Sutro Baths before
Sutro Baths ruins today
The Sutro Baths, at the western edge of the city where San Francisco ends and Pacific Ocean begins, is a popular site. The ruins are what’s left of a giant glass domed amusement hall that, over its lifespan at one time or another, featured 7 pools, restaurants, an oddity museum, an ice rink, and an indoor beach.
Nearby is the Cliff House, currently shuttered, but was once a destination restaurant for the view and drinks. The food, not so much.
But nearby both, mostly overlooked by locals, and a sure bet unheard of by visitors, is Sutro Heights Park. It is what’s left of the estate of Adolph Sutro, a man who in the 1880’s made a fortune building a tunnel in Nevada, then used that money buy 12 percent of the land in San Francisco. In 1881 he started building his estate, and in 1883 opened the grounds to the public for a dime donation to pay the 17 maintenance workers. Sutro was promoter of getting people to the west side of the city, which in the late 1800’s was not an easy journey.
There’s more to the story, but the short version is the estate eventually went into decay, and Sutro’s family donated the house and land to San Francisco in 1938. The house was demolished, most of the statuary removed, and it is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
It might be the gate at the entrance, placed to prevent unwanted cars, that makes folks assume the park is off limits to humans, and thus accounting for the sparse attendance.
But for those who know to venture past the gate, beautiful views await: The Pacific. Ocean Beach, a name which lacks imagination but makes up for in clarity. The Sunset District. The Great HIghway, which is neither. Golden Gate Heights.
I don’t go there as often as I should, and when I do, and take in the views, promise myself I’ll get back soon. I do better each time.
San Francisco is a city of views. Here are more:
5 Best Free Views in San Francisco