Walking SF West Mission Neighborhood

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Classes & Community for Bay Area
Baby Boomers, People over 50, Seniors

Walking the Neighborhoods:
Class taught and led by Max Kirkeberg

The first neighborhood to be studied was a mostly residential San Francisco West Mission neighborhood centered in Fair Oaks & Guerrero between 26th & 23rd. This walk illustrated the changing residential architectural styles from Italianate to Queen Anne to Edwardian well as the impact of topography on the built landscape.

Russian Hill Parks, San Francisco

Russian Hill is an affluent, largely residential neighborhood of San Francisco, California.. Views from the top of the hill extend in several directions around the Bay Area, including the Bay Bridge, Marin County, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz.

San Francisco Historic Site: Playland at the Beach

On this site from Sutro Heights Park to Golden Gate Park, from the early 1920s until 1972, stood the world famous Playland at the Beach, an amusement park. This monument is fondly dedicated to the remembrance of those days of fun and laughter at the beach.

Dedicated May 19, 1981
Dianne G. Feinstein, Mayor
City & County of San Francisco

Bernal Heights Walk - With Gary Holloway

Following the U.S. Civil War, a number of city areas were developed with street names that commemorated famous battles or generals. Such an area is Bernal Heights, developed in the late 1860’s. Originally the site of Jose Bernal’s adobe, this gently-sloping area is now one of the most desirable residential areas of the city. On this California Historical Society walk we’ll see an infinite variety of architectural styles on the homes and visit the area’s commercial center along Cortland Street. The town highlight will be walking along Bernal Heights Blvd. to find incredible views of the Mission District and downtown San Francisco. A bonus will be to slide down the longest pair of outdoor slides in the city.

This walk was held in conjunction with the Bernal Historic Project.

Two decades ago, activists in Bernal Heights decided to turn a steep, empty lot at Winfield and Esmeralda streets into a minipark. With the help of then-Mayor George Moscone, the city donated time and money to the neighborhood effort, which involved turning the space into a garden spot with spectacular views of the western slopes of the city.




The slide was the cornerstone of the project, a twin, 42-foot sloping, steel structure that could get a kid with a cardboard sheet temporarily airborne. When the park was dedicated in 1979, photographers were on hand to capture the ever-cool Mayor Dianne Feinstein shrieking as she went flying down the chute.