Mission Bay Commons Park

The greenery and scenery are nice. I walked the length of the park expecting something to be different, but most everything was uniform. There were some interesting design details, including the weird bench extensions (perfect for your to-​go container or your backpack), the side paths, and the disguised dangerous street that bisects the park but that gives absolutely no indication that it’s not a sidewalk (it’s level with the rest of the park!); but what really blew me away was the diversity of beautiful plant life.
The landscaping is five-​star-​worthy, but even while I was admiring it, I couldn’t forget all those Bayer employees standing around waiting for their shuttle. I came after work on a Wednesday and spent twenty-​five minutes here, and during that time, I saw exactly two people and one dog enjoying the park – make that one person and one dog, because the guy sitting on the grass was yapping away on his phone the entire time I was here.
I can’t believe they used actual wood for the gradual steps on the park’s eastern end, but then I was shocked that the drinking fountains worked and were clean as well.
I really want to love Mission Bay Commons, but it just feels so corporate. Some kind of water element would have been nice, and maybe some sculptures? Yes, that’s it; this park needs art, and soon. Something big and flashy and colorful and moving. Or weird, something weird. What this park doesn’t need is more glass and shiny steel – the cookie-​cutter buildings around it have plenty of those two elements.