The Inner Sunset, in addition to being a fun, albeit foggy, neighborhood, has several visit worthy parks. I surprised Ryan with an afternoon touring a smattering of them. My plan was to begin the day with breakfast at Arizmendi Bakery on 9th, which has a great parklet for outside noshing. In a very O'Henry moment, Ryan hijacked my surprise date by surprising we with Arizmendi at home. So, with a quick change of plans, and after indulging in our morning pastries, we were on our way.
We opted to take Muni to the Sunset, then headed out on foot to Hawk Hill Park. Hawk Hill has steep, sandy trails. After taking in the views of South San Francisco, the Outer Sunset, and the ocean, we decended the steep trail, and emptied the gallon of sand that had collected in our shoes.
Our next stop, Golden Gate Heights Park, was just around the corner. Trails weave through a forested canopy. Views of the ocean and Outer Sunset occasionally peek out between branches. The fog collects on the branches, drips on the ground, and creates permanent mud, but that's ok because it feels remote and peaceful.
Rocky Outcrop Park was next up. Turns out this is literally just a rock outcrop. There are no trails and no access points. There is no visiting this park. We just kept on going.
Our last park was Grandview Park. It's more of an outlook point than a park. An epic staircase climbs to the top of a steep hill, where there are views of Golden Gate Park, downtown, and various neighborhoods. There's also a bench for resting after the steep climb. A trail winds around the perimeter.
At the bottom of Grandview Park are the Moraga Steps. These iconic tiled steps were bustling with visitors, making it difficult to get a good view of artwork. As it turns out, there are the 16th street steps up the street. These are just as spectacular, and completely deserted. Either head to the Moraga Steps first thing in the morning, or skip them altogether in lieu of the 16th Avenue steps.
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| Moraga Steps |
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| 16th Avenue Steps |
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| 16th Avenue Steps |
On our way home, we stopped off at The Ice Cream Bar in Cole Valley. This place has seriously good ice cream. My favorite is the vegan coconut chocolate almond. Don't judge, it's delicious, and you would never know that it's dairy free. Ryan ordered a milkshake from their old timey soda fountain bar. Soda drinks and shakes are concocted with droppers and formulas. It's all very scientific.
Even though the fog impeded the views, we still had a fun time checking out new outdoor spaces in our city. The best part is the close proximity to our house.
(Photo via The Ice Cream Bar Website)
Awesome little city excursion, highly recommended. Kate is a great tour guide!
ReplyDeleteDelighted to see the two sets of ceramic-tiled steps (both designed and fabricated by Aileen Barr and Colette Crutcher) included in your tour--and reading your description and one other recently published made me realize, for the first time, why visitors continually mistake one for the other. The first set, completed in 2005, carries the formal name "The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps Project" although it actually is on Moraga Street, between 15th and 16th avenues here in San Francisco's Inner Sunset District. The second set, completed at the end of 2013, carries the official name "Hidden Garden Steps"--very much inspired by the setting and the gardens-in-progress--even though it is actually on a section of 16th Avenue on the steep hill between Kirkham and Lawton streets. Many locals informally refer to the original set as the "Moraga Steps" to more clearly differentiate between the two. Regardless of the nomenclature we choose, we love them both, appreciate the volunteers and visitors who help maintain them, and hope to see more.
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