Duboce Park
July 13, 2026
I had a nice hibiscus tea from Tarragon Cafe around the corner and arrived at Duboce from it’s Northeast corner. I had heard that dogs are very difficult to keep in the city and that many people who have them have to move to Berkeley because most landlords in the city don’t want them. Is this true?
You certainly wouldn’t know it from this park. It seems like dogs outnumber people here. Like most parks I’ve visited so far in the city, Duboce is on a hill. There’s a cute little button top hill right in the middle separating the off leash dog area from the off leash kids area. The kids area is fenced in. I’m in the little quiet lawn on the far western edge of the park looking over a gently rolling field of clovers.
Every day here has been beautiful in its own way. There are so many mature trees lining the park, and one street over, Waller, could almost also be a park itself because it is so shady and cool from the massive canopies that line either side of the street. We wanted to rent an apartment on that street but we were outbid (by an additional $1,000/mo over asking!) by a group of tech bros with an AI startup.
I’m on a mission to find whatever flower it is that smells so good and seems to be planted everywhere around the city. Sitting on this little backless bench I am smelling it and it makes me breathe deeply. I wonder who lives in these beautiful houses right up against the park. I wonder if I’d like to live there. On the one hand, the park is right there. On the other hand, the park is right there. It does seem like a couple of them have their own little private gardens. wonder if the people who live in these nice houses spend time sitting on public park benches?
I guess there’s a pug who comes here to sit on a bench like a human does. I know this because there’s a bench named for him. I see people walking but I don’t see many running around like the dogs. Only the kiddos are doing that. I imagine someone frolicking around in the clover field, rolling in the grass to itch themselves. I think if I saw someone doing that for real I’d probably assume they were on drugs.
I should head home but I don’t have the courage yet to walk up the hill - I’m pretty sure it’s straight up the whole way. We’re getting an air mattress delivered and the last one wasn’t delivered for some mysterious reason so I think I should try to be home for that. I can’t wait until our furniture arrives from Pittsburgh.
