F I R S TP R E V847NEXTLAST

McLaren Park, Southeastern San Francisco
After depressing everyone with yesterday's post I thought I'd talk today about a great place to take children in San Francisco, the beautiful 348-acre McLaren Park. This urban park is the second largest inland park in the city and features multiple playgrounds, secluded meadows, tennis courts, a duck pond, the Crocker-Amazon Skate Park, the 600-seat Jerry Garcia Amphitheater, and the Gleneagles International Golf Course.

Named after the city's superintendent of Golden Gate Park, John McLaren, the hilly area was originally part of an old Mexican land grant rancho before the city decided to convert it into a public park. The park's high location offers many great panoramic views including a vista of the downtown skyline to the north. McLaren Park is very rarely crowded and is well-maintained having received a number of major upgrades and improvements over the years.

This park fulfills John McLaren's wish that the people of San Francisco have "unspoiled alpine joy in the city."
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