PLEASE NOTE: Many people have reached this post via Google searches. Please be advised that this post was written in 2008 about a Sunday Streets event in 2008. For updated information on the 2009 Sunday Streets happening on September 6 at Golden Gate Park and Ocean Beach, please visit the Sunday Streets website.
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| Courtesy Sunday Streets SF. |
Talk about an action-packed Labor Day weekend here in the Bay Area: BART plans to run longer trains to accommodate all the events happening on both sides of the Bay, including Slow Food and Ha(i)rrison Street in San Francisco; in the East Bay, there is the annual three-day Art & Soul festival in downtown Oakland, the Cal football kickoff against Michigan State at Memorial Stadium, and the A’s and the Twins at the Oakland Coliseum. You can ride SamTrans, Caltrain, or BART to enjoy art and wine in Millbrae; VTA or Caltrain will take you to downtown San Jose, where there is more art, but seemingly no wine. A number of Labor Day events are also planned for folks north of the Golden Gate. Last, but certainly not least: the first of the Sunday Streets (our homegrown Ciclovía) is at last upon us this Labor Day weekend. This Sunday, August 31, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, over four miles of streets in San Francisco will be closed to vehicular access: mostly along the waterfront and the Embarcadero, between 3rd and Oakdale in the Bayview and Portsmouth Square in Chinatown. In addition to the freedom of unencumbered walking and biking, activities focused on exercise and health will line the entire route of street closures — driving home the point that a transit-oriented, carfree lifestyle is not only about reducing traffic congestion and improving air quality; with built-in physical activity, it’s just an all-around healthier way to live. Don’t miss the demo E-Embarcadero historic streetcar service between Fisherman’s Wharf and the Caltrain Station. Muni service will be free between 8:00 am and 2:00 pm on the F-Market & Wharves and the KT-Ingleside/Third Street lines. It should be a fun weekend, with a great weather forecast in store.
Transbay Blog 
“…will be closed to vehicular access”
Meaning, of course, open for the first time to human access!
Posted by Josh | 29 August 2008, 12:48 pmSunday Streets was /awesome/! The waterfront was so beautiful, serene, and crowded all at the same time. There’s so much space in our city when the cars aren’t around. People were really enjoying themselves. I especially liked seeing the kids out riding their bicycles and running around.
Posted by Jeffrey W. Baker | 1 September 2008, 10:17 amThanks for writing, Jeffrey, it’s great to hear the event was so fun! Unfortunately, I had to be cooped up during yesterday’s beautiful weather, but I fully intend to make the second one.
There’s so much space in our city when the cars aren’t around.
Exactly: when we stop and think about it, it’s amazing how much valuable square footage we’ve chosen to give for the largely exclusive use of cars. It’s nice to have events like Sunday Streets and Park(ing) Day to keep that fact in the public consciousness.
Posted by Eric | 1 September 2008, 10:25 amBART wasn’t running longer trains on the Richmond lines Saturday afternoon for the Cal game. The 4-car train I was on at about 2:45 (kickoff at 5:00) was PACKED. I’m glad I was only taking it from 12th Street.
Posted by Brendan | 1 September 2008, 8:23 pmThere was also the Sausalito Art & Wine Festival last weekend.
Posted by peanut gallery | 3 September 2008, 3:06 pm