San Francisco- land of white fire hydrants, Prius taxis, and officially sanctioned dog walking zones. Even with and perhaps in spite of its self-consciousness, the city somehow manages to be both elegant and gritty, often on the same street. There aren't many places that can pull that off– San Francisco does it well.I recently spent 24 hours* in the city on the hills and found the abundant parks and public space so refreshing. And practical. Walking is easy here and in one afternoon, on one walk, it's possible to make it through at least three, possibly four spectacular parks. And a great way to experience the city.Start at Dolores Park for some very rewarding people watching. After you've had your fill of flute playing and Capoeira, head over to dog filled Duboce Park where Harvey Milk's crisp and prescient words preside over the playground. Buena Vista Park is just a short walk away but give yourself plenty of time to wander through this urban forest: the views really are good- some of the best in the city. If the sun's still up, head to the city's largest- Golden Gate Park-where you could easily spend an entire day, but a couple of hours will do.Making your way from park to park you will be confronted with those notoriously (but mostly manageable) steep streets. Use this spectacular map to methodically plot the city's steepest points. If you don't have an entire afternoon try finding one of the city's many privately owned public spaces. Many of them are hidden, so lucky for us SPUR has outlined the city's best here. *there very well may be a better, more efficient route, this is just the one that I mapped and lovedPhoto by Kyla FullenwiderThis post originally appeared on www.refresheverything.com, as part of GOOD's collaboration with the Pepsi Refresh Project, a catalyst for world-changing ideas. Find out more about the Refresh campaign, or to submit your own idea today.Add Good to your Google News feed.
San Francisco- land of white fire hydrants, Prius taxis, and officially sanctioned dog walking zones. Even with and perhaps in spite of its self-consciousness, the city somehow manages to be both elegant and gritty, often on the same street. There aren't many places that can pull that off– San Francisco does it well.I recently spent 24 hours* in the city on the hills and found the abundant parks and public space so refreshing. And practical. Walking is easy here and in one afternoon, on one walk, it's possible to make it through at least three, possibly four spectacular parks. And a great way to experience the city.Start at Dolores Park for some very rewarding people watching. After you've had your fill of flute playing and Capoeira, head over to dog filled Duboce Park where Harvey Milk's crisp and prescient words preside over the playground. Buena Vista Park is just a short walk away but give yourself plenty of time to wander through this urban forest: the views really are good- some of the best in the city. If the sun's still up, head to the city's largest- Golden Gate Park-where you could easily spend an entire day, but a couple of hours will do.Making your way from park to park you will be confronted with those notoriously (but mostly manageable) steep streets. Use this spectacular map to methodically plot the city's steepest points. If you don't have an entire afternoon try finding one of the city's many privately owned public spaces. Many of them are hidden, so lucky for us SPUR has outlined the city's best here. *there very well may be a better, more efficient route, this is just the one that I mapped and lovedPhoto by Kyla FullenwiderThis post originally appeared on www.refresheverything.com, as part of GOOD's collaboration with the Pepsi Refresh Project, a catalyst for world-changing ideas. Find out more about the Refresh campaign, or to submit your own idea today.
Otis knew before they did.