Standing on the Golden Gate Bridge is an experience you will not soon forget. Please note that it can be very windy often and those with vertigo should not walk onto the bridge. Myself I have a problem with heights but was able to walk about 10 feet onto the bridge to try and get the feel. You truly will feel small, standing next to or on this man-made marvel.

You can visit the parks official website at: .

We chose to tour an area of the park that had an abundance of gardens. It proved a perfect place to enjoy a long, leisurely stroll on a sunny afternoon.

We entered the park near the Rose Garden, which immediately captured my heart, even though no roses were in bloom. There was a sensation of tranquility that overwhelmed me as we strolled the path through the garden. Benches sprinkled the tidy, seemingly secluded area where people sat reading or chatting quietly with a friend. Different varieties of the bushes were planted in separate sections of the garden, with each variety identified, and I hope to return sometime to see the abundance of flowers that have such beautiful names.

We next visited the nearby Japanese Tea Garden, which has an entry fee of $3.50 for adults. While it was beautiful with its variety of Japanese plant life and statues, it is a relatively small area, and I personally would not pay the fee to enter again. (There is also an additional charge if you want a brochure to guide you as you walk along the paths.) Central to the garden area is a "tea room" where you can spend even more money to buy a pot of tea and sit and enjoy the surroundings as you sip if such is to your liking.

The Botanical Garden area is directly across from the Japanese Tea Garden. There is no entry fee, and yet I enjoyed this garden more. Perhaps it was the wide variety of plants that stirred my senses more. I was particularly awed by some of the Australian vegetation, which looked like nothing I had ever before seen.

By this time the sun was beginning to set and the air was getting chilly, so we were able to visit only these three gardens. Regardless, we left feeling refreshed and relaxed and will return to explore other areas of the park on our next visit.

explore golden gate park with its incredible rose gardens and romantic swan-filled ponds. you can take small boat rides around the water and see some incredible scenery.

When we went to Golden Gate Park, we at first could not figure out how to get in! We soon discovered, however, that most of the access roads were closed off because the annual Aids Walk 2000 was going on the day we chose to visit the park. Thousands of people pledged their time to walk a course to raise money for Aids research, and we ended up walking with them for a while after we finally found a parking space on the street outside of the park and used footpaths to get inside. This park is an ideal place to take children visiting San Francisco to run out some energy. I would love to run there on my next visit. It is a huge area with lots of interesting flora and fauna decorating the landscape. The small rose garden was beautiful. Outdoor activities can be enjoyed for free but several attractions such as the de Young Museum require an entry fee (see de Young entry in journal).

I call Golden Gate Park San Francisco's smaller version of NY's Central Park. It offers so many things to do that I never tire of walking/jogging through it. If you wish to stay indoors, you can choose between the Natural History Museum, Asian Art Museum, and glass conservatory. For outdoors lovers, popular gardens include the Japanese Tea Garden (paid admission), rose garden, Shakespeare's Garden, a botanical garden featuring plants from around the world, and the arboretum. Several lakes can be found; most popular is Stow Lake, which surrounds an 'island'. Park goers can rent paddle boats and bicycles at this spot. Besides people, you'll also see ducks and turtles enjoying the scenery. The most interesting things that I've found include a field of buffalo, a fly-fish casting pool, horse stables, a waterfall, and an archery field; oh, and a guy who exposed himself (while I generally feel safe in the park, I would recommend taking a buddy). Every weekend I see people taking advantage of this public space: people playing sports - golf, soccer, football, softball, enjoying picnics, napping, jogging along the paths or on the track, cycling, rollerblading, reading. Golden Gate Park is a great place to feel far away from the hustle & bustle of the city.