DISTANCE: 3 miles (5km)
TIME: A half-day
START: Fort Mason
END: Chestnut Street
POINTS TO NOTE: From the start of Marina Boulevard, the wave organ is a 1-mile (1.6km) round trip. The tour begins at Marina Boulevard and Laguna Street at the entrance to Fort Mason (Metro: F to the Embarcadero and Stockton Street; bus: 10, 15).
Dating back to the Civil War period, Fort Mason is now the north shore’s culture capital; its piers and buildings host all manner of performances and recreational activities. The Marina neighborhood in which it is found is popular with young professionals, who make good money in the Financial District and pack out the local bars at the weekend.
Marina small craft harbor
Nowitz Photography/Apa Publications
Fort Mason
A military base for over 200 years, the 13-acre (5-hectare) waterfront of Fort Mason 1 [map] (www.fortmason.org) once served as an embarkation point for troops and supplies headed to the Pacific during the World War II and the Korean conflict. In 1977, Fort Mason was transformed into a cultural center, and the Mission Revival buildings house non-profit organizations and host 15,000 events each year. Fort Mason also houses the headquarters of the Golden Gate National Recreational Area (GGNRA; www.nps.gov/goga), a national park that stretches across 28 miles (45km) of coastline in San Francisco, Marin, and San Mateo counties. It includes major attractions such as Alcatraz, the Presidio, Muir Woods, and the Marin Headlands.
GGNRA headquarters
Nowitz Photography/Apa Publications
Center highlights
The lofty, light-filled SFMOMA Artists Gallery (Fort Mason Building A; www.sfmoma.org; Tue–Sat 10.30am–5pm; free) shows sculpture, painting, photography, and mixed-media work from Northern California artists, and has an art-rental program that allows art aficionados to test out artwork (sculpture, paintings, photography, mixed media, etc.) in their own home, with an option to buy. Building D houses the Magic Theater, which has premiered works by Pulitzer Prize-winners Sam Shepard and David Mamet and innovative pieces by emerging playwrights.
Restaurants on Chestnut Street
Alamy
The small permanent collection at Museo Italo-Americano 2 [map] (Fort Mason Building C; www.museoitaloamericano.org; Mon by appointment, Tue–Sun noon–4pm; free) features paintings, sculptures, photographs, and works on paper by prominent Italian and Italian-American artists.
Pop into Greens 1 for tasty vegetarian food with harbor views; alternatively, choose from the selection of sandwiches or salads at their take-out counter and enjoy a picnic on Marina Green.
YACHT HARBOR to the wave organ
Exit Fort Mason through the western parking lot, hugging the coast past Gaslight Cove 3 [map] (also known as the East Harbor), one of the Marina’s two yacht harbors. Follow the shoreline promenade along the long and lovely Marina Green 4 [map], sandwiched between the bay and Marina Boulevard. The flat, scenic stretch in an otherwise hilly city is a year-round favorite of walkers, joggers, picnickers, and kite-fliers, and on the Fourth of July attracts hoards of fireworks viewers.
The Wave Organ
For a unique view of both the Golden Gate Bridge and the city’s northern shore, veer right onto Yacht Road and follow it round the West Harbor, passing the Saint Francis and Golden Gate yacht clubs. At the end of the rocky jetty is the Wave Organ 5 [map], an acoustic sculpture comprising 25 organ pipes. Sea water swelling in and out causes the pipes to emit subtle tones. Try to visit at high tide to hear them at their best. Enjoy picturesque views of the Golden Gate Bridge, then retrace your steps and cross Marina Boulevard.
The Palace of Fine Arts
Nowitz Photography/Apa Publications
PALACE OF FINE ARTS
The Palace of Fine Arts 6 [map] was built for the 288-day Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915, a world’s fair that celebrated the completion of the Panama Canal and (unofficially) San Francisco’s rebound from the 1906 disaster. Designed by Bernard Maybeck, the stunning Beaux Arts structure, with massive colonnades and imposing rotunda, was originally made of plaster and was reconstructed out of concrete in the 1960s.
Today the Palace hosts occasional events and art exhibitions, and is a popular spot for wedding photographs. Take a break on the bench-lined lawns, watching swans swim across the mirror-like lagoon, then walk south on Baker Street to turn left on Bay Street, right on Broderick Street, and finally left on Chestnut Street.
CHESTNUT STREET
Chestnut Street 7 [map] is the main commercial thoroughfare of the Marina District, and caters to a fairly homogeneous crowd of well-to-do young professionals who frequent the upscale restaurants, mainstream home-and-beauty retailers, glossy boutiques, and happening singles bars.
Food and Drink
1 Greens
Building A, Fort Mason Center; tel: 771-6222; www.greensrestaurant.com; Mon D only, Tue–Sat L and D, Sun Br and D; $$$
This airy, upscale vegetarian restaurant is located in a former army warehouse with a beautiful bayside setting. It serves savory fare that even non-veggies rave about, from filled filo pastries to mesquite-grilled vegetable brochettes. Reservations are recommended. If the restaurant’s full and you fancy a picnic, you can always try the take-out counter, Greens to Go, which is open all day.