Exploring San Francisco’s Fort Mason
Learn About a Little-Known Bay Area Gem from a Local
By Mark McDaniel
Some cities have such an abundance of sights that certain venues become lost in the embarrassment of riches. Only the locals can see the forest for the trees, as it were. And so it is with Fort Mason Park in San Francisco, a delightful grouping of vistas, walks and history often overlooked between the tourist magnets of the area’s Embarcadero and the Golden Gate Bridge.
Fort Mason originally was a Civil War redoubt, though some buildings go back to the 1850s. Its guns overlooked the bay – one remaining cannon is now in position, it seems, to take out the Golden Gate Bridge if the need ever arises. It may seem odd to associate the Civil War with the Bay Area, but many war buffs can attest: tensions were high and blood was hot in the area leading up to and during the war. After all, it wasn’t just gold that led to California being granted statehood rather quickly. It was the Compromise of 1850 that sealed the deal. One legacy of this unrest can be found on a simple marker at Fort Mason.
Abolitionist David Broderick died at the home of Leonard Haskell, which still stands in the park. He was mortally wounded in a duel with someone in favor of expanding slavery to California. From the park’s green you can see Alcatraz, the Marina, the Presidio, Russian Hill, and, as stated, the Golden Gate. Nearer at hand you’ll see dogs chasing Frisbees, the younger set sunning themselves in good weather (discreetly; the more uninhibited sunning takes place more often in Golden Gate Park or along Ocean Beach), strollers, and the wharves of Lower Fort Mason down below.
Behind the park headquarters are the community gardens, a veritable Eden within an already serene park. Be sure to latch the gate behind you upon entering and upon leaving. You will find yourself surrounded by the product of love and hard work. My wife can actually tell me what the different plants and flowers are – I can’t even tell you if the trees sheltering the gardens are cypress or pine or both. But I know what I like. Adding to the pleasure is the occasional chat with a proud gardener, someone all too happy to explain and show off his little plot of earth.
Though Fort Mason is only about a 10-minute walk from Ghirardelli’s – which in my mind is “the end” of the tourist strip of the Embarcadero – I have only seen a smattering of pedestrians whenever I have parked there. And that, in itself, is one of the wonderful aspects of Fort Mason: it is so easy to park there. No fussing with quarters or looking for meters.
The rest of this content is for registered users only.
Login now or Register Free Here for full access to all articles, reader offers, competitions, groups and forums.
