Mission Dolores Park is a welcoming green space dotted with palm trees, conveniently located directly between Castro Street and Valencia Street, only a few blocks from bustling Market Street which links to neighborhoods all over the city. Accessible by light rail on the F and J lines, Dolores Park is also walking distance from the BART, multiple MUNI and bus lines, and the Haight Ashbury neighborhood. Dolores park is therefore right in the center of the cultural and social center of San Francisco, and a true representation of the area's diverse social and cultural identity.

Although the park is heavily used on sunny days, the grass is in great shape, and crowds do not feel like a deterrent. There are benches bordering the park and they are also scattered throughout - however, most people prefer to sit on the sloped ground which faces the northeast with beautiful far reaching views on the San Francisco downtown skyline and the greater Bay Area. Besides the excellent views, the park features basketball and tennis courts, and a playground. It contains lots of open space and it is not uncommon to see people throwing a frisbee, walking a tight-rope, locals playing with their dogs, and some kind of social event taking place. The park is happily shared by families and young people at all hours of the day, and is surrounded by some of the best cafes the city has to offer - it is an excellent place to bring a cup of coffee and a muffin with the morning paper, and simply people watch, or soak up the California sun.

San Francisco’s Mission Dolores Park, situated between the historic Castro Street in the Castro District and Valencia Street in the Mission District, is a beautiful eight square block park nestled on a hillside with broad sweeping views of the San Francisco downtown and Bay Area skyline to the north east. The park, which was originally developed in 1905, recently re-opened in January 2016 after a much needed two year-long makeover, which included renovations of its tennis courts, public restrooms, and walking paths. It is situated in between two historic and culturally diverse neighborhoods, and the hilltop location itself is unbeatable in terms of catching the beauty and allure of San Francisco.

All images from Flickr Creative Commons, from left: Tim Riley, Matthew Roth, Sean Munson

Website: www.sfrecpark.org

Facebook: /dolorespark

Twitter: @dpworks