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San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park is an epic stretch of greenland where roller skaters, runners, dancers, garden-lovers and other outdoor enthusiasts congregate, but it’s always had a traffic problem... until now. As reported by SF Funcheap, one of the major arteries in the park, JFK Drive, is going to be permanently closed off to vehicles. The new ‘Golden Mile’ is going to be decked out for pedestrians who can revel in carefree amusements.
The car-free plan come with a bunch of new public art for pedestrians to enjoy, including the installation of a favorite San Francisco icon, the Doggie Diner heads, which once perched atop a fast food chain’s outlets. These are alert-looking dachshunds in chef’s hats, and the last extant one has its own website. The Golden Mile will showcase several of these along JFK Drive between Conservatory Drive West and 6th Avenue.
There will also be 12 large-scale murals and a delightful meeting-place-meets-art-installation called 100 Chairs, which is exactly what it sounds like. Outdoor pianos will be available for inspiration and soundtracking the flashmob you always wanted to be part of. There will be two live music stages where concerts will be scheduled (and buskers can go right up to the mic for better amplification), ping pong tables, a climbing wall, a skating area and scattered games like cornhole.
The San Francisco Library will regularly park its Bookmobile (and bring programming) for those who want to relax on the grass with a great read, while food trucks will park and serve – and there’s even talk of a beer and wine garden.
To make sure people know how to get to this pedestrian zone, there will be two grand entrances installed by Park and Rec with painted pavement and tables, chairs and trees to mark the entry points. Those will be where JFK meets Kezar Drive and where it meets 8th Avenue.
You can just wander by to see all this, but officially the events are called Promenade Play Days. And mark your calendar for the Halloween Haunt on October 28, a free event for all ages with decorations and attractions along the Promenade.