Top San Francisco spots for a Valentine's Day cry
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The summit at Strawberry Hill, where my playlist is set to Elliott Smith on repeat. Photo: Nadia Lopez/Axios
Valentine's Day can be tough. Blame it on heartbreak, winter fatigue, the sheer madness of getting a dinner reservation or that ever-present existential dread you try not to think about.
- This list is for when you can't quite make it home for the ever-popular shower cry and want to cathartically lose it in public.
🌫️ Tank Hill: If the walk up this hill doesn't make you cry, there's a good chance contemplating your existence once you reach the top will. Bonus points for fog and intrusive thoughts.
🏛️ Palace of Fine Arts: Few places lean into romance quite like this one. As happy couples pose for wedding shoots, you can sit and stare up at the columns, creating a melodramatic movie moment fit for an insufferable rom-com.
🚗 The Lucky Penny parking lot: The abandoned site of this former 24-hour diner still sits empty a decade later, thanks to a stalled housing project — a bleak reminder of plans that never quite materialized, much like some of our own.
⛲ Vaillancourt Fountain: What better place to have an emotional reckoning than in front of a soon-to-be disassembled Brutalist structure? A metaphor for personal unraveling, perhaps?
🌲 Mount Davidson: Quiet, forested and anchored by a God-fearing cross that feels more watchful than comforting, this spot practically demands introspection.
🚇 Civic Center Station: You have no obligation to explain yourself because several people are already yelling at no one in particular.
💔 Former Hemlock Tavern: What this once scrappy, beloved dive has become now feels like a quiet lesson in impermanence. Standing outside 1131 Polk St., it's hard not to think about how love, like our favorite music venue, doesn't always last.
🌳 Strawberry Hill: This isolated spot in Golden Gate Park doubles as an island surrounded by Blue Heron Lake. The water wraps around you just enough to make your solitude feel symbolic.
🛒 Luke's Local: The prices alone — and immediate dent in your wallet — will bring you to tears. But then again, nothing heals heartache like a $10 pint of artisanal ice cream.
🍺 Geary Club: As their slogan says, it's the best-kept secret in the worst-kept neighborhood. This tiny, signless hole-in-the-wall is dingy and dark enough to have a drink (or two) and disappear for a few hours with some sad jukebox tunes.
🎥 Alamo Drafthouse: You too can join the ranks of the Sad Girl Cinema Club, a monthly reminder that sobbing in the dark with strangers for two hours of emotional wreckage is in itself a form of self-care.