Hidden San Francisco

Entrance is at end of short dead-end street. This street used to be a cemetery, and only the building remains.

While San Francisco is going through monstrous growth, I prefer to find things that are not changing and are overlooked by the bigger stuff.  This trip we visited the San Francisco Columbarium north of the Golden Gate Park near Stanyan and Anza Streets.  The main building was built in 1898 and it is the last active cemetery in the city and county of San Francisco. It is not a traditional cemetery, but a building for cremation remains.

First, understand my fascination of cemeteries, mostly of OLD cemeteries where there would be a poem, a short bio, a photo, a memento at the site that provides a glimpse to the person who passed.  Modern cemeteries are low maintenance, industrial, high density locations with no personality or sense of the personalities who 'rest' there.
San Francisco has an interesting cemetery history. In 1900 the city voted to stop burials within city limits. At that time, there were 30 cemeteries, while today there are two: Presidio and Mission Delores Church.  Between 1900 and 1940, the buried bodies in the 28 cemeteries were moved to new cemeteries in Colma south of the city. Colma is now famous for having a larger dead than living population!

Central dome - see niches along walls on each floor.

Some examples of personalized niches. I could have spent hours learning about people who's remains are stored here.  Many niches contained more than one urn, typically for partners, husband and wife, and even children.  While we found the older remains were mostly European, it seemed the more recent ones are largely Asian.

Marian and Vivian Brown were famous when I lived in SF. They dressed as twins all the time.  They died a couple of months from one another. 

The San Francisco 'Twins' did commercials including one for Virgin Atlantic. Richard Branson took them shopping at Harrods after filming!

The Columbarium buildings were beautiful, peaceful and welcoming. The Turk and I were invited to have some hot chocolate or coffee while we walked around.  While I was there, I overheard a conversation where a gentleman was talking to his dad about his challenging brother's behavior and how he is trying to help him.  I looked around the bend to see this man talking to his dad's niche and I realized that this is very much a place people visit to connect with their loved ones.   We saw more evidence of this when we saw recent additions to many of the niches.

Two more unique items at the Columbarium.  Many of the oldest niches are enclosed with metal. This one was formed for a woodsman - as seen by the log and the inscription: Her Rests a Woodman of the World'.   The 'ashes of Problem Clients' was found in one of the niches. I had to laugh!

Of course we also ate our way through SF!  Dandelion Chocolate in the Mission is always a must.  And next door, Craftsman and Wolves rounds out the snacking. We had their famous 'the Rebel Within'  - a savory muffin with soft boiled egg inside, and a yuzu (citrus) stone - coffee creme with tart yuzu and crunchy coconut bottom. 

Turk's fave - European sipping chocolate

Yuzu stone

Dandelion sipping chocolate and frozen hot chocolate!

Fun artwork in the Mission.

 

Got to go to a ball game with Parker and Arthur!!!  Lots of expensive food and beer + cold windy SF weather + typical San Francisco baseball experience.

I finally got the perfect Turk photo - on Turk Street of course. But you see, there is no 'street', just TURK!

And to be sure, the Turk had to feed the neighborhood goats at Moss Beach!