South San Francisco's most unexpected attraction is a large outdoor musical instrument on the hillside above the city — a wind harp whose strings are bowed by the constant Bay Area breeze. The sculpture stands about 10 metres tall, with vertical strings of varying lengths that vibrate and resonate in the wind to produce an eerie, shifting chord. It is one of the largest wind harps in the world.
The harp sits on the hillside near Sign Hill Park, best reached on foot via the park trails. It is not always easy to find — follow the sound when the wind is up, or use the map coordinates. The experience is better than it sounds on paper: standing next to something this large that is actively making music on its own is genuinely strange and worth the short hike.