Latest news with #PortofSanFrancisco
National Geographic
04-08-2025
- Business
- National Geographic
Car-free streets are popping up in cities around the world
Once an area of soulless parking lots and bygone shipping yards, San Francisco's newest neighborhood, Mission Rock, just south of downtown, is now a waterfront work-live-play district. Here, open views of the Bay Bridge and Oracle Park are only outshined by pedestrian plazas, wide streets, and eight acres of green space, offering something rarely found in urban centers: breathing room. The 28-acre locale is a result of a years-long, multi-phase partnership between the San Francisco Giants, the Port of San Francisco, Tishman Speyer, and CMG Landscape Architecture. The goal? To reimagine what an urban neighborhood could feel like. With the San Francisco Bay Trail curving around waterfront China Basin Park, car-free thoroughfares speckled with 'street rooms'(usable street art for eating, climbing, or chilling), and outposts of some of the city's hottest eateries (looking at you, Arsicault Bakery), the approximately 500 new apartments in two eye-catching buildings filled quickly, with residents eager to plug in to communal work spaces, or take advantage of the easy access to buses, trains, trams, and ferries connecting to Silicon Valley and the broader Bay Area. (You can walk across San Francisco in a day. Here's how.) 'COVID made us reassess what we value in open space and what the idea of city life can mean,' says Corbett Belcher at CMG. 'We created a structure for a lively neighborhood that focuses on social and ecological well-being, a place where cars don't dominate, people do.' The need for reduced emissions and desire for enhanced quality of life in urban settings isn't unique to this West Coast city. Across the country and around the world, car-free is having a moment. Vilnius, Lithuania Vilnius was named European Green Capital for 2025, thanks in part to the city's investment in an eco-friendly public transportation system, which includes electric buses and trollies. Several new routes will be added by 2028 to widen car-free access, while roughly 62 miles of new bike lanes have been added since 2016. The sustainability-minded city makes it easy for visitors to explore miles of pedestrian paths and designated routes leading to gardens, monuments, and museums on foot. Vilnius has also reduced pedestrian wait times at traffic lights to make foot-friendly commutes more efficient for residents. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia might be America's most walkable city, but it's also home to one of the country's largest trail networks, spanning more than 400 miles (and growing), and connecting parks, job centers, suburbs, and rural communities. Visitors can roll or stroll along the Schuylkill River Trail (SRT) to beloved spots like the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Valley Forge National Historical Park. Free yoga classes are sometimes offered on the Race Street Pier along the Delaware River in Philadelphia. Photograph by Dina Litovsky, Nat Geo Image Collection Indego Bike Share operates 250 stations and has 2,000-plus bikes across the city, with 40 new stations being added in 2025. Earlier this year, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker reclassified more than 35 miles of curbside lanes and all bike lanes as no-stopping or parking zones. Paris, France In March, Parisians voted in favor of the "garden roads" project, which will pedestrianize 500 streets over the next several years. Previous initiatives, championed by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, have rerouted traffic to main avenues, leaving side streets car-free and more pleasant for walking and dining al fresco. Visitors will also notice vehicles are absent along the Seine River quays, turning them into a haven for walkers, joggers, picnickers, and apéro hour pop-ups. Bike lanes are ubiquitous, well-marked, and heavily used, and with 1,480 docking points on the city's Vélib bike share system—and more on the way—two-wheeling around the City of Light is safe, economical, and enjoyable. Dubai, UAE Approved by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in 2024, the Dubai Walk master plan has big pedestrian plans for the city of four million, including an integrated network of more than 4,000 miles of walkways featuring air conditioning, shaded spaces, and interactive digital screens, allowing for year-round use. (Welcome to the adventure hub of the United Arab Emirates, where mountains, sea and desert collide) Among the first being created are the 9.3-mile Al Ras Historical Route in Ras Al Khaimah and Al Souk Al Kabeer, and the Future Loop project, an elevated, climate-controlled pedestrian path that will connect 10 key landmarks including the Dubai World Trade Centre, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Museum of the Future, and nearby metro stations. Tampa, Florida 'Our goal was to bring people closer to what matters: Their home, offices, parks, restaurants, and entertainment,' says Josh Taube, CEO of Strategic Property Partners, the developer behind Water Street Tampa. Residents and visitors enjoy outdoor dining, concerts, and farmers' markets in shady parks, yoga studios and gyms, and trendy hotels, like the Tampa EDITION, home to one of the city's first Michelin-starred restaurants. Adding to Water Street's easy living is the free TECO Streetcar that makes stops at Amalie Arena, Ybor City, Tampa's busy cruise ship port, and other popular downtown destinations. Bogotá, Columbia Bogotá is home to what might be the original pedestrian-friendly event, the perennial Ciclovía, which celebrated 50 years in December. What started as a citizen protest of the takeover of cars in the city has turned into an every-Sunday affair, when approximately 75 miles of streets are closed to vehicles and opened to an estimated 1.7 million people who walk, cycle, skate, and jog around the Colombian capital. Not only is it more popular than ever, Ciclovía has become a model for similar events around the world, such as CicLAvia in Los Angeles. New York City, New York The High Line is a 1.45-mile-long park built on a section of abandoned railway track in New York City. Photograph by Diane Cook and Len Jenshel, Nat Geo Image Collection Bryant Park is often cited as a catalyst for New York City's pedestrian-focused renaissance, revitalized to award-winning status in the 1980s by the Bryant Park Corporation and CEO Dan Biederman. Biederman is also involved in New York's Future of Fifth, a pedestrianization plan to begin in 2028 that will remove two lanes of traffic and widen sidewalks along Fifth Avenue between Bryant Park and Central Park. No one appreciates an urban repurpose like a New Yorker, including The High Line, the former elevated railway transformed into a 1.45-mile greenbelt on Manhattan's West Side that attracts an estimated eight million visitors each year. Little Island, the 2.4-acre park built on stilts over the Hudson River, opened in 2021 and draws more than one million annual visitors (70 percent from outside the city) to its lush walking paths and robust summer performance calendar. 'People leave with a more favorable impression of a place if they have a pedestrian experience,' says Biederman. Kimberly Lovato has written about travel news, food, lifestyle, and hotels for prestigious publications including National Geographic Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Virtuoso: The Magazine, AFAR, The Saturday Evening Post, and The Christian Science Monitor. She is also the author of a travel-themed children's picture book. Follow her on Instagram @KimberleyLovato
San Francisco Chronicle
12-07-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
S.F. wants to extend Embarcadero bike lane — and remove parking and trees
San Francisco officials want to extend the protected bikeway along the Embarcadero by removing up to 30 metered parking spaces in an effort to improve safety. Officials from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the public works department and the Port of San Francisco proposed the changes during a Port Commission meeting on Tuesday. The proposal, called the Central Embarcadero Safety Project, aims to improve transportation and pedestrian safety between the half-mile stretch between Broadway and Brannan streets, a busy corridor with a mix of commercial buildings, parks and landmarks, including the Ferry Building and Rincon Park. The proposed project would be an extension of the protected pike bath that was implemented from Broadway to Folsom Street in 2022, officials said. If approved, the project is estimated to cost $8 million to $12 million, depending on the final design plan, officials said. The city has already secured $8.3 million in grants and local bond funding for the project, officials said. Casey Hildreth, a planner with SFMTA, said during the Tuesday meeting that construction could start next year. The project still needs approvals from Caltrans, the city's fire department, and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. The project proposes removing up to 30 metered parking spaces on the north side of the Embarcadero, from Folsom Street to Brannan Street, to make way for the bikeway extension, according to city documents. Officials also want to narrow the center median from 15 feet wide to about 5 feet, which means removing 15 palm trees and planting new ones on a divider between the bike and car lanes because they 'cannot be relocated due to their susceptibility to disease,' officials said. Approximately one-third of the parking spaces would be used for new passenger and commercial loading zones near Piers 26 and 28, and 12 motorcycle parking spots would be replaced with a commercial loading zone in front of the Waterbar and Epic Steak restaurants, city officials said. According to officials, the vehicle and motorcycle parking spaces were rarely used. Northbound left turns and U-turns would be restricted, including converting the Folsom Street left-turn lane into a through lane 'to maintain loading access' for the restaurants and improve Muni light rail service. Port Commissioner Steven Lee expressed concern during the meeting about the potential impacts to the two restaurants, where he said many tourists and locals are dropped off in vehicles or taxis. Hildreth said officials plan to shift the existing passenger loading zone to double the amount of commercial loading in front of the restaurants. Hildreth said he expects there not to be much of an impact because the restaurants stopped providing valet service since many customers were arriving via Uber or other modes of transportation. 'The amount of loading will be plentiful for those that want to drop off,' he said. Officials said the project has been met by support from advocates for cyclist and pedestrian safety in particular, while some businesses and residents expressed concern about the removal of parking spaces and trees, as well as customer access. Alice Rogers, president of the South Beach/Rincon/Mission Bay Neighborhood Association and the only person to speak during the meeting's public comment, applauded SFMTA's public outreach efforts but said some residents were concerned about the potential removal of the Brannan Street left-turn lane, especially during the baseball season, and urged officials to monitor heavy-traffic days. 'It gets to be a very complicated driving situation,' she said.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Port of SF to demolish Alioto's for public plaza
(KRON) — The building that housed Alioto's Restaurant for more than 80 years on San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf will be torn down for a new $10 million wharf renovation envisioned by the Port of San Francisco. Alioto's, which served seafood at the wharf since 1925, as the now-empty storefront still boasts, shuttered during the pandemic when the Alioto family decided not to renew its lease. The Port of San Francisco now looks to turn the rundown, three-story building into a bustling central plaza. The plaza project is the first part of a multi-year program, which aims to reconnect visitors to the inner lagoon, improve facilities for fishermen and add protections against earthquakes and sea level rise. Giant lizard seen wandering Santa Clara County park San Francisco Supervisor Danny Sauter told KRON4 that the wharf 'shapes people's impressions of San Francisco from around the world as they come to visit.' 'It's really important to put our best foot forward and that Fisherman's Wharf is safe and clean and beautiful,' Sauter said Holding a cellphone for navigation while driving is illegal, California court rules According To The Port of San Francisco, the Fisherman's Wharf attracted more than 10 million people in 2024, making it the most visited destination in the city. Watch the full report from KRON4's Stephanie Rothman in the video at the top of this story. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
San Francisco Chronicle
06-06-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
S.F. landmark will be torn down as part of major Fisherman's Wharf redesign
Alioto's Restaurant, the classic seafood spot that was a gathering place for Bay Area families for nearly 80 years before shuttering in 2020, will be demolished and replaced by a new public plaza as part of a $10 million plan by the Port of San Francisco to reimagine the historic heart of Fisherman's Wharf. Port Director Elaine Forbes said the agency spent several years looking for a new operator for the 11,000-square-foot Alioto's, but the sheer size and dilapidated condition of the three-story structure — and the multimillion-dollar investment needed to make it structurally sound — made it a tough sell. 'It's just a relic, essentially, a relic of an important history, but it is not the future,' Forbes said. Knocking down Alioto's and building a plaza are the centerpiece of a package of wharf improvements that will include the lighting of the lagoon and the demolition of a crumbling former smokehouse that has been used for storage in recent years. The port expects to complete the first phase next year while starting work on a longer-range project that will include seismic and sea-level rise protections. Forbes said removing Alioto's would give the public access to the lagoon where San Francisco's fishing boats are docked and where locals can line up to buy fresh fish and crab off the vessels. The view of the lagoon that lured so many families to Alioto's for graduation and birthday celebrations — the brightly-painted Monterey Hull fishing boats with the Golden Gate Bridge beyond — would be available to anyone visiting the new public piazza. Alioto's was one of six major Fisherman's Wharf restaurants that closed, and didn't reopen, when the pandemic lockdown started more than five years ago. The port has found new operators for three of the spaces: Chasca Rio will open at 340 Jefferson St., which used to house Pompei's Grotto; Everett & Jones Barbeque will take over the former Lou's Fish Shack; and Castanola's will reopen with a new operator and concept, which has yet to be announced. But three legacy spots overlooking the lagoon at the foot of Taylor Street — Alioto's, Fisherman's Grotto #9 and Tarantino's — proved to be too spacious and run-down to be attractive at a time when there is little demand for cavernous seafood eateries designed to cater to groups of 10 or 12. Having a trio of shuttered waterfront structures discourages visitors from continuing past Taylor Street as they meander north on the waterfront from Pier 39, according to Mike Rescino, who docks his charter fishing boat Lovely Martha in the lagoon near Alioto's. It has put a damper on his business. 'When they see a row of closed restaurants all they do is say, 'Nothing is here,' and turn around and walk back to Pier 39,' Rescino said. For decades the port, which owns 7.5 miles of San Francisco waterfront, managed Fisherman's Wharf with benign neglect. Its restaurants were humming, its crab stands packed, its bread bowls full of chowder, and its stalls along Jefferson Street bright with Alcatraz-themed fleece. With many of the city's piers crumbling, the wharf was the least of the port's problems. 'It was working magically,' Forbes said. But while cioppino and crab continued to draw millions of visitors to the wharf, even before the pandemic it was clear that the jumbo, family-friendly seafood joints that were so popular in the '60s and '70s and '80s were becoming obsolete. Revenue was down and it was unclear that the three businesses would survive until the end of their 66-year leases, which expire in 2036. What had been 'a private economic engine that the port was there to support,' was now 'in need of more defined intervention,' said Deputy Port Director Michael Martin. Taryn Hoppe, who owns several businesses in the neighborhood and is the president of the Fisherman's Wharf Community Benefit District, said she feels 'a little wistful' about the history that will vanish with the removal of Alioto's, but said 'overwhelmingly, this is a big deal in a good way.' 'This is what we have been asking for,' she said. 'There is really no other option. You can't lease that space. It's falling apart, and we have always wanted to open up more access to the fishing fleet and that lagoon area.' She credited the port, an enterprise agency that mostly funds its activity through rent from its properties, with proposing a $10 million project that will not directly generate revenue. 'We needed the port to kick-start something major, a turn of the tide of that Taylor Street area where these buildings are impossible to lease and falling apart,' she said. What will become of the two multilevel vacant restaurant spaces next to Alioto's — Fisherman's Grotto #9 and Tarantino's — remains to be seen. The two buildings will be activated with temporary ground-floor uses while the plaza is built, according to the port. It's possible that one or both could benefit from overlooking the new plaza — a food hall or interactive museum, perhaps — but the structures could also eventually be demolished to expand the open space and access to the lagoon. Alioto's got its start in 1925 when Sicilian immigrant Nunzio Alioto Sr. began selling crab and shrimp cocktail at Stall #8. By 1938, the family had built the first restaurant at Fisherman's Wharf. It became known for its cioppino, a fish stew, as well as the turquoise and black sign that sits on top of the building. Woody LaBounty, executive director of the preservation group San Francisco Heritage, called Alioto's 'a long-standing stalwart for people who grew up in San Francisco.' Its sign was part of a cityscape that was seen in movies and television shows like 'The Streets of San Francisco.' He compared the sign to the Golden Gate Bridge and the cable cars. 'It's really sad. Alioto was one of our top 10 legacy bars and restaurants, we hate to lose those sort of things,' he said. But, he said a preservation campaign to save the building is unlikely. 'If you ask anyone who grew up in the city, 99% of people are going to say, 'Do not let that go,'' he said. 'But it's hard if there is not a business model that can be successful right now.' Port spokesman Eric Young said the termination agreement for the Alioto lease gave the family the rights to the restaurant name and the 'number 8,' but the sign and other property left behind belong to the port. 'The port welcomes an engagement with the Alioto family to develop interpretive signage at the plaza that would honor the family's contribution to the wharf,' Young said. He said the port would 'safeguard the signs from the restaurant.' The new chapter comes as the wharf remains one of the most visited places in San Francisco in 2024, with 10 million visitors, a number which is down from 15 million in 2019. Forbes emphasized that the investment is part of a larger effort to make sure the wharf is relevant, both to locals and tourists. Other efforts include attracting the Skystar Observation Wheel, the ferris wheel that was moved in 2023 from Golden Gate Park; installing new furniture, greenery and pop-up containers on the promenade along Little Embarcadero; and building a new $6 million floating dock along Al Scoma Way to enhance off-the-boat fish sales and waterside excursions. 'We are the custodian of Fisherman's Wharf,' Forbes said. 'It's been this endurable, magical place for San Francisco that has really driven economic well-being, but also the identity of who we are as a city.' David Beaupre, who operates planning for the port, said it's important that the work on the Alioto's property start as soon as possible. Removing the heavy 11,000-square-foot building will relieve pressure on the pier substructure that 'has not seen major investment since the 1960s.' 'We are hoping to do it quickly, because time is not on our side,' he said.
San Francisco Chronicle
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Mother's Day in S.F.: SkyStar the main attraction, Pier 39 sea lions a close second
Korinna Lauer lives in Sunnyvale and her mom, Lynn Kent, lives in Petaluma, so on Mother's Day they decided to meet in the middle which they calculated to be 150 feet up in the sky, in a windproof gondola atop the SkyStar Observation Wheel at Fisherman's Wharf. 'I've always wanted to ride on a big Ferris wheel,' said Kent, who almost rode one on a recent trip to Vegas. But the price was prohibitive once her gambling luck ran out, and the advantage of Mother's Day is that the child is obliged to pay, which Lauer didn't mind. 'It was really exciting. I liked it,' said Lauer, back on solid ground Sunday morning. 'We could see everything and decide what we want to do next.' This, as was the case with most families visiting the attraction on Mother's Day, turned out to be a short walk up the Embarcadero to Pier 39 to visit the barking and belching sea lions that loll on the docks in the sun. The SkyStar/sea lions combo, plus multiple brunch options, has made the northern waterfront a much better location for the SkyStar than in its previous location on the Music Concourse in Golden Gate Park. According to statistics compiled by SkyStar, a private enterprise that is in partnership with the Port of San Francisco, business at the wharf is 32% better than in the park. But there is more at work than just an increase in receipts. A lot of people see that big wheel in the sky, especially at night when it is lit up, and come down to the wharf to see what the fuss is about. Even if they find the price to be a barrier — $18, $12 for kids and seniors for three rotations that take about 10 minutes — they are still at the wharf, where there are other temptations. A study that tracked cell phone use that was conducted by the Fisherman's Wharf Community Benefits District found that foot traffic was up from the previous year 400% in 2024, the first year of the wheel on the waterfront. The sea lions have done their part. Now in their 35th year, they reached a record population of 2,100 on the docks last June. 'It is a lot more popular here. We get way more foot traffic,' said Jercelle Famularcano, who has worked both locations on behalf of Storilux, a photo concession that charges $36.95 for a series of eight prints of Mother's Day stamp on the corner comes free with the package, and Famularcano expected it to be in use. She predicted the wheel would get 2,500 customers Sunday, which is about 500 more than the weekend average. Among those waiting in line was Selyca Moriarty and her daughter, Elliana, 3, noticeable in their matching pink hats bearing the logos 'Mama' and 'Mini.' It was Mama who chose to come to San Francisco from their home in Tracy because she is still not over their move from Russian Hill years ago, just so they 'could have a washer and dryer,' as she put it in a barb aimed at her husband, Jason Moriarty, who made the call. But it was 'Mini' who made the call to come to the SkyStar, and she was so excited to get aboard that she was holding onto a parent on either side and swinging her legs in the air to get the feeling of being airborne. 'We wanted to make our daughter happy,' Selyca said. Old-fashioned Ferris wheels always work, and the other thing that works is a newfangled driverless taxi. Turns out kids love to stand on a corner and watch them go by, which you can do on the Embarcadero. 'The highlight of San Francisco is seeing a Waymo,' said Andrew Meyer, who was down from Sebastopol with his mother, Judy; wife, Stephanie; and sons, Maverick, 6, and Lion 3. It was Grandma's choice to ride the SkyStar, which she found 'very comforting,' she said afterward. 'When the wind blows up there, it is kind of cool.' Maverick and Lion's choice was to ride in a Waymo, which their father could not quite organize in advance. 'It was not well researched,' he admitted. Lynn Kent, 54, and Korinna Lauer, 35, could not figure it out either, but they had the advantage of Kent's youngest daughter, Carla Harwood, 14. She was able to figure out the app on the spot, and they caught a Waymo to the south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge. From there they got out and walked out onto the span. 'The Waymo was fun because it had music and nobody had to worry about all the pedestrians and everything that has to do with San Francisco driving,' Kent said at the end. 'It was a wonderful Mother's Day.'
