I’m fortunate to live where I do for many reasons. It can become strangely easy to take for granted all of the things that are nearby living in a famous neighborhood in a famous city. I’m a block from cable cars, I’m near Union Square shopping, theater and restaurants, there are world-class postcard-perfect views just steps away and I’m blocks from Huntington Park and the big cathedral there.

I’m going somewhere with this…

The last place I mentioned, the cathedral, is famous for not one but two labyrinths! And labyrinths are what’s on my mind today after exploring another one in San Francisco last night, way on the outskirts of the city.

The labyrinths at the cathedral on Nob Hill are located inside the building, just inside the main entryway, and outside, just off to the right of the main steps. They’re both the same “medieval labyrinth” design (based on the labyrinth of Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres in Chartres, France). They’re built permanently into the church floor and courtyard pavement, respectively.

The labyrinth inside is dark and quiet, available when the cathedral is open to the public. The one outside is in the open air and is surrounded by the noise of the city, available anytime day or night. Yes, I’ve come up here in the wee hours of the night to clear my head and meditate by slowly walking the path in to the center and the retracing my steps back out.

Last night I went for a hike with V to what we call the “cliffside labyrinth.” It’s located way out at Land’s End, below Fort Miley on a point above the ocean. This one is homemade, rocks stacked to form the pathway. Not as large, elaborate or even designed as the ones at Grace, but it’s a different place of meditation, with a view straight across the Golden Gate to the Bridge to the East, and out toward the vastness of the Pacific Ocean to the West.

We walked the cliffside labyrinth, looked at the views, took pictures and did a little maintenance, stacking some of the stones that had fallen out of place, trying to leave it in good shape for the next round of visitors. Then back up the trail, through the quiet trees as the sounds of crashing waves receded and the sounds of the city came back into focus.