2.3 miles in Fort Mason

Yay for daylight savings time! I took this walk after work last night...in sunlight!

I took the tried and true Union41 bus to Gough and zig-zagged my way over to Fort Mason through the Marina district.

I've always wondered what this building is on Laguna and Bay.  I looked it up:  it's the Heritage nursing home.  Nice digs!  I'd like to retire here.

Ta-dah! The main event.  Now I have to be honest, I knew this was a national park, but I knew nothing else about it before I showed up.

Thankfully, there are really nice maps and plaques stationed around the property to guide you from one point of interest to the next.

Here was a surprise to me:  people actually LIVE in Fort Mason.  Even children.

In really REALLY cute houses.

Interspersed between private residences are historical homes...

...as well as business offices.  This is the Park's headquarters.  This building had a long history of being other things for the military.  Go check out the plaque in the front lawn for the back story.

Just when I thought I was quite possibly walking through a private backyard, I discovered a really cool area with picnic tables and a cannon.

Good thing we have the cannon, because just offshore I spotted a pirate ship!

From this same picnic area, you can see much of the bay and the boats parked at the piers.  If you want to go down to check them out in person, there are stairways that lead from this picnic area all the way down to the shore, with access to the piers.

If you aren't into historical stuff or ocean views, Fort Mason offers other points of interest, including this community garden.  I've seen about a dozen community gardens around San Francisco and this one is, hands down, the best based on quality of care and sheer size.  The picture does it absolutely no justice.  It's beautiful!

There are also huge sweeping lawns in which to frolic.  (I'm big on frolicking.)

And in case you need them, there are public restrooms on the property.

In conclusion, I declare that this is a great walk to take your parents on the next time they visit.  The roads are flat, and the walk is short but packed full of really nifty history and nature.