The hidden gems of San Francisco

niamh marren

San Francisco is a city packed with an endless amount of well-known activities and locations to experience. Many are drawn to visit famous locations such as the Golden Gate Bridge or Pier 39. However, for a city filled with an assortment of unique adventures, San Francisco’s less well-known cultural locations often get overlooked. A Touch of Holland: Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden

With bright colored tulips that blossom each spring, the garden is filled with colorful excitement that gives the perfect setting for any occasion. However, the tulips are not the main attraction, as many are amazed by the unexpected sight of the Dutch Windmill positioned at the center of the Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden.

Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands ruled for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Without her, the Dutch Windmill would not exist in the Golden Gate Park, as she donated the structure and thousands of tulips in 1902 as a gift to San Francisco for use and enjoyment. The windmill initially provided an irrigation system for the park and served to pump 30,000 gallons of water hourly throughout the park. Today, the windmill is not in service, however it still provides a historic gem to San Francisco.

While the windmill is often the center of attention, Chloe Einsiedl, a student at Notre Dame High School, explains how the brightly colored flowers, kept all year round, are the most admirable.

“The best part of the tulip garden is definitely the vibrantly colored flowers. It is unlike anything else in San Francisco, and it is a great place to enjoy nature, take pictures, and just hang out,” Einsiedl said.

Tulips became extremely popular in the Netherlands in the late 16th century, sparking a “tulip mania.” The imported tulips quickly became a part of society as the flowers were painted by artists, studied by botanists, and continuously grown in the Netherlands. The flower remains a national symbol of the Netherlands. The donation of tulips, as well as other flowers, to different countries or governments has been seen as an act of friendship and peace throughout history.

The Dutch Bulb Growers’ Association donates the flower bulbs to provide the garden with full-bloomed tulips by March. The combination of seasonal flowers and the windmill gives the perfect setting for any outing.

Stairway to Unity: Mosaic steps

From seas to stars, the 163-step stairway located in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Heights neighborhood is a project that started in 2003 to highlight the beauty of the area.

Previously, there had been a series of steep public stairways originally placed for streetcar stops. With the streetcars gone, these stairways were often used as a blank canvas for graffiti artists, upsetting residents who lived there.

Thus, the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps project was formed by neighborhood residents Jessie Audette and Alice Yee Xavier in an effort to connect the community. Choosing artists Aileen Bar and Colette Crutcher, they created a design of 163 mosaic panels, each one unique and hand-cut.

Over 220 neighbors helped sponsor the handmade bird, fish, and animal tiles to create the mosaic. This sponsorship provided most of the funding for the entire project. The neighborhood had three mosaic workshops so that all neighbors could participate in the community project.

Creating and installing each handmade tile took hundreds of hours, and the stairway finally opened up to the public in 2005 to a warm welcome.

“The tiled steps really bring out San Francisco’s unique culture and personality. There is always so much to do in the big city, and often going to smaller places like the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps, can make you see the beauty of the city,” Alec Perkins, a junior, said.

Due to the Tiled Steps’ great success and popularity, the project decided to fund a second stairway located just further down the hill. This time, the entire city decided to help support this project.

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In 2013, these so-called Hidden Garden Steps transformed 148 steps into a California wildlife scene with vibrantly colored tiles.

Not only are both of these stairways worth seeing, but there is plenty to do in this quiet area within walking distance. There are shops, museums, and Golden Gate Park nearby, making a trip to the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps even more exciting.

The community’s endeavor that created both the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps and the Hidden Garden Steps highlights California’s native environment and the beautiful scenery of the Golden Gate Heights neighborhood. Spending countless hours on both of these projects

niamh marren brought the community together in lasting unity.

Walking Through Untold Stories: Balmy Alley

Known for its murals, Balmy Alley is hidden within the Mission District of San Francisco and brings out various indigenous cultures and stories through artwork. The murals began in the mid1980s by two women who used their paintings to express outrage over human rights and political abuse in Central America. Over time, the alley has developed into an inspirational site where different cultures are embodied through beautiful artwork.

“With San Francisco being a huge city with many cultures, art is a significant way to emphasize different cultures and depict the troubles people of different cultures go through. Balmy Alley provides that to the public and can be a very educational experience,” Sassie Block, a junior, said. With Balmy Alley being open to all, it allows less well-known artists, to showcase their talent to the public. The untold stories about individuals’ lives, communities, and traditions through artwork reveals San Francisco’s culturally rich community.

Einsiedl explains how free public art being inclusive to all allows more people to engage in San Francisco’s community who might not be able to afford expensive museum entry fees.

“The purpose of art is to represent unique communities and to tell untold stories. Other art museums, like the MOMA, can feel far removed from the San Francisco community because they are only available to visitors who can pay and artists who are already well known. Free public art is important because it is inclusive and draws in new people who otherwise would not engage in San Francisco’s art culture,” Einsiedl said.

In recent years, appreciation and an effort to understand different cultures have significantly spread throughout society, making murals that exemplify the ways of others extremely popular.

Balmy Alley is not the only place to see large concentrations of murals in San Francisco. Throughout the Mission District, there are endless opportunities to see smaller artists’ murals that portray untold stories.

“The art is not only beautiful, it also will teach you a lot more about the San Francisco community. The Mission District, which has such a rich culture and history, has murals and art installations around every corner,” Einsiedl said.

emma o’ connor