CUPID'S SPAN: THE HIDDEN DESTINATION IN SAN FRANCISCO

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Cupid's Span: The Hidden Destination In San Francisco

By Henry Libo-on

The Story

This secret destination is popularly known as the Cupid's Span.  It is located at Rincon Park along the Embarcadero in San Francisco.  So many tourists pass by this piece of art and they admired it but little did they know what significance does this piece of art has to the City of San Francisco and to the world. 

So as not to lose the essence of the story on how the arrow came about, I decided to quote Wikipedia.  This is the story:

"Cupid's Span is an outdoor sculpture by married artists, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, installed along the Embarcadero in San Francisco, California, in the United States.  The 60-foot (18 m) sculpture commissioned by GAP founders Donald and Doris F. Fisher, depicts a partial bow and piece of an arrow.  Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen's Cupid's Span, made of fiberglass and steel, was installed in the newly built Rincon Park, along the Embarcadero in San Francisco in 2012 " (Wikipedia).

"The piece resembles Cupid's bow and arrow, drawn, with the arrow and bow partially implanted in the ground.  The artists stated that the piece was inspired by San Francisco's reputation as the home port of Eros, hence the stereotyped bow and arrow of Cupid. Leydier and Penwarden wrote, "Love's trade-mark weapon naturally evokes the city's permissive and romantic reputation, while formally its taut curve resonates wonderfully with the structure of the famous suspension bridge in the background." (Wikipedia). 

My comment is - Eros is the Greek god of love and sex.  Cupid is the Roman counterpart of Eros.  Eros is considered as a primordial god, one that existed from the beginning of time. 

My Perception

No matter where we are in the world, love binds us. It is love that makes the world go, go, and go! So, carry that love with care and spread it to the people you meet, so we, the people of the world can achieve WORLD PEACE!

Source: www.vectors1.com

How I got there?

I took the Alaska Air flight from Newark International Airport in New Jersey for a six-hour flight to San Francisco, California. It means I flew from the East Coast to the West Coast of the United States. 

The Cupid's Span is accessible wherever you are billeted in San Francisco.  It is near the world-famous Oracle Center, the home of the San Francisco Giants but I heard a rumor that the Oracle will be closed as there is a plan to move the stadium elsewhere.  Let us wait and see. 

Anyway, the Cupid's Span is strategically located along the Embarcadero where the famous Ferry Terminal is located.  From Rincon Park, where Cupid's Span is planted, you can have a good view of the San Francisco Bay, the Bay Bridge that connects San Francisco to the Treasure Island, and the cities and towns across the Bay such as Oakland, Albany and the University of California Berkeley, among others. 

From the Cupid's Span, you can walk farther down the road to the Ferry Terminal where you can ride the boat to the Rock or Alcatraz Island or buy a ticket for the ferry cruise on the bay where you can have a good view of the Golden Gate Bridge, the China Beach, the skyline of San Francisco, the Marina, and the Fishermen's Wharf among others. There is also a boat terminal at Pier 39 where you can buy a ticket for a bay cruise. 

There are also fast-food chains, souvenir shops, bars and restaurants, and a building for parking. From the second level of the building where we parked our car, there is a bridge that connects to all the shops in Pier 39.  On the ground level, there are more restaurants, bars, and shops. 

The photos I posted here show the landmarks around Rincon Park. Examples of these are the Bay Bridge, Commercial Buildings, Hotels and Restaurants, and the Oracle Center, among others. 

The Bay Bridge connects San Francisco to the Treasure Island and other towns and cities in California like Oakland, Berkeley, and Sacramento among others. 

If you stay in one of the hotels in this area, you can also be picked up by the Tour Bus that conducts package tours from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park which is around four (4) hours drive from San Francisco. 

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My Experience

After a six-hour flight from New Jersey, I arrived at the San Francisco International Airport at around midnight.  I was picked up at the airport by my daughter Angel and her husband Ness and my granddaughter Natalie. It was a cold evening but I arrived at Terminal 2 of Alaska Airlines happy because the 6-hour trip from New Jersey to San Francisco was as smooth as silk, so to speak. 

This trip to SanFo happened because my daughter Tsa, her husband Nick, and their children went to North Carolina.  So, I went to San Francisco while they were away. 

Back to Alaska Airlines, I was surprised that the airline does not offer meals onboard instead they sell meals and drinks payable by credit card only.  It was good that I purchased a muffin and drinks in the pre-departure area. 

I traveled around the United States at least once or twice a year but I forgot this kind of situation.  My "Seniors Moment" maybe, haha. So, when I fly back to New Jersey, I am loaded with foods to last me a day.  

My address in South San Francisco is Angel and Nestor's place which gave me enough time to bond with my "Apo" Natalie and of course, my children. 

On my second day, the whole "familia zaragoza" haha...drove to Yosemite National Park.  Please follow my Blog about Yosemite here in Touristang Pobre.  Angel and Ness were so organized that they made sure everything we need had been loaded in the freshly acquired truck courtesy of Beau Curtis and my youngest daughter  Kristina. Curtis and Ness took turns driving the good smelling car.  "Feeling ko daw bag-o lang na bak-it sa casa."

Now, this road trip to the Rincon Park to investigate the Cupid's Bow and Arrow was done as soon as we arrived in San Francisco from the Yosemite National Park. I mean the next day. 

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Finally, there are so many places to visit and things to do in San Francisco which I have not done before when I lived in nearby Daly City for many years since mid-2006. So, I was making up for the lost time and visited as many secret places I have never visited before. 

Please follow my next Blog about the Sunset in San Francisco, the Sausalito City across the Golden Gate Bridge, the Treasure Island, and the Yosemite National Park, among others.  You can read all of these here on Touristang Pobre. 

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If you do not like this story, just like it anyway, haha...please LIKE my Facebook Page and SHARE this blog with your friends.  Thank you. 

**Copyright photos by Henry Libo-on of Touristang Pobre. 

Cupid's Span at Rincon Park, Embarcadero, San Francisco, California. Photo by Henry Libo-on.

Acknowledgment:

1. Wikipedia for the story of Cupid's Span. 

2. Google Earth for the captured map of San Francisco.

3. www.vectors1.com (for the lavender heart). 

Thank you. 

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I dedicate this blog to my mom and dad, Nanay, and Tatay. 

November 12, 2019.