 |
|
The San Francisco waterfront offers a variety of open spaces - parks, plazas, walkways, and a waterfront promenade - where visitors can enjoy outdoor activities and stunning views of the City and the Bay. Several new major open spaces are planned or under construction. The following are existing open spaces, listed from North to South.
Aquatic Park | San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park | Fisherman's Wharf Public Open Space | Pier 7 | Ferry Building Plaza | Rincon Park | South Beach | Agua Vista Park | Warm Water Cove | Heron's Head Park
Aquatic Park
Bordered by the Hyde Street Pier on the east and the Municipal Pier on the west, Aquatic Park is a protected lagoon on San Francisco Bay. The sandy beach has been used for recreation and swimming for over 100 years. Bleachers built as a component of the Aquatic Park Bathhouse provide opportunities for people to relax and watch activities in the lagoon and on the Bay.
A Victorian-style park, with lighting and benches, provides a pleasant connection between the waterfront and the cable car turnaround at Hyde and Beach Streets. Street musicians and vendors frequently line the Beach Street boundary.
San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park
The National Park Service manages two major visitor attractions in the vicinity of Aquatic Park. The Maritime Museum is housed in the Aquatic Park Bathhouse at the foot of Van Ness Avenue. The Hyde Street Pier offers maritime exhibits and tours of several historic ships, on the east side of Aquatic Park. For more information, please call the National Park Service at (415) 556-3002.
Fisherman's Wharf Public Open Space
Public access improvements at Pier 39 in Fisherman's Wharf provide views of the marina and playful sea lions, and extensive landscaped gardens. The "Aquarium of the Bay" has constructed four new viewing plazas, a large bayside plaza by the aquarium focused on a Bay exhibit, and an upper level deck that is cantilevered over the Bay. Pier 41 is a public access pier offering a Bay information exhibit, fishing areas, and sea lion viewing.
To the west, a boardwalk and sidewalk allows visitors to walk along the perimeter of the Inner Harbor. Public access areas also exist on portions of Pier 43, 43-1/2, and Pier 45 near the submarine USS Pampanito. Visitors can take ferries from Pier 43-1/2 to Alcatraz, Angel Island, Sausalito, and Tiburon.
(More information about ferry service is available in the Port's Visitor Information section.)
Pier 7
At the foot of Broadway, Pier 7 extends 900 feet out into the Bay, offering stunning views of the City and water, day or night. Completed in 1990, edged with Victorian-style light fixtures and benches, the pier's elegant design has already won several awards, and it is becoming a well-known landmark.
Ferry Building Plaza
An outdoor plaza behind the Ferry Building contains public art, seating and landscaped areas adjacent to the waterfront. Commuter ferries run between this part of the San Francisco waterfront and Alameda, Oakland, Vallejo, and Tiburon.
(More information about ferry service is available in the Port's Visitor Information section.)
Rincon Park
The waterfront between Howard and Folsom Streets currently contains tidal steps and a bayfront promenade; an expanded inland park adjacent to the promenade is planned.
South Beach
The South Beach Harbor has continuous public access along the shoreline around the marina, on the east side of Pier 38 and on and around Pier 40. The first phase of a proposed five acre park has been developed adjacent to the marina with lawn areas, benches, and public art.
Agua Vista Park
Agua Vista is a small landscaped park and fishing pier on the east side of Terry A. Francois Boulevard in the heart of Mission Bay, near boat clubs and Kelly's Mission Rock restaurant, with fascinating views of adjacent ship repair operations.
Warm Water Cove
Warm Water Cove is a small landscaped park and fishing pier at the foot of Twenty-fourth Street.
|
|
|