Tag Archives: golden gate park

water in golden gate park: name that pond

A lovely pond just inside the Friend Gate in the Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park is frequented by ducks and seagulls, stocked with large carp and home to turtles that particularly delight small children who were running around the verges and keeping … Continue reading

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Australian tree like a benign serpent in the grass of golden gate park

Next to the Ghiradelli Rustic Shelter, a hang-out for chess and checker players just north-west of the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park, the serpentine trunks of an old (possibly dying?) Melaleuca tree must be an irresistible jungle gym for children.   Going … Continue reading

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Local Bird Catches Gold Fish Cracker in Golden Gate Park | SF Weekly

Thank you Jim Herd (and SF Weekly)  for this wonderful photo! “Oh, the unexpected things you will witness during a stroll in Golden Gate Park: teeny tiny tree houses, daytime robberies, and of course, urban birds living like a bunch … Continue reading

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Recollections of a 50-year love affair with Golden Gate Park

I can’t resist posting this lovely recollection of Golden Gate Park written by Roselyn Rich Smith, printed in the Marin Independent Journal on June 6, 2024 (to see the original article follow the link at the end). “I have bicycled through some … Continue reading

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pedestrian underpass in Golden Gate Park avoids cars and serves as impromtu bandshell

A pedestrian underpass beckons like an intriguing cave opposite the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park, offering a vehicle-free means of traversing JFK Drive.  On a sunny day, the sunlit steps on the other side are an invitation to enter and the reward … Continue reading

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the conservatory of flowers in golden gate park

The Conservatory of Flowers is the emblem and pride of Golden Gate Park.  With its elegant symmetry, white-washed glass panes and delicate wooden fretwork it commands an imposing prospect overlooking formal flowerbeds and gracious green lawns.  More than anything else, the Conservatory establishes the park’s nineteenth century pedigree, … Continue reading

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primordial tree fern dell in golden gate park

The shady Tree Fern Dell in Golden Gate Park is so different in mood from the sunny, flower-filled Conservatory Valley on the other side of JFK Drive.  But this jungly dell well represents the flip side of the Victorian sensibility, a fascination with the exotic and … Continue reading

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“The Ball Thrower” in Golden Gate Park

“The Ball Thrower,” a bronze statue on the south side of JFK Drive across from the Conservatory of Flowers, is one of my favorites among the many sculptures scattered throughout Golden Gate Park.  Not only is it a delightful character study … Continue reading

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Pastels of Golden Gate Park

Here are two gorgeous pastel drawings of Golden Gate Park, by San Francisco artist Diane Olivier, who is also a legendary drawing teacher at San Francisco City College.  Two different days, very different light in the park!  Both drawings were … Continue reading

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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

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