It’s July, hotter than a firecracker in the Valley, so time to head back to the mid-60s degree marine air of our beloved City by the Bay. This will be an uplifting day of exuberant walking, led by David Wilkinson, among the works of creative architects and artists who reached inspirational heights to embellish the City’s undulating streets and public squares. We’ll begin our adventure near the Embarcadero BART station and observe mid-20th century innovative buildings and their Art Deco predecessors. The iconic Transamerica Pyramid, now fifty years old, has a renovated public lobby offering a new free exhibit and display about the lives of Charles and Ray Eames, famous mid-century California artists who worked in a variety of mediums, but are best known for the Eames chair, mass produced for the middle class by Herman Miller.  From there we will cut across historic Portsmouth Square and Chinatown to Union Square, stopping to admire the famous fountain sculpted by the renowned SF artist Ruth Asawa (and many helpers). The bronze fountain depicts hundreds of San Francisco visual landmarks.  

We will then head South of Market and meander through a passageway to the Contemporary Jewish Museum (temporarily closed), a building that imaginatively joins a refurbished PG&E substation with the contemporary and bold architecture of Daniel Libeskin. From there it’s a short walk to the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, a public park filled with gardens and art, including an inspiring memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr. with waterfalls. We will eat lunch within the YBCA at the Metreon, a four-story shopping and entertainment center with a food court, offering a variety of choices. After lunch, hikers have the option of strolling and shopping or walking across the street to the Museum of Modern Art, which features an impressive special exhibit of Ruth Asawa, with emphasis on her intricate wire sculptures and paintings. Highly recommended. Tickets are $30 general and $25 seniors. For the return trip back to Woodland, the BART station is a modest walk back to Market Street.       

This hike is considered “moderately challenging” about 4 miles, generally flat, and will take about three hours, with several stops. Participants will meet at the Woodland Presbyterian Church’s parking lot on the corner of Road 98 and West Gibson Road at 7:30 A.M. After an overview of the day and arranging carpooling, hikers will drive to the El Cerrito Del Norte BART station, where there’s plenty of free parking and public restrooms. We will board BART for the relaxing trip under the Bay to the Embarcadero Station, very close to where the hike will begin at Market/Davis streets above the BART station by 10:15 AM.  

Wear good walking or hiking shoes and dress in layers as the weather is changeable.  For more information, contact David at davwilk@pacbell.net or (916) 712-9461

The Woodland Outdoor Wanderers is a community-based organization open to all, and dedicated to introducing Yoloans to their natural and cultural environments, and to each other.  For more information  email kathyjtrott@gmail.com