Cache is not at the posted coordinates. Go to each of the stages below to collect information that will help you find the final location. Some stages are only available during normal business hours. Final is available 24/7. You can do the stages in any order but you may save time by visiting them in the order shown.
POPOS are Privately-Owned Public Open Spaces. San Francisco has dozens of these parks that are provided and maintained by private developers, most in or around the financial district. Before 1985, they were built either voluntarily or as part of financial incentives offered to real estate developers. In 1985, the Downtown Plan introduced formal requirements for developers to include public spaces as a part of major building projects in commercial areas of the City.
SOMA is the SOuth of MArket district of San Francisco. The downtown SOMA district has seen significant development in recent years and many of the POPOS here have a modern feel to them.
The newer spaces are marked by the sign shown on this page, but even so they can be easy to miss and some are known only to a few locals. They all offer a place to sit down and take a break within the busy downtown area, but there is a lot of variation in size and quality. This cache will take you to a few of the nicer spaces in the SOMA district. The website for the City of San Francisco Planning Department has a map of all the POPOS if you are interested.
Update May 2023: I'm happy to see that these spaces are all open again, subject to normal opening hours. The alternative clues that were borne of Covid are still in place in case any of the parks happen to be closed when you visit.
Update April 2021: Sadly, the pandemic has affected the availability of some of these locations. However, the information can still be collected as indicated below. I hope they are open when you visit so you can enjoy them as I have, but if not then at least you can still get a smiley!
If you enjoy this cache, please check out my other POPOS cache, POPOS FIDI.
Stage 1: N 37° 47.273 W 122° 23.969
Available 8am-6pm Monday through Friday
An indoor park with trees, artwork and seating. Enter the building lobby to find the public space, which extends to the upper floor, and collect the answer to the question below.
The windows above the doorways have spotlights facing the ceiling.
How many spotlights are there above the doorways? Answer = F. It may be easier to count these from the upper floor. Do not include the ones way up in the ceiling, just the ones on the front windows.
If the lobby is closed, stand across the street on 2nd St and you can gather the information.
Stage 2: N 37° 47.338 W 122° 24.007
Available 8am-6pm Monday through Friday
A quiet indoor seating area with rotating art displays. Enter the building lobby and go up the steps to the right.
How many skylights are in the atrium? Multiply by 2, result = D.
If the building is closed, peek in through the windows at the waypoint coordinates to get the answer.
Stage 3: N 37° 47.339 W 122° 23.947
Available 24/7
An outdoor plaza with a water feature and landscaping. Popular at lunchtimes. Answer the following questions.
i) How many rings are in the sculpture that sits in the water?
ii) Opposite the restaurants is some tiered landscaping with a green accent. How many tiers are there?
Add the answers to i) and ii), result = C.
Stage 4: N 37° 47.359 W 122° 23.878
Available during daylight hours
A rooftop garden area with water features, landscaping and lots of seating. Go up the stairs and answer the following question.
How many panels of wavy glass are there in the square pond? Result = E.
If the garden is closed: how many sets of steps lead up to the entrance? Result = E.
Stage 5: N 37° 47.420 W 122° 23.736
Available 6am-9pm May 1 - Oct 31, 6am-8pm Nov 1 - Apr 30
A 5.4 acre rooftop garden with plant species from around the world, fountains, a 1/2 mile walking track and excellent views of the surrounding buildings. It's worth a visit here just to see the park. Take one of the elevators to the 5th floor and have a look around. At the waypoint coordinates, find the information board for the Redwood Canopy and answer the following question.
On the board, what number is the salamander? Answer = B.
Stage 6: N 37° 47.502 W 122° 23.594
Available 24/7
A small landscaped park with outdoor seating. The ledges along the sides of this area have wooden seating benches installed.
How many wooden slats are used on top surface of each bench? Answer = A. (Only count the top surface.)
Final
Visit one more parklet to find the final. Cache is located N37 47.ABC W122 23.DEF.
You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.
Thanks to Yamjerky for some advice with placing downtown caches - he's certainly an expert in this area!