10

In the 1920s, elaborate movie palaces sprang up in cities acrossAmerica, creating fantastical architectural wonders to match the fan-tasies of Hollywood. The Alhambra Theater on Polk Street, incor-porating all the excesses of true Islamic design, was one of the city’sfinest examples. Designed by Timothy Pflueger in 1926, the Al-hambra’s iconic “minarets” originally glowed red to beckon viewersin to its 1,500 seats. After Charlie Chaplin had shuffled off, afterGreta Garbo had whispered her final words, the lights would comeup on the dreamy Arabian interior of the auditorium: horseshoearches floating over sapphire-colored niches, a central dome deco-rated with a flower of arabesques and filigree plasterwork trailingover everything.In the 1960s, this neighborhood was the center of gay culture in

San Francisco. The first openly gay business association in Americawas created by bar owners on Polk Street, which is still dominated bysmall storefront shops and cafes. When the gay scene shifted to the Castro District in the late sev-

enties, the street fell on hard times. The Alhambra tried to keep itsdoors open by dividing the theater into two auditoriums, then brieflyreturned to a single screen again in the late eighties, but finally closedin 1998.And yet, in the true spirit of Arabian Nights, or of happy Holly-

wood endings, the story of the Alhambra goes on. Since 2001, thetheater has been home to Crunch Fitness, a popular gym. A carefulrestoration and conversion to workout space has retained most of theinterior detail. The projection room has been reimagined as a yogastudio and the area behind the screen is now a spinning room. A sec-ond tier contains weights and machines, but in the balcony somethirteen original seats from the old theater remain. Best of all, there is still a movie screen to watch as you stretch,

sweat, and tone.

3__The Alhambra TheaterA cinematic workout

Address 2330 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA, 94109, 415-292-5444 | Public transit 12 Busto Pacific Avenue & Polk Street. Walk north on Polk for about 5 minutes. | Hours ForCrunch Fitness: Mon–Thurs 5am–10pm, Fri 5am–9pm, Sat & Sun 7am–8pm | TipThenorth side of Polk Street is perfect for a stroll and exploring little stores and delightful cafes.

10

In the 1920s, elaborate movie palaces sprang up in cities acrossAmerica, creating fantastical architectural wonders to match the fan-tasies of Hollywood. The Alhambra Theater on Polk Street, incor-porating all the excesses of true Islamic design, was one of the city’sfinest examples. Designed by Timothy Pflueger in 1926, the Al-hambra’s iconic “minarets” originally glowed red to beckon viewersin to its 1,500 seats. After Charlie Chaplin had shuffled off, afterGreta Garbo had whispered her final words, the lights would comeup on the dreamy Arabian interior of the auditorium: horseshoearches floating over sapphire-colored niches, a central dome deco-rated with a flower of arabesques and filigree plasterwork trailingover everything.In the 1960s, this neighborhood was the center of gay culture in

San Francisco. The first openly gay business association in Americawas created by bar owners on Polk Street, which is still dominated bysmall storefront shops and cafes. When the gay scene shifted to the Castro District in the late sev-

enties, the street fell on hard times. The Alhambra tried to keep itsdoors open by dividing the theater into two auditoriums, then brieflyreturned to a single screen again in the late eighties, but finally closedin 1998.And yet, in the true spirit of Arabian Nights, or of happy Holly-

wood endings, the story of the Alhambra goes on. Since 2001, thetheater has been home to Crunch Fitness, a popular gym. A carefulrestoration and conversion to workout space has retained most of theinterior detail. The projection room has been reimagined as a yogastudio and the area behind the screen is now a spinning room. A sec-ond tier contains weights and machines, but in the balcony somethirteen original seats from the old theater remain. Best of all, there is still a movie screen to watch as you stretch,

sweat, and tone.

3__The Alhambra TheaterA cinematic workout

Address 2330 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA, 94109, 415-292-5444 | Public transit 12 Busto Pacific Avenue & Polk Street. Walk north on Polk for about 5 minutes. | Hours ForCrunch Fitness: Mon–Thurs 5am–10pm, Fri 5am–9pm, Sat & Sun 7am–8pm | TipThenorth side of Polk Street is perfect for a stroll and exploring little stores and delightful cafes.

12

The Oakland Bay Bridge, with its double deck, opened in Novem-ber 1936, six months before the Golden Gate Bridge and has alwaysbeen considered the latter’s ugly cousin. Then in 2013, the easternspan, from Treasure Island to Oakland, was recast into a great whiteSwan of a bridge, and the western span – which offers a terrific viewof the city from the top deck as you drive across – became the un-likely canvas for one of the most ambitious light sculptures evermade. The man responsible for this luminescent face-lift is artist Leo

Villareal. His work, which you’ll find in in such venerable institu-tions as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the NationalGallery in Washington D.C., features LED lights, which are con-trolled through a custom-designed computer program. In 2013, hetransformed the north side of the bridge’s drab countenance with25,000 separate lights, strung 12 inches apart along the vertical sus-pension cables. The lights appear to float up and down the cables as they blink

on and off in randomized patterns. The effect this creates has a mes-merizing musical quality that blends in with the headlights of thebridge traffic and the high rise windows of downtown San Francis-co. It lends the entire waterfront a jewel-like ambience.

Electricity for the installation costs about $30 a day and thelights can be set to different levels of brightness. For safety reasons,the light show cannot be seen by motorists driving on the bridge.The installation has grown so popular that plans are afoot to keepThe Bay Lights burning long past 2015 when they were originallyscheduled to be turned off. A crowd-sourcing campaign is under wayto raise the $11.2 million needed. The lights are visible from manyangles along the waterfront from sunset until 2am, but are especial-ly dazzling when viewed from the public deck behind the FerryBuilding on the Embracadero.

12__The Bay LightsThe Bay Bridge gets its bling

Address Pier 14, San Francisco, CA, 94105, thebaylights.illuminatethearts.org | HoursTheBay Lights are lit from Sunset–2am | Public transit L Muni toward downtown to MetroEmbarcadero Station, then walk south to Pier 14 | Tip Savoring oysters at Water Bar (399Embarcadero) is the perfect touch to the most enjoyable view of the Bay Lights.

12

The Oakland Bay Bridge, with its double deck, opened in Novem-ber 1936, six months before the Golden Gate Bridge and has alwaysbeen considered the latter’s ugly cousin. Then in 2013, the easternspan, from Treasure Island to Oakland, was recast into a great whiteSwan of a bridge, and the western span – which offers a terrific viewof the city from the top deck as you drive across – became the un-likely canvas for one of the most ambitious light sculptures evermade. The man responsible for this luminescent face-lift is artist Leo

Villareal. His work, which you’ll find in in such venerable institu-tions as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the NationalGallery in Washington D.C., features LED lights, which are con-trolled through a custom-designed computer program. In 2013, hetransformed the north side of the bridge’s drab countenance with25,000 separate lights, strung 12 inches apart along the vertical sus-pension cables. The lights appear to float up and down the cables as they blink

on and off in randomized patterns. The effect this creates has a mes-merizing musical quality that blends in with the headlights of thebridge traffic and the high rise windows of downtown San Francis-co. It lends the entire waterfront a jewel-like ambience.

Electricity for the installation costs about $30 a day and thelights can be set to different levels of brightness. For safety reasons,the light show cannot be seen by motorists driving on the bridge.The installation has grown so popular that plans are afoot to keepThe Bay Lights burning long past 2015 when they were originallyscheduled to be turned off. A crowd-sourcing campaign is under wayto raise the $11.2 million needed. The lights are visible from manyangles along the waterfront from sunset until 2am, but are especial-ly dazzling when viewed from the public deck behind the FerryBuilding on the Embracadero.

12__The Bay LightsThe Bay Bridge gets its bling

Address Pier 14, San Francisco, CA, 94105, thebaylights.illuminatethearts.org | HoursTheBay Lights are lit from Sunset–2am | Public transit L Muni toward downtown to MetroEmbarcadero Station, then walk south to Pier 14 | Tip Savoring oysters at Water Bar (399Embarcadero) is the perfect touch to the most enjoyable view of the Bay Lights.

14

Ask longtime residents what makes San Francisco great, and oftenthey’ll tell you about the wild places along the coastal edges. Localsknow the city is only a veneer; behind it, a tenuous outpost of civi-lization on a craggy peninsula, forever battered by wind and water.Nowhere is this wild aspect more tangible than at Fort Funston, atop200-foot-high bluffs overlooking the Pacific across from theOlympic Club golf course. The fort was an army defense installation during WWI and WW

II; during the Cold War, it was a Nike missile launch site. Now, trailsscatter in every direction, winding down through dense trees, iceplants, and coastal scrub, and through tunneled fortifications oncefilled with artillery. The bluffs have become one of California’s premier departure

points for hang gliders, popular year-round but especially in Marchand October, when the offshore breezes pick up. The hang-glidinglaunch spot is at the western edge of the parking lot. An observationdeck with benches provides a great vantage point to observe giant-winged humans as they run off the cliff and take flight. Some after-noons a dozen or more gliders fill the sky, set out in a row above thebluffs as though in formation, or else carving slow-motion arcs be-tween the blue of sea and sky. A long stairway with cable railings leads down to the beach,

where at low tide, visitors can walk in either direction for quite a dis-tance. Bird enthusiasts will note the hundreds of nests built into thecliffside by Bank Swallows, once a common coastal species, now en-dangered. This is also a hugely popular place for horseback riders;and it is a dog walker’s paradise, because it’s one of the few places inthe city where dogs can be off leash. The surf is treacherous, withpowerful undertows. Also, keep in mind that the stairway is a long, strenuous climb –

and if you go down, you must come up!

35__Fort FunstonWhere humans take to the sky

Address 206 Fort Funston Road, San Francisco, 94132,www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/fortfunston.htm | Public Transit 18 Bus toward Rich-mond District to John Muir Dr. & Skyline Blvd., then walk about half a mile west to FortFunston | Tip It’s almost always windy there, so a windbreaker is a must. For a stunningvista, stop at the wooden viewing platform just next to the parking lot.

14

Ask longtime residents what makes San Francisco great, and oftenthey’ll tell you about the wild places along the coastal edges. Localsknow the city is only a veneer; behind it, a tenuous outpost of civi-lization on a craggy peninsula, forever battered by wind and water.Nowhere is this wild aspect more tangible than at Fort Funston, atop200-foot-high bluffs overlooking the Pacific across from theOlympic Club golf course. The fort was an army defense installation during WWI and WW

II; during the Cold War, it was a Nike missile launch site. Now, trailsscatter in every direction, winding down through dense trees, iceplants, and coastal scrub, and through tunneled fortifications oncefilled with artillery. The bluffs have become one of California’s premier departure

points for hang gliders, popular year-round but especially in Marchand October, when the offshore breezes pick up. The hang-glidinglaunch spot is at the western edge of the parking lot. An observationdeck with benches provides a great vantage point to observe giant-winged humans as they run off the cliff and take flight. Some after-noons a dozen or more gliders fill the sky, set out in a row above thebluffs as though in formation, or else carving slow-motion arcs be-tween the blue of sea and sky. A long stairway with cable railings leads down to the beach,

where at low tide, visitors can walk in either direction for quite a dis-tance. Bird enthusiasts will note the hundreds of nests built into thecliffside by Bank Swallows, once a common coastal species, now en-dangered. This is also a hugely popular place for horseback riders;and it is a dog walker’s paradise, because it’s one of the few places inthe city where dogs can be off leash. The surf is treacherous, withpowerful undertows. Also, keep in mind that the stairway is a long, strenuous climb –

and if you go down, you must come up!

35__Fort FunstonWhere humans take to the sky

Address 206 Fort Funston Road, San Francisco, 94132,www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/fortfunston.htm | Public Transit 18 Bus toward Rich-mond District to John Muir Dr. & Skyline Blvd., then walk about half a mile west to FortFunston | Tip It’s almost always windy there, so a windbreaker is a must. For a stunningvista, stop at the wooden viewing platform just next to the parking lot.

16

In one of the city’s golden ages, in the late 1890s, Lands End wasa Coney Island-like paradise of baths, booths, rinks, parks, a mu-seum – and a seven-story chateau known as the Cliff Houseperched precariously on the basalt bluffs above the ocean. Everyweekend, people came to see the attractions, driving horse-drawnwagons over the sand dunes, or arriving on the nickel-a-ticketsteam train that ran from California Street out through the SeaCliff District, below what is now the VA Hospital.It was all the brainchild of Adolph Sutro, the charismatic Ger-

man who made his fortune with a state-of-the-art drainage tunnelthat allowed miners deeper access to the Comstock Lode in the Sier-ras. Eventually, Sutro sold out and settled in San Francisco, where hebuilt his estate above the Cliff House (see p. XX). There’s a magnificent stroll through Lands End that begins

across from Sutro Park, above the ruins of the baths and also the“Octagon” house, which for years served as a lookout station. Usinga system of telescopes and flags to indicate the kind of ship that wasapproaching, word was relayed from Lands End to the Presidio toTelegraph Hill, to the stevedores and taxi drivers waiting at thedocks.This walk, with its unforgettable views of the Marin Headlands

and the Golden Gate Bridge, follows the route below the hospitaland ends beneath the Legion of Honor. Halfway along you’ll noticea sign for Eagle’s Point, and a stairway winding down through the cy-press trees to the beach. Partway down the stairs, there’s a path lead-ing to a wide precipice with a stone labyrinth. It was built in 2004 bylocal artist Eduardo Aguilera, whose work is tied to the theme of"peace, love and enlightenment." The site is particularly popular dur-ing equinoxes and solstices, which is in keeping with the fact thatLands End is partly a mystical place, and was once home to the in-digenous Yelamu Ohlone people.

44__Lands EndA mystical walk through history

Address 608 Point Lobos Ave., San Francisco, CA, 94121, www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/landsend.htm | Public transit 38L Bus toward 48th Ave.,then a short walk north to Point Lobos Ave. | Tip For a longer hike, start from Sea Cliff,just below the Legion of Honors.

16

In one of the city’s golden ages, in the late 1890s, Lands End wasa Coney Island-like paradise of baths, booths, rinks, parks, a mu-seum – and a seven-story chateau known as the Cliff Houseperched precariously on the basalt bluffs above the ocean. Everyweekend, people came to see the attractions, driving horse-drawnwagons over the sand dunes, or arriving on the nickel-a-ticketsteam train that ran from California Street out through the SeaCliff District, below what is now the VA Hospital.It was all the brainchild of Adolph Sutro, the charismatic Ger-

man who made his fortune with a state-of-the-art drainage tunnelthat allowed miners deeper access to the Comstock Lode in the Sier-ras. Eventually, Sutro sold out and settled in San Francisco, where hebuilt his estate above the Cliff House (see p. XX). There’s a magnificent stroll through Lands End that begins

across from Sutro Park, above the ruins of the baths and also the“Octagon” house, which for years served as a lookout station. Usinga system of telescopes and flags to indicate the kind of ship that wasapproaching, word was relayed from Lands End to the Presidio toTelegraph Hill, to the stevedores and taxi drivers waiting at thedocks.This walk, with its unforgettable views of the Marin Headlands

and the Golden Gate Bridge, follows the route below the hospitaland ends beneath the Legion of Honor. Halfway along you’ll noticea sign for Eagle’s Point, and a stairway winding down through the cy-press trees to the beach. Partway down the stairs, there’s a path lead-ing to a wide precipice with a stone labyrinth. It was built in 2004 bylocal artist Eduardo Aguilera, whose work is tied to the theme of"peace, love and enlightenment." The site is particularly popular dur-ing equinoxes and solstices, which is in keeping with the fact thatLands End is partly a mystical place, and was once home to the in-digenous Yelamu Ohlone people.

44__Lands EndA mystical walk through history

Address 608 Point Lobos Ave., San Francisco, CA, 94121, www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/landsend.htm | Public transit 38L Bus toward 48th Ave.,then a short walk north to Point Lobos Ave. | Tip For a longer hike, start from Sea Cliff,just below the Legion of Honors.