West of Van Ness Avenue between Russian Hill and the Presidio, fashionistas
replace milkmaids where dairy cows once drank from freshwater springs, hence
the name, Cow Hollow. In the 1600 to 2200 blocks of Union Street, within
a gloriously over-decorated procession of Victorians are stylish shops,
art galleries and restaurants; Identical circa-1870 houses at 1980 Union
are charming examples, today housing Extreme Pizza and Bar None, a popular
watering hole. At 2164, a century-old barn is now a florist shop.
A slow-strolling window shopper will come across flower-filled courtyards and hidden gardens, wrought iron fences and gaslights. Old roses and lavender scent the English gardens around an Edwardian mansion, now the Union Street Inn. At Union and Gough is a small museum of decorative arts and historic documents, the Octagon House, built in 1861. Next door, petite Allyne Park is a place to rest one’s feet and one’s credit cards from overuse.
Another Cow Hollow historic site is the Public Library on Green at Octavia, modeled on a Roman basilica, with a terra cotta glazed stone exterior. The former Vedanta Temple at 2963 Webster Street, built in 1905, combines Colonial, Queen Anne, Moorish and Hindu influences in an architectural extravaganza.
The Union Street Arts Festival in June is a fun-filled day of music, street performers, art and craft booths, a waiter's race, food and wine. Neighborhood bars and pubs are popular with the singles set, especially around the legendary "Bermuda Triangle" at Greenwich and Fillmore.
Joggers, Frisbee tossers and babies in strollers congregate on the city’s front lawn, Marina Green, which is bordered by a gallimaufry of yachts and sailboats on one side, and a stately lineup of Art Deco, Moderne and Mediterranean Revival homes on the other. On the 4th of July, the Green is filled with people watching hundreds of flag-flying sailboats, motor yachts, ferries and often, an aircraft carrier, while they wait for the fireworks show.
Just above the Marina on the Great Meadow at Fort Mason, Grammy-winning artists and acoustic roots players from around the world perform for thousands on warm September days and nights at the San Francisco Blues Festival. In a nearby neighborhood park, a flamboyantly reddish-orange, classical Roman-style temple, the Palace of Fine Arts is reflected in a lake swimming with swans.
West of the Marina beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, swords, cannons, and costumed docents recall the Civil War era at Fort Point National Historic Site, often misty from waves crashing under the massive girders of the bridge.
A bayfront walking trail meanders alongside Crissy Field, a restored marshland where nature lovers watch the seabirds and visit the Gulf of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Visitor Center. Young, hip denizens of the Marina District frequent the small gourmet groceries, cafes, sushi bars, yogurt shops and pizza joints on Chestnut Street.
| The article on this page is adapted from guidebooks written by Karen Misuraca, the author of Our San Francisco, Fun With the Family in Northern California, and other travel books. Available for purchase on Amazon. |  |