Direction
This is one of my favorite routes. We begin at Gashouse Cove, right across from the Marina Safeway—affectionately known as the “Dateway” since the ’70s, when it became the city’s most famous singles meeting spot. Now there’s a proposal to transform the site with affordable housing and a new grocery store. My, how much San Francisco has changed.
We’ll discover the northern waterfront’s evolution from military installation to national park to today’s vibrant urban cultural space.
Entering Fort Mason, the signage and art installations immediately signal its transformation into a cultural hub, now overseen by the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture. Throughout history, this was the point of embarkation for troops and supplies heading to Pacific war theaters. Today, more than 20 nonprofit organizations and cultural centers call it home—from the Long Now Foundation and Arion Press to the Magic Theatre and the beloved Greens Restaurant.
We’ll explore the historic buildings of Lower Fort Mason, then hike up to Upper Fort Mason to view sculptures, public art, and significant military structures. Roaming through the battery, we’ll see the cannons and firing ranges where Army soldiers once guarded the Golden Gate against feared Spanish incursions during the Spanish-American War.
From there, we’ll traverse through the Victory Garden to Aquatic Park, imagining the swimmers who competed here during the roaring ’20s and ’30s. We’ll pass the famous Buena Vista Cafe (birthplace of Irish Coffee in America), roam through Ghirardelli Square, then hike up to Francisco Park—the neighborhood’s latest designed green space overlooking Ghirardelli Square.
Range
- SF Cameraworks
- Long Now Foundation
- Greens Restaurant
- Herbst Pavilion
- Firehouse
- Phillip Burton Memorial
- Fort Mason Chapel
- Battery Burnham
- Blackpoint Historic Gardens
- Aquatic Park
- Ghirardelli Square
- Francisco Park
Logistics
3.2 mi; Elevation 465 ft, Moderate Effort. Duration: 1 hour. Starting and Ending Point: Marina Safeway Entrance.