Posts Tagged With: Golden Gate Bridge

Does one need to say it? The Golden Gate Bridge

San Francisco, Feb. 17

Today was spent exploring areas near the Golden Gate Bridge. After breakfast, we took an Uber (our first, normally we have our own car or have a rental) to the Welcome Center for the Golden Gate Bridge. This was primarily a photo op, there is not much at the Welcome Center but the staff there helped direct us to the paths we would walk to our destinations for the day. We will be driving over the bridge next Wednesday and had no desire to walk over the bridge. Our day was going to include enough walking as it was.

Our first real destination was Fort Point National Historic Site, reached by walking along the bay and restored shore lands from the Welcome Center. The fort is located right under the Golden Gate Bridge. Its primary claim to fame was as a coastal fortification guarding San Francisco Bay. Built from 1853 to 1861, the fort was built similar to numerous other forts on the east coast. The fort was built at the entrance to San Francisco Bay, at the site of a small Spanish fort dating back to 1776. Granite from China was combined with locally made bricks and earthen embankments to provide a three tiered fort able to hold 126 cannon. Fort Point was well preserved and additional improvements were underway to accommodate enhanced exhibits and displays.

Fort Point

The 90 foot bluffs were reduced to 15 feet to allow for cannon balls to ricochet off the water before hitting a ship. Cannon balls from this fort could hit any ship entering the bay. Combined with cannon located on the north side of the bay and cannon on Alcatraz Island, it is doubtful any Confederate ship would have been able to enter San Francisco Bay. Just like the Spanish fort, Fort Point never saw any military action. Basically abandoned except for duty during WWII, the site was given to the National Park Service in 1970.

We left Fort Point, walking along the Golden Gate Promenade to the Presidio. Now, I hope I can explain this next section clearly, concisely, and accurately. The Presidio, distinct from Fort Point although right next to it, also started as a Spanish barracks and military reservation. The U.S. military occupied this 1,491 acre site until 1994, preserving the area against development as San Francisco expanded. The Presidio contained barracks, forts, a hospital, a cemetery, Coast Guard life saving station, etc. Over the years, the Presidio was enhanced as a base and living area by the addition of trails, forested areas, strengthened beach dunes, etc.

In 1972, Congress created Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA). Encompassing nearly 81,000 acres, Golden Gate National Recreation Area includes land north of Golden Gate Bridge, south along the coast, Alcatraz Island, and the Presidio. It is the largest urban park system in the National Park Service. Although not subject to the National Park Service, the Presidio was included in the boundaries of GGNRA.

In 1994, the Presidio itself was transferred to the National Park Service after being declared surplus to the military needs of the U.S. But what to do with a 1500 acre site with housing, a hospital, offices, parks, etc.? In a bold experiment, the federal government created a new partnership; transferring 80% of the land of the Presidio to the Presidio Trust and the balance to the National Park Service. The Trust is run by a Board named by the U.S. President and had 20 years to become self-sufficient (accomplished in 2013). The Trust now runs the commercial and residential spaces (1,346 housing units all rented at prevailing San Francisco rates), has its own police and park system, and collaborates with the National Park Service on joint programs.

While housing has to be marketed similar to the San Francisco area, one just has to look at the photo below to understand the difference in the living environment. The military’s ability to guard against encroachment has created a haven unique to San Francisco. Trees, greenery and open spaces abound compared to row upon row of houses jammed together with little tree canopy visible in the neighborhoods around the Presidio. But the Presidio is not off-limits, so the trails and combined greenery of the National Park Service provide a welcome respite for all. This was obvious to us as we walked along Golden Gate Promenade from Fort Point to the Presidio Visitor Center. Bikers and walkers, families and singles were all along the trails, the marsh area, the playgrounds, etc.

Compare the Presidio in center to the areas to the top and left. Fort Point is to the lower right.

The Presidio Visitor Center is a jewel, a cooperative venture between the National Park Service (GGNRA), Presidio Trust, and the Golden Gate Conservancy, the volunteer organization affiliated with GGNRA. We were lucky enough to talk with an interpretive park ranger as well as the park ranger responsible for the exhibits who had been involved in the numerous and long running negotiations to build the visitor center with partners that frequently had different visions. It took time, but the result was worth it as the displays are well crafted and technologically advanced.

The Presidio has free transit services, one of which took us on a 30 minute loop tour of much of the property. Later, we took a free bus trip back downtown. In between, we visited one of the commercial establishments in the Presidio-the Walt Disney Family Museum. This is a 40,000 square foot museum established and operated by the Disney Family, not the corporation. It is exhaustive, covering just about everything related to the family and the creations of Walt Disney. From walls lined with the various awards he won, to hand written notes about early cartoons, to videos with cartoon shorts, to a 12 foot diameter model of Disneyland. There was no way one could absorb it all, particularly after a morning walking all over Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Just a small part of the Disney Family Museum

When we got off the Presidio bus downtown, we decided to have old fashioned food. Cheeseburgers and fries at a small establishment called Ziggys. Since lunch was a granola bar, eating early (4 PM) seemed a wise choice.

Ed and Chris, San Francisco, February 17, 2023