Green Roofs in San Francisco

In a spring escape, I was in San Francisco in late March. We visited museums, parks, and restaurants.

Roof, California Academy of Sciences

I had not been to the California Academy of Sciences in more than 20 years. In that period, the building was completely rebuilt, with a green roof. I had been doubtful about green roofs--where people grow plants on the roof. I know they have been used for millennia in parts of Europe, but those are wetter climates than San Francisco. So I wondered about watering and keeping plants alive in shallow soils. Or, if the soils aren't shallow, the weight on the roof. 

Travel Story--Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

It was still winter in Colorado in March 2023 when we took off to San Francisco on a California escape. The area had had a stressful winter of heavy rains and our trip was sandwiched in between two more storms. But we had a beautiful day for walking Golden Gate Park. 

Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco

Flowers in San Francisco

It was November and San Franisco's flowers were blooming!

California poppies, Eschscholzia californica, in a San Francisco lawn

Visiting San Francisco -- Asian Influences

I recently wrote about Taiwan and Singapore as places to enjoy Chinese New Year celebrations. That made me think of places closer to home with rich Asian traditions--in particular, San Francisco. 

I lived in San Francisco for part of a year and across the Bay in Berkeley and Oakland for five. I have visited frequently since. I'm not particularly fond of cities, but I'm fond of San Francisco.