Sunday Streets Tenderloin #1

April 19th, 2020 | 11:00am – 4:00pm

With open streets, free activities and plenty of chances to meet your neighbors, Sunday Streets most urban route celebrates the centrally-located and densely-populated Tenderloin, one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods. 

Blocks of Fulton, Hyde, Larkin, Ellis and Golden Gate Avenue transform into a temporary park for all, with over a mile of open streets accessible to the district’s families, youth and seniors for two yearly Sunday Streets Tenderloin events.

In partnership with Lers Ros and Turtle Tower restaurants, Sunday Streets will present the second annual Thai New Year in Little Saigon with a South East Asian Food Fair. Larkin Street from Eddy to O’Farrell will transform into a celebration of Thai and Vietnamese culture and the Tenderloin community on April 19.

Car-free streets offer an intimate way of interacting with the area’s array of authentic and affordable restaurants, small businesses and nonprofit services. Pick up an Explore Local Map for your guide to all things local – grab a banh mi or a bubble tea, learn about the area’s history at the Tenderloin Museum, or explore Larkin’s Street’s Tenderloin Community Garden.  

Home to large apartment buildings, fabulous architecture and many SROs, the area’s culturally diverse population includes a high percentage of families. Sunday Streets works with local residents, businesses and nonprofits to create programming tailored to the unique needs of the district.

For Sunday Streets Tenderloin’s fall event, click here.

TRANSIT & LIVABILITY


Per capita, the Tenderloin contains the lowest amount of open space in the city. One of the few is the beautiful Tenderloin National Forest, an unofficial city park created from an alley on Ellis Street – look for its bright red gates! 

Though Tenderloin streets are thoroughfares for downtown traffic, its residents have the lowest percentage of car ownership citywide. The district experiences the largest number of pedestrian traffic fatalities and contains the most high-injury corridors in any neighborhood, and all are part of the Vision Zero high injury network

Supervisor Matt Haney has called to create permanent car-free space in the area – an idea inspired, in part, by Sunday Streets Tenderloin.

 

DID YOU KNOW?

The Tenderloin is a historic and ongoing center of LGBTQ activism, including the 1966 Compton Cafeteria Riot, the first recorded militant uprising by the queer community against police harassment in US history. In 2017, Compton’s Transgender Cultural District was approved to preserve and continue the neighborhood’s legacy.

The Tenderloin got its name because police once bragged that the price of bribes afforded them the highest grade of beef. 

In 2004, the city recognized the two-block corridor of Larkin Street between Eddy and O’Farrell streets as “Little Saigon” for its thriving Vietnamese American population and culture.

Getting there

The Tenderloin is one of the most accessible neighborhoods in San Francisco. Livable City strongly encourages biking, walking, or taking public transportation to get to Sunday Streets.

MUNI:  For trip planning and other Muni-related info, go to www.sfmta.com. Visit sfmta.com/alerts the week before the event for updated information on any MUNI lines that will be rerouted during the event. The Tenderloin Sunday Streets route is served by the following MUNI lines:

  • K, L, M, T and F lines on Market St, just one block west of the route at Civic Center
  • 5, 19, 27, 31, and 38 Muni bus lines
  • Golden Gate Transit

BART: Take BART to the Civic Center BART Station which is just 1 short block from the Sunday Streets route. Use the Hyde or Larkin St exits and walk north 1 or 2 blocks to Fulton St. For trip planning, go to www.bart.gov

BIKE: Get in the Livable City spirit and bike to Sunday Streets! Go to:  www.sfbike.org to download a bike map to help find a flat, bike-friendly route from your area or the nearest transit stop to Sunday Streets. Got a long way to go? Shorten the trip by taking transit part of the way. Muni buses have bike racks for 2 bikes, BART and Caltrain both allow bikes on board. For more information about bikes on BART, go to www.bart.gov/guide/bikes.

By Car: Should you choose to drive, be aware that the Sunday Streets route is towed of all vehicles beginning at 8am and no stopping or parking is allowed on the streets after that (even if you’re just stopping for a moment for a cup of coffee), and no vehicles are allowed to drive onto the route after 10:00am.

Should you choose to drive, check out SFPark.org and parkme.com to identify available parking lots and spaces nearby. Additionally, parking may be available at these locations near the route:

  • Civic Center Plaza Garage at 355 McAllister St (Larkin St entrance/exit will be closed for Sunday Streets)
  • Opera Plaza Garage at 601 Van Ness Ave near Golden Gate Ave
  • Fox Plaza Garage at 1390 Market St.

Detours and Parking Changes

TOWING: The Sunday Streets route is towed of all vehicles beginning at 8am. Including the following streets:

  • Fulton St. from Hyde to Larkin St.
  • Larkin St. from Grove to Ellis St.
  • Ellis St. from Larkin to Jones St.
  • Golden Gate Ave. from Jones to Polk St.

No parking or stopping will be allowed on these streets after 8am (even if you’re just stopping for a quick cup of coffee, your car may be towed).

DETOURS & LOCAL ACCESS: Streets close to vehicle traffic starting at 10:00am, and remain closed to vehicle traffic until 4pm.

Vehicles will be able to cross the route on McAllister, Eddy St., and Leavenworth.

Suggested Detours:

  • Northbound traffic should use Polk or Leavenworth instead of Larkin St.
  • Southbound traffic should use Polk or Jones St. instead of Hyde St.
  • Westbound traffic should use Eddy or McAllister St. instead of Ellis and Turk Streets.
  • Eastbound traffic should use McAllister St. instead of Golden Gate Ave.

If you need vehicle access to/from your home or place of business during this time, please contact us as early as possible. Email SundayStreets@livablecity.org or call 415-344-0489 to coordinate access.