Sunday Streets in the City - Embarcadero St.

Mijo and I have seen Sunday Streets in the Mission but we never really participated in any of the events until on Sunday when we decided to bike along Embarcadero St. 

Lots of people biking, running and walking up and down the stretch of Embarcadero between the ball park and Fisherman's Wharf. It gave me a different perspective of that part of the city.

Sunday Streets SF is an event where a stretch of a city street is closed to motorists for several hours on specific Sundays so that people can do physical activities such as bike, run, walk or hangout with family, neighbors and friends. Embarcadero St. hosted the Sunday Streets SF on Sunday and the other half of the street was closed to automobile traffic from Fishermans Wharf to AT&T Park.

[ Here are the rest of the dates and neighborhoods. ]

Mijo and I had light breakfast at Higher Grounds Cafe in Glen Park and then we hopped on BART to Embarcadero. 

We had originally planned on walking the entire stretch of Sunday Street SF but later changed our mind. We realized the area near Embarcadero BART is peppered with rental bikes. First, we tried to use BikeShare but found it is more fit for commuting on bikes rather than leisure biking. 

We decided to rent from Bike And Roll instead. The plan was to bike from Embarcadero BART to AT&T Park and then back. The next leg would be to bike from Embarcadero BART to Fisherman's Wharf and then back. I think it is a little over 7 miles all in all.

Here are the points of interests and San Francisco landmarks that we've encountered during our biking activity. Biking on Embarcadero made me notice landmarks, buildings and neighborhoods that I usually do not pay attention to.

This outdoor sculpture is called SOMA by The Flaming Lotus Girls. The sculpture has LED lights that create patterns but I guess it is best viewed at night.  I have to come back when it is dark to check this out.

Another outdoor sculpture on Embarcadero is called Cupid's Span by artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. This sculpture has been on this spot since 2002.

Here is the San Francisco Fire Department Station 35 with the Bay Bridge in the background.

A great view of the Bay Area's other beloved bridge, the picturesque Bay Bridge.

The rising Rincon Hill neighborhood. This area is booming. There are at least five new towers being built in this neighbohood. Pretty soon there will be more foot traffic in this part of town even during the weekend.

The quaint and hip South Beach neighborhood. I made a mental note that I will try to get to know this neighborhood this year by going for a brunch there or maybe happy hour.

AT&T Park is on the other end of Sunday Streets SF. The street closure ends on Embarcadero and 3rd sts. I saw a group of people dancing zumba near the Willie Mays statue. We biked from here to Fisherman's Wharf.

From AT&T PArk, Mijo and I biked back toward the Ferry Building. 
Another outdoor sculpture on South Beach Park.

This view is looking north on Embarcadero.

The imposing Ferry Building. From here, Mijo and I were back to where we started.
We continued to bike all the way to Fisherman's Wharf where the Sunday Street SF ends on the that side.

Can you believe Mijo has never been to Alcatraz? I told him this is where one catches the ferry to go there. It was at this point where I ran into most of the bikers, runners, walkers, and people who just hang out.

We finally reached Pier 39. Of course, this place is always packed whether there is a Sunday Street SF or not. It is interesting how out of towners would look perplexed as to what is happening why there were a lot of people on the street. I overheard someone said 'there must have a parade earlier'. I just chuckled.

Since we were in the area, Mijo and I decided to take a break, get ice cream and rub elbows with the out of towners. It was a good break because it is fun to hangout at Pier 39 and the weather was gorgeous.

We turned around as soon as we reached Fisherman's Wharf. 

Here's what the end of the route looks like.

While biking back to the Ferry Building to return our bikes, we ran across this performer who calls himself the Lone Sound Ranger. Mijo and I saw him setting up and this made us curious. We waited until he finished his first number. He's quite the performer.

There were other performers along the route. They made our biking more enjoyable.

Here's the Exploratorium. It looks like they have new hands on apparatus outside the building. I have to go back one day and check them out.

Here's the view of Embarcadero near the Ferry Building. Isn't that beautiful?

A total of 3 hours and a little over 7 miles. Not bad for rusty bikers like Mijo and I. I'd like to thank all the sponsors, the organizers and volunteers who made Sunday Street SF possible.

We'll definitely try to experience the other Sunday Streets SF this year.

~rl