San Francisco - Ina Donna Park

Ina Donna Coolbrith (March 10, 1841 – February 29, 1928) was an American Poet, writer, librarian, and a prominent figure in the San Francisco Bay Area literary community. Called the "Sweet Singer of California" she was the first  California Poet Laureate and the first poet laureate of any American State.

This park is a nice hidden oasis in the city with beautiful views of the city! It feels really secluded and tucked away. The park sits on a hill and at the climb to the top, you approach Russian Hill, and as you walk down, you're in Chinatown. It's a nice way to cross the city. There's lot of trees, and at the very, very top, there's a little dog park with view of Alcatraz. 

In the middle of the park, it opens up and there's a pathway with a row of benches that reveal a stunning skyline view. It's a magical place to relax and take in the view. It's ground black at night, so it can be a petite terrifying. There were some deceitful people rustling around the bushes just a little above us on the hill that startled us. I wouldn't walk here alone at night.

Coolbrith had hoped to tour the East Coast and Europe with Miller, but stayed behind in San Francisco because she felt obliged to care for her mother and her seriously ill, widowed sister Agnes who was unable to care for herself or for her two children. After he returned from Europe, in late 1871 Joaquin Miller reunited with his first daughter, called variously Calle Shasta, Cali-Shasta, or Calla Shasta (Lily of the Shasta), born in August 1858 to a Native-American woman named Paquita. He took the teen from her home in rural Northern California to Coolbrith in San Francisco for her to school while he went abroad again, this time to Brazil and Europe. 

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