Salesforce Park

Salesforce Park is on the roof of Salesforce transit center. It is a garden, a bird paradise,  a 1km trail and also a exercise ground, in one park.

We visited the park for the first time last May. It was a sunny day and we arrived near noon time. There were quite a few people in the park. Through trees, across lawns and over the bushes, the high-rises around dominated the views. 

181 Fremont at SoMa district of SF

former GQ of Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company

Salesforce Tower (left) 

The flora at the park is impressive as well. There are many varieties, of different species, different shapes, different colors,  including monkey puzzle trees,  King Protea flower, Bird of paradise flower, Prickly Pear Cactus, and a Queensland Bottle Tree.

Monkey Puzzle Trees (left),

Prickly Pear Cactus (lower right)

King Protea (South Africa National Flower)

Bird of Paradise (flower)

Queensland Bottle Tree

With gardens, there come birds, which include pigeons, hummingbirds, white crowned sparrows, house finches, ...The male house finches draw attentions due to its red head and neck, White crowned sparrows on the hand make beautiful song, humming birds amaze me by its tiny size and fast flapping wings. 

A pair of house finches, the red head is male

white crowned sparrow

A black chinned hummingbird (?)

The second time we visited the park was earlier this month on a cloudy day. It was not as colorful and bright as the first visit, but we enjoyed the park just as well.

It drizzled a little, few people in the park, an old couple were jogging, a security guard was patrolling. The same species of flowers were still blooming, and birds singing.

Black chinned hummingbirds were flapping around. I finally got a clear good look at one of them. Using cellphone, I could not zoom in to see its colors clearly.

Another interesting episode was that when Lily took pictures of flowers standing on the drainage like strip by the paved trail, the strip shot out water - it was a fountain - and she was splashed on! She thought that stepped on a activation mechanism. The security guard told her that the fountain was activated by bus passing below. It is the Bus Fountain. The sensors in the ceiling of the floor beneath the park, under the bus fountain, activate the fountain when there is a bus passing by. 

We were not aware that fountain was a bus fountain before. We were made aware of it by chance.

We used elevator to get to the park the first time, and did not appreciate the sheer size of the transit center. The second time we used escalators, and we were made aware of its size.

A great park to spend an hour or two!!