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When
Eighteenth-Century Spanish sailors first entered the Golden Gate,
jaws presumably agape, they hugged the south coast awhile before
dropping anchor at the sandy rock outcropping near the shoreline's
southern bend. They called the area Punta Medenos (Point Sand Dunes),
and set up camp.
Now
known as Fort Mason, the 1,400-acre area has been hosting
travelers, and servicing San Franciscans, ever since.
It
served as a massive tent city in the aftermath of the devastating
1906 earthquake and fire, and functioned as headquarters and final
processing center for the San Francisco Port of Embarkation during
World War II. Soldiers wouldn't know their final wartime destinations
until they arrived at Fort Mason, just before shipping out.
Today,
wild parrots, mysterious tunnels, Gold Rush-era construction and
spectacular water views greet Fort Mason visitors. The guns first
installed in 1797 have been deactivated, never fired in anger. Decommisioned
in 1963, Fort Mason joined the Golden Gate National Recreation
Area (GGNRA) in 1972. Among its plowshares are a hostel, community
gardens, museums and galleries, and the spacious Great Meadow,
home to the San Francisco Blues Festival each fall.
The
Tour
Start
your tour as the Spanish did, at the waterfront. Marked by its tiny
bow of sand and well-traversed fishing pier hooking into the bay,
Aquatic Park sits just east of Fort Mason, and was the site
of the first Spanish port. Today, hearty swimmers carve laps in
the cove, and artisans sculpt gazebos with beach rocks (tide permitting.)
At
the Maritime Museum, the white ediface onshore resembling
an ocean liner, you can study Pacific seafaring history, perusing
its strong collection of artifacts and documents from Barbary Coast
days.
Up
the hill to the west, Fort Mason wards over the bay, with dramatic
270-degree views sweeping in the Golden Gate Bridge, twinkling Sausalito,
Alcatraz and Angel Islands, and the Berkeley and Oakland hills in
the East Bay. Follow the path up along the coast, making a note
to return at sunset.
At
the crest look below to see the piers of Lower Fort Mason,
the disembarkation point for 1.5 million sailors headed to the Pacific
theater during World War II. Interpretive signs detail the history
of those Liberty Ships, which ferried more than 1.5 million sailors
to battle in the Pacific.
Hook
left along the dirt path, noting the white clapboard structure once
housing a military hospital, and now home to the San Francisco
International Hostel, with nightly beds for more than 150 budget
travelers. Ahead, Black Point Battery sports replica guns
from Spanish times, picnic tables, and prime photo opportunities.
Non-native eucalyptus trees shelter the area, some so old they come
crashing down during soggy winter.
Ascend
the stairs to street level, where more hostel buildings stand. The
private residences on the left date back to the 1850s, Gold Rush
days when squatters could claim property and erect structures with
million-dollar views. Note the placard detailing the duel between
rival politicians in the day, testament to San Francisco's rowdy
past.
Military
heritage endured until recently at the Fort Mason Officers's
Club, which served dinner, banquets, and weekend brunch to active
and retired officers, federal employees, and guests up until its
Dec. 31, 2002 closing. Future plans are unknown. To the right, pass
the tiny chapel (still active), glean park information at
the GGNRA Headquarters, and take a nature break at the Community
Gardens, ripe with fuschias, poppies, Cala lillies, and
resident hummingbirds.
Next
to the gardens, a big field fronts the hostel ($21-23 nightly; 415-771-7277.)
The bigger field to the west is the Great Meadow, ground
zero for sun bathing, dog running, disc tossing, and tai chi. Pay
a visit to the oratorical statue of Philip Burton, the congressman
who fought to establish the GGNRA in the 1970s.
Come
September, the Great Meadow takes on a Delta twinge during the San
Francisco Blues Festival, with recent headliners like Steve
Miller, James Cotton, Etta James, and Robert Cray.
In
Lower Fort Mason, the piers that witnessed such massive wartime
migration now house a number of non-profit cultural and educational
facilities: Resident organizations like the Magic Theatre
(which launched playwrite Sam Sheppard), Museo ItaloAmericano,
San Francisco Children's Art Center, and Western Public
Radio. Cruise to the Farallon Islands with the Oceanic Society,
or nosh healthily at Greens, the city's premiere vegetarian
restaurant.
From
here, options open up: Head into the Marina District, former
home to the 1915 Pan Pacific Exposition (check the mural at Wells
Fargo bank on Chestnut St.), or further up the coast, to Crissy
Field and the Golden Gate Bridge beyond.
–
Jay Cooke is a San Francisco-based travel, food, and culture writer.
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