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First Sunday Streets of 2009: “An Idea With Staying Power”

Today's crisp, sunny weather and car-free waterfront drew thousands of people to San Francisco's first Sunday Streets of 2009 along the Embarcadero from Aquatic Park to the Giants ballpark. Business seemed like it was booming in Fisherman's Wharf, dispelling concerns among some business owners the opposite would happen.
IMG_3236e2.jpgPeople instead of cars fill the streets in Fisherman’s Wharf. Photo by Bryan Goebel.

Today’s crisp, sunny weather and car-free waterfront drew thousands of people to San Francisco’s first Sunday Streets of 2009 along the Embarcadero from Aquatic Park to the Giants ballpark. Business seemed like it was booming in Fisherman’s Wharf, dispelling concerns among some business owners the opposite would happen.

“They’re really excited and they feel like there’s a ton of people around,” said Wade Crowfoot of the Mayor’s office, donning an orange Sunday Streets volunteer t-shirt. “What you see is a good mixing of tourists who would be down here anyways and then a lot of locals and tourists that probably rented bikes specifically for this day.”

He added: “This is an idea with staying power.”

Hear a brief interview with Wade, as he was surveying the fun in Fisherman’s Wharf:

What did you think of Sunday Streets? Share some experiences with us and send along your photos. We’ll post a few of the best ones. Add to our feed by
tagging bookmarks in del.icio.us with for:sf.streetsblog, pictures in Flickr with sf.streetsblog, or videos in YouTube with sf.streetsblog.
And don’t forget to mark your calendars for the next Sunday Streets May 10th.

Photo of Bryan Goebel
Bryan Goebel is a reporter at KQED Public Radio in San Francisco. A veteran journalist and writer, he helped launch Streetsblog SF in 2009 and served as editor for three years. He lives car-free in the Castro District.

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