Most people downtown walk right under one of San Francisco's strangest parks without seeing it. Salesforce Park covers the roof of the Salesforce Transit Center. According to the Transbay Joint Powers Authority, which runs the building, the park sits 70 feet above the Grand Hall and runs the entire length of the Transit Center, nearly four blocks. It switches to winter hours this weekend.

Hours

The TJPA lists the park as open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. from May 1 through Oct. 31, and 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Nov. 1 through April 30. It notes that hours can change. So starting Sunday, plan on leaving by 8 p.m.

Getting up there

Wikipedia's entry on the Transit Center notes a free, 20-passenger aerial tram, often called the gondola, that runs from street level at Mission and Fremont streets up to the park. The building takes up the block between Minna and Natoma streets, stretching from Beale Street to just east of Second Street.

What's up there

  • Gardens: The TJPA counts 600 trees and 16,000 plants arranged in 13 botanical areas, each with interpretive signs. A desert garden anchors the west end and a wetland garden the east. Wikipedia credits the design to PWP Landscape Architecture.
  • The Bus Fountain: Artist Ned Kahn's piece has 247 small geysers set off by sensors in the bus deck below, so the jets go off as buses come and go. The TJPA says it stretches more than 1,200 feet on a bed of white and gray granite.
  • A glass floor and an oculus: The TJPA says the walkable glass floor in the Main Plaza is the largest of its kind in the U.S. Two domed skylights and a central oculus surrounded by bamboo let daylight down into the terminal.
  • An amphitheater: The lawn at the west end holds up to 1,000 people for free yoga, noontime concerts and movie nights.
  • A play area: A bright yellow rope climbing frame sits between the Central Lawn and the Main Plaza.

Free things to do

The TJPA says free programming runs from meditation, Tai Chi and silent disco to cardio dance, HIIT bootcamp and Lindy Hop swing dancing. There are also book, game and arts-and-crafts carts. Check the TJPA's events calendar before you go; its site currently lists a Halloween "Boonanza."

Rules worth knowing

Pets are not allowed in the park because of its delicate plantings and habitat, though service animals are. The playground rule is posted with a wink: children must be supervised by an adult, and "adults must be accompanied by a child."

A bit of history

The building itself was designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. The Transit Center closed in September 2018, shortly after opening, when cracks were found in structural beams. Service resumed in July and August 2019.