Quirky San Francisco

On the corner of 4th and Howard, 2 blocks south of Market (Virgin Records and Old Navy are on the cross streets of 4th and Market) is a real Merry-go-round, or carousel. The music is recorded, unfortunately, but you get the idea and a little of the spirit behind those old fair and carnival days.

Even if you don’t have kids, this is a great spot to walk around and explore. It’s part of Yerba Buena Gardens, which is a man-made park that’s actually the roof of the convention center – Moscone Center. Don’t you agree that this is a nice use of otherwise wasted space, huh? You’ll find a waterfall, a collection of restaurants, a bowling alley, an ice rink and more. You can also make your way back toward Market Street, by walking across the bridge over Howard Street through the North part of the park, across Mission St. and through a new alleyway past Beard Papa (the Japanese franchise for custard puffs) and the new Contemporary Jewish Museum …  right back to Market.

Here’s a little history … from Wikipedia … about an amusement park called Playland that used to be near the Cliff House Restaurant out at the beach. I didn’t realize how many times it had moved around. Interesting.

Carousel

Arthur Looff actually commissioned the carousel in 1906 for a little amusement park that was originally on Market and Van Ness in San Francisco, but because of the earthquake in 1906 the carousel was shipped to Luna Park, Seattle, Washington. It was not until 1913, that Arthur Looff leased land for the carousel and its house-—the Looff Hippodrome—that the carousel came to Playland. Looff’s Hippodrome at Chutes-at-the-Beach was the first permanently installed concession in 1914. The carousel was an elegant 68-horse merry-go-round with a $5,000 organ, a staggering amount at that time.

The carousel was sold at auction in 1972, and went to Long Beach, California. San Francisco bought the carousel and it is now located off Fourth Street downtown in Yerba Buena Gardens.

Click on this link for more info about the Yerba Buena Gardens Carousel.

Other Random Quirky Posts!

• Down the Street and Around the Corner, the St. Francis
• San Francisco’s Most Crooked Curviest Street – NOT Lombard
• Down Market and, to the Palace Hotel
• Hwy 1 Road Trip – San Francisco to Big Sur
• Buddha Bar San Francisco