San Francisco Presidio Tunnel Tops Park Opening This Sunday

Presidio Tunnel Tops Park will open Sunday with performances, food vendors, talks, and public art. With its opening, San Francisco will get its newest waterfront park, spanning 14 acres and creating a comfortable pedestrian connection from the Main Parade Lawn to Crissy Field Beach. The day has been co-curated by the Partnership for the Presidio and community members.

Presidio Tunnel Tops space overview, image courtesy the Partnership for the Presidio

In email correspondences with YIMBY, the chief park officer of the Presidio Trust, Michael Boland, describes the larger significance of the Tunnel Tops. “Guiding the transformation of the Presidio from an army post to public national park site over the past 27 years, creating a real destination for visitors has been nothing short of magical.” Boland went on to say “the Presidio Tunnel Tops is the largest piece of that effort to date, and really shows we’ve arrived as a beautiful public space for all people. I couldn’t be more thrilled to see this come to fruition.”

See the park website here for more details about the opening day activities.

The Presidio Tunnel Tops is designed by James Corner Field Operations, the same landscape architect responsible for New York’s High Line. The park provides a beautiful transition from the Presidio Plaza down to the Crissy Field Marsh at sea level. Over 200,000 native and drought-tolerant plants will line the expansive open space.

Presidio Tunnel Tops with Alcatraz in the background, image by Andrew Campbell Nelson

Presidio Tunnel Tops aerial view, image by Andrew Campbell Nelson

Presidio Tunnel Tops site map, illustration courtesy the Partnership for the Presidio

On the higher elevation of the park, above the tunnel, there are the meadows, a picnic area, the campfire circle, and an overlook with views of the Marin Headlands. The cliff walk and Presidio Steps will provide a dramatic decline to sea level, opening up immediately to the children’s two-acre Outpost play area. Next to the Outpost will be the Field Station and the Crissy Field Center and Learning Labs.

The project, located in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, is being finished with a budget of $118 million, including $98 million from the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and $20 million from the Presidio Trust.

Presidio Tunnel Tops looking west, image by Andrew Campbell Nelson

Presidio Tunnel Tops and the Main Parade Lawn, image by Andrew Campbell Nelson

Presidio Tunnel Tops connection to Presidio Plaza, image courtesy the Partnership for the Presidio

Opening Day at Presidio Tunnel Tops will go from 10 AM to 6 PM on Sunday, with events by the Presidio Visitor Center at 210 Lincoln Boulevard. This weekend comes a few months after the opening of the six-acre Battery Bluffs restored parkland. Events will include an outdoor art installation by Favianna Rodriguez, performances by local talent at the Community Stage, and NPS Ranger talks at the Campfire Circle from 4 to 4:30 PM.

The Presidio Pop-Up will feature 29 mobile food vendors for the first season, ten of which will be available on opening day. The Presidio Trust has provided the following list:

• All Day Catering – Wholesome comfort foods such as mac and cheese, gumbo and other Southern delights.
• Authentic India – Classic South Asian dishes such as chicken tikka masala and lamb kabob reimagined in eat-as-you-go naan wraps.
• Bocadito Colombian Snackeria – Snacks such as obleas wafer with dulce de leche, gluten-free pandebonos cheese breads, and empanadas. A La Cocina graduate business.
• Borsch Mobile – Serving traditional Ukrainian fare such as borscht, pyrizhky, varenyky potato dumplings, and more.
• Casita Vegana – Delicious plant-based popular fare including tacos, quesadillas, hot dogs, and burgers.
• Chika – Bar cart serving canned Latin-inspired cocktails.
• Cocina Guirnalda – Featuring Yucatan cuisine including panuchos crispy black bean-stuffed tostadas and corn empanadas.
• Colibri – An extension of the bar from the Colibri restaurant in the Presidio Officers’ Club, serving their signature margarita and more, with guac and chips.
• Curry Up Now – Innovative Indian Street food from one of SF’s beloved food trucks.
• Donut Petit – Handcrafted, artisanal gourmet donuts from a little bakery in Alameda.
• El Pipila – Bringing the joys of classic Mexican street food including mango flower on a stick dusted with tajin spicy chile.
• El Porteño Empanadas – Makers of beloved Argentinian empanadas and dulce de leche alfajore sandwich cookies.
• GIO Gelati – Authentic Italian artisan gelato made by a 4th generation master gelatiere with farm-fresh California ingredients.
• Guajillo Kitchen – Featuring Mexican fare made with Guajillo peppers including tacos dorados, quesabirras and tamales.
• Jolly’s Old-Fashioned Teas Cream – Where the ice cream parlor meets the tea house. Serving creative tea-infused ice cream.
• Kayma – Serving hearty, halal Algerian dishes such as couscous and chicken bowls and grilled ras el hanout marinated lamb baguette sandwiches. Kayma also accepts restaurant meal program EBT. A La Cocina Marketplace business.
• Kuker – Bulgarian cuisine featuring the famous street food staple banitsa – a filo-pie filled with feta and Mediterranean herbs.
• Lady Victory – From the women-owned, popular bar Victory Hall, a 1967 VW bus serving up creative cocktails, including several with ube, because a great cocktail is a celebration of everyday victories.
• Mama’s Papas – Ono Latin Hawaiian fusion dishes such as pupusitas and kalua pork quesatacos.
• Media Noche – Serving mouth-watering, hot-pressed Cubano sandwiches including the media noche on eggy brioche.
• Mi Morena – Delectable Mexico City style tacos de guisado with stewed carnitas, chicken tinga, cactus pads with summer squash, and made-on-the spot, fresh hand-pressed tortillas. A La Cocina Marketplace business.
• Poke a Go Go – Healthy, fresh poke over grain bowls, burritos, and nachos. Don’t forget the warm soft pretzels.
• Red Bay Coffee Company – Brewing artisanal, direct trade, quality coffee with inclusivity, diversity and social justice.
• Route 1 Coffee – Cold brew and pour-overs. The signature beverage is the delightful coffee con leche.
• Rye on the Road – Craft cocktail service.
• Satay By The Bay SF – Classic Singaporean favorites such as satay with peanut sauce and chili crab fries.
• Vegan Mob – Plant-based soul food and BBQ with influences from Creole, Latin and Asian cuisines.
• Whipt – Home of the “original cookie cake”, a scrumptious soft-centered treat within a crunchy cookie encasement.
• YoSoyCeviche – Traditional Peruvian fish and shellfish ceviche complete with house made plantain chips, and Andean corn nuts.

For Sunday, Presidio Trust has confirmed with YIMBY that 16 total food vendors will be on site, attending in shifts in the morning and afternoon. For the most updated information check with the Presidio Tunnel Tops website.

Presidio Tunnel Tops children’s Outpost, image courtesy the Partnership for the Presidio

Presidio Tunnel Tops bathed in sunlight with the Golden Gate Bridge on the horizon, image by Andrew Campbell Nelson

Starting in August, the park will host First Sunday Afternoons at Presidio Tunnel Tops, co-curated by the Presidio Activator Council and Community Experts, Hip Hop for Change, World Arts West, and Korean Center Inc.

For the rest of the year, First Sundays will occur from August through November from 1 to 4 PM by the Presidio Visitor Center with Presidio Pop-Up food vendors and public art. Entertainment will include DJs, music, and dance performances on the Community Stage.

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