There is so much going on in the Yerba Buena Gardens! In addition to the gardens there is a children’s carousel and museum, an ice skating rink and bowling.
I walked around the block to see what I could fiind. Near the Center for the Arts building is the gardens. Such a beautiful spot and the church in the background was lovely. Lots of room to sit and enjoy the views.
Then I turned around and saw this:
I walked behind the waterfall and inscribed along the wall was a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King.
It was very impressive. I also took a short video of the fountain and the garden.
In the Chinese New Year, this is the year of the Ox and because of COVID the traditional Chinese New Year Parade was not possible so instead the Chinese Chamber of Commerce decided to have statues placed throughout the city and call it The Year of The Ox on Parade. This one was across the street from City Hall.
Unfortunately, they were only on display for a month or so and I wasn’t able to get around to visiting any other ones. Also, I didn’t realize that there was a contest going on and you could take a picture near the statue and submit it to win a prize. These are what the other statues looked like.
If you look really closely at this picture of Union Square you can see the orange ox right in the middle. This one actually was defaced and had to be removed. Sad that people do things like that.
I have one more “Y” for today since I wasn’t able to get to see the Ox on Parade, I did find another statue that starts with “Y,” Yoda! I mentioned when we were driving around the Presidio that the Letterman Hospital building had been sold to LucasFilms and this statue is in the garden entrance.
Isn’t he cute? Well, one more letter to go. You have to come back tomorrow to read the story of the hearts. See you then!
Janet's Smiles 
Wow I wish I’d seen those gardens!
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Aren’t they something?
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Pingback: A to Z 2021 – Reflection | Janet's Smiles
Yoda is adorable. And so are the Ox on parade. What a great idea!
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Isn’t it? I wish I had known they were only going to be there for such a short time. I would have tried harder to see them all.
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Oh wow, this is so so beautiful! The speech and the added touch of the waterfall right there, wow!
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It was very moving for sure.
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Such a nice park! Looks like you had a very nice sunny day, too.
Love the Ox statues and the Yoda fountain.
Happy Friday!
https://thethreegerbers.blogspot.com/2021/04/a-z-2021-days-are-long-but-years-are.html
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Thanks Tamara! Almost sorry to see the A to Z ending. It’s been fun exploring.
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Yerba Buena Gardens are beautiful, and I never knew there was a tribute to MLK there. Very nice!
I need that statue of Yoda for my patio! 😀 😀
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You wouldn’t know about the tribute unless you walked behind the fountain. Yoda is the best!
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I love that you can walk behind the waterfall. How fun! Weekends In Maine
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More great San Fran pics… gotta love Yoda!
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Thanks Jeanne!
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Another fun post. The garden and waterfall look so wonderful and Zen – I feel relaxed just looking at your photos. And what a clever idea about the oxen. Yoda definitely made me smile. I think he’s found his happy spot.
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Thanks Deborah. I think I might even be a little sad that I don’t have to go around town looking for these spots.
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Yoda! You saw him in person, so to speak. A fun post once again
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Thanks Ally. He was just standing there so I didn’t think he’d mind if I took his picture.
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Ha!
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Another stunning place, and a Yoda! Have enjoyed the tour, looking forward to final stops, but will miss my daily visit to San Francisco!
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Thanks Iain. I’m kind of going to miss it myself.
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