Annie Street Park

Meh, I’m giving it a 2-​Star, not because it is awful. There are just so many better places — and I wouldn’t keep visiting if it weren’t one of the 5 – 6 places that are very close to my current office where you can get a little distance in 10 – 15 minutes.
That said, it is admirable that this is no longer a nondescript alley. It’s now closed down to traffic and contains a nice set-​aside space with chairs and a few finishes. If it is a cloudy day, this place is pretty depressing, but it’s lovely (enough) when it’s nice. Yes, a person wrote in a Unilocal tip that it «Smells like pee», which it true if you are right by Annie and Jessie (internal alley intersection — how many of those do you see?), but most spots don’t share this quality.
I probably wouldn’t have taken the time to write this, had it not been for the following that I’ll share now. I was walking back one day at lunch and they had an actual music performance with guitar, drums and I believe some sort of brass. My grandfather was a big fan of making the most of the local park across the street so that people would use it. A lot of his work was for the basketball court, the ice rink and the playground. That was suburban Minneapolis.
It struck me that these little spaces in veryurban SF can foster a venue for other artists to get their work out there. Annie Street Park is a good example of urban development in SF. It will be interesting to see this place evolve of the next few years. It wouldn’t surprise me if I eat my words and 2-​star on a re-​review.

I’m all about the hanging elements. There are also horizontal rungs; in a different setting (and a different height) they could be monkey bars. Just add a tire swing or two and a worm seesaw and the FiDi will be jazzed up. #staygold