Alta Plaza is a
park in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
and caps the top of the western edge of
Pacific Heights
Pacific Heights is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California. It has panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay, the Palace of Fine Arts, Alcatraz, and the Presidio.
The Pacific Heights Residents Association defines the neig ...
. It falls under the jurisdiction of the City's Supervisorial District 2.
The park is served by several
San Francisco Municipal Railway
The San Francisco Municipal Railway (SF Muni or Muni), is the public transit system for the City and County of San Francisco. It operates a system of bus routes (including trolleybuses), the Muni Metro light rail system, three historic cabl ...
bus lines. It gets its name from the eponymous spring.
Background
Alta Plaza consists of four square blocks at the top of Pacific Heights and overlooks much of San Francisco's Marina and Cow Hollow Districts, the
Presidio
A presidio ( en, jail, fortification) was a fortified base established by the Spanish Empire around between 16th and 18th centuries in areas in condition of their control or influence. The presidios of Spanish Philippines in particular, were cen ...
,
Fort Mason
Fort Mason, in San Francisco, California originated as a coastal defense site during the American Civil War. The nucleus of the property was owned by John C. Frémont and disputes over compensation by the United States continued into 1968. In 188 ...
and
Alcatraz
Alcatraz Island () is a small island in San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military pris ...
. It is bordered by Jackson Street on the north, Clay Street to the south, and with Steiner and Scott Streets on its east and west edges, respectively. The plaza cuts off the East-West continuation of Washington Street and North-South continuation of Pierce Street. The plaza provides three hard surface tennis courts and a small playground in its center and has a large grass park on its northern half and terraced lawns on it southern half.
The steps at Alta Plaza are featured in the 1972 film ''
What's Up, Doc?''. They were used without permission and were badly damaged during filming of the signature chase scene (in which a
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German (meaning "beetle"), in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, ...
, a
Yellow Cab
Yellow cab taxicab operators exist all around the world (some with common heritage, some without). The original Yellow Cab Company, based in Chicago, Illinois, was one of the largest taxicab companies in the United States.
History
Yellow ca ...
, a black
Cadillac Fleetwood
Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the 2011 census.
Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830s, when the principal lando ...
limousine
A limousine ( or ), or limo () for short, is a large, chauffeur-driven luxury vehicle with a partition between the driver compartment and the passenger compartment.
A very long wheelbase luxury sedan (with more than four doors) driven by a pr ...
and a Cadillac
DeVille Convertible
A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers.
A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...
all clumsily speed down the steps), and the damage can still be seen today.
See also
*
San Francisco Parks
*
49-Mile Scenic Drive
References
External links
Alta Plaza, Historic American Landscapes Survey National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...
.
*
{{Neighborhoods_of_San_Francisco , state=collapsed
Parks in San Francisco
Neighborhoods in San Francisco
Squares in San Francisco
Rivers of San Francisco