Author Marta Lindsey sits at a fountain in Golden Gate Park's Music Concourse. Credit: Marta Lindsey

How I See San Francisco: Author Marta Lindsey

For Marta Lindsey, everything wonderful about San Francisco can be traced back to spectacular Golden Gate Park.

If you want to have a truly genuine San Francisco experience, then you have to consult the experts: our friendly locals. Knowledgable, passionate, and always ready with a recommendation for what to do, see, or eat, San Franciscans of all types have been part of our ongoing "How I See San Francisco" series.

Meet Marta Lindsey, a San Franciscan who was so inspired by Golden Gate Park that she wrote two books about it. There isn't a corner of the park's 1,000-plus acres that Marta hasn't explored, and she's keen to share her knowledge with visitors. We asked her what she'd recommend—inside and outside the park—to visitors.

What is a typical day in San Francisco like for Marta Lindsey?

Beyond the usual runaround that is work, kids, and errands, bakeries and Golden Gate Park are the two things I try to make part of a typical day.

Good bread and pastries are the most gratifying luxury I can afford, and San Francisco is a great city for them.

Regularly in my rotation are: the chocolate hazelnut sourdough bread from Jane; chocolate koigh amanns from b. Patisserie; "wonderbread" from Josey Baker Bread; pineapple buns (with Kerrygold butter) from Pineapple King Bakery; the milk cake, honey cake, and egg custard tarts from Harvest Wheat Field bakery in the Inner Richmond; cheddar-jalapeno breadsticks and English muffins from Arizmendi; and the entire case and shelves of Noe Valley Bakery.

I’m in Golden Gate Park most days, even if it’s just biking through to get elsewhere. I go to the park for every reason possible: entertainment, socializing, time with my family, and exercise.

Which neighborhood, other than your own, do you love to explore?

I previously lived in the Inner Sunset for 16 years and still find myself there a few times a week. I can’t keep up with the number of interesting new restaurants (a Tadaima just opened). But I can keep up my status as a regular at Arizmendi Bakery, The Beanery, Sriracha Thai, and Green Apple Books on the Park.

Where do you indulge your creative side in San Francisco?

Maybe it’s because I’m from Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes, but being around water opens up some mental space for creativity for me. I love walking and biking our new coastal park, Sunset Dunes, and hanging out by Metson Lake (my favorite lake in Golden Gate Park) on a sunny day.

There’s so much to see and do within Golden Gate Park. What’s your suggested park itinerary for first-time visitors?

You really can’t go wrong in Golden Gate Park, so having no agenda is just fine; but if I were to craft my perfect day in the park, I’d want a mix of nature, culture, history, and human connection. (And a pastry never hurts!)

I’d start by getting a pastry from California Kahve near the Carousel and walking up onto the balcony of the Sharon Art Building. I love this spot. You can look out at what was the first public playground in the United States when it opened in 1888. For fun, go to opensfhistory.org and search for "Sharon Building." The historic photos, including ones after the 1906 earthquake, offer a fascinating window into the area in eras past.

Then I’d head into the National AIDS Memorial Grove, one of the most beautiful parts of the park that many people miss. This article is worth reading if you go there.

I’d next go to JFK Promenade for a walk. There’s art along the way and sometimes live music on or near it especially on weekends.

If it’s a clear day, I never get tired of going up in the free Hamon Observation Tower in the de Young Museum for 360-degree views of the park.

After that, do what grabs you! You could go to one of the park’s major attractions or just keep walking down JFK Promenade and on up to Blue Heron Lake to hike to the top of Strawberry Hill.

To be able to live in a city and have a park where you can be really immersed in nature is incredible. There are parts of the park—trails, lakes, forests—where it feels truly wild. We all need that escape sometimes. And the park is here for all of us, always.

What’s a hidden treasure of Golden Gate Park that most locals might not even know?

The renovated Golden Gate Park Golf Clubhouse has an outdoor patio, affordable beer, coffee, and a grill that serves up the famous Burgerdog™. It’s open to the public and there are views of the Pacific through the Monterey cypress trees.

Maybe as importantly, I’ve deemed these the nicest bathrooms in the park.

What’s your favorite annual event that happens in San Francisco?

Flower Piano, Hardly Strictly, and the tree lighting outside McLaren Lodge are annual events in Golden Gate Park that I never miss. I also love Dancing in the Park, which is a whole day of free dance performances in the Music Concourse in late April. Last year, I did the annual Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt for the first time and had a blast. And then there’s the SF Stair Challenge each May, which is such a celebration of our city’s hills and neighborhoods.

Which restaurant is still on your list to dine at in San Francisco?

Shuggies in the Mission District has been on my list for a while. I love the idea of using ingredients that would otherwise go to waste and eating something unexpected.

What should every visitor to San Francisco do at least once?

Besides Golden Gate Park, I will never stop loving the cable car. I like to get on the California line at Market Street; there’s usually no line and if you get the all-day pass, you can hop off and go to the Cable Car Museum. The view down California Street as you get near Chinatown is a classic!

What’s one thing in San Francisco that you wish more visitors knew about?

I think the word is getting around, but the Crosstown Trail, Doublecross Trail, and Roundabout hiking routes are spectacular ways to explore San Francisco. The Crosstown Trail also brings you very close to Pineapple King Bakery at about mile 10, when you’ve really earned the pineapple bun with Kerrygold butter. You can do a section of any one of these hikes rather than tackling the whole route in one day.

Tell us about a time you felt most at home in San Francisco.

Probably on a blanket in the Great Meadow at the Botanical Garden with my kids when they were really little. I just thought, “Wow, my kids are growing up here. Pretty awesome.”

Any final advice for visitors to coming to San Francisco?

I think visitors feel like spending one day in Golden Gate Park is sufficient for checking it off their list; but spend more there if you can. I promise you won’t regret it.

Marta’s latest book, "Discovering Golden Gate Park: A Local’s Guide," was released March 2, 2026. She also wrote an award-winning children’s book, "Golden Gate Park: An A to Z Adventure." Both are available everywhere books are sold, including most attractions in Golden Gate Park. Follow Marta on Instagram at @secretgoldengatepark and learn more secrets of the park at her website.