Golden Gate Bridge Area
Chrissy Field At The Presidio May 19, 2021
Today is a positioning day — putting myself in position to leave the Bay Area and head up Route 1.
As you can see from the map above, I chose the long way to the Golden Gate Bridge. Another learning experience. All the way south on the 880 and then north on US 101 the view was the same — eight it 10 lane roads with modern several story office parks, shopping centers and hotels. Every five to 10 miles, the shopping centers and hotels repeated themselves - Best Buy’s, WalMarts, Courtyards, Residence Inns. The names on the office buildings were mostly names I didn’t recognize (micro this and that ware) although I did see Tesla and Microsoft. Drove by Palo Alto (yesterday I drove by Berkeley). Rather amazing how much is in this area.
It may sound like I’m passing judgement — I don’t mean to. The sprawl is something that I notice. I guess having now lived someplace I can walk to whatever I need, I have come to enjoy that lifestyle.
Some of the highlights of today:
Before I left Oakland I learned that Amelia Earhart had stopped in Oakland on her way to Hawaii on her ill-fated journey. I did not realize she had a navigator with her.
Also in Oakland I saw a dog grooming business named “Citizen Canine.” 🤪
The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army military fort on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
It had been a fortified location since September 17, 1776, when New Spainestablished the presidio to gain a foothold in Alta California and the San Francisco Bay. It passed to Mexico in 1820, which in turn passed it to the United States in 1848. As part of a 1989 military reduction program under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, Congress voted to end the Presidio's status as an active military installation of the U.S. Army. On October 1, 1994, it was transferred to the National Park Service, ending 219 years of military use and beginning its next phase of mixed commercial and public use.
In 1996, the United States Congress created the Presidio Trust to oversee and manage the interior 80% of the park's lands, with the National Park Service managing the coastal 20%. In a first-of-its-kind structure, Congress mandated that the Presidio Trust make the Presidio financially self-sufficient by 2013. The Presidio achieved the goal in 2005, eight years ahead of the scheduled deadline. The park is characterized by many wooded areas, hills, and scenic vistas overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean. It was recognized as a California Historical Landmark in 1933 and as a National Historic Landmark in 1962.
Did you know that you can live, work, and celebrate in the Presidio? The park features 23 distinctive residential neighborhoods with apartments and homes for rent. The Presidio is also home to 200 diverse organizations and has leasing and development opportunities available. The park also offers reception sites, conference facilities, and chapels for those seeking to host wedding, celebrations, and business gatherings.
Crissy Field at the Presidio.
A heron? An egret?
From the beach at the Presidio.
Lots of dogs getting walked at the Presidio.
This little one out front wanted nothing to do with the pack.
The Springer would not take its eyes off of me.
Can you see the windsurfer? Water is in the 50’s and there is 20+ mph wind. Gotta be chilly.
Enjoyed a couple of hours at the Presidio in Zen mode. Not reacting to anything I thought. It felt good.