#sfsecrets

Secret Cocktail

Thornburg Village (Berkeley, CA)

Secret Faery Door

Golden Gate Park

In 2013, a tiny door opening up into a small hollow at the bottom of an oak tree mysteriously appeared in ‪Golden Gate Park. Arousing the curiosity of park-goers, the small door also caught the attention of park officials, who removed the door because it violated rules which prohibited items from being attached to trees. However, public outcry convinced officials to replace the door.

News of the door’s sudden fame also reached it’s creators, a local dad and his young son, who came forward and announced that they would build another “faery sanctuary” nearby, in order to comply with park rules. The Faery Sanctuary continues to thrive, often going unnoticed by passersby, hidden as it is in an inconspicuous location.

How to find the Faery Sanctuary: 1. Start at the location of the original faery door in the music concourse. It is near a “fountain adorned with the figures of a panther and a serpent”. 2. “The Faery Sanctuary lies to the west, further so than the Tea Garden”. 3. Look for the paved path that runs between the fountain and the de Young Museum. 4. Walk down this path until you come across two fallen logs underneath a Yew tree. At the end of one of these logs, you will find the door to the Faery Sanctuary.

Take this self-guided audio tour to discover some of the gold rush vessels that remain buried beneath the streets and buildings of downtown SF. 

   This week we interviewed Tyler MacNiven, host, editor, and writer for www.sfsecrets.com. Through their website, Tyler and his brother, director and cameraman Rowan MacNiven, take us on a journey, discovering clandestine and magical places and people in San Francisco that many won’t have heard of before. We chatted with Tyler and learned more about how he has fun in SF. 

 So Tyler, what does fun mean to you?

Fun means being wrapped tightly in the present moment, allowing the NOW to clutch you like a bug-eyed cave creature clutching a precious gold ring.

 What is your favorite SF secret?

The Owl Man must be the most exciting because there’s so much more to the secret than anyone could have ever imagined.

 What inspired you to start sfsecrets.com?

I was acting in an independent film as a host of an internet-based show and thought I could really get into character if I was actually an internet-based show host. Also, my brother Rowan was looking to sharpen his camera skills so we shot three secrets in one day. Our videos were instantly featured on some popular blogs so we decided to run with the idea.

Any expansion plans? LAsecrets, SDsecrets?

Rowan and I want to eventually film galactic secrets, which would be about treasures hidden around the Milky Way, but our next step will be Bay Area Secrets which will span Northern California.

What’s your favorite place to hang out in San Francisco?