I had a somewhat rare opportunity to work in "The City" (San Francisco) on Friday, and took the opportunity between work and meeting friends to do two very important things. First things first, I visited The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf to pick up my beloved Vanilla Ice Blended--a holdover addiction from my SoCal days. Have you had one of these? Highly recommended if you find yourself either on Market Street just East of the San Francisco Centre, or on pretty much every street corner in Los Angeles, San Diego or their surrounding areas. Please do not branch out into other flavors your first time out. The Ice Blended is to be experienced in vanilla. Vanilla!
From the Stockton end of Maiden Lane
Then I took my lovely drink on the road for a trip down Memory Lane, in the form of Union Square's Maiden Lane. Every Christmas season, my family made a pilgrimage to Union Square to look at shop windows, have lunch out and generally feel like suburban rubes in the urban jungle. My favorite things to see were Macy's shop windows, the huge tree through the middle of Neiman Marcus, the old Crate and Barrel store (that no longer exists) on Grant Street, which felt like it was seventeen stories tall with a new exciting thing around every corner and up every staircase (I was a kid, why did I care about housewares?), and, last but not least, Maiden Lane.
Britex Fabrics
Union Square is loud, bustling and can be a little hard on the senses, but making the turn into Maiden Lane, the city crowds and noises fade to the background. The lane is closed to traffic, and is a great pedestrian throughway between Stockton and Kearny.
Xanadu Gallery
There are a few cafes and a few shops, chief among them Britex Fabrics and the back entrance to Gumps. I also recommend taking a stroll through what is now called the Xanadu Gallery. The gallery is the only Frank Lloyd Wright building in San Francisco, and it's worth a trip. The tan brick facade hides a beautiful swirling interior that will remind you of Wright's Guggenheim Museum, but was built first! Mostly, though, Maiden Lane is a lovely respite from the sounds of the city, and a fun place to window shop. It runs between Stockton and Kearny one half block North of Geary, adjacent to Union Square.
Looking down Maiden Lane toward Union Square and the Westin St. Francis
When my mom and I first visited the Presidio, I was in junior high school, and what is now a National Park was an active Army base. My mom took me on a tour she’d read about in the paper. I don’t remember being allowed into any of the buildings, but we walked around the nearly empty streets and learned when the buildings had been built, who they’d been built for and what they were used for at the time.
My mom and I have always shared a love of historic
places and buildings. She loves to imagine the people who once occupied a
space, their lives, their families, exactly how they used each room. I, on the other hand, like the broad strokes. I like to know the
history, but I’m more interested in how to preserve that history while making a
space useful now. Perhaps selfishly, every home I walk into, I imagine living
in. If it needs refurbishment, I imagine how it could be accomplished. I
decorate it, choose paint colors, and wonder if I could find historic photos of
it in order to restore it to its former beauty.
So, all those years ago, the Presidio was a wonderful playground for my
imagination, lovely homes in all shapes and sizes separated by lawns instead of fences, barracks
that looked more like grand homes themselves, than rooming halls. I loved it.
A lot of the buildings were not in use, and even
those that were inhabited were in desperate need of paint and TLC. Even then, however,
the Presidio’s natural beauty was breathtaking. I remember the incredible quiet
of the place. We ate lunch at a snack bar that overlooked Crissy Field and the
San Francisco Bay, with views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin Headlands
beyond, and lovely as it was, no one was eating there but us! On a patio
overlooking a Top Ten List kind of view of the city, we saw that almost no one was walking on the
Main Post Lawn. Here was a place that had been built to be inhabited by
hundreds, thousands of soldiers, and it felt abandoned. The Presidio was in a
state of transition—no longer needed as an Army Post, but not yet sure what the
future held. It left me with an impression of deep loneliness, if a place can
be lonely. In retrospect, it was a place that wanted desperately to be
inhabited, to be used.
Who wouldn't want to work here?
I’ve visited the Presidio a few times since, and continue to be excited over how much use and activity these beautiful spaces are
getting now that it has transitioned from Army Post to National Park. It looks to me as though, little by
little, the buildings are being exquisitely restored by The Presidio Trust and inhabited by all kinds of businesses and organizations. It feels a bit like a small town within the city of San Francisco. The quiet
that I experienced as a child still exists, it is one of the most peaceful
places I’ve visited in The City, but there also exists a sort of hum of use, of
a space being occupied and enjoyed in this era while paying thoughtful respect
to its past.
On my most recent trip, I was excited to see that most ofthe Main Post Structures are in daily
use, and have been for a while. They
now house the Presidio Trust and an information building for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (which the Presidio is now part of), both
of which have exhibits on the history of the park; and also the Walt Disney Family
Museum, which I've heard great things about from friends, but have yet to visit myself. There are also restaurants scattered around the Presidio, ranging from
a Starbucks, to upscale snack bars and lunch spots, to fine dining.
The inviting front porch of the inn
Most notably, the beautifully restored Inn at the Presidio showcases a
gorgeous restoration of the historical Pershing Hall, which once housed
unmarried army officers and is listed on the National Register of Historical
Places. The inn is a masterful example of mixing a painstakingly accurate
restoration and seismic retrofitting of a historic building with the conveniences
and luxury that contemporary visitors expect of a boutique hotel. I was
thoroughly impressed by the entire place and immediately began an imaginary
vacation there, which consisted mostly of wiling away hours at a time sipping lemonade on
the front porch rocking chairs.
When I got home, I was so excited about the restoration of the inn that I did a little research and found a Youtube video that The Presidio Trust posted about the restoration process:
The Presidio is vast, and it feels like several visits wouldn’t be
enough to uncover all of its quiet corners and stunning vistas. A park ranger
at the Information Post suggested getting a lay of the land on the free “PresidiGo” shuttle, which I will have to save for my next visit when I have a little more
time. This time, I contented myself with walking the perimeter of the Main Post
lawn and taking in the views, and perhaps (mentally) moving into a few of the
homes I drove by on my way back to the real world. Upon moving in, my first purchase would
definitely have to be a rocking chair for the front porch. Until then, I'll just enjoy the views, the history, and the miraculous calm and quiet in the middle of a major city.
The Main Post Lawn, looking toward the Marin Headlands
I had one of those strange weekends where everyone I know seemed to be out of town or busy working...so I took myself on an outing.
It was an unoriginal outing, as the Ferry Building in San Francisco is one of my favorite places, but the amazing weather beckoned, as did the people watching opportunity--I arrived right around the time the St. Patrick's day parade was breaking up.
I always worry over what to eat, with so many excellent choices, so I took the pressure off by shopping around a little. These beautiful succulents at The Gardener caught my eye. Everyone says they're the easiest plants to take care of, but I kill them just as easily as all of the other plants that fall into my hands, so, for me, they're best enjoyed under someone else's care.
Geez, I still love books. Yes, I have a Kindle....but I still love looking through and touching and smelling books. It always warms my heart to see how busy this store, Book Passage, is.
Ended up eating at Cowgirl Creamery. Can't go wrong with a grilled cheese with their apple chutney.
Took another jaunt around, walked over to Embarcadero Center to see if there was anything I need at the SF Giants Dugout Store, and then realized I'd left without Gelato, and headed back over to the Ferry Building.
The crowds can be a little crazy after a while, so I took my Gelato over to the public walkway on Pier 1, next door, and enjoyed the incredible sunshine and a bench all to myself. My bench came with a great view back at the Ferry Building and a wonderful sense of calm, just what I needed to make it a perfect afternoon outing!
More and more, I find myself drawn to handmade, locally made goods, and in that vein, I've come to really love Heath Ceramics. Made here in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 65 years, these beautiful pieces are shockingly rich in color and feel great in your hands.
I cannot walk by their small stall at the SF Ferry Building without picking something up and holding it--every piece seems made to be held, if that makes sense. I love timeless design, and I love that it's all made here. Everything in their space seems cared for--carefully arranged, lovingly made. I don't know, it may be time to give in and feed my bowl addiction.
I had a somewhat rare opportunity to work in "The City" (San Francisco) on Friday, and took the opportunity between work and meeting friends to do two very important things. 
