Urban Hiker SF

Lockdown day 1,000,000. Let's face it, it's going to be a long time before any of us go on a vacation with a plane, so I'm trying to get good at being a tourist in my own town. On the Sunday before Memorial Day, I decided to go on a sea lion "hunt" along the Embarcadero. (As a 20+ year vegetarian, I would never go on an actual sea lion hunt—this was a hunt for sea lion sculptures.) Here's a little backstory.... Last weekend, I decided to run home to the Mission from North Beach and explore some hills and stairways along the way. On my way back, I noticed a sea lion statue on the Embarcadero. (I originally thought it was a seal, but I was wrong. Here's the difference .) I am a huge animal lover, so I crossed the street to get a closer look. It reminded me of the "I left my heart in San Francisco" sculptures you can still see around town, so I figured this statue might be part of a series. When I got home from my run, I decided to learn more. On t...

San Francisco is home to TEN beautiful mosaic stairways ( see map here ), but they were all inspired by one. The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps Project (2005) The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps project began in early 2003 when Sunset residents Jessie Audette and Alice Xavier decided to bring people together while beautifying their neighborhood. Aileen Barr and Colette Crutcher were chosen as the project artists. The 163-step mosaic features a landscape that spans from the bottom of the ocean all the way to the sun in the sky. The inspiration for the steps came from Selarón’s staircase , a mosaic staircase in Rio de Janeiro named after artist Jorge Selarón. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on August 27, 2005–which the mayor’s office proclaimed “16th Avenue Tiled Steps Day.” Location: Moraga Street between 15th and 16th Avenues Hidden Garden Steps (2013) Inspired by the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps, the neighboring Hidden Garden Steps were conceived in January 2010 and completed in November ...