San Francisco Parks

Saying the memory of baseball star Joe DiMaggio should not "be held hostage to the whim of that hero's estate," San Francisco asked a judge Thursday to allow it to go ahead and name a city park after the late, great New York Yankee. In legal papers filed with U.S. District Court in Miami, a lawyer representing San Francisco asked the court to reject legal efforts by attorney Morris Engelberg, who controls the right to commercial uses of DiMaggio's name, to block the naming of the park.

George Lucas' hunt for a site for his "world-class museum for the future" recently took another turn after a trust for a highly coveted parkland in San Francisco nixed the proposal, offering an alternative location instead. The Presidio Trust rejected a site across from Crissy Field and instead have offered a spot near Lucas' Letterman Digital Arts Center in San Francisco. The planned 95,000-square-foot museum is designed to house Lucas' collection of Hollywood collectibles, Americana art and Norman Rockwell pieces, among others, that are valued at an estimated $1 billion combined.

SAN FRANCISCO -- What's eight feet wide and 12 feet deep and sells for $82,000? As it turns out, a parking spot near San Francisco's AT&T Park. The enclosed parking spot in a condo building in the South Park neighborhood is creating buzz in a town where the housing market is so hot most things fail to startle. But San Francisco Chronicle columnist C.W. Nevius reports Thursday the parking deal might be part of a new trend. The spot was sold last week by Sean Sullivan, an agent with Climb Real Estate who had some experience: He sold another one in the same building for $95,000 during San Francisco's last boom.

Thousands of people converged on Dolores Park in San Francisco on Saturday, celebrating the first day of gay pride weekend. The park was a sea of color, including tight glittery shorts, neon tutus, purple parasols and a dog with rainbow-dyed fur. A giant pink triangle was displayed nearby on the side of Twin Peaks. Partiers sipped beer, ate ice cream and danced to throbbing music under a pristine blue sky. Some people thought it was too hot for much clothing, opting for bathing suits or the smallest of Speedos.

Gardeners and other city workers who tend San Francisco's Golden Gate Park say crime and filth make their jobs dangerous, and they are seeking a crackdown on transients. Park workers--who have drawn up a petition asking for strict enforcement of park rules, especially those against camping--say they often find drug paraphernalia, feces and bloody clothing. They also say transients threaten them. "I just pruned and found three needles. You've got to have eyes behind your head.

Thousands of people converged on Dolores Park in San Francisco on Saturday, celebrating the first day of gay pride weekend. The park was a sea of color, including tight glittery shorts, neon tutus, purple parasols and a dog with rainbow-dyed fur. A giant pink triangle was displayed nearby on the side of Twin Peaks. Partiers sipped beer, ate ice cream and danced to throbbing music under a pristine blue sky. Some people thought it was too hot for much clothing, opting for bathing suits or the smallest of Speedos.

Crippled by arthritis so bad he has trouble standing, Willie McCovey grinned as he surveyed the Giants' quirky new bayside ballpark--with a mere 309 feet from home plate to the foul pole in right. "When I saw the right-field wall, I thought about making a comeback," the 62-year-old Hall of Famer said. McCovey spent his Giants career at wind-swept Candlestick Park. The most feared left-handed slugger of his generation, he could have caused a big splash at new Pacific Bell Park.

George Lucas' hunt for a site for his "world-class museum for the future" recently took another turn after a trust for a highly coveted parkland in San Francisco nixed the proposal, offering an alternative location instead. The Presidio Trust rejected a site across from Crissy Field and instead have offered a spot near Lucas' Letterman Digital Arts Center in San Francisco. The planned 95,000-square-foot museum is designed to house Lucas' collection of Hollywood collectibles, Americana art and Norman Rockwell pieces, among others, that are valued at an estimated $1 billion combined.

Amid the lupine, lilacs and California live oak of Golden Gate Park, a glorious swath of green in this densely populated city, the official state bird is vanishing. The California quail, a slightly comic bird with a plump profile and an elegant topknot, once roamed the park's 1,013 acres. More than 1,500 quail lived here at the turn of the century.

Ending a bitter legal dispute over how to best honor the legacy of New York Yankee legend Joe DiMaggio, city officials have reached an agreement with the late player's estate to rename in his honor a tiny North Beach park where DiMaggio and his brothers played as boys.

SAN FRANCISCO -- What's eight feet wide and 12 feet deep and sells for $82,000? As it turns out, a parking spot near San Francisco's AT&T Park. The enclosed parking spot in a condo building in the South Park neighborhood is creating buzz in a town where the housing market is so hot most things fail to startle. But San Francisco Chronicle columnist C.W. Nevius reports Thursday the parking deal might be part of a new trend. The spot was sold last week by Sean Sullivan, an agent with Climb Real Estate who had some experience: He sold another one in the same building for $95,000 during San Francisco's last boom.

The views were mesmerizing: A shroud of fog enveloped the Golden Gate Bridge. Waves washed onto the Berkeley shores. A sailboat tacked its way under the Bay Bridge. But I had little time to sit and absorb the scenery from Angel Island State Park. If I didn't pick up the pace, I would be stranded on this largely undeveloped island in the middle of San Francisco Bay without food or shelter until the next morning.

Ending a bitter legal dispute over how to best honor the legacy of New York Yankee legend Joe DiMaggio, city officials have reached an agreement with the late player's estate to rename in his honor a tiny North Beach park where DiMaggio and his brothers played as boys.

Saying the memory of baseball star Joe DiMaggio should not "be held hostage to the whim of that hero's estate," San Francisco asked a judge Thursday to allow it to go ahead and name a city park after the late, great New York Yankee. In legal papers filed with U.S. District Court in Miami, a lawyer representing San Francisco asked the court to reject legal efforts by attorney Morris Engelberg, who controls the right to commercial uses of DiMaggio's name, to block the naming of the park.

Crippled by arthritis so bad he has trouble standing, Willie McCovey grinned as he surveyed the Giants' quirky new bayside ballpark--with a mere 309 feet from home plate to the foul pole in right. "When I saw the right-field wall, I thought about making a comeback," the 62-year-old Hall of Famer said. McCovey spent his Giants career at wind-swept Candlestick Park. The most feared left-handed slugger of his generation, he could have caused a big splash at new Pacific Bell Park.

Amid the lupine, lilacs and California live oak of Golden Gate Park, a glorious swath of green in this densely populated city, the official state bird is vanishing. The California quail, a slightly comic bird with a plump profile and an elegant topknot, once roamed the park's 1,013 acres. More than 1,500 quail lived here at the turn of the century.

The views were mesmerizing: A shroud of fog enveloped the Golden Gate Bridge. Waves washed onto the Berkeley shores. A sailboat tacked its way under the Bay Bridge. But I had little time to sit and absorb the scenery from Angel Island State Park. If I didn't pick up the pace, I would be stranded on this largely undeveloped island in the middle of San Francisco Bay without food or shelter until the next morning.

Comic theater, acrobatics and clowning, a chance for the audience to get into the act and a sweet little jazz band--those elements that have made San Francisco's Make-A-Circus theater troupe a summer treat for 19 years. The one-ring circus will be in Orange County tonight, at the Pearson Park Amphitheatre in Anaheim, and Sunday at Chapparosa Park in Laguna Niguel.

Gardeners and other city workers who tend San Francisco's Golden Gate Park say crime and filth make their jobs dangerous, and they are seeking a crackdown on transients. Park workers--who have drawn up a petition asking for strict enforcement of park rules, especially those against camping--say they often find drug paraphernalia, feces and bloody clothing. They also say transients threaten them. "I just pruned and found three needles. You've got to have eyes behind your head.