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.

Website: Golden Gate Park

Of course, no visit to ‘Cisco would be complete without stepping into this famous park. (map) Golden Gate Park, once covered with sand dunes, is SF’s largest park, and is bigger than Central Park. The park was designed in 1870 by William Hammond Hall, and Hall selected John McLaren in 1887 to be his successor as park commissioner. McLaren dedicated the next 50 years of his life to Golden Gate Park, and one of his first declarations on taking the job was that there were to be no "keep off the grass" signs. Such a public sentiment still rings true today — it is speculated that 75,000 people troll through the vast regions of the park on an average weekend.

I went on a cloudy day, but the overcast weather didn’t detract from the beauty. I made my way to what my friend’s called "Hippy Hill" first, as that’s where a lot of young people have congregated since the '60s. As to be expected, there were plenty of drum circles and hacky sackin' to participate in. And I must have heard this 20 times in ten minutes: "Hey man. Lookin’ for some weed?," "Buds, buds, buds," and "What do ya need, man?"

The park is huge, and contains four specialized gardens and two museums, so go on a day when you have a considerable amount of time to spend. The Japanese Tea Garden is a city-wide favorite, and it’s open daily 8:30am to 5:30pm. There’s an admission of $3.50, but if you go during the last hour it’s opened, it’s free. It is said that this is where the original fortune cookie was invented. There’s also the Garden of Shakespeare’s Flowers, where literary lovers can peruse over 150 flowers that made appearances in Shakespeare’s poems and plays.

However, if you only have an hour or two to spend, simply walking through and admiring the wide selection of flora is an hour well spent.

Thoughts of San Francisco conjure up many images, but perhaps none come as quickly as that of the Golden Gate Bridge. There are many ways to visit the bridge, and it can be viewed from multiple locations around SF. However, the only true way to experience San Francisco's most famous landmark is on foot.

Upon arriving in San Francisco, we participated in a tour that drove across the bridge and viewed it from Vista Point. I've always heard about the infamous fog of San Francisco, but I never imagined what it was actually like. On the day of our tour the city was so foggy that we could barely see the top of the bridge even when we were standing on it. The most exciting part of this experience was hearing the fog horns on the bridge sound. The tour guide told us a few interesting facts about the bridge and gave us 10 to 15 minutes to look around. Everyone in my group was left feeling like they had yet to truly experience the Golden Gate.

After this inadequate journey to the bridge we decided that we would return and walk the 1.7 miles across the bridge on a clearer day. After a few days, our opportunity finally presented itself. To avoid doubling our walking distance by traveling on foot both directions, we caught a taxi to Vista Point and walked toward the city.

There is a toll involved with crossing the bridge and this cost is added to cab fare, making the charge a little more than what would typically be the case. However, it was only two to three dollars and did not deter us from choosing this transportation option.

After arriving at Vista Point, we started across the bridge. The walkway is well paved and easy to navigate. It is separated from traffic, but we did have to watch out for bicyclists and joggers.

As we walked, we were able to experience the famous red pillars and architectural designs up close and personally. We were also able to take numerous photos from all angles and marveled at multiple suicide hot line phones on the bridge to address the needs of people in distress. In addition to examining the intricacies of the bridge, we were able to see gorgeous views of the city and bay.

As we reached the end of the bridge, the walkway wound toward a gift shop. In the shop we found several interesting items of Golden Gate memorabilia. Next to the shop was a small park that included a statue of the bridge's architect and a floral recreation of the bridge. I also obtained my favorite picture of the bridge from this vantage point. Had we not walked the bridge, we would have missed all of these details.

The park is a little isolated, so you should bring a number for a cab in case you find no other options for traveling back into the city. Wear comfortable shoes and keep your camera focused!

Golden Gate Park is full of beautiful sites and things to do. There is the Japanese Tea Gardens, the Rose Garden, the Windmill, and the Botanical Gardens. The Park is free to visit. The Japanese Tea Garden has an additional charge, but it is under $10 per person. Everywhere you look there is something new to look at. In the botanical gardens you will discover different areas dedicated to different regions and countries around the world. One of our tour guides mentioned that there is not a single plant in the entire park that is a native Northern Californian variety, not just in the botanical gardens. This makes every tree something to be viewed.

Another nice feature of the park is that the bus line runs right beside it. It makes it easy to ride the length of the park and take in all the sights in the park in one day. I was told to visit the Shakespeare Garden; however, my map of the park didn't show it. It is suppose to be filled with plants mentioned in his works.
The Windmill is a must! It was absolutely breathtaking. It is located in the middle of a tullip garden; when I visited it wasn't tullip season, but it was still unbelievable.

The park also meets up against the Pacific Ocean on the west side next to the Windmill. It was very convient after looking around the park to go and walk on the beach.

While the park appears much smaller than Central Park, it is definanly worth the stop. It's a nice place to get away from all the hassle and traffic of the city.

In this park that occupies over 45 city blocks of area, one can get lost in the various-themed gardens, museums, and overall beauty. The things to see and activities to participate in are so extensive, it would be hard to take it all in with one day-trip...but on an overcast Sunday in April we tried! Our first stop was the Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum. This section of the park boosts over 6,000 types of plants, many of which have name and fact plaques for the visitors' knowledge. We observed many types of birds and turtles as we picnicked near a pond with a quaint bridge crossing to an open field where the sounds of the Golden Gate Park Band played beautiful tunes. This band has been giving free concerts every Sunday since 1882.

Our next stop was across the street at the Japanese Tea Garden, with acres of ponds, delicate flora, bridges, and statues; and on to the new M.H. de Young Museum with it's breathtaking design of outdoor art and environmentally conscious architecture. Visit the many exhibitions (outdoor courtyard and grounds are free) and climb the Hamon Tower for a glorious view over the city.

Don't leave without visiting the western-most border of the park, where two windmills tower above the Pacific Ocean. One is surrounded by the Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden, which in peak season (late winter/early spring) is a sight to behold, with black tulips among colorful poppies. Overall, this park is breathtaking and full of life with bicyclers, joggers, grazing bison, Frisbee tournaments and more! Much to see and do...a "must-see" in San Fran!