Donovan H.
Yelp
As many people know, San Francisco is a fast-paced city with nonstop hustle and bustle during all hours of the day. And when you're in the Financial District, it's a mecca of offices, retail establishments, restaurants, and everything in between. Which takes me to "Salesforce Park"; a man made, upper level park surrounded by San Francisco's dozens of skyscrapers and of course the tallest building in the city that is adjacent to this park, Salesforce Tower.
Built in between 2014-18, this was a very talked about idea that eventually became a reality. It had replaced the dilapidated Transbay Transit Terminal which had been in operation dating back to 1939. This was a major transfer point connecting Muni and BART trains as well as buses in San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area. I remember as a kid coming here and hopping on BART trains throughout San Francisco and the East Bay to get a head start on my travel adventures.
However, the early days of the Salesforce Park project had numerous hiccups including engineering issues with the structure in which it having cracked beams. This eventually meant it was deemed unsafe which delayed its initial grand opening from August 2018 to nearly a year later in July 2019. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, I had rarely visited San Francisco and finally made my first visit to Salesforce Park in October 2022.
I will say that this place is truly a breath of fresh air. The abundance of natural grass, plants, and trees really make the park seem like an actual park. From a photographers' perspective, the amount of high-rise buildings surrounding this park is absolutely astonishing and breathtaking. Having been born and raised here, this city has changed so drastically as this really is aesthetically pleasing no matter where you're standing.
Additionally, the park offers scheduled yoga classes, lots of outdoor seating if you wish to enjoy lunch on a sunny day, an amphitheater, a small playground for children, and even a Starbucks. This is a great area to track your steps and is ideal for walkers, joggers, and parents with strollers. It is also dog-friendly. Since the actual transit center is on the ground level, getting here by public transportation is a breeze. All in all, I recommend anyone visiting San Francisco to check out "Salesforce Park". It truly is a park like no other in the world.