India Basin Open Space Area

India Basin strikes me as an area with such possibilities but riddled with failed expectations. Unbeknownst to most city dwellers, the weather can be quite nice here when other places are enshrouded in fog. There is so much unused, dog-​friendly and kid-​friendly space that lies between the long-​closed Hunter’s Point Naval Shipyard and an equally defunct PG&E power plant that it’s frustrating how little has been done in the intervening years. And therein lies the problem since those two bookends have contributed a level of toxicity and pollution that have definitely scarred the landscape and compromised those possibilities.
But I also smell rebirth thanks to a very active neighborhood association who want to resuscitate India Basin back to a viable commercial and tourist area without spoiling access to the natural shoreline. A few artists have already found a base here, including the ones who build the wacky monolithic structures for Burning Man. Some real estate developers have also seized the opportunity to build condo buildings, but the efforts seem rather stunted considering how little is offered to residents here in its current state. There is an open space near the plant with trails and an eco-​center, Herod’s Head, that’s well worth a quick hike. Take a look and judge for yourself.

There is an ocean and cute birds. And it smells good.