My middle name is "Danger"

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Truth: Well-maintained national parks make me feel (almost) good about paying my taxes. The Bay Area is home to 38 parks maintained by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. All of them are gorgeous and unique. Fort Funston could quite possibly be the most dangerous of those 38. [Cue ominous-sounding pipe organ chords now: “Dun-dun-DUN…”]

Hi. My name is Allison and I am a recent transplant from the Florida Keys, a chain of tiny islands that has one main, stick-straight road, and the impossibility of getting lost. After moving to San Francisco in 2008 and getting lost for the umpteenth time, I made it a goal to walk every street to get my bearings in this hilly, twisted town. After 18 months of steady plodding, I’m more than 500 miles into the journey. To keep track of where I’ve been, I keep a blog, allisonwalkssf.com.

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Editor’s Note: Allison Walks will be taking a break for a few months. It’s been a pleasure to follow Allison’s explorations of the Ocean Beach area over the past 10 months, and we look forward to her return in the future.

This Monkey Isn't Bleak

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The Outer Sunset gets such an unfair wrap as being “bleak” (see the Rachel Levin comment in the New York Times). Sure the salty ocean air has a raging appetite for all things oxidizable. And sure the Pacific fog has a habit of rolling in and overstaying its welcome like Cousin Eddie. But that doesn’t mean the neighborhood is desolate and hopeless…

Hi. My name is Allison and I am a recent transplant from the Florida Keys, a chain of tiny islands that has one main, stick-straight road, and the impossibility of getting lost. After moving to San Francisco in 2008 and getting lost for the umpteenth time, I made it a goal to walk every street to get my bearings in this hilly, twisted town. After 15 months of steady plodding, I am about 470 miles into the journey. To keep track of where I’ve been I keep a blog, http://allisonwalkssf.com.

Into the sunlight

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Sunny days are far apart and fleeting this time of year in San Francisco, so when one comes along, you just have to take advantage by spending every minute of it outside. Seriously. I think there is a city ordinance that mandates sunshine-basking. Where better place to bask in the sun than in Golden Gate Park?

Hi. My name is Allison and I am a recent transplant from the Florida Keys, a chain of tiny islands that has one main, stick-straight road, and the impossibility of getting lost. After moving to San Francisco in 2008 and getting lost for the umpteenth time, I made it a goal to walk every street to get my bearings in this hilly, twisted town. After 15 months of steady plodding, I am more than 500 miles into the journey. To keep track of where I’ve been I keep a blog, http://allisonwalkssf.com.

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Publisher’s note: Ocean Beach Bulletin readers, we need your help! Join your fellow readers in supporting news and information for San Francisco’s western edge. Donate to the Ocean Beach Bulletin using the “Donate” button in the right-hand column of this page. It’s fast, it’s simple and every dollar makes a difference.

West Sunset baseball field

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A beautiful Saturday afternoon in the Outer Sunset calls for any or all of the following: baseball, picnic, nap on the beach or a walk along Noriega and Ortega streets. I opted for the walk.

Hi. My name is Allison and I am a recent transplant from the Florida Keys, a chain of tiny islands that has one main, stick-straight road, and the impossibility of getting lost. After moving to San Francisco in 2008 and getting lost for the umpteenth time, I made it a goal to walk every street to get my bearings in this hilly, twisted town. After 15 months of steady plodding, I am about 470 miles into the journey. To keep track of where I’ve been I keep a blog, http://allisonwalkssf.com.

Zoo entrance

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Ah, the San Francisco Zoo! I’ve been twice since I moved here and loved it both times. Before we move on to the next picture, I need to note that I LOVE my new shirt from @walksf. If you aren’t familiar with Walk San Francisco, you should be, because they do a great job of advocating pedestrian safety across the city.

Hi. My name is Allison and I am a recent transplant from the Florida Keys, a chain of tiny islands that has one main, stick-straight road, and the impossibility of getting lost. After moving to San Francisco in 2008 and getting lost for the umpteenth time, I made it a goal to walk every street to get my bearings in this hilly, twisted town. After 15 months of steady plodding, I am about 450 miles into the journey. To keep track of where I’ve been I keep a blog, http://allisonwalkssf.com.

Hello, Judah!

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Hello, Judah! I've walked on Judah Street before, but haven't had the time to enjoy the local establishments. So today's walk was short, but full of shopping and snacking inside the neighborhood stores and restaurants.

Hi. My name is Allison and I am a recent transplant from the Florida Keys, a chain of tiny islands that has one main, stick-straight road, and the impossibility of getting lost. After moving to San Francisco in 2008 and getting lost for the umpteenth time, I made it a goal to walk every street to get my bearings in this hilly, twisted town. After 12 months of steady plodding, I am about 400 miles into the journey. To keep track of where I’ve been, I keep a blog, http://allisonwalkssf.com.

Welcome to the Lake

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Here’s a little trivia about Lake Merced brought to you by the Western Neighborhoods Project: Lake Merced was originally inhabited by the Ohlone Indians, who fished the lake and plied the nearby Pacific for fish, seals and the occasional beached whale. The Spanish arrived in 1774, scouted the area as a possible mission site and named it The Lake of Our Lady of Mercy – which later became the corrupted Spanish/English “Merced.”

Hi. My name is Allison and I am a recent transplant from the Florida Keys, a chain of tiny islands that has one main, stick-straight road, and the impossibility of getting lost. After moving to San Francisco in 2008 and getting lost for the umpteenth time, I made it a goal to walk every street to get my bearings in this hilly, twisted town. After 12 months of steady plodding, I am about 400 miles into the journey. To keep track of where I’ve been, I keep a blog, http://allisonwalkssf.com.

Note: Writing a column every two weeks — and doing the walks on which it’s based — can take up a lot of time. And the onset of winter brings fewer daylight hours in which to do the walking. That means that Allison’s column will move to a monthly schedule after this installment. Look for more Allison Walks Dec. 17. – Tom Prete

Welcome to Golden Gate Park

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I know this may shock you to hear, but Golden Gate Park is amazing. I’m embarrassed to say that while I’ve driven through, visited the museums and attended music festivals in it, I have never actually walked in the park before. I think I waited so long because I assumed it was just another park. Man, was I wrong.

Hi. My name is Allison and I am a recent transplant from the Florida Keys, a chain of tiny islands that has one main, stick-straight road, and the impossibility of getting lost. After moving to San Francisco in 2008 and getting lost for the umpteenth time, I made it a goal to walk every street to get my bearings in this hilly, twisted town. After 12 months of steady plodding, I am about 400 miles into the journey. To keep track of where I’ve been, I keep a blog, http://allisonwalkssf.com.

Other Avenues

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Don’t judge me, but I am just now starting to watch Season 1 of Six Feet Under. I know, I know…I’m not sure what took me so long. Anyway, in the first episode, the character Nate moves back home after living in Seattle and working at a food co-op. This got me interested in food co-ops, so I decided to go on a hunt for one in the Outer Sunset. I ended up at the Other Avenues Food Store at Judah and 44th.

Hi. My name is Allison and I am a recent transplant from the Florida Keys, a chain of tiny islands that has one main, stick-straight road, and the impossibility of getting lost. After moving to San Francisco in 2008 and getting lost for the umpteenth time, I made it a goal to walk every street to get my bearings in this hilly, twisted town. After 12 months of steady plodding, I am about 400 miles into the journey. To keep track of where I’ve been, I keep a blog, http://allisonwalkssf.com.

Warning!

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For this walk (which you can see by looking through the slideshow and reading the captions) I started at Fulton Street and walked in the sand all the way up to the Sutro Baths, climbed up the hillside, ate at Louis’ and then walked back to the car by way of the sidewalk that hugs the road.

On a difficulty scale of 1 to 10, this walk is an 8. Walking on the beach sand is awkward and potentially ankle-twisting, and then the climb up the side of the Sutro Baths area is aggressive with a capital A. I don’t recommend doing that if you have heart trouble, etc.

I also recommend bringing a scarf, hat and gloves because the wind is ridiculous. Oh, and I have to give credit to my brother, Kelly, who walked with me and contributed all of these photos. His camera so much fancier than mine. Thanks, Kelly!

Hi. My name is Allison and I am a recent transplant from the Florida Keys, a chain of tiny islands that has one main, stick-straight road, and the impossibility of getting lost. After moving to San Francisco in 2008 and getting lost for the umpteenth time, I made it a goal to walk every street to get my bearings in this hilly, twisted town. After 12 months of steady plodding, I am about 400 miles into the journey. To keep track of where I’ve been, I keep a blog, http://allisonwalkssf.com.