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Itinerary 3: African American Excursion
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African American Excursion
Take a day and enjoy San Francisco's rich African American heritage. |
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On any given day, there is much to celebrate about African American culture in San Francisco, and if you time your visit, you might have the added experience of enjoying special activities during Black History Month, the annual Juneteenth celebration, the highly regarded AfroSolo theater festival, Black Film Festival and any number of Afrocentric events.
San Francisco is filled with places to ponder and reflect on its very own rich African American ancestry, which can be found in the unlikeliest places - if only you know where to look. The following one-day itinerary offers a glimpse into the City's black culture.
When the wake up call comes this morning, enjoy your morning stroll around Yerba Buena Gardens, located between Third and Fourth and Mission and Howard streets. If you are in the financial district, pass by Leidesdorff Street which runs parallel between Montgomery and Sansome, from Pine to Washington. This short street is named after one of the City's pioneers, William Alexander Leidesdorff. An African American originally from the Virgin Islands, Leidesdorff sailed into San Francisco in 1841 and became a prominent businessmen and vital politico, building the City's first hotel.
You'll know you have reached your destination when the sounds of falling water lure you into a manicured garden, toward the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. Enjoy warm croissants or bagels you picked up at one of the local bakeries along the way as the 22-foot-high waterfall cascades past the floating bridge and 12 engraved glass panes with quotes by Dr. King. Exit the park at Third and Mission where you will see the home of the much anticipated Museum of the African Diaspora (MOAD), which will feature exhibits of local and international black history. MOAD is expected to open at the ground level of St. Regis Museum Tower in the fall of 2005. Continue south toward SBC Park, where baseball fans can spend the rest of the morning on a behind-the-scenes-tour of the waterfront park. Even the non-sports fans will appreciate the entrance: Willie Mays Plaza is home to 24 (his jersey number) palm trees and a nine-foot bronze sculpture of the African American Hall of Fame center fielder. Stroll along McCovey Cove into China Basin park and view the larger-than-life statue of this living legend. If you have time, take in a game you might just see Barry Bonds hit another home run on his way to catch up to Hank Aaron's record.
If your culture day happens to fall on Sunday, be sure to spend time in one of the City's celebrated churches. Glide Memorial United Methodist Church is praised nationally for its progressive community projects, and visitors will find a truly multi-cultural choir that "shakes the walls and raises the spirit." The Saint John Coltrane African American Church emphasizes music as a medium to worship, while the Third Baptist Church, founded during the Gold Rush, was the first Black Baptist church west of the Rockies.
Back up at Market and Powell, take a cable car to Fisherman's Wharf - Fort Mason is a short walk by the Bay away. There is no lack of lunch options in this neighborhood, so enjoy the scenery and take time to take in what the morning has offered. If you catch a cab or drive, a brief stop at the corner of Bush and Octavia is in order. A tribute to Mary Ellen Pleasant - a former slave who became a successful local businesswoman and a crucial chain in the Underground Railroad - lies on the southwest corner, at the site of her former home. Fort Mason is home to the San Francisco African American Historical and Cultural Society Museum, which is packed with African and African American artwork, artifacts and exhibitions, including that of Pleasant and Leidesdorff. A trip out to Fort Point National Historic Site at the south anchorage of the Golden Gate Bridge is well worth the trek. Not only is the scene of the Bay breathtaking from this vantage point but this is also the site of the permanent exhibit of the African American soldier's experience from 1776 through present-day.
Now it's time to get back to the hotel and get ready for a night on the town. Tonight will be spent meandering one of our great neighborhoods: the Fillmore. Be sure not to miss the African American Art and Culture Complex at Fulton and Webster, with its celebrated Dewey Crumpler mural. You won't be at a loss for dining or music options along Fillmore Street. Along with the famous Boom Boom Room the area boasts several venues to jazz or hip hop the night away.
Your night cap will be at the Top of the Mark, on the 19th Floor of the Mark Hopkins InterContinental Hotel with an unrivaled view of the City. But that's not the only breathtaking sight here. Ask to see the Room of the Dons and take a look at the 1926 mural of Queen Califia, the mythical black Queen from whom the state of California takes its name. Sleep soundly tonight, it's been a long, learned day. |
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