The time is coming sooner and sooner for me to leave San Francisco for a short, hopefully short, three months. The summer is one it's way, and I'm getting a bit more excited about it the more I give it thought. My adventures in San Francisco are winding down for the time being, but I was able to squeeze in one more, to the Yerba Buena Gardens in downtown, just this Saturday with my great friend, Sarah. A lovely train ride down into the heart of the city, and past an array of tall buildings, you find a very posh looking kind of stretch of grass in the midst of it all.
We were first greeted by this funny little statue, in all of it's vibrancy. I feel like it's something I've seen before, and for those who know more about Yerba Buena than I do, please don't be offended, but it reminds me for whatever reason of the reading rainbow.
When we turned the corner and walked up some steps past this garden, we were greeted by a sight that pulled together a nostalgic "spiderman"like feeling for me, a huge city, stretching out behind a sweet park. Coupled with the mild San Francisco sunshine and a cool breeze, I realized this was just a small but pure reason why I love this city oh so much.
Sarah and I meandered around the park for awhile, taking in the fresh sights and sounds from little trees to butterfly-preserving bushes, flowers, bear tracks in the cement sidewalks, and little tiles speckled around the park with lovely oil paintings of rare species of insects and plants to learn about. I felt like a kid in an outdoor science museum. It's a nostalgic feeling I wish I could have thought to breathe in more deeply as a child, when faced with a small bit of nature amongst high rises.
You can see there is a church in this photo here too. Yes, we went inside! St. Patrick's Cathedral is a lovely place. I will admit I'm not usually one to just walk into an open church, let alone a Catholic church, seeing as I'm not Catholic. I just have this notion that somehow my presence would be of disturbance to others present. Nevertheless, with my fearless friend, we ventured inside. I was too scared to take pictures, but I was met with quite a beautiful sight.
Along the rows of benches ( are they called pews?) are statues of countless saints, including St. Patrick himself. Along the back part of the church a massive organ lined the walls, I wondered just how amazing it must have sounded being played. There were even, encased in glass, old manuscripts of the story of Christ, in Latin (which I could read a little bit of! Hurray for Latin class in high school!). I felt as though I were stepping into a place and time, welcoming and historical, like a traveling grandmother's home. The place had such detail from the stained glass windows depicting Peter, James, John, St. Patrick, and cities in Ireland. Sarah and I walked around a little, even sat down for a moment to just take in the details of this massive building. I left with a light step, and mutually light feeling.
On the other end of the gardens is a kid's place, which the name escapes me, but it is outlined in railings of hot orange, pink, purple, and yellow, and looks a ton of fun for any child under 10. There's even a carousel.
I enjoyed the excursion out to Yerba Buena, and plan to pack a lunch sometime in the future to enjoy on the lawns out there. It was a beautiful experience and I am truly moved by the amount of effort it must be to preserve a place as lovely as this amongst the pollution and high rises, the business and shopping malls. To know that deep in the city there is a place like a forest to come to, man, I could get used to San Francisco.
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| Yerba Buena! The sure sign of good time. |
Sarah and I meandered around the park for awhile, taking in the fresh sights and sounds from little trees to butterfly-preserving bushes, flowers, bear tracks in the cement sidewalks, and little tiles speckled around the park with lovely oil paintings of rare species of insects and plants to learn about. I felt like a kid in an outdoor science museum. It's a nostalgic feeling I wish I could have thought to breathe in more deeply as a child, when faced with a small bit of nature amongst high rises.
You can see there is a church in this photo here too. Yes, we went inside! St. Patrick's Cathedral is a lovely place. I will admit I'm not usually one to just walk into an open church, let alone a Catholic church, seeing as I'm not Catholic. I just have this notion that somehow my presence would be of disturbance to others present. Nevertheless, with my fearless friend, we ventured inside. I was too scared to take pictures, but I was met with quite a beautiful sight.
Along the rows of benches ( are they called pews?) are statues of countless saints, including St. Patrick himself. Along the back part of the church a massive organ lined the walls, I wondered just how amazing it must have sounded being played. There were even, encased in glass, old manuscripts of the story of Christ, in Latin (which I could read a little bit of! Hurray for Latin class in high school!). I felt as though I were stepping into a place and time, welcoming and historical, like a traveling grandmother's home. The place had such detail from the stained glass windows depicting Peter, James, John, St. Patrick, and cities in Ireland. Sarah and I walked around a little, even sat down for a moment to just take in the details of this massive building. I left with a light step, and mutually light feeling.
On the other end of the gardens is a kid's place, which the name escapes me, but it is outlined in railings of hot orange, pink, purple, and yellow, and looks a ton of fun for any child under 10. There's even a carousel.
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| Where's Waldo? Can you see me? |
Yerba Buena is certainly a place to say nothing, and hear.
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