Bob Haas, then chairman of Levi’s said that he wanted it to feel like a well-worn pair of blue jeans. And that’s what we tried to do —it’s off the cuff, never symmetrical, it’s easy-going and relaxed. ~ Architect Bill Valentine

Happy Little Secret Spot: Levi’s Plaza

I love secret little spots, this spot, Levi’s Plaza, doesn’t technically qualify as that, it’s more of an overlooked spot, at least on the weekends. I will absolutely do a full post on this soon, but I guess it’s time to go public that I’m planning on once again attempting to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail again in March/April 2025. If you want to know more about my last attempt you can always search the Appalachian Trail on search function for this blog, or hell, just read the book I wrote about it, Appalachian Trail Happiness, available in paperback or on Kindle via Amazon. Or if you want a signed signed paperback copy from me you can reach out at HappinessKane@aol.com.

As part of my early training to return to the trail I walk in the city of San Francisco nearly every weekend. Why not hike the myriad of local hiking trails you ask? Mostly because I hate them, especially on the weekends. The trails here, while nice, are way too crowded for me to enjoy. You see another hiker or group every couple of minutes, every third hiker has a dog off leash regardless of the regulations and every fifth hiker is graciously sharing with everyone their favorite music with everyone via their shiny new Bluetooth speaker. Throw in dealing with traffic in the Bay Area and I’d rather walk in the city and reward myself with a good pizza or something at one of the city’s many really good food options. The nice thing about San Francisco in terms of urban hiking, is there are no shortage of serious hills to walk up and down as well as miles of interesting neighborhoods to walk through.

Levi’s Plaza

The site was originally known as Frederick Griffing’s wharf. Eventually, the land was built up and the wharf was buried along with Frederick Griffing’s ship. When Levi’s Plaza was under construction, the buried ship was rediscovered. The site is adjacent to the headquarters for Levi Strauss Jeans and is part of the Levi’s Corporate Plaza.

It’s not hard to find, but easily overlooked, it actually sits right on the Embarcadero near the Exploratorium but on the opposite side of the Embarcadero. It’s a beautiful little park and because I really seem to get bored walking the stretch between Fisherman’s Wharf and the Ferry Building and it’s a great break during that walk.

It’s important to have little places of peace and solace, little hideaways that you can slip into from time to time to relax and recharge. This is one little place I have in the city, I hope you all have those places for yourself, they’re important. Here are a few images from the park.

Have a happy day my friends. ~ Rev Kane