A Secret San Francisco Spot
The view on the 4th of July from Tank Hill, a pocket-sized park in San Francisco.
This year marked my first 4th of July in San Francisco, and I have to admit that I'm a bit of a fireworks junkie. (My little hometown of Cornwall, New York always put on a really impressive display.) The catch is that I hate crowds, and I'd heard that that's exactly what you'd find down by San Francisco's waterfront, where the fireworks are shot off. So I went in search of a less well-known viewing area -- and found a spot that's absolutely perfect 365 days of the year.
My new favorite high point in San Francisco is called Tank Hill, because it was once the location of a huge municipal water tank. Today it's a protected park with a gorgeous day and night panoramic view from the Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin Headlands all the way across the city and down to the East Bay. I heard about Tank Hill from a fantastic weekly newsletter called Weekend Sherpa, which reveals secret spots around the Bay Area for all kinds of outdoor activities. (Kay Merrill, a family travel planner who lives up on Larkspur, put me on to Weekend Sherpa.)
When I got to Tank Hill around 6:30pm on the 4th, there were only a few other couples enjoying the view, but by 9pm when the fireworks started, there were hundreds of people watching the show. Still, since I'd arrived early and staked out the best spot in the park, I didn't mind this neighborly crowd, which oohed and ahhed at the show that went off over the water. I'll definitely be back next July 4th, and certainly for many sunsets before that too.
(To get to Tank Hill, drive to the southern end of Stanyan St, then turn left on Belgrave Ave and take that to the end. Look for the short path to the left of the dead end. But let's just keep this our little secret, OK?)
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Great tip Brooke. San Francisco is such a beautiful city. Sounds like you had a great 4th - excellent fireworks viewing and a baloon ride!
Posted by: lorib | July 06, 2007 at 08:51 AM