panels that Asawa had made from baker's clay. Inviting children and friends to help, she includes in this fountains many of the geographic and unreal elements that make up San Francisco. Asawa was a very proflic contributor of art in the Bay Area and a professor of art at UC Berkeley. The link below describes more about her life.

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Address: 345 Stockton
Directions: Walk a 1/2 block or less from Union Square
Website: http://www.ruthasawa.com/

The Ghiberti doors are very rare bronze reproductions of the Florentine doors that stood for centuries at the east entrance of the Duomo in Italy. The molds for this work was made possible when the doors were removed for safe keeping during World War II. The person in charge of keeping the priceless 15th century rennaisance treasure safe saw the opportunity to have each panel removed and a mold created from it. Then, in 1964 the panels made from these molds were sold to the Cathedral. Michael and Pfeffer Metalworks of San Francisco made the reproduction bronze door frames into which the panels were placed. Only 5 of the panels are shown here. Each illustrates a major Biblical story.

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Embarcadero Center is one of the largest mixed use complexes in the world, a great third story high, unterrupted 5 block long walkway that is open to the sky and landscaped with trees and flowers. The complex is owned by a single company, so all combined, the Embarcadero Center includes four million square feet of office and retail space, five office towers, and three interconnected shopping levels within four towers. It can be entered along any of the five streets that intersect it from below, but a good walk would start at the Hyatt Regency Hotel plaza, which is near the Ferry Building. Take the stairs or escalator up to the third floor and walk the entire 5 blocks. At the intersections, the mall bridges over the streets and one can get great views of the street below or the skyscrapers above. For more great images, see also my Shopping Tip on the Embarcadero Center.

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Address: Downtown San Francisco
Website: http://www.embarcaderocenter.com/ec/