Editor’s note — Monthly Ticket is a CNN travel series that focuses on some of the most fascinating topics in the world of travel. In July, we hit the trails to explore the world’s greatest treks.
(CNN) — Space is a precious commodity in San Francisco. Finding a site for a new urban park in a densely developed city surrounded by water requires some ingenuity.
On Sunday, a long-awaited creative solution opens to the public, giving tourists yet another thing to add to their San Francisco to-do list.
Called the Presidio Tunnel Tops, this new federal park was built in an unusual location — right on top of a busy highway tunnel, the Presidio Parkway.
Years in the making, the 14-acre park is an urban oasis with spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The park was designed by James Corner Field Operations. It’s the firm behind New York’s popular High Line, another project that creatively transforms unused space into an urban escape and an efficient, fun way to connect parts of the city.
This rendering shows the vision of a green oasis in San Francisco set atop — and also hidden from — a busy freeway tunnel.
James Corner Field Operations
“Big cities have great parks, and the Presidio Tunnel Tops is a new green center in the context of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the world-class city of San Francisco,” Koerner told CNN Travel through a representative of the Partnership for Presidio.
“The iconic setting is ideal for transforming highway infrastructure into a vibrant new public space.”
Tunnel Tops will be part of the Presidio of San Francisco, which was used as a military base before being turned into a park. And the Presidio is one site in the vast Golden Gate National Recreation Area, made up of 80,000 acres of national parkland that stretches across multiple locations north and south of the landmark bridge.
Features of the upper tunnel
This rendering shows the campfire circle with a central gas fireplace and seating for up to 75. It is planned as a place for ranger talks or community gatherings.
James Corner Field Operations
While these views of the Golden Gate will be a known highlight, the park has other features planned for city residents and many tourists.
First, Tunnel Tops connects two of the Presidio’s four main areas: the Presidio’s main post office with the Crissy Field waterfront below, with its beaches and beautiful 2.3-mile boardwalk.
So what was once an elevated highway has been replaced by trails that connect the two for the first time in decades, according to a news release from the partnership.
Other key parts of Tunnel Tops include:
• Presidio Plaza: This will serve as an arrival point and assembly point, as well as a primary people-watching location. It will also be a hub for the PresidiGo Shuttle (free service to and around the park).• Cliff Walk and overlooks: The Cliff Walk follows the edge of the cliff about 30 feet (9 meters) above Crissy Field and the bay and “offers sculpted wood benches , made from fallen Presidio Cypress trees.” The walk will also include three viewpoints, including one that overlooks Alcatraz, the notorious former prison turned national park.
• Presidio Steps: These terraces will connect the Cliff Walk to the Outpost, a two-acre outdoor playground. They face the Golden Gate Bridge, so visitors can enjoy dramatic views.
• Field Station: Here, young people can explore the Presidio’s natural and cultural environment “through the lens of science, art and imagination.”
This rendering is of Golden Gate Meadow. It is intended to be a gathering place surrounded by gardens, tall native grasses and perennials. The park plans to be used for picnics, flying kites and connecting with nature.
James Corner Field Operations
Art murals, picnic areas, a campfire circle and kite flying fields have also been added.
San Francisco offers plenty of urban sightseeing, and the Presidio Tunnel Tops should prove to be a great starting point or end point for a solid jaunt.
Donors to the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy raised $98 million to help build the park. The total project budget was $118 million, with the Presidio Trust contributing $20 million to the project. The first sod began in the fall of 1999.
What this means for tourism in San Francisco
The aerial rendering shows how the Presidio Tunnel Tops will fit into the greater Presidio area.
James Corner Field Operations
San Francisco abounds with classic attractions: Golden Gate Park, Coit Tower, Alcatraz, Chinatown, and the Palace of Fine Arts, among many others. How will the new kid stand out?
“The Presidio is one of San Francisco’s unique attractions—a national park destination within an urban destination. Still, some travelers are not as familiar with the Presidio as they are with the city’s other iconic landmarks,” said Hubertus Funke, executive vice president and chief tourism officer of the San Francisco Tourism Association.
“The grand opening of the Presidio Tunnel Tops will raise the park’s global profile and make it a must-see attraction.”
He said the Presidio Tunnel Tops will offer “diverse programming reflecting the cultural vibrancy of the Bay Area. . . . It’s an incredible enhancement to one of the most beautiful and most visited national parks in the country.”
Opening Day Celebrations
The Outpost play area for kids (and the young at heart) is seen under construction.
Rachel Steyer
A private ribbon cutting is scheduled for Saturday, July 16.
Opening day hours to the public are 10am to 6pm on Sunday 17 July. Sunday’s event is free.
You can get there via the PresidoGo shuttle, the Muni 43 bus (with direct service to the Presidio Transit Center), and the Muni 30 bus (with direct service to nearby Crissy Field).
There is also paid parking if you want to explore the streets of San Francisco by car, and you can rent bicycles.
It will be a varied opening day with entertainment including Afro-Latin dancing, bilingual poetry readings, a ranger talk at the new campfire circle and much more.
Food trucks with Bay Area cuisine will be on hand, and social justice activist Faviana Rodriguez will unveil a temporary mural installation called “Ancestral Futurism: Looking Back to Fix the Future.”
Top Image: View of the Golden Gate Bridge from the tops of the Presidio Tunnel as it is being built. (Photo by Rachel Steyer)
Add Comment