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Category Archives: health and safety
Central Park Goes Car-Free Forever on June 27
If New York can do it, surely we can too!! ‘The campaign for a car-free park has lasted more than half century and involved thousands of people. Today’s historic announcement by Mayor de Blasio belongs to all of them. Central … Continue reading
Posted in Car-free parks, health and safety, infrastructure
Tagged bicycling, central park, golden gate park, safety, urban parks
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take a walk in the park to ease brain fatigue
It always amazes me how reliably a walk or a bicycle ride through Golden Gate Park can improve my mood, clear my mind, banish fatigue and increase my sense of well-being. I don’t think I’m the only one who experiences … Continue reading
Posted in health and safety, people, recreation
Tagged bicycling, golden gate park, urban parks, walk in the park
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the apple press sculpture in golden gate park
For some reason I always assumed this sculpture was about wine. That muscled, bare-footed figure evokes for me a beautiful Greek god (Dionysus, Greek god of wine?). Even on a typical foggy day in the park, he conjures a warm day in late … Continue reading
Posted in arts, de young museum, health and safety, history, people
Tagged art in golden gate park, golden gate park, golden gate park history
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Golden Gate Park aquifer to augment Hetch Hetchy water
Here’s an interesting article about the aquifer that underlies Golden Gate Park: “The ongoing California drought and the constant threat of earthquake have driven home the need for The City, which draws 85 percent of its water from the Tuolumne … Continue reading
Posted in health and safety, infrastructure
Tagged golden gate park, urban parks, water in golden gate park, windmills
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Closing the park overnight
This week the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a long-discussed plan to close the park to the public from midnight to 5 a.m., citing vandalism and dumping as concerns. City leaders approve overnight park closure plan | http://www.ktvu.com Opponents … Continue reading
native plant strikes again
“Three San Francisco cops remain on disability after suffering “severe” reactions to poison oak during a Sept. 9 scuffle with a tree-branch-wielding homeless man in Golden Gate Park, police said Thursday. The incident erupted about 9:15 a.m. when transient William … Continue reading
victory gardens in golden gate park
Urban farming and community gardening have been time-tested in San Francisco. Few people today realize that Golden Gate Park was a productive urban farm during World War II. ‘Victory Gardens, also called “war gardens” or “food gardens for defense”, were … Continue reading
perils of the park: man beaten in early morning attack
Lately there have been reports of some violent incidents in Golden Gate Park, fueling official discussions about possibly restricting use of the park at night. This echoes for me a long journalistic tradition, commencing in the nineteenth century, focusing on … Continue reading
Posted in "lost" golden gate park, events in Golden Gate Park, health and safety, people
Tagged golden gate park, safety, urban parks
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report says closing roads increases park use
jfk drive on a sunday (photo: http://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=JFK_Drive) It’s difficult to measure the public health benefits of urban parks, although intuitively we believe they must be good for our health and well-being. But some interesting statistics about Golden Gate Park are … Continue reading
Posted in health and safety, people, recreation
Tagged golden gate park, urban parks, walk in the park
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get a daily dose of green space
“First, the bad news: Americans are suffering from an acute case of ‘outdoor deprivation disorder,’ and the effects on physical and mental health are rising fast. Children aged 8 to 18 today spend more time than ever using electronic media … Continue reading
Posted in health and safety
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golden gate park: views from the thicket 