CHANGING WINDS: While small shifts can alter a location over time, in, fingers crossed, interesting and good ways, it can be hard to wrap the mind, as a whole, around the changes at large. The Presidio, that tree-lush, barrack-dotted expanse tucked near the Golden Gate Bridge, probably summons, to many a mind, Old San Francisco, as a bucolic space rarely shaped by anything but the wind.
This is, of course, not wholly true, as the centuries-old military post has seen several changes and unveilings. The Walt Disney Family Museum, for one, and the recently debuted Presidio Officers' Club, with its photo-worthy ballroom and back-to-the-1700s tales. And modern affairs, like the Presidio Social Club and Presidio Bowl, dot the wilder end of the City by the Bay.
PRESIDIO OFFICERS' CLUB: "From 2011 to 2014, the Presidio Trust conducted a comprehensive rehabilitation" of this building, which happens to be California Historic Landmark no. 79. "San Francisco starts here" says the site, and that claim isn't being puffy-of-chest; the structure's adobe walls date to the rather fabled year of 1776. Want to have a peek inside? While the venue is open to events, visitors can also stop by to dig deep into the history-rich exhibits on display.
WALT DISNEY FAMILY MUSEUM: While the moving, movie-sweet lookback over on the Presidio's stretch of Montgomery Street recently marked its first half-decade in October, new exhibits and features are always making their first bows. Up this fall? A full-scale exhibit celebrating Walt Disney's full-hearted adoration of everything train. It runs from Nov. 13 through Feb. 9, 2015.
FOOD AND PLAY: Beyond the early history and Disney roots 'round the Presdio, there are spots to nosh -- the Presidio Social Club, which serves stylish American flair with a few local shout-outs (hello, Mission-style chilaquiles), is one bustling hangout -- and the Presidio Bowling Center and House of Air roll bowling balls and jump on trampolines, respectively.
