How to spend an afternoon in South Park.
It's baseball season again and though the SF weather is still at its schizophrenic best, it's still a great time of year to head to South Park for an afternoon or an evening, and it doesn't even have to be on a gameday to be fun. Truly, if you dislike crowds, avoid the neighborhood on gameday.
Whether you are wandering around and looking for grub before a game, wanting a beer that costs less than $10 after the game, or you're just looking for a great place to kill a few hours, South Park is a stellar destination.
Mere blocks from the Giants' SBC Park, bordered by Third Street, Second Street, Bryant and Brannan, South Park Street encircles the lush, two-playground South Park in an oval bordered by the narrow road. The park originally was sorrounded by a mucky-muck residential community, boasting beautiful Victorian townhouses around the verdant circle. In the earthquake of 1906, the neighborhood was leveled, as were most of the homes around the Rincon Hill/South Beach area.
The current residents of the neighborhood would still qualify as relatively well-to-do, many of the older buildings were rebuilt and the park in the middle is virtually unchanged, but the addition of some very lovely and simple modern architecture and the aesthetic encroachment of the old industrial neighborhood on the surrounding areas, make for a pleasantly hodge-podge look.
It is basically a two block area with some of the best eating, drinking and shopping in San francisco. Head down there in the late morning to enjoy your last coffee or an early lunch at Cafe Centro, then head toward the corner of Third Street and South Park and dip into coiture consignment store, Jeremy's, where you can get that pair of Manolo Blahnicks at a fraction of their original price and a Gucci skirt to match. After your shopping excursion, head back into the park for a catnap on the grass, or sit at one of the picnic tables to watch the children and dogs frollic. Maybe next stop in for a glass of wine and an appetizer in South Park Cafe, then take a stroll down the street to the Butler & the Chef for more of the same.
After the game, on your way back up Third Street, stop into 21st Amendment for local craft beers or go next door to Nova for something a little stronger.
It is a wonderful little slice of heaven in the middle of the seemingly inescapable city. Bring a friend or two, or a good book and your dog and be prepared to be totally charmed.
