Saint Mary’s Square

cute park, nice views but can get a bit sketchy at night. well i guess not JUST at night.
In the morning and early evenings a group of older women come and practice dances here, sometimes a group of older men do tai chi and exercises here as well.
There is conveniently a parking garage elevator that stops and opens right into the park but i suggest not to use it. Just go around if you park to the parking garage right behind it. A lot of the homeless people set up camp and they’ve been a bit vocal and grumpy. I encountered a group of people before who were nice but lately i hear a lot of yelling and fighting while walking by.
It’s unfortunate, the park used to be so nice. I would come here for lunch, see lots of children and families in the play area and more activity from the community doing activities here but a lot has changed.

St. Mary always has been a square. Now she’s opened her shape to us all to pass through or dawdle in. Or do Qi Gong in, or play in, or listen to music in, or talk in, or sleep in, or poop in, or do drugs in. All of these things and more occur in Mary’s solid Square.

This is a cool little park right on the confluence of Chinatown, Nob Hill and the FiDi. At about an acre in size, it feels big enough to feel like you are actually in a park with a bit of space. At the same time, you can’t help but feel like you are in the middle of The City as the views are framed by downtown office buildings as you look East. To the North, the park is boxed in by St. Mary’s Cathedral. It’s also directly on the California Cable Car Line, so it’s not a bad place if you want to get of on the Grant Street stop and walk South towards the Union Square area.
I love how framed in the park feels. The space itself has a number of benches, several different play areas of for children, an alley with some street art (see photo), sculpture and a public restroom. The layout is really nice in that the different areas feel separate even though this is not a huge space. There is plenty of good landscaping happening here with mature trees and several flower plantings. And, there is an interesting piece of sculpture of Dr. Sun Yat-​Sen — the following is according to The Living New Deal:
«The 14-​foot-​tall stainless steel and granite sculpture of Dr. Sun Yat-​Sen, founder of the Chinese Republic, was sculpted by Beniamino Bufano and completed in 1937 with FAP (Federal Art Project) funds. Revered as the ‘Father of Modern China,’ Sun Yat-​Sen visited San Francisco in the early 1900s and often relaxed in St. Mary’s Square.»
Overall, it’s a nice little spot to get a little peace and quiet. It would be a terrific place to sit and have lunch. And, I would think it would be a fun place to come as a kid if you live in The City (Lucky kid!). It’s worth making a stop if you in the area to check it out.

This is a nice little park, with a good mix of shade and sun. It’s a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of Chinatown. There are two little areas with playthings for small children, several benches, and a large silver statue. If you are looking for a park for kids I recommend Portsmouth, which is just a few blocks away (it has a bathroom and more things to play on.) This is a good spot to take a short break, or share a sandwich with a homeless guy.

This park has turned into a dump. I walk my dog here everyday and have watched it deteriorate rapidly over the last year. I’ve found used needles in the grass, heard a junkie tell a tourist not to use the public toilet because they’ll get Hep-​C, and watched the playgrounds turn into homeless encampments. I really don’t understand why the city has turned such a blind eye to the problems here.

If you’re up to no good, this is the place to do it. Zone out whilst people watching lovely, crazy, and/​or vocal people hanging out with their dogs. Sometimes a small rat will scurry beside you in the bushes. On certain days you will see the master of the park pawning off his stamp groceries to others. Very curious about the vegetarian Chinese restaurant in the building next door.
Just try sitting for a few minutes for the full ghetto Avatar (Nickolodeon) experience.

Nice place for a conference call.

I live in south bay, occasionally my wife and I will visit San Francisco, where Chinatown is a frequent stop. Last Saturday (Sept 15) we came to Chinatown to shop around stores and to enjoy Chinese food. As we arrived at the St. Mary’s square parking garage a bit past 6pm, the garage manager told us their bathrooms were locked to prevent homeless from staying in the bathrooms and he directed me to the public bathroom in the St. Mary’s square right on top of the garage. We managed to open the door of the public bathroom and it was a mess. I quickly urinated in the toilet and didn’t recommend my wife to use it at all. It was as if I visited a 3^rd world country’s bathroom, much worse than those in Taipei, for example. Plus I wonder if it is legal for the garage to lock up their bathrooms during hours of operation.

No longer $ 7 parking! Boo hiss!

Stop for a moment, take a load off. Enjoy the sound of the California Cable Car going through and St Mary’s across the street, and then meander over to Chinatown. Great central square.

Nice quiet park where one can do tai chi or sit on a quiet bench. Large statue of Dr Sun Yat Sin is amazing.

Just a step to the side of the main Chinatown tourist zone, this little park is a great place to stop and have a snack, rest your legs or check your map/​phone without getting trampled!

I don’t do tai chi, have old buddies to shoot the breeze with on a bench for hours on end or have grandchildren to watch over. At least not yet. If I did any or all of these things, St. Mary’s Square is a laid back and easy place to them.
One morning through, I saw a group of people practicing tai chi. I don’t know if this area was designed for it but there are plenty of paved areas so circulation throughout is possible with people doing their thing.
There are plenty of long benches, so of which are in shade.
Also the play area is easily viewed from the shaded seating nearby.
The square is removed from view on three sides and raised above street level on another. Unless you’re local, the square wouldn’t register quickly as a park.

With takeout in hand from the table-​less Ebisu, we needed a place to enjoy our food and the company. St. Mary’s Square, just a block up from Kearney, was just the place. A small gem carved out of the busy downtown scene, it was a peaceful and quiet oasis perfect for eating, talking and simply enjoying the moment.
And now it’s my latest addition to a long, long list of why our city is so charming and wonderful.

Have you ever had a great idea or two pop into your brain and you need to write them down? And you stumble upon a perfectly quiet place to do so?
The light bulb blinked on several times and I wanted to write/​draw my ideas up before I forgot them. ‘Twas kismet that I was walking by this beloved park designed originally by Robert Royston and nicely updated by the City of SF a few years ago.
The park is quiet and can be cool and drafty at times because of the surrounding high rises (which by design creates some of the shadiest and windiest streets). It’s also pretty spacious with curvy lines and preserved full grown trees from its previous design. Today, it was quiet and breezy with just a few stray passersby, kids and a few dogs.
Wood benches, seat walls and plantings are lush; it’s surprisingly quiet for being sandwiched between touristy Chinatown and the Financial District.
5 benches for a zen-​like space in the middle of it all. And thankfully, I had a pen/​paper to write down those glorious ideas. Kudos.

What a great park! This lovely little park in the midst of the city is where I will be wed, under the statue of Sun Yat-​sen.

Why in the world did I never know to park here when we were living in the Bay Area? I’d always go to Portsmouth Square Parking Garage and it was jam packed, you have to go deep into the abyss before finding a spot and often, it smelled.
My friend parked her car in here and it was spacious and wasn’t claustrophobic. It was also super cheap compared to Portsmouth. Yes it’s a couple of blocks over and Portsmouth is more convenient, but during the lunch rush (especially during weekdays) how convenient is it really to wait in line while you enter the parking garage and then spend loads of time searching for a spot?
Just go to St Mary’s … it’s usually not as crowded and did I mention it’s far cheaper???

I remember going to this small park several months ago and smoked like a chimney during my lunch breaks and well, I quit smoking… thought I didn’t need it and I still don’t. Along with that decision, I didn’t feel the need to go to St. Mary’s Square Park.
Well today was one of those rare sunny days in SF and so i paid a visit to the good olé park… you know I never realized how relaxing and how pleasing to the eyes this park was… i guess all that marlboro smoke blinded me back then. This area is ideal to just chill in after a long morning meeting or after a heated discussion with your supervisor. Also, there are benches conveniently placed everywhere and a little playground (for those who have serious issues at work and need to hop on that swing for a vent session) The park is surrounded by great scenery… tall skyscrapers, old St’ Mary’s, a couple chinese restaurants, shops and a homeless guy w/​starbucks on right hand, shopping cart on left… classic Frisco.

I used to think the park above Saint Mary’s Square parking garage was a charming little hidden gem in the Financial District. A great place to sit and eat your lunch and enjoy some SF sun.
That is until I was verbally assaulted by a homeless man here with my coworkers.
He was bugging us for the last bite (ew) of our Subway sandwiches. Someone actually said sure. and told him to come back and get it in a few minutes. Well he definitely came back and it was totally creepy and weird but she just gave him whatever was left of his sandwich.
We thought that was that but as we walked away he began following us and asking my other coworker for a chip. He was totally stalking us down the street and I turned around and told him we were all set and to go away. he gave me a dirty look. and and called me an asshole!
Be careful of this place, the homeless are ornery!

Wowzer — I guess pricing must be different during certain days/​times. This was a convenient, safe parking garage for a visit/​stay at the Ritz during Thanksgiving weekend.
For 4h 26m, I only paid $ 7! The exits from the garage were a bit tricky for me, as a newbie to the lot. I was a bit dis-​oriented on my walk out to the street, as I ended up way around the corner from where I drove in to the lot.