Yerba Buena Gardens

2016 Unilocal 100 Challenge Review #32
I was in town for a conference and made it around to this area. Very nice. It is designed for people to enjoy it. Lots of sitting areas and foliage and walkways. Lots of recycle/​trash combos which I love but I think that is the city’s ordinance. It was a very clean park. I did notice a few homeless people around (sleeping or what not) but San Francisco has a huge homeless/​indigent population. Overall, I thought this was a very nice, welcoming green space with a lot of dining options a stones throw away.

It’s an oasis in the middle of busy SOMA and an easy getaway for a quick lunchtime retreat. Sprawl out on the grass, soak up some sun, listen to the white noise of chatter and the waterfall, and I promise you’ll lose some of that stress work gave you. On a sunny day, the lawn is filled with circles of friends as well as solo cat nappers. With all the nearby lunch options, it’s the perfect picnic spot. Check out the robust and diverse calendar of summertime performances on Thursdays and weekends.

Beautiful park. Came here with my friend after grabbing some lunch to sit out on the lawn and enjoy the scenery. The park is well taken care of landscaped. There is a nice waterfall/​fountain which is pretty relaxing to be around, but there are a lot of people around this area. Plenty of places to sit under trees and canopy areas to hide from the sun. Plenty of museums around the park to visit as well. Definitely a nice play to just sit around and relax for a while. Clears the head, especially if you’re on lunch break from work.

This is a great park! It is part of the convention center/​Metreon complex. it really is nice, it has water features, lawns, concerts and great views, there are several levels and you never know whats around the corner. I’ve been many times, last visit i was re-​routed for a concert and came around the corner to some beautiful red flowers… the free concert had good music also!
On nice days there are people enjoying the weather, eating food from Matron… Its a great escape in a paved over part of town.
Tip, the old church and MoMa are great views.

Beautiful garden at the center of the big city! Whenever I have the conferences at Moscone Center, I visit here and take a short break. The grasses are well managed and very beautiful. The sound from the fountain makes me relieved from the busyness of daily life. I highly recommend you to grab some coffee and just sit down on a bench, or bring some sandwiches or anything with you and have lunch here on a sunny day. You can get almost anything at the and theater just next to this park.
San Francisco is a huge city but you could be relieved from it, and I believe this place will make your day happy.

Cool place to meet up with friends or a date. Nice lawn area for a picnic if you work in the fidi. A lot of options for things to do near by, restaurants, movie theater, and Target. Really beautiful at night. Perfect for decompressing after work and spinning some poi.

This was a nice park with a good view of San Fran. Strolled through here while at RSA and passed by this place to the Yerba Buena Art Museum. It’s a really nice place to sit, have a picnic, or a good conversation.

O Yerba Buena é um complexo com shopping, galerias de arte, museus e tem uma praça linda no centro com uma cachoeira artificial. Estava cheio de gente deitada no gramado, famílias e casais passeando. Muito bonito e agradável, bem no centro financeiro de SFO.

Large green park in the financial district. A surprising number of homeless people, which is always wonderful to see. A great spot of greenery in the middle of the concrete jungle.
Surrounded by office buildings, a huge shopping mall and the Museum of Modern Art (which is temporarily closed), there is a huge fountain and lots of benches. Great for a lunch break!

Came to Yerba Buena on one of my final days at San Francisco. It’s a small piece of greenery in the middle of a large city for people to be exposed to a bit if greenery and a wide open space for lunch.
There are a few benches placed around Yerba Buena and a mini waterfall. It doesn’t seem to have an extravagent design, but just plain and simple.
It’s pretty if you’re the type of enjoy simplicity, but in my opinion, the design is a little mediocre and really artificial feeling. For someone who’s a fan of nature and studies the environment, this may or may not be a place for you.

Great place to hang out and chill. Kids tend to be in the area. Benches to sit on. Usually up kept very well so you don’t wonder if you’re sitting on a mysterious spot. Also there are random outlets in some of the benches.

~*~Entertaining Area. Tourist Central. Festivals during the holidays. Carousel included~*~
I mostly come here because there is a Samovar tea house over looking downtown.
Lots of space, great for dogs.
Skating rink
Carousel
Movie Theater
Pool Hall
Memorial
I missed stuff I’m sure.
Right next to/​on top of Moscone Center.
Highly recommend.

This was a nice place to visit, and it’s really great that there’s this sort of beautiful, natural haven nestled inside of SF. I can see why a lot of people might enjoy having their lunches out here on a nice day. I’d been walking around the SoMa area for several hours, so it was pretty nice to come to a quiet place and walk under the waterfall, as well as just sit still on the benches and relax. I kind of wish I’d come by when the Art Forum next to it was open, but I guess this means I should visit again at some point! :)
If needed, there’s also free wifi and seating available in the forum next to the park, so that’s nice too.

This little oasis of green space, whimsical stone architecture, and sculpture installations is a welcome respite from the harsh grind and squalor of San Francisco’s financial district.
To wit, I had just found my way here after navigating crowded rush hour streets from the Powell BART stop, which is littered with homeless, disheveled, and forlorn human beings seeking warmth in the San Francisco chill. I passed pathetic beggars at street corners who were being avoided by steel-​faced, well-​heeled financial and tech millioners making their way home from the sky scrapers. The whole surreal tableau of American capitalism (or shall we just call it capitalistic feudalism) is disheartening.
Welcome, then, to the genteel atmosphere of the Yerba Buena Gardens, where those uncomfortable truths are suspended in the designed green space. Transport yourself to calm tranquility in the meditative sound of rushing water from fountains. Check out the memorial dedicated to Martin Luther King.
This space is removed from the street through stairs, elevation, and sculptures which bound the street edges. So, remember not to just walk by, but take the time to walk inside the park and settle down for a break!
It’s a lovely space made more seductive at night through the use of spot lighting, distance from the crowds, and the mega backdrop of the walls of sky scrapers humming with business. The chess tables and picnic stops are well used. If I worked here, I would be hurrying down for a breath of fresh air!
The church at one end of the square park makes the place seem friendlier and more human-​scale. You should also check out the Samovar Tea House on the upper terrace for a luxurious snack and drinks.

As for many others, this is for me an oasis in the middle of the financial district, a corner of peace where to have an impromptu picnic with colleagues, or just a place to go and hear some live music (concerts abound). Is so close to everything and the view of the catholic church is lovely. Just being there, smelling the grass while looking at the clouds is an enough reason to love Yerba Buena Gardens.

It’s really nice to work so close to such a nice park. I like to take my lunch here and eat. In the summer, they have free concerts, which is nice. There are plenty of places to sit and on any given day you will see kids playing on the grass, people doing yoga, or people eating on a blanket. I’ve noticed security here is pretty on top of it and make sure to keep the homeless or suspicious looking people away. It is also well maintained too. Great little oasis amidst the high rises and chaos of the area.

Beautiful garden tucked away behind the Metreon. A friend and I was exploring San Francisco and accidentally stumbled upon this gem when we decided to drink our bubble tea in the dining terrace in the back.
We first sensed the presence of this garden from the sound of water crashing onto the rocks from the waterfall. This waterfall was inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr. with his quotes on the walls. You can literally go inside the waterfall by following the path behind it.
Another option was to go up. Yes, there’s a second floor! As you stroll up, there was a fainter waterfall that dripped on the walls. The median was beautifully decorated with pink-​purpleish flowers.
At the top of the floor, you were first greeted by a quiet fountain that was the source of the water dripping below. You can see birds relaxing in the shallow water with the background of a beautiful church squeezed between elephantine skyscrapers that towered over it.
My friend and I had a mini photoshoot here and I would say that it was a success. This garden was definitely beautiful and I would love to come back here and show my friends. I now wonder how this looked like during nighttime…

I’m happy to have found this place on Unilocal and then saw it on a map and happily came here for a break from the crowded streets. It’s very easy to get to just off Market Street and also right beside Target. The greenery in a busy downtown is perfect to relax and enjoy the grass or many seating areas.
I like that they pathways weren’t crowded on a weekday afternoon and there seemed to be a mix of tourists and locals, and old and young. I came across the bowling alley and skating rink which I thought was pretty cool to have near the park.
The seating near the waterfalls is lovely to enjoy if the pigeons don’t crowd you looking for a snack. There’s a tea place and restaurant that offers outdoor seating by the top of the falls and perfect relaxation spots.

I came across this hidden gem in the middle of SF while waiting for a table at Tropisueno, nearby. What caught my attention was the mini waterfall and architecture. It is a nice place to walk around and get so fresh air if you work nearby. This place also offers a cool view of a part of SF’s skyline. There’s an upstair part of this garden, too so just walk around and explore!

I love this park. It’s located near my office which makes it the perfect place to have lunch on a beautiful day with co-​workers. You can brown bag it or stop by the number of places nearby for some eats. Find your favorite patch of grass and chow down. Make sure to dispose of all your trash when you’re done please.

A place to get away from the concrete jungle.
The first block between Howard and Mission Streets was first opened in 1993. The 2^nd block between Howard and Folsom Streets was opened in 1998. The first block is just outside Metreon, and there’s a large grassy area in the middle and a stage for events like the Filipino American Arts Exposition (or Pistahan) held every year. There’s always a Filipino event every year, but I tend to favor this one because it’s held here. Also, my cousin was the MC for the inaugural FAAE event a while back ago. I don’t attend every year, but I do like going here because it’s so convenient.
The 2^nd block is where they have the Children’s Creativity Museum (ZEUM), an ice skating rink, bowling alley and a restored 1905 carousel that was originally from Playland-​at-​the-​Beach in Sunset Beach. There are plenty of things to do and things to watch. Best part of all, you don’t have to spend a dime to enjoy the place.
Also on the first block is the where they have the waterfall dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. St. Patrick Church and the Jewish Contemporary Museum is directly to the north and SOMA is to the east. There’s not a single bad view from here and it is designed suitably as it uses its surroundings as the perfect backdrop. This is also a photographers’ playground as every angle can be framed so beautifully.
Since I work a couple of blocks from the area, I often go here to clear my mind, relax, unwind, de-​stress or simply just to get away from everything and collect myself. It has a calming effect and I’ve used it to meditate on plenty of occasions. Recently, I came here on an early morning and watched a group of Chinese senior citizens conducting Tai Chi. I wanted so badly to join them, but I just ended up watching them and enjoying their movements. Watching them made me relax and lowered my blood pressure a bit.
There are definitely plenty of benefits coming here, and you might discover something new every time.

Posé.
Ici c’est le parc ou tu viens te vautrer comme un cachalot en checkant tes mails sur ton téléphone après avoir manger un gros burger et fait du shopping.
Du soleil, de l’herbe, une tite fontaine.
Farniente hell yeah.

Parada obrigatória no meio do distrito financeiro de São Francisco. Praticamente um oásis no meio do concreto todo que o cerca.
Se você for bem cedo, vai ver um monte de japa fazendo yoga ou seja lá o que era aquilo que estavam fazendo. De noite prepare-​se para encontrar jovens espalhados enquanto se passar por ali de tarde prepare-​se para encontrar uma penca de famílias e futuros namorados passando o tempo sentados na grama.
Não esqueça de visitar os museus que estão por ali também que são bem interessantes e combinam com a arquitetura moderna do lugar.

I found this place based on the positive reviews from other Unilocalers who have frequented this place.
This place is beautiful amid the chaos of the Financial District. It’s such a stark contrast: you have tall buildings with hurrying people on cell phones and then you walk into this park area and all you can see and hear is the roaring sounds of a waterfall. It was beautiful and somehow poetic.
I love the words that lay behind the waterfall and it’s worth ten to fifteen minutes of your time to read and grasp the meaning of them. I love the history it tells and the strength of man to rise and stand for something.
Besides the waterfall, there is an open field for individuals to sit and relax from the hustle and bustle of life to just enjoy the moment.
It’s worth checking this one out.