Free Things to Do in San Francisco

The city wants to start charging admission to the Botanical Gardens. The proposed fees are $5 for city residents ($7 for non-residents) per visit, or an annual family pass for $75 — but no passes for individuals who will have to buy family passes.

Park & Rec is going to vote on this on April 15, and then the Board of Supervisors will have to approve it as well.

My guess is that it may sail through Park & Rec, but there may be a good chance of stopping it with the Board of Supervisors.

There is going to be a community meeting on Monday, April 6 at 6:30 p.m. in the County Fair Building, where we will have a chance to make our concerns known.

Where:

County Fair Building (aka The Hall of Flowers), right inside the 9th and Lincoln entrance to Golden Gate Park (next to the Botanical Garden’s main entrance)

When:

Monday, April 6, 2009
6:30 pm

More information:

I’ve heard about this by word of mouth, and I’ve seen flyers, but the only written information I’ve seen is in the Chronicle article. I think (not sure) that the city is sponsoring the meeting, so you could try calling 311 for more info.

Plant a tree on Sunset Boulevard, attend a Green Resource Fair, take a tree tour, or attend tree care and equipment demonstrations.

Special activities for children and for high school students.

There will also be docent led tours at the Botanical Gardens (formerly the Arboretum) in Golden Gate Park at 10:30 am and 1:30 pm, as well as maps available for self-led tours to learn about street trees.

Where:

Most of the activities listed above take place at 37th Avenue and Ortega, in the Sunset district.

The Botanical Gardens (Arboretum) is near the 9th and Lincoln entrance to Golden Gate Park.

When:

Tree-planting on Sunset Boulevard is from 9 am to 2 pm.

For the times of other activities, see the website below.

More Information:

SF Arbor Day website

Email to volunteer for a specific event: volunteer@sfdpw.org

Phone number for more information or to volunteer: 415-641-2600

Photo from sfarborday.org

Until today, the San Francisco Zoo’s three-month old baby gorilla, who became famous around the world after being neglected by his mother, did not have a name.

The zoo held a naming contest. Five thousand people from 40 different countries entered. A panel of human judges chose five names, and today they took five color-coded cantaloupes, each representing a name, and gave them to the baby gorilla’s father, Oscar Jonsey, to make the final selection.

Oscar Jonsey selected the green cantaloupe, which meant he chose the name “Hasani” for his son. Hasani, which means “handsome” in Swahili, was entered in the contest by Amanda VerPloeg of Oskaloosa, Iowa.

Hasani’s surrogate mother is still being trained, and the baby is not yet on public display. But you can watch him on a “Nursery Cam” at the zoo from noon to 2:00 pm, and you can see lots of pictures and videos on the zoo’s website.

The Zoo is free, for San Francisco residents only, on the first Wednesday of every month.

Picture (c) San Francisco Zoo

This will be the 158th St. Patrick’s Day parade in the City, with more than 5,000 people marching.

There will also be a festival all day in Civic Center Plaza, with Irish music and dancing on two stages. There will also be children’s rides, a petting zoo, pony rides, arts and crafts, and, of course, the usual outdoor-event food booths.

When:

Saturday, March 14, 2009

The Parade starts at 11:30 am at Second and Market, and goes up Market Street to the Civic Center.

The Festival runs all day in Civic Center Plaza, from 10 am to 5 pm. Live music begins at 11 am.

More Information:

Festival info

Photos of last year’s parade

Photo of the Civic Center Festival (c) Gregory Case

This looks very cool! The Exploratorium is placing 20 exhibits along the northern waterfront in and around Fort Mason, starting on March 13, and continuing indefinitely.

Exhibits invite people to look at the Golden Gate Bridge through a telescope to observe how it moves in response to temperature changes, to taste water with different concentrations of salinity that correspond to different portions of the Bay (just a demonstration — the water isn’t actually from the Bay!), and to observe wind patterns by seeing the motion of arrows on 35-foot tall poles.

If the weather is as nice as it has been recently, this could be a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.

When:

Starting March 13, 2009

Where:

Fort Mason, entrance at Marina Boulevard and Buchanan Street

More information:

Directions to Fort Mason

Exploratorium press release, with photos

Article in the SF Chronicle

Photo of wind arrows exhibit (c) The Exploratorium

There are many things that are free in San Francisco on the first week of every month. Here’s the schedule for March, 2009:

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Free admission to the de Young Museum, Legion of Honor, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Museum of Modern Art, Cartoon Art Museum (pay what you wish), Museum of Craft and Folk Art, and the Conservatory of Flowers.

More information: Free first Tuesdays

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

The San Francisco Zoo (SF residents only), and the Exploratorium.

More information: Free first Wednesdays

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Bird-watching walk in Golden Gate Park botanical gardens.

More information: First Saturday bird watching walk.

Bank of America Free Museum weekend (B of A account or credit card required). Free admission to the de Young Museum, Legion of Honor, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and the Museum of the African Diaspora.

More information: Bank of America free first weekend.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Bank of America Free Museum weekend (continued)

Picture of the Museum of Modern Art (SF MoMA) by WolfmanSF, via Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License.

A new month is starting soon, which means that the monthly free first-week events are coming up. Grab your calendars …

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Asian Art Museum. More info

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Free admission to the de Young Museum, Legion of Honor, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Museum of Modern Art, Cartoon Art Museum (pay what you wish), Museum of Craft and Folk Art, and the Conservatory of Flowers.

More info

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Bird-watching walk in Golden Gate Park botanical gardens. More info.

Bank of America Free Museum day (B of A account or credit card required). Free admission to the de Young Museum, Legion of Honor, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and the Museum of the African Diaspora. More info.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Another Bank of America Free Museum Day (see above).

Picture of the Museum of Modern Art (SF MoMA) by WolfmanSF, via Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License.

California Quail

This monthly bird-watching walk, led by a naturalist in the beautiful Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park, is billed as being for “everyone” — no previous experience in bird-watching is required.

The walk is put on by San Francisco Nature Education, a group which brings science and nature programs to the schools for underserved youth, sets up telescopes and leads walks for heron watching at Stow Lake in the spring (not to be missed!), and, starting this month, leads bird walks in the new Heron’s Head Park in the Bayview District, a park which is a former industrial waste zone that’s been transformed into a 25-acre wetland with over 100 species of birds.

Where:

Meet in front of the main gate of the Botanical Gardens (what used to be called Strybing Arboretum) in Golden Gate Park.

Enter the Park at 9th and Lincoln, and walk straight ahead for about a minute, on the left side of the road.

When:

The first Saturday of every month from 10:00 am to noon.

Logistics:

Bring binoculars.

The weather can change quickly from foggy to hot, so dress in layers and bring a sun hat.

You’ll be on your feet for the whole two hours, but the walking pace is slow, and there are frequent stops when interesting birds are spotted.

Children 7 years and up, accompanied by an adult, are welcome.

Cost:

The program is free, but donations are welcome.

More information:

Birding for Everyone

Phone 415-387-9160

Photo by Mila Zinkova, GNU Free Documentation License, via Wikipedia

I just heard about this one! There are going to be two JumboTrons set up in Yerba Buena Gardens, from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm, broadcasting the Inauguration live.

This might be the best place to go. It’s so pretty in the Gardens, and there’s lots of room, and it’s convenient if you’re working downtown.

Where:

Yerba Buena Gardens, between Mission and Howard, and 3rd and 4th Streets downtown. The JumboTrons will be set up near the Mission Street end.

When:

8:00 to 2:00, Tuesday January 20, 2009

Logistics:

They might set up a few chairs, but be prepared for sitting on the lawn.

It’s a big space, and I think there should be room for everyone.

No pets. Wheelchair accessible.

More information:

Yerba Buena event details

Phone: 415-543-1718

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There are only a few more days now until Obama takes over! I’m so excited.

Want to celebrate this historic occasion with lots of other people, without having to go all the way to Washington, D.C.?

NextArts, a concert producer, will be putting on a video simulcast of the Inauguration ceremonies in Civic Center Plaza right here in San Francisco.

The event is free, but they are asking that you bring a new pair of socks or underwear (with the tags still attached), which they will donate to the homeless.

When:

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 from 7 am to 12 noon.

Where:

Civic Center Plaza, in front of City Hall.

Logistics:

Don’t know if there will be much, or any, seating. Probably a good idea to bring a blanket or a low chair if you’re going to be there for a while.

Don’t forget to bring a donation of new socks or underwear!

More information:

Next Arts inauguration FAQ