As my daughter was driving down the Embarcadero on our way to Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf I saw this huge arrow in the ground. I didn’t know what it was but I knew I wanted to use it for the A to Z somewhere!
It turns out that this arrow is in an area called Rincon Park! The arrow is called “Cupid’s Span” and it was installed in 2002. The husband and wife team who designed it said it was based on San Francisco’s reputation for being the home port of “Eros,” so the trademark of love fit right in. Since the park is right on the Embarcadero with no parking, another excursion with the hubby was called for and he dropped me off so I could take some pictures.
Around the perimeter of the park is a wall with various sea creatures attached. There is another beautiful sighting of the Bay Bridge from one side and the city skyline on the other.
There were metal tiles with words along the walkway but some of the words were missing. The ones that were left said, “You Are” and “Witness.” It makes perfect sense to have that phrase in that spot. There were a few people sitting on the lawn and around the sea creature wall enjoying the view.
I needed another “R” and once again Google maps helped me out. There was a Rainbow Crosswalk!
The crosswalk is in the middle of the Castro District, which is one of the first gay neighborhoods in the United States. The streets are lined with rainbow flags.
There is a huge flag flying above the whole area and a mural of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in the State of California. Milk was often called the “Mayor of Castro Street” because of his work there.
Sadly, he was only in office for nine months before he was assassinated along with then mayor George Moscone, by Dan White, another one of the city supervisors in 1978. I remember that well. There was a movie made with Sean Penn in the starring role, “Milk,” which is currently running on Netflix if you’d like to see it. It was really good.
Okay only about a week left of our travels through San Francisco. Hope you can make it to the end with me!
Disclaimer notice. The coloring book pages are from the inserts the San Francisco Chronicle put out and I mentioned them in my theme reveal so you can go to that to get the info about the artists if you are interested. I did the coloring and took the pictures. Thanks to my daughter and husband who took me around the city so I could get out and be a touristy photographer!
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Hi, Janet!
ReplyDeleteHappy R-day, dear friend!
Thanks for showing us Rincon Park which features even more quirky SF sights, namely a giant bow with an arrow jutting skyward, the architectural art piece known as “Cupid’s Span,” and the octopus, starfish and other sea creatures covering the wall around the park. I also admire the storyboard listing the creatures that inhabited the ancient river valley that is now San Francisco. It seems no matter where you go to take pictures for your A to Z series, one magnificent bridge or another is visible in the background.
That Rainbow Crosswalk looks more fun to negotiate than the celebrated Yellow Brick Road. I like your color illustration of the Castro District where the Rainbow Crosswalk is located, serving as a symbol of gay rights and gay pride in one of the primarily gay neighborhoods of the city. Thanks for mentioning Harvey Milk and showing us the mural dedicated to him. I remember him and I'm going to look for that Sean Penn movie on Netflix.
Yessum, I'll be with you till the bitter end. :) Thanks for another informative post, dear friend Janet. I'll be back tamale for your S-day essay!
Thanks my friend. To tell you the truth I'm having a bit of a struggle with the letter S. Don't want to include anything that starts with San Francisco since I think that's too easy. Cross your fingers for me!
DeleteI don't recall seeing Cupid's Span when I was there in 2009. I thought I had visited that area, but you'd think a sight like that would be unforgettable!
ReplyDeleteIt kind of depends on where you are on the Embarcadero. IF there is a lot of traffic you might miss it.
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