The Panhandle

The Panhandle is a long, narrow park stretching eight blocks from Baker Street to Stanyan Street, where it meets the eastern edge of Golden Gate Park. Its elongated shape and name come from a nineteenth-century compromise; when city planners originally tried to build a large, rectangular park extending into the Hayes Valley, squatters refused to leave their land. The city eventually settled for this thinner strip, which served as a carriage entrance for visitors traveling from the city center toward the main park grounds.