A dream is a wish your heart makes when you’re fast asleep…

Last summer’s trip, truly a dream come true, tossed me one last treat – a surprise swim at the Presidio, a former US Army base that now is part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. 

Some historic pools, like this one, I find completely by accident. More on that in a sec… First, some background for you! 

The Presidio began in 1776 as a Spanish post and then became a US Army base during the Mexican American War in 1847. For most of the 20th century, it held an important position as the central US Army post on the West Coast. However, in 1994, like many bases during post-Cold War military downsizing, the Presidio was decommissioned. Unlike many bases, it was then transferred to the National Park Service. (So was Fort Monroe, which is near my home in Virginia.)

What’s really cool about this place are the views of the Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge, the parade fields, the trails, the vegetation, and the iconic red brick Army barracks. Such cool old buildings. 

But… what about swimming? Grab your goggles, and I’ll get to it!

Our original destination was the Walt Disney Family Museum, located in those distinctive brick barracks. However, our appetites demanded lunch from the Thai food truck, and our curiosity pulled us into the Visitor Center, where a ranger told us of a swimming pool in a former army building and of a Yoda statue and Star Wars collection on the site of the old Letterman Hospital, now occupied by Lucasfilm. 

Say what???

Boom. My passions for swimming history, national parks, old Disney films, and Star Wars had collided in a must-see quadruple feature. Unbelievable, and yet here we were.

To experience it all, I’d practically have to move at lightspeed! Swim-ergency kit in hand, we took off for the Letterman Pool at the Presidio YMCA. Yes, this National Park has mixed use buildings, including a Y! After introducing ourselves to the very interested staff, I checked in, dove in, and blasted through a fast 1000 yards. With plenty of windows, this pool was well-lit and welcoming. I particularly enjoyed the large, bright mural of the Army swimmer. Very fitting, as once upon a time, Army swimmers worked out on this base.

However, even though the area is steeped in history, this particular Y pool has been difficult to research. Here is what I know. The Presidio YMCA began as an Army facility in 1898, and soldiers trained, played, and swam there until 1954, when the Y left the post. The original pool no longer exists. 

After 43 years, the YMCA reopened on the decommissioned Presidio grounds in three rehabilitated former Army buildings. One of those buildings contains the aquatic center – a six-lane, 25 yard competition pool and a shallower family pool. According to the staff, this aquatic center had housed the post pool, which the Y had renovated.

When many hours of research yield two small paragraphs and more questions, I call for help. If you know something, say something! I am all ears.

Despite the above challenge, my experience was a good one. It’s a lovely pool in a lovely location, with trails, bay, historic buildings, and green fields just steps away. 

And also, there’s Star Wars. The Original Trilogy is my absolute favorite movie series ever. I will love it until my dying day.  

Immediately after the swim, we wandered uphill and along a meandering path through the 23-acre Lucasfilm campus to visit Yoda. A bronze statue of the beloved character stood in a dry fountain outside the lobby. Very cute he was! Excitedly, I peered through a large window to spot a life-size R2D2! I pulled on the door. Nope. I rattled it. Double nope: Definitely locked and a little red light flashed from inside. Not wanting blaster fire burns as a souvenir, I backed away. We would need to return on a weekday, as a passerby informed us that Lucasfilm is closed on Saturdays. 

Sigh. The Force was not with me that moment. 

With time running short, we speed-walked back to the Walt Disney Family Museum on the Main Parade Lawn. Interestingly, this museum is owned by Walt’s family, not the mass media conglomerate we know as the Walt Disney Company, and it tells the Disney family story. 

Left image: Walt teaches his daughter Wendy to swim. c. 1939. Location: Walt Disney Family Museum. Not public domain, but I’ll remove it if necessary. Too cute to omit!
Right image: Academy Award for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Presented in 1938.

Anyhow, as always, my husband insisted on watching the movie first, which had just started. As soon as I sat in my theater chair, a song began, and so did my tears. Even after all these years, *Baby Mine* from “Dumbo” (1941) sparks memories unbidden of my babies, of their seemingly neverending childhood, when our love and adventures stretched to infinity and beyond. Next year, they’ll leave for college, an epic quest for knowledge and life experience! I am happy and oh so proud, yet I’ll miss them all the same.

May the Force be with them. And also with you. 

Location:
Presidio Community YMCA Letterman Aquatics Center
1151 Gorgas Ave
San Francisco, CA 94129
(415) 447-9680
http://www.ymcasf.org/location/presidio-community-ymca/letterman-pool-gym/

References:

BAY AREA REPORT — SAN FRANCISCO / YMCA to Run Gyms, Pool at the Presidio. (1996, October 26). https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/bay-area-report-san-francisco-ymca-to-run-2961782.php

Hotel history in San Francisco, California – Inn at the Presidio. Historic Hotels Worldwide. (n.d.). https://www.historichotels.org/us/hotels-resorts/inn-at-the-presidio/history.php

Mary Blair: Mid-Century magic. Mary Blair: Mid-Century Magic | The Walt Disney Family Museum. (n.d.). https://www.waltdisney.org/mary-blair?utm_campaign=asymm&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=paid_search&utm_content=brand&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22745127505&gbraid=0AAAAA_dXpvCWQXxPaYCM0IWtOLQ0ZfED7&gclid=CjwKCAjwlt7GBhAvEiwAKal0cqtPRX-NHfpJf1WhZBuWWwGHnXNb9S90-GpMriYAB9M0PmhfRLzO9xoCzNwQAvD_BwE

NPSHISTORY. (n.d.). https://npshistory.com/publications/prsf/arch-hist.pdf

U.S. Department of the Interior. (n.d.). History & culture. National Parks Service. https://www.nps.gov/prsf/learn/historyculture/index.htm

Welcome to the Presidio National Park Site (San Francisco). The Presidio (San Francisco). (n.d.). https://presidio.gov/