SAN FRANCISCO
goal, however, is Rockaway Beach, a subway-accessible
the skyscrap- er-studded southern tip of Manhattan. I stop for a gouda grilled cheese at a food truck in the historic South Street Seaport district, then make my way to Brook- lyn Bridge Park, the city’s newest. Located right under the iconic bridge, its pop-up pool, 90-year-old carousel, outdoor wine bar, and gelato carts overlooking the Manhattan skyline are worth a full day. But I press on to Prospect Park, home to the “picnicker’s mile”—one of the longest city park meadows in the country. In fair weather, the roll- ing stretch of grass and trees fills with neighbors cutting local cheeses, flying kites, and playing lawn games. From here, cyclists usually head
onto the protected bike lanes of Ocean Parkway. These lead straight to the Atlantic Ocean—and the roller coasters of Coney Island. My
surf spot a few miles down the road. I lock up my bike and jump into a long line of
chatty beach bums and tattooed
Brooklynites at Rockaway Taco. With a spicy chipotle mayo, fresh radish, and greens, the crispy fish taco is worth the wait. I eat while watching the ocean lap
the boardwalk, now undergoing re- pairs after Superstorm Sandy. As the sun begins to set and I stand to leave, I spy an adolescent osprey attempting to catch its own fish dinner—a New Yorker after my own heart: always hungry, always on the move.
#3: THREE-WAY TIE
Three cities share the number- three spot this year: Sacramento, Boston, and last year’s champion, San Francisco. Out of a possible 100 points, each city received a score of 72.5, compared with New York’s 73.5 and Minneapolis’s 81.0.
I
Eric Smillie DIY guy, art aficionado
n the 1940s, Filbert Street on the east side of Telegraph Hill was a dumping ground. So steep that it’s a stairway, the street collected old box springs, stoves, and other waste—a scene hard to imagine now as I stand at Grace Marchant Garden. Along- side the wooden steps overlooking the bay, a lush tangle of jasmine and wild roses pulses in the sunlight filtering through tendrils of San Francisco’s infamous fog. Marchant cleared and tended this garden for three decades; neighbors still care for it today. That spirit of creativity defines
San Francisco, and I’m seeking it out in the city’s parks. From the steps, I bike along the waterfront to Marina Green. The paths bustle with pedes- trians, but at the end of Yacht Road, on a jetty overlooking Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge, I find a peaceful spot—though not a quiet
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clockwise from top left: tyghe trimble, flickr user steve rhodes, flickr user wildcoasts
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