San Francisco: Salesforce Park; things to do

San Francisco

Salesforce Park  

Stretches along Mission Street from Beal Street to Second Street, crossing Frist and Fremont Streets. 
gondola entrance:  425 Mission St./Fremont St.
elevator entrances:  several are found along Mission St. 
Free.  No pets. 

Salesforce Park in San Francisco, California

          Salesforce Park is adjacent to Salesforce Tower--the tallest building in the U.S. west of the Mississippi River.  Financially sponsored and operated by Salesforce, it is the city’s only public park with a commercial sponsor.  The park is situated 4 stories above the sidewalk of the Salesforce Transbay Transit Center, where buses bring passengers into San Francisco from the East Bay.  The center is easily recognized by its undulating exterior cover of perforated white metal that allows in sunlight.

Visitors can reach the elevated park via a free gondola that provides transportation up only, or via elevators and escalators spaced along Mission Street. 

gondola lifts visitors to Salesforce Park
in San Francisco, California

Salesforce Park is 4 blocks long and covers 5.4 acres.  Basically a botanical garden, this urban oasis holds 16,000 plants and 600 trees, and it has plenty of inviting expansive green lawns.  Plants are blooming year round and include water-tolerant California natives as well as many exotics and some mature trees.  This oval park is set amid towering downtown buildings, some of which are close enough that it seems like you could reach out and touch them.  And whimsy is alive here, too.  Waterjets in a 1,000-foot-long serpentine “Bus Fountain” at the park’s northern edge dance to the movement and speed of buses arriving in the transit center below. 

lovely plants in Salesforce Park in San Francisco, California

                

The best way to see the park is to stroll the loop around the perimeter, stopping here and there to admire flowers or perhaps enjoy a refreshment break.  Plenty of benches and chairs are provided, and a kids’ play area holds a Recess Cart equipped with enticing books, games, and crayons available to borrow.  A nearby Library Cart provides books for anyone to enjoy while visiting.  Events in the park’s amphitheater include Zumba on Wednesdays, live music on Thursdays, and yoga on Fridays. 

Recess Cart at Salesforce Park in San Francisco, California

Food and drink are available at several cafes: 

●Barebottle Salesforce Park  

Crafted from two converted shipping containers, this outdoor cafe offers a menu featuring housemade Argentinian empanadas served with a tasty chimichurri sauce composed of finely chopped parsley, oregano, minced garlic, vegetable oil, and red wine vinegar.  Craft beer, tasting flights, and a non-alcoholic kola made in-house are among the drinks available to imbibe in the surrounding outdoor beer garden. 

Barebottle cafe at Salesforce Park
in San Francisco, California 

●Andytown Coffee Roasters    

181 Fremont, 7th fl.  This coffeehouse operates in an adjacent building reached via a short skybridge.  Stop in for coffees, teas, and snacks. 

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video and images ©2023 Carole Terwilliger Meyers